Breakout Cardinals and prospects from the 2022 season

The Cardinals had a number of big leaguers and prospects breakout in 2022

Despite a disappointing ending to the 2022 season, the St. Louis Cardinals had so many encouraging storylines throughout the season. Outside of the elite performances from Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, and prime Albert Pujols making a return in the second half, there were a number of other Cardinals who out performed their expectations.

Let's look at all of the Cardinal big leaguers and prospects who broke out in 2022, and how they could be major contributors moving forward for the organization

Lars Nootbaar

In my "Ranking the ceilings of the Cardinals outfielders" before the 2022 season, I had Lars Nootbaar ranked last out of the Cardinals outfield options. Here is what I had to say about Nootbaar.

This was the easiest choice on the rankings. Drafted in the 8th round in 2018, Lars Nootbaar was never heralded as a top prospect, and you would even be hard-pressed to find organization rankings that had him in the Cardinals' Top 30 before the 2021 season...Nootbaar could continue his rise next year and become someone that the other three guys on this list really have to worry about stealing their playing time, but odds are he will project as the No. 4 outfielder. He proved he has the potential to start on various big league clubs, but on a contender like the Cardinals, he is best situated as the fourth outfielder and lefty bat of the bench

While most people would have agreed back in December 2021 that Harrison Bader, Dylan Carlson, and Tyler O'Neill had much higher ceilings, Nootbaar made even doubters like me now wonder if he can be the best of the bunch. Now, it is a legit argument about who has to most potential of that current trio.

On the season, Nootbaar slashed .228/.340/.448 with 14 HR and 40 RBI but really broke out during the second half of the season after the Bader injury. Nootbaar was one of the best hitters in baseball during July and August and finished the second half with a .846 OPS.

His mix of energy, outstanding defense, excellent on-base skills, and legit power makes Nootbaar one of the most exciting players for St. Louis entering the 2023 season. Expect the 25-year-old to hit at the top of the Cardinals lineup and cement himself as a legit player in this league.

Masyn Winn

Selected in the 2nd round of the 2020 MLB draft, Masyn Winn began his professional career as a two-way player but quickly transitioned to a full-time shortstop. 2022 was when Winn emerged from a "raw prospect" to a legit top 100 prospect in all of baseball.

Currently ranked as the 51st best prospect in baseball by MLB.com, Winn is quickly rising among talent evaluators around baseball after a breakout 2022 season. Across High-A and Double-A this past season, Winn slashed .283/.364/.468 with 12 HR, 63 RBI, and 43 SB. The main question surrounding him entering 2022 was whether or not he could hit well enough to be more than a plus defender, and so far, he is proving he can.

The 20-year-old is making headlines for his ceiling as a defensive shortstop, boasting an 80-grade arm and having the hardest throw ever recorded from shortstop. Winn will likely begin the 2023 season in Double-A again and will look to rise to Triple-A by the season's end. At this rate, he is looking like the Cardinals shortstop of the future. He has the organization dreaming about the defensive potential of an infield with Winn, Nolan Arenado, Tommy Edman, and Paul Goldschmidt.

Tommy Edman

It is easy to forget that entering the 2022 season, there was a vocal part of the Cardinals fanbase that was against the idea of Tommy Edman as an everyday player for the Cardinals. Well, it is safe to say Edman has put to rest any of those concerns with his performance this year.

Edman finished 13th in all of baseball in WAR after slashing .265/.324/.400 with 13 HR, 57 RBI, and 32 SB while playing some of the best defense in baseball. Despite having to become the club's primary shortstop mid-season, Edman still had the 3rd highest defensive WAR in baseball and proved he is an elite, versatile weapon for St. Louis. Edman was snubbed at both the second base and newly created utility Gold Glove awards in 2022 and will look to snag his second career Gold Glove during the 2023 season.

Sure, more consistency at the plate at times would be nice from the 27-year-old. The next step in his game would be raising his OBP or adding even more slugging to his repertoire, especially against right-handed pitching. At this point though, Edman has proven to be one of the most critical players on the Cardinals roster and is someone they may even look to lock up long-term.

Gordon Graceffo

Another meteoric riser within the Cardinals system in 2022, Gordon Graceffo made a name for himself by becoming a top-100 prospect and could even make an impact on the major league club in the 2023 season.

