photo: Josh Kross (Palm Beach Cardinals)
By a considerable margin, The Cardinal Nation’s choice as the top hitter in the St. Louis Cardinals system during April is Palm Beach first baseman-catcher Josh Kross, who bested eight other finalists.
This article details the selection of The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Month. Considered were offensive results during April across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The winner as well as a group of eight runners up are highlighted.
Starting with the usual 60 plate appearances requirement, a total of 38 hitters in the system qualified. Nine further separated themselves with OPSes above .850, but just one was over .913 and in fact, he was well over that mark. Adding the fact that this individual had two more home runs and seven more RBI than the next closest player in the system made this a very easy decision.
Palm Beach first baseman-catcher Josh Kross is our runaway April winner.
Demographics
Triple-A Memphis dominated the finalist list with five, while Double-A Springfield had two. The two Class-A squads, Peoria and Palm Beach, trailed with one apiece.
Having said that, I should add that the five Memphis finalists range in age from 26 to 29. None are homegrown Cardinals, with infielder Cesar Prieto acquired in trade. The others were depth additions who are contributing. However, Jose Barrero is currently with St. Louis, so that matters, too.
While as a team, Palm Beach is doing fine offensively, High-A Peoria is once again struggling with the bats, a problem last season, as well.
Reminder
Please remember, this is NOT the “Player of the Month Among Top Prospects”. Every player in the system has an equal chance, with only their performance during the month used to differentiate the best of the best. Age and level, which are key prospect considerations, are not factors here, either.
We will take two views of the data. The first look will be basic stats, followed by rate stats. Names are listed in the same sequence in both tables, in descending OPS order.
Basic stats
| April hitter | Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Josh Kross# | PB | 19 | 85 | 73 | 18 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 0.288 | 0.377 | 0.671 | 1.048 |
| Jose Barrero | Mem | 23 | 101 | 87 | 15 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 27 | 0.299 | 0.396 | 0.517 | 0.913 |
| Michael Curialle | Peo | 15 | 63 | 55 | 12 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0.273 | 0.365 | 0.527 | 0.892 |
| Ramon Mendoza | Spr | 16 | 63 | 49 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 12 | 0.265 | 0.429 | 0.449 | 0.878 |
| Ryan Vilade | Mem | 25 | 97 | 84 | 12 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 19 | 0.310 | 0.392 | 0.476 | 0.868 |
| Matt Lloyd* | Mem | 18 | 72 | 58 | 9 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 16 | 0.293 | 0.417 | 0.448 | 0.865 |
| Bryan Torres* | Mem | 22 | 82 | 65 | 9 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 13 | 0.308 | 0.444 | 0.415 | 0.860 |
| Jeremy Rivas | Spr | 19 | 84 | 70 | 14 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 19 | 0.257 | 0.381 | 0.471 | 0.852 |
| Cesar Prieto* | Mem | 24 | 97 | 86 | 18 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 16 | 0.291 | 0.351 | 0.500 | 0.851 |
| # switch hitter | ||||||||||||||||||
| * LHH |
Barrero’s April 28 promotion to St. Louis was justified as the shortstop-center fielder fell just short of a .300/.400/.500 line that included four home runs. Only Kross compiled a higher OPS than Barrero’s .913 mark.
Like Barrero, Triple-A infielder Cesar Prieto had 10 extra-base hits which included two triples.
Also from the Redbirds, Ryan Vilade matched his two teammates’ 10 extra-base hits, with his eight doubles tying for the system lead in April. Vilade’s .310 batting average topped our finalists and was second highest in the organization.
Close behind is another Memphis hitter Bryan Torres, with a .308 batting average and an always impressive total of more walks (16) than strikeouts (13).
The other finalist sharing that distinction is Springfield’s Ramon Mendoza at 13 free passes taken against 12 Ks.
Another Double-A standout, Jeremy Rivas, holds the distinction of being our youngest finalist at 22 years, one month. That is one month younger than Kross. What stands out most about the infielder’s April is his four home runs. Coming into 2025, Rivas hit just eight long balls in 1,394 career at-bats.
At 29, Matt Lloyd is the other bookend as our oldest finalist. But he got the job done with 19 runs driven in over 18 games with Memphis. Lloyd’s RBI total was third-most in the organization last month.
