Getting to know St. Louis Cardinals prospect Noah Mendlinger

Noah Mendlinger was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Mendlinger attended Georgia College in the Peach Belt Conference, and he received several recognitions for his academic achievement while at Division II Georgia College. Mendlinger finished his college career with a .340/.419/.481 slash line across three seasons.

Mendlinger became an undrafted free agent in June of 2021. The Cardinals called him for a workout, where he popped a couple of home runs at Busch Stadium. "Next thing I know, I'm sitting there with Mr. Flores on the third-base bench," said Noah of the process.

Mendlinger was invited to the big-league camp for spring training this year as a non-roster invitee. He's 1-2 with a single and a walk thus far. Noah has been loving the opportunity to talk with veterans on the team, particularly utility man Brendan Donovan. "Donnie's the man. I remember going back to my first spring training (in 2022), and he was trying to crack the major league roster. He knew who I was, and he remembered who I was through those years," said Mendlinger. "He's a pro's pro, and he does what the team needs him to do. I feel like that's my job, too. I'm there to do what the team needs me to do. It's being a team-first guy."

Now, entering his fifth year in professional baseball, Mendlinger is aiming to take his game to the next level. Mendlinger entered the Rule 5 draft for the first time this past offseason, but he went unselected and returned to the Cardinals. "I reached out to my agent and said 'Hey, is this something I need to watch out for?'" His agent reassured him that things would fall into place for him, and he's happy to still be with the Cardinals.

In order to make his mark in the farm system this season, Mendlinger has been hard at work this offseason. "No home runs last year is no secret that you want to get that number up a bit," said Mendlinger. He isn't necessarily chasing after home runs, but he's using analytics, particularly his ground ball rate and launch angle, to make the adjustments. "Slugging in this game has been the wave, and that's what everybody chases." Mendlinger has also been working on bat speed improvements.

Noah's groundball rate was a career-high 60.4% last year. He is aiming to generate more line drives thanks to an adjusted bat path and increased bat speed.

Noah is no stranger to the big stage. In 2023, he played for Team Israel at the World Baseball Classic along with Joc Pederson, Dean Kremer, and Trayce Thompson. Noah also was able to play with teammate Matt Koperniak for Team Israel. He went 3-10 with two runs scored, a walk, and three strikeouts in four games at the WBC. Noah soaked up every moment of the WBC while playing. "It was awesome, one of the best experiences of my career." Mendlinger went up against Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. He does intend on playing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, too.

The versatile utility man is able to capably play second base, third base, and the outfield. He takes great pride in his versatility, saying, "I just want to be a hard out when it comes to the offensive game. If I can get the pitch count up and just play the game, I think that's ultimately where my strong suit will be." Noah also talked about being a positive influence in the clubhouse, something that is vital on every team.

Noah has plenty of goals for the 2025 season, foremost of those goals being slugging some more and having a greater impact in the lineup. "I've been priding myself by getting on base. I think I was chasing hits a little too much last year, and I think if I can settle in my approach more this year, I can ultimately see the numbers go back to where they should be," said Mendlinger.

Keep an eye out for a hungry and determined Noah Mendlinger as the "youngry" Cardinals lean into a youth movement in 2025 and 2026.