6 Cardinal prospects whose stocks have risen and 4 whose stocks have fallen

Tink Hence continues to boost his stock.

Tink Hence has been the organization's top pitching prospect for two years now and deservedly so. The right-handed pitcher boasts a potent one-two mix in his fastball and changeup. He's touched 99 with his fastball from time to time, and his change-up generates whiffs at an unbelievable rate. His stuff is off the charts, and he's the best pitching prospect the organization has seen since Jack Flaherty.

The issue with Hence is that he hasn't broken 100 innings in a season yet. There are two reasons why he's been unable to cross that threshold: first, injuries have limited his availability. Shoulder injuries have brought him down a couple of times in his minor-league career. Second, the Cardinals have been extremely protective with the 2020 draft pick. For months early on in his professional career, he never surpassed 60 pitches or four innings. It's taken until this season for the Cardinals to really let him loose.

In 17 games (70.2 innings) at Double-A Springfield, Hence has a 2.67 ERA with 94 strikeouts and just 22 walks. Hitters are batting just .201 against him, and he has a 1.05 WHIP. All of those figures are better than his numbers last year. Hence's 33.3% K rate is the highest it's been since his time at Low-A in 2022, and his walk rate hasn't been elevated this year.

There's not much of a chance Tink Hence sees major league innings early next year. The Cardinals have been patient with his development, so it's likely he continues the track he's on now and he pitches at Triple-A Memphis to at least start 2025. However, the future is bright for the Cardinals' rotation between Tink Hence and another player on this list.