In his first full season in professoinal baseball, Graceffo had a 2.97 ERA and 139 SO across 139.1 innings of work in High-A and Double-A ball. At just 22-years-old, Graceffo now has one of the highest ceilings among Cardinals pitchers in their system.

Having just 165.1 innings of work so far in his career, it is unlikely that the Cardinals would fast-track Graceffo unless he has another major step forward as he did in 2022. His fastball sits between 93-95 MPH but can get up to 99 when he puts extra on it. He relies on a good slider as his secondary pitch and works in a curveball and change-up as well. He currently projects as a mid-rotation starter, but the Cardinals appear to be even higher on him. Check out what John Mozeliak had to say about Graceffo in a recent interview with Frank Cusumano.

He's already shown he can take on those innings. He's already shown success at the Double-A level. As you know, once you get to the Double-A level, you're a step away from the big leagues...stuff wise and the ability to throw strikes, attack the strike zone, I mean he's really a special pitcher another guy that was asked for a lot.

It's clear the club now has very high expectations from their pitching prospect, and it's only a matter of time before he fills one of the rotation spots in St. Louis.

Brendan Donovan

Upon being called up in late April, Brendan Donovan was far from a household name among Cardinals Nation. But he changed that very perception very quickly and is now a guy that both St. Louis and teams around baseball covet highly.

Donovan had himself quite the rookie season, slashing .281/.394/.379 with 5 HR and 45 RBI, winning the first-ever utility Gold Glove, and finishing 3rd in National League Rookie of the Year voting. The 25-year-old could not have had himself a better year in the eyes of St. Louis.

For a club that had middle infield questions entering the season, many expected Nolan Gorman to eventually cement himself as the Cardinals everyday second baseman and push Tommy Edman over to shortstop. Instead, it was Donovan who could not be removed from the lineup each day and now projects to be the Cardinals second baseman in 2023.

Donovan ability to get on base an an elite clip and play at multiple positions makes him a very valuable piece for the Cardinals moving forward. The club can move Donvoan around the diamond each day depending on their needs, and still maintain a steady presence at the top of their lineup and above-average defense at multiple positions.

Tink Hence

Markevian "Tink" Hence was another one of the elite prospects the Cardinals picked up in the 2020 MLB Draft, and team's around baseball are kicking themselves for letting him fall so far.

In Baseball America's recent rankings of the Cardinals' top prospects, they had Hence at number 2, having this to say about his ceiling.

One of the most exciting pitchers in the minor leagues, Hence will look to take on a bigger workload in the coming seasons. If he can hold his stuff deep into starts, he could one day rank as the top pitching prospect in the game.

Hence as the potential to be the best pitching prospect in all of baseball soon. His stuff is next-level, and as Baseball America said, the main questions are whether or not he can go deep into games and maintain his stuff throughout it. Across 52.1 innings in 2022, Hence had a 1.38 ERA with 81 SO and a 0.88 WHIP. His low innings were by design, as the Cardinals are going to be very patient with him as they look to build him into a front-line starter for years to come.

John Mozeliak was equally complimentary of Hence in the same interview with Cusumano referenced earlier. When asked if Hence had number one stuff, Mozeliak had this to say.

Stuff-wise, yes. You know, there's also going to be a maturity factor, there's going to be a physical factor. But when someone throws, you know, 100 at his age, it's not hard to imagine him being a one in a rotation. Now, he's going to have to learn to build up, he's going to have to learn how to go poll to poll, but there's a lot to be excited about him and you know, the upside and how often he was asked for, I think is a pretty good proxy of what type of prospect he is

Do not expect to see Hence in the conversation for a promotion until 2024 at the earliest, but do expect to see him be talked about more and more as a legit front-line starter in the making.

Jordan Walker

There are more names that could make this list, but I decided to round it out with a player who has risen from an exciting prospect to potentially the best in all of baseball, Jordan Walker.

Walker made the transition from a full-time third baseman to an outfielder in 2022 and did so while slashing .306/.388/.510 with 19 HR, 68 RBI, and 22 SB at the Double-A level. Walker further impressed in the Arizona Fall League, posting a .925 OPS while playing against the best prospects in baseball.

Walker has the potential to be a legit force as a rookie for the Cardinals and will fight for a spot on the Opening Day roster in Spring Training. According to John Mozeliak, Walker will have a serious chance to start Opening Day if he produces this spring.

There are so many players that took a step forward for the Cardinals in 2022, and it should have fans eagerly awaiting what may be to come for the club in 2023.