5 Cardinals prospects not named JJ Wetherholt to keep an eye on

The year of development for the St. Louis Cardinals is primarily there for the major league team. Young players currently in St. Louis are being given ample runway to prove their value and make the necessary adjustments to be around for the future.

Players like Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, and Matthew Liberatore are being given lots of playing time to show that they can either contend at the highest level of baseball or make necessary changes to be viable regulars in the majors.

However, the minor league players shouldn't be neglected or forgotten about either.

Over the last two years, future president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has analyzed and vetted the Cardinals' minor league system to identify flaws and areas of improvement. He was quite busy this offseason filling out his front office to best support the pipeline. Bloom hired Matt Pierpont, a former minor league pitching coordinator for the Seattle Mariners, as the club's new Director of Pitching. Rob Cerfolio, the Cleveland Guardians' former director of player development, is the Cardinals' new assistant general manager, player development and performance.

These two hires, along with other influxes of external coaches and a change in development as a whole, should assist the Cardinals' minor league system when it comes to producing viable regulars.

The underlying development of prospects is equally important as the development of the major leaguers for the long-term health of the St. Louis Cardinals. If they can keep a consistent pipeline of MLB-ready players, the organization will find the consistent success it had throughout the 2000s and early 2010s.

Therefore, it's important for fans to be familiar with the club's rising prospects. Have no fear; I have you covered.

We all know about JJ Wetherholt, Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, and Chase Davis. Those are four prospects the club is very high on right now. Should the develop at normal paces, we'll see each of those four players contributing to the major-league roster within the next two years. However, there are several other lower-level prospects who are having strong years.

Their positive growth coupled with a "reset" year bodes well for both the organization and the players themselves.

These 5 Cardinals prospects are players to watch for the rest of the 2025 season.

LHP Ixan Henderson

The Cardinals drafted Henderson in the eighth round of the 2023 draft out of Fresno State. Henderson was the Bulldogs' Friday starter as a junior, and he posted a 3.74 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 89 innings.

As a prospect, Henderson has worked primarily as a starter, and he finished 2024 with a 2.34 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 104 innings with Low-A Palm Beach and High-A Peoria.

Ixan started the 2025 season with Double-A Springfield, and he's made the most of his opportunity so far. He's thrown 36 innings in seven starts, and he has a 3-1 record with a 2.25 ERA. Henderson has already struck out 45 batters. Opposing batters are hitting just .228 against him, and his 1.11 WHIP is strong.

Henderson experienced a velocity bump last year with his fastball, and his slider — which is trending to be more like a sweeper — has fantastic run on it.

Henderson was announced as the St. Louis Cardinals' Minor League Pitcher of the Month in April. He's certainly a prospect to keep an eye on as the Cardinals search for viable starting pitching depth.