photo: Rainiel Rodriguez (Palm Beach Cardinals)
The Cardinal Nation’s choice as the top hitter in the St. Louis Cardinals organization during August is Palm Beach catcher Rainiel Rodriguez. The 18-year-old led the system in home runs, extra base hits (tied), RBI, slugging percentage and OPS.
This article details the selection of The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Month. Considered were offensive results during August across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The winner as well as a group of seven runners-up are highlighted.
Starting with the usual 60 plate appearances requirement, a total of 41 hitters in the system qualified. Eight separated themselves with an August OPS above .850.
Triple-A Memphis leads the finalist list with three. Double-A Springfield and High-A Peoria feature two apiece, and Low-A Palm Beach had just one, though his results were exceptional! The two rookie level teams are done for 2025.
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.
Names in the two tables below are listed in the same descending OPS order.
Rate Stats
| Hitter | Age | Tm | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | BB rate | K rate | BB/K |
| Rainiel Rodriguez | 18 | Palm Beach | 0.293 | 0.420 | 0.598 | 1.018 | 14.0% | 16.0% | 0.88 |
| JJ Wetherholt | 22 | Memphis | 0.333 | 0.434 | 0.544 | 0.978 | 12.3% | 17.0% | 0.72 |
| Deniel Ortiz | 20 | Peoria | 0.345 | 0.447 | 0.517 | 0.964 | 14.6% | 23.3% | 0.63 |
| Jimmy Crooks | 23 | Memphis/St. Louis | 0.333 | 0.398 | 0.540 | 0.938 | 10.2% | 22.4% | 0.45 |
| Zach Levenson | 23 | Peoria/Springfield | 0.301 | 0.356 | 0.578 | 0.934 | 6.7% | 22.2% | 0.30 |
| Ryan Campos | 22 | Peoria | 0.293 | 0.391 | 0.507 | 0.897 | 12.6% | 17.2% | 0.73 |
| Joshua Baez | 22 | Springfield | 0.293 | 0.389 | 0.507 | 0.896 | 12.0% | 13.0% | 0.92 |
| Bryan Torres | 27 | Memphis | 0.322 | 0.440 | 0.424 | 0.864 | 16.7% | 14.1% | 1.18 |
Interestingly, the first three finalists in the above table are the only repeaters from July. In fact, Memphis infielder JJ Wetherholt and Peoria corner infielder Deniel Ortiz were finalists in all three summer months. The other name who returns from July is Palm Beach catcher Rainiel Rodriguez.
Only one finalist posted an August OPS of over 1.000 though two others were relatively close. First is one of the top emerging prospects in the organization, Rodriguez, at 1.018. Not far behind are Wetherholt and Ortiz at .978 and .964, respectively.
Others in this category who performed well in August include two players at new levels, new St. Louis catcher Jimmy Crooks (.938) and Springfield outfielder Zach Levenson (.934).
Five of the eight hit over .300 in August, led by Ortiz at .345, followed by Wetherholt and Crooks at ,333. The “worst” hitting finalists still batted .293 – Rodriguez, Peoria catcher Ryan Campos and Springfield outfielder Joshua Baez. The latter’s inclusion is particularly encouraging.
Four finalists posted an on-base percentage over .400. On top again was Ortiz at .447, followed by Memphis second baseman-outfielder Bryan Torres at .440. Wetherholt (.434) and Rodriguez (.420) are the others.
In slugging, Rodriguez stands tall on top at .598. The only other finalist within 50 points of him in SLG is Levenson at .578.
In walk rate, three finalists came in at 14% or better – Torres at 16.7%, then Ortiz at 14.6% and Rodriguez at 14.0%. At the other end was Levenson with a concerningly low 6.7%. The others were between 10% and 14%.
The lowest strikeout rates among finalists were compiled by Baez (13.0%), Torres (14.1%) and Rodriguez at 16.0%. Three were slightly above 22% – Ortiz, Crooks and Levenson.
The only finalist to walk more than he struck out during August was Torres, with Baez and Rodriguez closest. Levenson’s negative extremes in both measures placed him far at the bottom in this measure.
Basic stats
| Hitter | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS |
| Rainiel Rodriguez | 22 | 100 | 82 | 13 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| JJ Wetherholt | 22 | 106 | 90 | 17 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 13 | 18 | 5 | 1 |
| Deniel Ortiz | 23 | 103 | 87 | 12 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 15 | 24 | 6 | 4 |
| Jimmy Crooks | 23 | 98 | 87 | 16 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 10 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Zach Levenson | 23 | 90 | 83 | 12 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 6 | 20 | 2 | 1 |
| Ryan Campos | 19 | 87 | 75 | 13 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| Joshua Baez | 22 | 92 | 75 | 12 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 2 |
| Bryan Torres | 18 | 78 | 59 | 11 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 1 |
Rodriguez’ seven home runs led the entire system, not just finalists. Alone in second was Levenson with six.
The seven doubles hit by Wetherholt in August was also tops in the system, followed by a number of players with six, including finalists Ortiz, Crooks and Campos. In a bit of an oddity, catcher Campos shared the organization lead in August triples with two.
Put it together and Rodriguez’ and Wetherholt’s 11 extra-base hits tied for the most in the system during August.
Rodriguez also led the finalists and the entire system (tied) with 22 RBI, occurring at the rate of one per game all month long.
In another unusual occurrence, new Memphis first baseman Blaze Jordan also plated 22 runners last month, which he did while batting .174 with an OPS under .500. No other Cardinal farmhand, finalist or not, drove in more than 17 last month.
Baez topped the finalists with seven stolen bases (in nine attempts). The only other organizational player with more steals in August was a non-finalist, Peoria’s Won-Bin Cho with nine. Among finalists, Ortiz had the most attempts, 10, but was only 60% successful.
In runs scored, Wetherholt compiled the finalist lead in August with 17, second in the system to a non-finalist, former Memphis teammate Nathan Church with 20.
Taking it all into account, Rodriguez’ August across the board, with especially strong power and production, gives him the honor of The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Month. Wetherholt was close behind.
The 18-year-old Rodriguez led the system in August home runs, extra base hits (tied), RBI, slugging percentage and OPS. Among finalists, Rodriguez was third in highest walk rate, lowest strikeout rate and best walk-to-strikeout ratio.
About the winner
Among the brightest young prospects to emerge in the system in 2025 is Rodriguez, a player signed from the Dominican Republic just 17 months ago. It is unusual for a teenager who is in his first year in the US to experience such consistent success at two different levels of play as has Rodriguez.
This May, in his first month in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, the two-time 2024 Dominican Summer League All-Star was the consensus system-wide Player of the Month.
Now, in August, just his third month in the Florida State League, Rodriguez is performing so well that he is again our choice as the top hitter in the Cardinals system. And he won’t turn 19 years of age until just into the New Year!
Congratulations to The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Month, Rainiel Rodriguez.
How last month’s winner fared
The July Player of the Month according to both The Cardinal Nation and the Cardinals organization was Wetherholt. As noted above, had it not been for Rodriguez’ excellent August, Wetherholt could easily have been a back-to-back winner.
What is next?
Look for The Cardinal Nation’s August Pitcher of the Month article, the companion to this one, coming on Thursday.
Also, the Cardinals organization should name their own selections of August Player and Pitcher of the Month in the upcoming days.
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