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3 St. Louis Cardinals prospects turning heads in Spring Training
These three prospects impressed the Cardinals organization in big ways this spring
In the early goings of the 2023 Spring Training, there's very little that this St. Louis Cardinals team has not been doing right.
Entering Wednesday the club is 14-6 (including a rare tie with the Nationals on Tuesday), good for the best record in the entire league. The run differential has been huge for the Cards and it hasn't seemed to matter whether the team is at home or on the road. Point blank, this is an organization built for success.
Behind most of the regulars like Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Adam Wainwright, and Jack Flaherty, the Cardinals have been sending out some of their top prospects often in Spring Training and the results have been highly encouraging.
Let's take a look at 3 Cardinals prospects that are turning heads in Spring Training.
Tink Hence
Entering the 2023 season Hence is ranked as the organization's No. 3 prospect and is the No. 77 prospect in the entire league.
The 20-year-old was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft and while his first season in professional ball didn't go according to plan (9.00 ERA in eight innings), he rebounded in a big way last year and has firmly cemented himself into the future plans for the club.
In 16 appearances last year for the A-ball Palm Beach Cardinals, Hence posted a 1.38 ERA in 52.1 innings of work, striking out 81 and walking only 15, and surrendering just a single home run. This performance alone shot his name up the organizational depth chart as a starting pitcher.
While he is still extremely young and will not factor into the Opening Day roster decision, Hence is doing everything right as he aims to rapidly rise through the farm system.
So far in 2023 Spring Training, he has made four appearances with a 2.70 ERA and five strikeouts in 3.1 innings. He's also walked five batters, but control issues like this are hardly a surprise for someone with such little experience facing big-league hitters.
Jordan Walker
To the surprise of virtually nobody, Walker has been turning heads (and then some!) so far in Spring Training.
The 20-year-old is the top prospect for the Cardinals and has reached all the way up to the No. 4 spot in the top-100 rankings list posted by MLB.com.
Walker is an absolute beast at the plate, standing 6-foot-5 and using every single bit of that frame to his advantage. Last season in 119 games for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals, he hit 31 doubles and 19 home runs, drove in 68 runs, stole 22 bases, and finished the year with a .306 average and 128 wRC+.
Someone of Walker's age usually doesn't get much consideration for a spot on the Opening Day roster, especially not for a team firmly in its contention window like the Cardinals. However, Walker is doing everything right and seems to be heading for a spot on the big league roster.
As a matter of fact, FanGraphs' Roster Resource currently has him penciled into the everyday role as the club's designated hitter.
Any questions about Walker's ability to hit big league-caliber pitching have been thrown out the window in Spring Training. He has made 16 appearances and is 18-for-53 (.340 average) with five doubles, three home runs, nine runs batted in, and two stolen bases. Consider our heads turned.
Masyn Winn
Winn, 21, is another one that has seemingly been doing everything right. An argument could be made for him being the most impressive prospect in camp so far this season.
After being drafted in the second round in the 2020 MLB Draft, Winn has been a fast riser through the farm system, making it all the way up to Double-A as a 20-year-old last season. He possesses an intriguing blend of gap power, home run power, blazing speed on the bases, strong defensive chops at one of the hardest positions on the diamond, and great bat-to-ball skills that will translate nicely to a high batting average everywhere he goes.
Last year, he played in 119 games split between High-A and Double-A, hitting 36 doubles, eight triples, and 12 home runs while driving in 63, stealing 43 bases, and posting a .283 batting average.
While he is still very young and not yet on the 40-man roster, Winn has a path to the big leagues that's clear as day. With Paul DeJong struggling with consistency and Tommy Edman being one of the more versatile players in the league who can play anywhere, shortstop seems to be wide open for Winn in the near future. The question is a matter of when not if.
In 2023 Spring Training, he played in 15 games, going 14-for-45 (.311 average) with two doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He has driven in nine along the way while stealing three bases and playing 21 innings at second and 75 innings at shortstop of error-free ball.
Compared to his teammates, Winn's .311 average is sixth amongst position players with 20+ at-bats and his three steals are the most in camp.
Next. 3 players who can replace Paul DeJong on Cards' roster. dark