Cardinals’ newest prospect wastes no time flashing future star potential in pro debut

With JJ Wetherholt in the midst of an incredible rookie season and top prospect Rainiel Rodriguez continuing to rise as one of the top prospects in the sport, would you believe me if I told you that Chaim Bloom may have added another potential star prospect to the system this year? Emanuel Luna made his professional debut for the Cardinals on Monday, and the hype around him is only going to grow from here.

When the international free agent signing window opened back in January, the Cardinals were able to make official their signing of Luna, Baseball America's 10th-ranked prospect in the class, for a $2.3 million signing bonus. Luna, who is just 17 years old, was the top outfield prospect out of the Dominican Republic and was lauded for his top-end power potential at such a young age, and he has the tools to become a true force for St. Louis.

Baseball America recently bumped Luna up to the Cardinals' 17th-best prospect in a really strong farm system, which is a very aggressive ranking for a prospect who had not played a single professional game yet and is still just 17. On top of the plus power that scouts believe can become plus-plus as he continues to mature, Luna has plus speed and both field and arm tools that project to be above-average. His hit tool is just average, but he shows a lot of signs as a teenager that he can develop into a special talent.

But when you're a teenager who is already able to post exit velocities of over 110 mph and show solid signs of discipline at the plate, it is hard not to dream on who he could become.

Luna made his Dominican Summer League debut on Monday, and in his first professional at-bat, ripped a single to the opposite way, later scoring in the inning. You can already see in this small clip that he looks the part at the plate at such a young age.

Luna followed his first career hit with his first extra-base hit later in the game, smashing an RBI double into the left-center gap, showcasing that easy power he gets to at the plate.

The Cardinals are very high on Luna, and for good reason. They haven't brought in an international prospect with his level of pedigree in a while, and while Rodriguez quickly established himself as a dude once he was signed, there was a reason he only signed for a $300,000 signing bonus. He was not expected to be a high-end talent, and the Cardinals lucked out that they got him. In the case of Luna, he required a big payday because many organizations could see the potential he has.

As with all prospects, and especially ones who are not even stateside yet and are just teenagers, and especially, especially those who literally have only played one professional game, patience is required. Luna could easily flame out and never even touch a Major League field, let alone the upper levels of the minor leagues. But, with that being said, there are real reasons to dream on him, and I advise anyone who enjoys following prospects to keep a close eye on him.

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