5 young Cardinals who have answered the call so far and 3 who haven't

The 2025 season for the St. Louis Cardinals is one where they will be figuring out which young players will be cornerstones for the next generation of successful Cardinal teams. While winning would be ideal and a byproduct of growth, it was taking a backseat to player development at the major-league level.

All offseason, we heard John Mozeliak and others say that Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and Alec Burleson would receive ample playing time. They wouldn't be demoted to the minors to make adjustments. Rather, they would make these improvements on the fly in the majors against the highest level of competition.

In a perfect world, every young player from Walker to Burleson to even Ryan Fernandez, to an extent, would make the necessary improvements to be everyday major leaguers.

For most of the young players, it's been clear if they've cut it at the majors this year or if they have struggled more than desired. For one player, however, the jury is still out.

Alec Burleson is stuck in the middle in terms of future development.

After an ice-cold start to the year, Burleson has begun heating up offensively. The left-handed hitter had a .259/.308/.294 slash line in March and April with a .035 ISO and a 71 wRC+. He was striking out 16.5% of the time and walking only 6.6% of the time.

Burleson wasn't tapping into his usual power, and the club needed a power bat in the middle of the lineup.

Since the calendar flipped to May, Burleson has turned it up quite a bit. He's slashed .269/.321/.538 with a .269 ISO for a 139 wRC+. He's found the power that he was missing early in the season, and his three extra-base hits are evidence of this. If Burly can continue to hit at this rate, he will be a reliable designated hitter for the future who could also spell a corner outfielder from time to time.

The 5 young St. Louis Cardinals have made the most of their opportunities this year, but these 3 young players have left a lot to be desired.

Ryan Fernandez's early season struggles put his future role in question.

While Kyle Leahy has established himself as a reliever of the future, Ryan Fernandez has fallen down the depth chart heavily.

Fernandez, a Rule 5 Draft pick last year, was strong as a second-tier reliever in 2024. He sat behind Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, and Andrew Kittredge, but he was excellent at what he was asked to do. Fernandez finished 2024 with a 3.51 ERA in 66.2 innings across 62 appearances. He had a 24.9% strikeout rate, and batters hit only .231 against him.

Fernandez got off to a rough start this year, and he was demoted due to his poor showing so far. Fernandez walked a quarter of the batters he faced in the majors, and his 11.42 ERA through only 8.2 innings was awful. To make matters worse, Fernandez isn't pitching much better in the minors. He has a 10.13 ERA through only 5.1 innings in Memphis.

Ryan Fernandez isn't doing much to bolster his case and lock in a role for the future.

Catcher Ivan Herrera has proven he can be an everyday player for the foreseeable future.

We all knew that catcher Ivan Herrera could hit. His .301 batting average and 127 wRC+ in only 259 plate appearances last year were just a small taste of what this right-handed batter could do offensively, given a full run.

Herrera just came back from an injury, but that hasn't slowed him down one bit. Ivan is slashing .316/.355/.432 this year with five home runs. He's already matched his home run total from last year in only 15% of the plate appearances. He has a team-best 260(!) wRC+ to start the year.

Ivan Herrera started off the year as the club's primary catcher following Willson Contreras's shift to first base. These moves were done in order to make sure both players' bats stay in the lineup most games.

It's not realistic to expect Ivan Herrera to continue to hit at this pace, but his early-season numbers show what he's capable of on the offensive side of the game. He has the ability to be a middle-of-the-order bat, and his stats this year support that belief. Herrera is one of the game's best offensive catchers to start the year, and the club's trust in him so far is paying off.

With the deep catching pipeline that the Cardinals have in their system, Ivan Herrera will have to make changes defensively to be considered a regular behind the plate. He's serviceable back there, but the designated hitter spot opens up more opportunities for the right-handed hitter to still get at-bats while not hurting the team defensively.

Defensively, Herrera has made some necessary adjustments to stay behind the plate and not be relegated to DH-only duties. He's gotten much better at framing pitches down in the zone due to his altered one-knee stance. He has lost some strength in his throws to catch runners, and his pop time is a bit slower, but the small sample size gives him time to make more improvements.

Shortstop Masyn Winn is picking up right where he left off in 2024.

Shortstop Masyn Winn had a fantastic rookie season last year. Winn slashed .267/.314/.416 last year for a 103 wRC+, just slightly above league average. He hit 15 home runs and stole 11 bags. What set Winn apart last year wasn't his offense but rather his defense.

Winn's 14 Defensive Runs Saved were the most among shortstops, and his three Outs Above Average were enough to make him a fringe top-10 defender according to this metric. He frequently made fantastic diving stops. His arm strength placed him in the 95th percentile according to Baseball Savant.

