Cardinals aggressively promote slugging top prospect after monster start

The St. Louis Cardinals have been the talk of the major leagues over the first quarter of the season, thanks to their young roster handling all of the challenges thrown their way so far. While the year was supposed to be a painful one in the standings, St. Louis finds themselves in second in the division and in control of a Wild Card spot through the season's first quarter of play. Beyond the major league team, the future of the Redbirds' lineup has been making his own headlines, and now catcher Rainiel Rodriguez is being promoted to Double-A Springfield, per a report from Wilber Sanchez this morning.

There has been plenty of conversation about the major league catching rotation, set up from Ivan Herrera's return behind the plate and Pedro Pages alternating short hot stretches with extended cold spells. Further down the system, we have seen Jimmy Crooks mashing a home run every other day and Leonardo Bernal alternating his time behind the dish. Beyond those four, however, sits who some have deemed the best bat in the system, outranking JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker as a future lineup mainstay. Rainiel Rodriguez, the 31st-best prospect in baseball according to Baseball America, has kept the offense going despite always facing off against talent with more experience than the 19-year-old catcher. That has not stopped him, though, as Rodriguez has laid waste to Single-A pitching and will now be challenged against the next level.

Rainiel Rodriguez has been promoted to Double-A Springfield to take on his next challenge

Through 28 games against players more than three years older, the catcher has a 148 wRC+ with a .949 OPS and four homers after obliterating pro ball last season. His plate discipline has also remained elite, striking out just five more times than he has walked this year, already showing poise beyond his years at the plate. Even with the short season sample so far this year, the Cardinals decided it is time to give him a new challenge, moving up a level where the average age approaches 25 years old. As we have seen with Chaim Bloom so far during his tenure, the POBO does not take prospect promotions lightly and would only make this move if the organization believed that Rodriguez was ready to take the next step.

Every challenge he has faced so far, Rodriguez has been able to handle and then some. Beyond the absurd power, he continues to show he will be more than just a homer-happy hitter with the ability to stick as a catcher for the time being, if not longer. FanGraphs is high on him as a total player, ranking him as a 55 future value, with the only projected tool under a 50 being his speed. Everything else shows that Rodriguez has the makings of a star on both sides of the ball. As a projected 60-grade catcher, the Cardinals should not be in any rush whatsoever to move him out of an incredibly valuable position. If he continues to show his abilities to hit and catch, regardless of the competition, the catching situation in St. Louis is going to get even more exciting in the near future.

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