Everything you need to know about the Cardinals' newest prospect, Josiah Ragsdale

In one of the highest-touted moves at the deadline for a selling team, Josiah Ragsdale came to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of a prospect package for Dustin May and JoJo Romero. While Alexander Frias is the higher-ranked prospect between the two, there's plenty to love about Josiah Ragsdale.

Ragsdale was drafted in the seventh round of the 2025 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He had two incredible seasons as a freshman and sophomore at Iona, and he transferred to Boston College for his junior year. A .319/.418/.498 slash line with five home runs and 30 steals was enough for the Brewers to take him in the middle rounds last year.

Following the trade, Ragsdale was ranked as the Cardinals' 10th-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, just behind Jurrangelo Cijntje and Yhoiker Fajardo, two other players whom the Cardinals acquired via trade in the last nine months.

Josiah Ragsdale has the potential to be the best player for the St. Louis Cardinals in the Dustin May trade.

The Cardinals execution of this trade was lauded by several prospect gurus online. Lance Brozdowski, Thomas Nestico, and the folks at Baseball America lauded Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals, and early signs indicated that the Cardinals would be known as the major winners of the deal for years to come.

Ragsdale's slash line alone is impressive. He has a .316/.441/.581 slash line with 19 home runs and 31 stolen bases this year between High-A and Double-A. His 1.022 OPS is strong, and it was even better in Double-A, topping out at 1.127 prior to the deal.

The metrics beneath the hood are all the more eye-popping for the 22-year-old outfielder. He excels at swinging at pitches in the zone, and he doesn't chase often. His chase rate is in the 83rd percentile in baseball, and his Zone Whiff rate is in the 74th percentile. This combination of swinging at pitches in the zone and making contact while avoiding pitches outside the zone show that he's a mature hitter.

Ragsdale was never an explosive hitter, but he's managed to tap into some power this year. His 90th percentile exit velocity of 105 MPH ranks in the 75th percentile in Minor League Baseball. He has a max exit velocity of 111 miles per hour.

Ragsdale has sacrificed some contact for power; his zone-contact rate has dropped from 95% in 2025 to 83% this year. His power is so electric that the Cardinals were willing to take that sacrifice, though.

A primary concern, one that was pointed out by Danny Barrand, is Ragsdale's splits against same-handed pitching. He's whiffing at a 36% clip against southpaws, and he has approximately a 250-point split in OPS between left-handed pitchers and right-handed pitchers.

Only time will tell if the Cardinals are the true winners of this deal. The one bit one relief for Cardinals fans would be that May and Romero were both on expiring contracts. Barring extensions, the Cardinals likely won't be bit by either pitcher in the future. While prospects can be volatile, there's a lot of hope for the power-speed combination that Ragsdale boasts. He has the ability to play center field and hit with power, something every team is searching for on their rosters.

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