Evaluating the St. Louis Cardinals’ extraordinary outfield depth

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 18: Tyler O'Neill #41, Harrison Bader #48 and Dylan Carlson #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in game one of a doubleheader at PNC Park on September 18, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 18: Tyler O'Neill #41, Harrison Bader #48 and Dylan Carlson #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in game one of a doubleheader at PNC Park on September 18, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – APRIL 07: A general view of Busch Stadium prior to the Opening Day game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates April 7, 2022 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – APRIL 07: A general view of Busch Stadium prior to the Opening Day game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates April 7, 2022 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images) /

A FEW YEARS AWAY

I might be getting ahead of myself a bit with this group of four. However, they are top prospects for a reason, and deserve our attention. To learn more about them, you can visit the MLB top prospect page here.

Joshua Baez

Joshua Baez is a name to remember. Most notably, he gave this extraordinary interview after being drafted. Only 19, Baez probably won’t be in St. Louis for a while. But as a former 2nd round pick and top prospect in the system, he is a worthy inclusion on this list.

Ryan Holgate

Ryan Holgate dominated the Northwoods summer league with 13 home runs in 2019, and the Cardinals promptly drafted him 70th overall in 2021. Like Baez, Holgate has yet to turn 20, and won’t be in St. Louis for a few years. However, the lefty has legit power.

Patrick Romeri

21 year-old outfielder Patrick Romeri has done nothing but hit. A 12th-round pick in 2019, Romeri is currently slashing .304/.368/.580 at Single-A Palm Beach. Here’s what Zach Buchanan from The Athletic wrote two weeks ago:

"Twice this season, Cardinals outfield prospect Patrick Romeri has missed a month because of a quad injury. He’s back, and he has returned with a vengeance. Since rejoining Low-A Palm Beach at the end of June, Romeri has batted .444 with a 1.405 OPS in nine games. Seven of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases. This past week, he has two homers, one triple and three doubles in 19 plate appearances. It will take much more than that for Romeri to be considered a top prospect — he was a 12th-round pick out of IMG Academy in 2019, and the 21-year-old didn’t reach full-season ball until last year — but a run like that will get some attention."

Won-Bin Cho

Lastly, we have 18 year-old Won-Bin Cho. This past offseason, Cho became the first amateur player from Asia to be signed by the Cardinals. The sweet-swinging lefty showcased power to all fields, but “impressed St. Louis officials most with his drive and initiative.” Again, we can’t expect Cho in St. Louis for a while, but he sure is an exciting member of the organization.

https://twitter.com/wonbincho3/status/1538360364433276929