Advanced stats
| April hitter | Tm | PA | BB% | K% | ISO | BABIP | wRC+ |
| Josh Kross# | PB | 85 | 7.1% | 17.6% | 0.384 | 0.283 | 182 |
| Jose Barrero | Mem | 101 | 13.9% | 26.7% | 0.218 | 0.393 | 146 |
| Michael Curialle | Peo | 63 | 6.3% | 25.4% | 0.255 | 0.351 | 142 |
| Ramon Mendoza | Spr | 63 | 20.6% | 19.0% | 0.184 | 0.314 | 147 |
| Ryan Vilade | Mem | 97 | 11.3% | 19.6% | 0.167 | 0.375 | 135 |
| Matt Lloyd* | Mem | 72 | 18.1% | 22.2% | 0.155 | 0.381 | 138 |
| Bryan Torres* | Mem | 82 | 19.5% | 15.9% | 0.108 | 0.360 | 143 |
| Jeremy Rivas | Spr | 84 | 15.5% | 22.6% | 0.214 | 0.298 | 135 |
| Cesar Prieto* | Mem | 97 | 7.2% | 16.5% | 0.209 | 0.328 | 126 |
(For clarity, the players are in the same sequence as the earlier table. Thanks to Fangraphs for the data.)
As we get into additional stats, we see that good fortune in the guise of a high BABIP (.360 to .393) especially benefited four of the Memphis finalists – Barrero, Lloyd, Vilade and Torres. At .351, Peoria’s Michael Curialle also is notable for this reason.
Most interestingly, the clear exception was Kross, who excelled despite some BABIP misfortune at .283.
Mendoza, Torres and Vilade stood above the finalists in walk rates, with Mendoza’s most exceptional at 20.6%.
Curialle, at 6.3%, posted the lowest walk rate among finalists, with Kross and Prieto not much better at 7.1% and 7.2%, respectively.
Toughest to strike out was Torres at 15.9%, followed by Prieto (16.5%) and Kross (17.6%).
At the other end of the spectrum, Barrero (26.7%) and Curialle (25.4%) struck out in more than a quarter of their April plate appearances.
In Isolated Power, ISO, no one was in the same area code as Kross’ .383, but coming in above .200 were Curialle (.255), Barrero, Rivas and Prieto.
In weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), Kross is once again tops by a huge margin with an exceptional 182, 82% above his league average. The next-closest four were clumped in the 140’s.
When all is said and done, Kross’ exceptional month across the board gives him the honor of The Cardinal Nation’s April Player of the Month.
About the winner
Cardinals scout Jason Bryans deserves special credit for finding Kross and convincing the organization to select him in the sixth round in 2024, at 171st overall. Born in Georgia and graduated from high school in Ohio, Kross played for three different college programs in three seasons, finishing with the University of Cincinnati in 2024.
Though the switch-hitter batted just .216 in his Palm Beach debut late last summer, Kross drew attention due to his advanced eye. He drew 15 walks against 16 hits and 10 strikeouts in his first 94 professional plate appearances.
Back with the Beach Birds to open 2025, Kross got out of the gates quickly, earning Florida State League Player of the Week honors for the period of April 8-13.
Amazingly, Kross had at least one RBI in 16 of his 19 games, including seven games with multiples. His highlight was a six-RBI performance when he hit for the cycle on April 15.
To summarize, for the month, Kross led Cardinals farmhands in home runs, RBI, slugging, OPS, ISO and wRC+. And in most cases, no one was close. Kross also tied for first in runs scored (18) and tied for second in doubles with six.
Finally, Kross also led the system in April in a sometimes painful and infrequently reported stat. He was hit by five pitches!
Congratulations to Palm Beach’s cleanup hitter, Josh Kross.
Just missed
With an .846 OPS, Springfield middle infielder JJ Wetherholt just missed our finalist cut line. The 2024 first rounder appeared in only 14 April contests due to a stomach ailment that caused him to miss over a week. Red-hot before his time out, Wetherholt is 0-for-8 as the designated hitter since his return.
Catcher Jimmy Crooks did not make the Memphis finalist five, but his 22 RBI in 21 April contests deserve special notice. Among Cardinals minor leaguers, only Kross drove in more runs. Crooks’ four long balls also tied for second most in the system.
Memphis infielder Jose Fermin led the organization with eight stolen bases (in nine attempts) and his eight doubles tied Lloyd for tops in the system.
Outfielder Miguel Ugueto, who moved up to Springfield mid-month, had been off to an exceptional start with Peoria. Overall, the 22-year-old’s .333 April batting average led qualifying Cardinals farmhands.
What is next?
On Friday, look for The Cardinal Nation’s April Pitcher of the Month article, the companion to this one.
Also, the Cardinals organization should name their own selections of April Player and Pitcher of the Month in the upcoming days.
Now Available – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order and download the PDF today or order your printed book copy to ship the next business day.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.