Cardinals' non-roster invites to Spring Training headlined by latest top draft picks

The St. Louis Cardinals have released their list of non-roster invites to spring training. In total, 26 players who are not on the 40-man roster have been invited to camp in less than a month.

Two former top draft picks headline the non-roster invites

Chase Davis and JJ Wetherholt, the Cardinals' two first-round draft picks of the last two years, are two of the most noteworthy invitees. Davis, 23, finished 2024 with a .253/.350/.417 slash line in his second professional season. He advanced as high as Double-A Springfield last year, and he was able to slug 12 home runs with nine stolen bases across 475 plate appearances. Davis could make his professional debut in the next two years.

JJ Wetherholt slid back in the draft for the Cardinals to draft him 7th overall last June. Wetherholt was sent to Low-A Palm Beach for a total of 29 games. He slashed .295/.405/.400 with two home runs and two stolen bases. He walked more times than he struck out in his abbreviated professional debut. Wetherholt has been listed as one of the best pure hitters in MiLB by multiple outlets.

Pitchers Quinn Mathews and Cooper Hjerpe headline the pitcher side of the non-roster invites. Mathews burst onto the scene in 2024 after being drafted the year prior. Mathews ascended through all levels of the organization except for the majors last year. He finished 2024 with a 2.76 ERA and 202 strikeouts in only 143.1 innings. He is one of baseball's most electric pitching prospects, and he could crack the majors this year.

Cooper Hjerpe was drafted with the Cardinals' 22nd overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Oregon State. He's most known for his slider and strong command. Hjerpe finished 2024 with a 3.27 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 52.1 innings. The Cardinals have been careful with the southpaw thus far in his career due to injuries, but he could be a breakout candidate in 2025.

Other noteworthy inclusions include catchers Leonardo Bernal and Jimmy Crooks. Both players are rising quickly in national catcher rankings. Bernal slashed .262/.336/.403 last year between Double-A and High-A. He appeared at the Arizona Fall League, and he hit .304 with a .764 OPS in 13 games. Bernal is most known for his defensive prowess.

Crooks is the organization's top-catching prospect. He finished 2024 with a .321/.410/.498 slash line with 11 home runs and 62 runs batted in last year for Double-A Springfield. His bat will carry him to the majors, but he's making strides defensively still. Crooks and Bernal, paired with major leaguers Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages, give the Cardinals one of the deepest catching pipelines in the game right now.

Pitchers Ian Bedell, Andre Granillo, and Max Rajcic and position players Bryan Torres and Jose Barrero are players to keep an eye on this spring, too.

These players, while they're not on the 40-man roster, will be given every opportunity this spring to put on a show for the organization. Pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter, Florida for the Cardinals by February 12th. There's less than a month to go in the offseason.