These top prospects could shape the Cards' future

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ST. LOUIS -- With a plan still coming together to trim payroll and shift the focus toward player development at the Minor League level, the Cardinals will almost certainly spotlight their young players more than ever in 2025.

That shift in focus should make for some compelling storylines in the season ahead with promising players such as Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante moving into primary roles.

Can St. Louis finally figure out how to maximize the potential of Walker and Gorman, who have shown flashes of star power but have also been far too inconsistent at the plate? Is Winn already the face of the franchise following a stellar rookie season that should earn him a National League Gold Glove Award? Can McGreevy, Pallante and up-and-coming hurlers Quinn Mathews and Tink Hence grow enough to form the pillars of a rotation that might be fearsome in the future?

Here is a closer look at some of the young players who could shape the future for the Cards:

3 players who forced their way onto the radar

RHP Michael McGreevy
The 24-year-old McGreevy said the final outing of his first season in the big leagues -- an eight-inning performance where he limited the Giants to just five hits and one earned run while striking out six and walking none -- would be like pumping jet fuel into his veins to propel his work throughout the offseason. The No. 18 pick of the 2021 MLB Draft turned around his season -- and maybe his career -- with the development of a heavy sinker and a cutter and now he looks like he’s ready to be a rotation regular for the Redbirds in 2025. In four games (three starts), St. Louis’ No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline went 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA at the big league level. He impressed in his debut against the Rangers on July 31, but he showed the Cards even more moxie when he pitched out of trouble in a Sept. 24 start in Colorado and then finished strong in the season finale on Sept. 29 in San Francisco, working in front of roughly two dozen family members and friends.

CF Victor Scott II
Forgive Scott if his head is still spinning from a topsy-turvy season that saw him shuttled between the big leagues and Triple-A several times. Scott made the Opening Day roster and found himself starting in Dodger Stadium following injuries to Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson. Not surprisingly, the player who had never spent a day at Triple-A was overwhelmed and sent down a month into the season.

Scott’s season turned around when he got hitting help from Cardinals roving instructor Ryan Ludwick, a potential candidate to become the club’s next hitting coach. Scott got some valuable reps with the Cards when Michael Siani was injured, and the club is hopeful that Scott will use the offseason to develop a steadier swing and become more efficient with his routes on fly balls in the gaps.

LHP Quinn Mathews
The 24-year-old became just the second Cardinals pitcher in the past 20 years to pitch at four levels of the Minor Leagues while ultimately winning MLB Pipeline’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award. Sparked by falling to the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, Mathews -- St. Louis’ No. 3 prospect -- has used an unbreakable confidence combined with some stellar stuff to become the organization’s fastest-rising prospect. Can he keep up his climb in Spring Training and push for a spot in the big league rotation?

2 breakout players to watch

SS/2B JJ Wetherholt
The Cardinals were delighted to nab Wetherholt with the No. 7 pick of the MLB Draft in July, feeling as though they might have gotten the steal of the first round. Once considered the top player in college baseball, Wetherholt slipped to St. Louis following a series of hamstring injuries that marred his junior season at West Virginia University.

Wetherholt, the top prospect in the Cards’ system and No. 18 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, showed well in 29 games at Single-A Palm Beach this fall. He slashed .295/.405/.400 while hitting two home runs and five doubles and driving in 20 runs. In a sign of just how impressive his batting eye is, Wetherholt had more walks (16) than strikeouts (15) during his pro debut.

OF Chase Davis
The Cardinals understandably had some concern when the powerful Davis failed to homer in his first 34 professional games in 2023, not long after the franchise had made him the No. 21 pick of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Davis, St. Louis’ No. 7 prospect, put those fears to rest in 2024 when he smashed 12 home runs and zipped through the chain to reach Double-A Springfield. At three Minor League levels, he smacked 29 doubles and a triple and drove in 70 runs.

Could the 22-year-old start 2025 at Triple-A and push for the Majors in 2025?

1 big prospect question for 2025

Will 2025 be the season when Hence stays healthy and realizes his massive potential at the big league level?
There is no question about the talent of Hence, the Cardinals’ No. 2 prospect. However, there continue to be durability issues for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-hander who has yet to throw 100 innings in a season in the Minors.

Despite shoulder/chest injuries that resulted in three stoppages this past season, Hence still racked up 109 strikeouts across 79 2/3 innings. He added a slider and changeup to go with his fastball-curveball mix, which he used to compile a 2.71 ERA while holding opponents to a .204 batting average.

Hence, still just 22, will potentially start 2025 at Triple-A Memphis. He could potentially push his way to the Majors, but he’ll need to show that his slender frame can withstand the rigors of a long season.