Winn's defense has been even better in 2025. He has already accumulated five Outs Above Average, and his one Defensive Run Saved places him in the top 10 in baseball.

Masyn has also altered his offensive profile slightly by adding some power. His .425 OPS is the highest of his career so far, and he's hit four home runs just a quarter of the way through the season. He's boosted his ISO to .170 as well. This power growth has come at a sacrifice to his strikeout rate which currently sits at 25.4%. He has, however, been able to draw walks at a 10.7% clip, a career high as well.

Masyn Winn's elite defense, paired with his improved offensive profile, cements him as a cornerstone player for the Cardinals in the years to come. It's not often that a speedy shortstop with some pop comes your way, and the Cardinals seem to have that in their former top prospect. Masyn Winn is catapulting his above-average 2024 season into one where he can become one of the game's stars. This bodes well for the Cardinals' future at a supreme position.

Jordan Walker's slow start only increases the concerns that fans had for him.

In order to understand Jordan Walker's struggles offensively at the majors, we must go back a few years to spring training 2023. Walker hadn't played above Double-A Springfield, and while his showing there was strong as a 20-year-old, it wasn't enough to justify moving him up to the majors for Opening Day 2023.

A former top-three prospect in baseball, Walker made his debut at the ripe age of 20, and he started off with a bang, logging a hit in 12 straight games at one point. Many fans and pundits were excited, as Walker's hit tool was his best quality, and he was flexing it early in his career. However, things began crumbling for the tall outfielder.

He was one of the worst defenders in baseball in 2023 and 2024, and learning a new position at the major-league level was sure to be a challenge for a player of his age. Walker finished 2023 as an above-average hitter, but he plummeted in 2024. He finished last year with a .201/.253/.366 slash line and only five home runs in 178 plate appearances. Walker spent most of the year at Triple-A Memphis, something he should have probably done in 2023.

Walker's main issue was swinging at breaking balls down and away and out of the strike zone. He whiffed at 69% of pitches down and out of the zone away last year, and his metrics were all below average on pitches down and away.

The story has been much the same for Walker this year. He's whiffing at 68% of pitches outside of the zone down and away, and he's seeing the bulk of his pitches there. While Walker's bat speed continues to be near the top of the league, he isn't capitalizing on this by swinging at pitches in the zone.

Poor swing choices have led Walker to have a .180/.252/.246 slash line and a 45 wRC+/ in 135 plate appearances. His strikeout rate is well above 30% now, and his ISO is .066.

If Jordan Walker wants to be a part of the club's future plans, he needs to figure out how to avoid breaking balls down and away. If he can't make those adjustments, the Cardinals may be looking at one of baseball's latest top prospect flops.

Kyle Leahy has established himself as a leverage reliever for the Cardinals this year.

Most of the conversations this offseason regarding the Cardinals' bullpen were centered on closer Ryan Helsley. Would he be traded? Would he stay in St. Louis for one more year? Would John Mozeliak and Chaim Bloom extend their two-time All-Star?

The other conversation that held the bulk of people's attention was who would replace Andrew Kittredge, the club's leader in holds in 2024. Kittredge left via free agency, and the Cardinals waited until spring training to fill his spot when they signed right-handed reliever Phil Maton. Maton has been exceptional as a set-up man.

Another reliever who has answered the call (literally) so far has been righty Kyle Leahy.

Leahy, 27, is a bit of a late bloomer. He made his debut in 2023 with the Cardinals when he threw only 1.2 innings across three games. He had a more prominent role last year, as he pitched in 33 games for a total of 48.2 innings. Leahy struggled his way to a 4.07 ERA and a 17.3% K rate. It wasn't the best of showings, but he at least gave himself a shot to make the roster this year.

After a strong spring training, Leahy was added to the bullpen to start the year. He's run with the opportunity.

Leahy has a 1.09 ERA in 24.2 innings already. Perhaps the most incredible part of his game so far has been his 98.6% left-on-base rate. His ground ball rate ranks in the 83rd percentile. Leahy relies heavily on a fastball-slider combo, and his slider is one of the best in the league with a .125 batting average against.

While relievers aren't always a focal point of rebuilding teams, they are an essential cog nonetheless. Kyle Leahy has cemented himself as a high-leverage reliever this year, and that bodes well for the team's future. The worry of losing Ryan Helsley or Phil Maton at the deadline or at the end of the year is lessened slightly now, thanks to Leahy's ascendance.

Infielder Nolan Gorman has changed his plate approach, but he still isn't doing enough to prove his value.

