2 Cardinals minor league lefties have outperformed their prospect counterparts

As the sun sets on the 2025 season for the St. Louis Cardinals, the minor league teams look to cap their campaigns with continued positive results that fans have seen on the farm for much of the season. The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds are currently 10 games over .500, and as long as they win at least six of their 16 games remaining, they will finish with a winning record. Even better is the Double-A Springfield Cardinals, who are sporting an amazing 79-47 record and look to be in prime position to make a postseason run after winning the first half of the season.

While the major league team continues to flirt with a .500 season record, fans can at least have some level of excitement as the organization's young players are experiencing what a playoff run is like, even if it is in the minors. Focusing on Springfield, much of the organization's hype and optimism is built around this squad. The current Double-A pitching staff is one of the best in all of that level, as they lead the Texas League in ERA (3.60 ERA), strikeouts (1,226), WHIP (1.28), and opponent batting average (.228).

Ixan Henderson and Brycen Mautz are the leaders of a dominant Double-A pitching staff.

Based on MLB Pipeline's rankings, Cardinals lefty Ixan Henderson is the organization's 15th-best prospect after being drafted in the eighth round of the 2023 draft and made his way through A-ball last season. He debuted in Springfield this season and has been spectacular as the ace of the rotation. Evaluators originally pegged the crossfire lefty coming out of Fresno State as a relief specialist, but that tune has changed since the team decided to try him out as a starter.

This season, Henderson has ramped up his fastball to sit in the 93-95mph range to pair with his sweeping slider. He has worked on a change-up and a "gyro cutter" to give him more of a starter's arsenal, and the results have been encouraging. In 23 starts this season, Henderson leads the Springfield pitching staff with nine wins and a 2.49 ERA, both good for 2nd in the league. In 122.1 innings, the lefty has struck out 127 batters and has allowed 90 hits for just .206 opponent batting average. The only pitcher Henderson is behind in both ERA and batting average against is Henry Baez from the A's organization, who has also started 23 games but has only pitched 109 innings. There is a real chance that Henderson could see himself named as the organization's Pitcher of the Year after fellow left-handed prospect Quinn Mathews earned that honor last season. The biggest flaw to Henderson's game right now is his command as his BB/9 rate currently sits at 3.30, but that is actually the best mark of his career and hopefully continues to trend lower.

Joining Henderson on pitching leaderboards is 21st-ranked prospect and fellow lefty Brycen Mautz. The 2024 second-round pick out of San Diego is also putting together a great season in Springfield in his first taste of Double-A. In his 23 starts, Mautz is 7-3 with a 3.13 ERA and .221 batting average against. Mautz has shown better strikeout stuff (10.24 K/9) and command (2.69 B/9) while working with a low-90s fastball and solid slider. While he is still working on establishing his curveball and changeup, he has made incredible strides from last season, where he put up a 3-13 record and an ERA over five. Whatever adjustments he has made worked out big at the right time. Mautz is Rule 5 eligible this season, and his progress might make him worthy of an addition to the 40-man roster this offseason.

There are a lot of questions for the St. Louis Cardinals' 40-man roster and how Chaim Bloom views the current pieces that take up spots, but both Ixan Henderson and Brycen Mautz are making their cases to be added. Henderson is not in need of protection until 2026, but if he continues his progression, he could be ticketed for Triple-A and become an option for a major league pitching staff that has plenty of vacancies next season.