St. Louis Cardinals: Carlson, Rondon win minor league awards

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson and pitcher Angel Rondon won the organization’s Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year awards, and they could be on the fast track to the show.

While the St. Louis Cardinals‘ farm system isn’t as loaded with talent as some teams, outfield phenom Dylan Carlson and pitcher Angel Rondon were bright spots in the system, taking home the Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year awards.

Carlson was brilliant in 2019 after an unspectacular start to his professional career. Chosen as a compensation pick in the first round of the 2016 amateur draft, Carlson hit only .251, .240 and .246 in his first three years between Rookie League and High-A. He hit 21 home runs between the three levels.

Then in 2019, Carlson found his groove and showed he was deserving of the award. He started the year in Double-A and slashed a career-high .281 with 21 home runs and also stole 20 bases after swiping only 18 in his previous three years. He led Double-A with 53 runs scored. Carlson was promoted to Triple-A and played in 18 games, hitting a robust .361 with five home runs in 79 at-bats.

Carlson now stands on the doorstep of the major leagues, although it doesn’t seem likely he will make his debut immediately. The Cardinals will likely give Carlson more seasoning in Triple-A to let him develop a bit more. He’s only 21, so there is plenty of time for him to get even better and flourish in the big leagues.

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Rondon, meanwhile, was a much lesser-known name. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2016 and wasn’t even on the team’s top 30 prospects list to begin the 2019 season. But Rondon showed he was more than just another minor league pitcher when he broke out with a 2.93 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 160 innings between High-A and Double-A.

Rondon had demonstrated good control throughout his time on the farm and had decent strikeout numbers as well. But he gave up fewer hits per nine innings in 2019 than he did in 2018 — seven compared to eight — and that seemed to be the deciding factor in his success.

Rondon is 22, and while he is on the smaller side at 6 feet, 1 inch, he will be utilized as a starter in the minor leagues as long as he continues to produce results. The end result could be a fixture in the St. Louis rotation or, more likely, the back end of a bullpen.

While Carlson was a no-doubt winner, some may be surprised at Rondon winning the award, edging out more well-known prospects such as Junior Fernandez and Jake Woodford. The track record of the winners of these awards has been stellar with the Cardinals, and the team’s hope is that these two can continue the trend.