Nolan Gorman, similar to Jordan Walker, has clear and identifiable flaws. He struggles with fastballs up in the zone and breaking balls down and away. Both of these types of pitches have been his kryptonite for years now.

While Gorman has cut back on his 37.6% strikeout rate from last year while improving his walk rate, he isn't doing much in the power department. It's great that Gorman has changed his plate approach to chase less and see more pitches, but he's a power hitter at his core. The Cardinals don't have a legitimate home run hitter in their lineup, and Gorman was supposed to fill that role for the team in 2025 and beyond.

Jake Wood of VivaElBirdos made an excellent thread about Gorman's approach changes and how they've impacted his offensive numbers. I would recommend scrolling through it.

Gorman's strikeout rate has dropped to a respectable 27.1%, and his walk rate has jumped all the way up to 14.1%. The issue is that he's not slugging at all. Gorman has just six extra base hits — five doubles and one home run. His .114 ISO is far and away the lowest of his career so far, and his .286 slugging percentage is well below his career average.

Gorman's average exit velocity (86.4 MPH), bat speed (70.5 MPH, hard-hit percentage (38%), and squared-up percentage (22.1%) are all below average. For a player who is supposed to be a power hitter, these are all concerning figures.

Nolan Gorman was supposed to be a player who would grow and develop this year. He's made changes to his approach, but his .171/.282/.286 slash line with a 61 wRC+ is not overly reassuring. Gorman needed to start strong this year after an abysmal 2024 season. He hasn't done that, and that is putting his role with the Cardinals in the future in jeopardy.

Victor Scott II is quickly becoming one of the game's best center fielders.

Victor Scott II's development was cut a bit short last year when both Dylan Carlson and Lars Nootbaar got hurt early in the year. These injuries forced management's hand, and Scott had to start the year with the big-league club.

Scott's 2024 season left a little to be desired. He finished the year with a .179/.219/.283 and only two home runs and five stolen bases in 155 plate appearances. He wasn't able to use his speed, perhaps his strongest quality, effectively due to his low on-base percentage.

Scott worked hard all offseason with hitting coach Brant Brown and assistant coach Jon Jay to improve in all aspects of the game. His dedication is paying off. He was able to parlay his fantastic spring training into a starting spot in center field for the Cardinals.

In as many games and nearly as many plate appearances as last year, Scott has more than doubled his stolen bases, and his slash line is much improved. Scott is slashing .288/.355/.400 this year, and he's already logged two home runs, six doubles, and a triple. The improvements he's made so far have been dramatic.

Scott's chase rate and walk rate are both above average, and his sprint speed is in the 100th percentile in baseball. He's been able to pair his speed well with his ability to get on base.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Scott's game so far has been his defense. It feels like he makes a superb catch on a nightly basis. Among qualified center fielders, Scott ranks fourth in Defensive Runs Saved and fourth in Outs Above Average. According to Baseball Savant, Scott has caught 84% of balls hit his way, and that places him fifth in the league. He's been hands down one of the best defenders in baseball this year.

Scott's ability to be a plus player on both offense and defense has helped him build his case to be an everyday player for the next half-decade in St. Louis. His speed is the best in the league, he's an exceptional defender in center, and his bat seems to be coming around at just the right time.

Matthew Liberatore's transition to the rotation has proven that he can be a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.

I wrote last week about Matthew Liberatore's path to the starting rotation. After being jockeyed around as a reliever and a starter in both the majors and minors, Liberatore was finally given a consistent role out of a solid spring training. Give that piece a read here.

For years, Liberatore's development has been sacrificed by other needs on the roster. The club has tried using him as a bulk reliever, a high-leverage lefty, and a fireman of sorts. He was also given chances to start in the past, but he wasn't built up or prepared like a normal starter would be. Now that he's been given ample time to prepare, Liberatore is taking full advantage of this opportunity during the youth movement.

Matthew Liberatore has been one of baseball's best left-handed starting pitchers to start the year. Among qualified left-handed starters, Libby ranks fourth in fWAR (1.5), thirteenth in ERA (3.11), third in walk rate (3.8%), and fourteenth in ERA- (77, where 100 is average and lower is better).

Libby has found success this year by using his changeup more against right-handed batters. Righties are hitting just .105 against his changeup this year. Liberatore's altered changeup, paired with his plus fastball and slider, has made him a dominant starter against all batters regardless of handedness.

Liberatore has made a nice pairing with Sonny Gray at the top of the Cardinals' rotation, and he's made the most of his chance to be a regular starter so far. He stands to be one of the team's best starters and one of the league's best left-handed starters for the Cardinals' next window of competition following the retool this year.