With the Minor League season opening this week, here's where St. Louis¡¯ Top 30 Prospects are projected to start:
- JJ Wetherholt (MLB No. 22), SS -- Springfield (Double-A)
- Quinn Mathews (MLB No. 44), LHP -- Memphis (Triple-A)
- Tink Hence (MLB No. 75), RHP -- Injured (rib cage strain)
- Jimmy Crooks, C -- Memphis (Triple-A)
- Thomas Saggese, INF -- Memphis (Triple-A)
- Cooper Hjerpe, LHP -- Springfield (Double-A) -- IL
- Leonardo Bernal, C -- Springfield (Double-A)
- Rainiel Rodriguez, C -- Extended spring training
- Yairo Padilla, SS -- Extended spring training
- Chase Davis, OF -- Springfield (Double-A)
- Michael McGreevy, RHP -- Memphis (Triple-A)
- Tekoah Roby, RHP -- Springfield (Double-A)
- Chen-Wei Lin, RHP -- Peoria (High-A) -- IL
- Sem Robberse, RHP -- Memphis (Triple-A)
- Brian Holiday, RHP -- Palm Beach (Single-A) -- IL
- Gordon Graceffo, RHP -- Memphis (Triple-A)
- Darlin Saladin, RHP -- Peoria (High-A)
- Ryan Campos, C -- Peoria (High-A)
- Zack Showalter, RHP -- Peoria (High-A)
- César Prieto, INF -- Memphis (Triple-A)
- Nathan Church, OF -- Springfield (Double-A) -- IL
- Matt Koperniak, OF -- Memphis (Triple-A)
- Max Rajcic, RHP -- Springfield (Double-A)
- Travis Honeyman, OF -- Palm Beach (Single-A) -- IL
- Branneli Franco, RHP -- Extended spring training
- Ian Bedell, RHP -- Memphis (Triple-A)
- Royelny Strop, OF -- Extended spring training
- Zach Levenson, OF -- Peoria (High-A)
- Michael Helman, UTIL -- Memphis (Triple-A)
- Luis Gastelum, RHP -- Springfield (Double-A)
COMPLETE CARDINALS PROSPECT COVERAGE
- Cardinals Top 30 prospects
- Prospect stats: Today | Last 10 | Last 30
- Draft pick stats
- Highlights
Team to watch
Triple-A Memphis boasts 10 of the Cardinals¡¯ Top 30 Prospects, including three of the top five in Mathews, Crooks and Saggese. Mathews (MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year) and Crooks (Texas League MVP) were both award winners in 2024, while Saggese pushed his way to the Majors for the first time late last summer. McGreevy found even more success during his first run in The Show (1.96 ERA in four appearances) but got squeezed out of the rotation this spring by more veteran members of the pitching staff. The Redbirds have a good mix of intriguing top talent and overall depth of prospects pushing for their own debuts or returns in the Majors.
Players we could see in MLB in 2025
Anyone from that loaded Memphis squad is in play, and the pitching competition could be fiercest. McGreevy is the favorite to get the first call when a rotation spot opens in St. Louis, but Mathews has the highest upside with his three above-average pitches and impressive control. The Cards have developed a steady stream of backstops in recent years (Iv¨¢n Herrera and Pedro Pag¨¦s being the two most recent), and Crooks could very well fall in line, thanks to his power and ability to control the opposing running game. One sleeper candidate for a 2025 debut: Gastelum, whose changeup continued to look special this spring. He jumped from Single-A to Double-A with this opening assignment and could continue to climb quickly if the Cards believe the cambio can keep fooling hitters at an elite rate.
New faces
St. Louis acquired Helman from the Twins in a February trade for cash, and while he¡¯s certainly on the older side of prospectdom at 28 years old, his history of injuries (and reestablished health) means he still has more room for development than most his age. He¡¯s a plus runner with experience playing every position but first base and catcher, and he¡¯s already gotten looks in center, right and shortstop with Memphis. He may not have exceptional exit velocities, but his tendency to lift and pull could allow for some power, adding an extra layer to his value as a utilityman.
On the shelf
The hits keep coming unfortunately for Hence. The Cardinals¡¯ No. 3 prospect suffered a right rib cage strain in Spring Training, and he was placed on Memphis¡¯ 60-day injured list officially last Friday. The 22-year-old righty has faced durability questions throughout his career and most recently missed time in 2024 due to lat/chest/shoulder issues. He¡¯s still yet to throw more than 100 innings in a season, nearly five years after he was drafted. Hjerpe, Lin, Holiday, Church and Honeyman will open the season on the IL with undisclosed injuries.