MLB player comparisons for 6 Cardinals' prospects

While St. Louis Cardinals fans turn their attention to the future of this club, there are a number of young players who could be a big part of the club's retool.

Of course, names like Jordan Walker, Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, and Brendan Donovan are major parts of that, but there are also a number of other names in the Cardinals' pipeline whom fans can get excited about now. Masyn Winn, the Cardinals' top prospect, is already getting his feet wet in St. Louis, and there's a mix of pitchers and position players waiting in the wings to come join him.

The Cardinals have been one of the best teams in baseball at drafting and developing in recent years and just had a strong trade deadline that bolstered their system even more. A number of those names could make their debuts in 2024, and will surely be factors for the club in 2025 and beyond.

But what kind of players are some of these top prospects? What kind of expectations should we have for the rising talent in the Cardinals' system and what kind of impact can they make on this ballclub?

That's always a tricky game to play, as no team knows exactly what their players will become. Top prospects flame out all the time, some develop new traits that you did not see in them before, and sometimes injuries or circumstances rob us of a player's true potential.

Even so, it's fun to dream about what kinds of players these prospects can be, and I've given six of the Cardinals prospects - Masyn Winn, Tekoah Roby, Tink Hence, Thomas Saggese, Victor Scott II, and Chase Davis - comps to various MLB players, both past and present. While none of these comparisons are perfect, they should give us a glimpse of what kinds of players we may see these prospects become.

Masyn Winn: Rafael Furcal

I'll preface this with Masyn Winn but it applies to all prospects on this list, there is obviously room for them to outperform, or vastly underperform, these expectations as players. I worried less about career achievements with these player comps and focused more on the mold of players that they were. That is how I landed on Rafael Furcal for Winn.

In my opinion, I think Winn can be a better version of who Furcal was, but it's important to remember that Furcal was a very good player throughout his career. Cardinals fans will remember Furcal for his brief stint in St. Louis in the twilight of his career, but he was also a fun, toolsy shortstop like Winn for a long time.

During the first 8 years of his career, Furcal slashed .284/.349/.407 while averaging 10 HR, 50 RBI, and 31 SB each season. During that stretch, he made an All-Star team and received MVP votes in 2003 and 2006. Although he never won a Gold Glove, he had a cannon for an arm, making throws that only guys like Winn can.

Another player comparison I found very interesting but felt like too lofty of a comparison to throw out there was Barry Larkin. Larkin also had a special arm like Winn, stole a ton of bags, and eventually won an MVP as his bat continued to develop. But Larkin is a Hall of Famer, so I'd rather keep our expectations lower for Winn at this moment.

Tekoah Roby: Freddy Peralta

Since coming over in the Jordan Montgomery trade, Tekoah Roby has been a player that I am very excited about. He's got the stuff and makeup of a true difference-maker for the Cardinals rotation, and time will tell regarding just how high that ceiling is. While I see Roby as a guy who could be a top-of-the-rotation talent, I aimed for just below that with this comparison and found Freddy Peralta to be a very interesting comparison.

Roby is still very early on in his development. He's pitching at the Double-A level now and has only thrown 185 innings over his first three minor league seasons. But when he's on the mound, he's a strikeout machine, and he his a whole new level in Springfield with a 14.3 SO/9 in his 12 innings of work.

Most Cardinals fans are very familiar with Peralta as the third head of the Milwaukee Brewers dynamic trio, with Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff leading the way. While Burnes and Woodruff are the clear 1-2 punch in that trio, Peralta is more of a true number two starter cast in the role of a number three.

2021 was a true breakout season for Peralta, as he was named an All-Star and posted a 2.81 ERA in 144.1 innings of work. He has a career 3.83 ERA and has struggled with injuries, but has incredible stuff, evidenced by his 11.6 SO/9 and his consistently low WHIP.

At just 27 years old, we very well may see Peralta take another step forward and become a true front-line starter in today's game. In a lot of ways, I see Roby having that kind of trajectory that Peralta has had. He may not quite be a true ace, but he has the stuff to compete with anyone on any given day and will be an excellent number two starter, and potentially grow into something more.

Thomas Saggese: Matt Carpenter

I promise it's more than the fact that neither of them wears batting gloves, but Thomas Saggese just really gives me Matt Carpenter vibes in the best ways.

Saggese just won the Texas League Most Valuable Player Award after being acquired at the trade deadline by the Cardinals, finishing with 26 HR, 111 RBI, and a .904 OPS across Double-A and Triple-A this season. He's a bat-first utility player who can play at shortstop, third base, or second base while doing the majority of his damage as a player at the plate.

Carpenter was a very similar player during his Cardinals' tenure, finding himself at first base, second base, and third base on any given day and posting a .849 OPS during the prime of his Cardinals' career. He began as more of a doubles and on-base guy but saw his power evolve later in his career.

Carpenter was an MVP candidate for multiple years, so that would be a pretty lofty goal for Saggese to chase after, but I think he can find his way into the Cardinals' order on a daily basis based on what his bat can do. Brendan Donovan is a similar kind of player as well, but he's doing it from the left side of the plate and bringing outfield versatility to the table as well.

Victor Scott II: Kenny Lofton

I had a really hard time picking a comparison for Victor Scott II at first. Vince Coleman is the one most people go to as a Cardinals legend a stolen base machine, but he was more of a left fielder in his career and wasn't a Gold Glove defender at any point. Harrison Bader is another fun one, but outside of the defense, they feel like different players.

As I dug deep into some past examples of center fielders who were 80-grade defenders and stolen base threats, Kenny Lofton became the clear comparison for me. Lofton stole over 50 bags in a season six different times in his career, something I expect Scott II to do many times as well, but he also brought home four Gold Gloves in his career, something I also think Scott II has the ability to do.

Lofton was a .794 OPS guy in his career (107 OPS+), mixing in about 10 HR power with 30 doubles and 9 triples a year while getting on base at a high clip. Once again, that's the kind of offensive profile that Scott II will be looking to be as a big leaguer as well.

Scott II broke out in a huge way this year, swiping 94 bags while slashing .303/.369/.425 while playing 66 games in Peoria and 66 games in Springfield. He has quickly risen up prospect rankings for his elite speed, defense, and developing bat, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's roaming center field for St. Louis by the end of the 2024 season.

Chase Davis: Carlos Gonzalez

The Cardinals' first-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft, Chase Davis is a toolsy outfielder from the University of Arizona, and before he was even drafted, already had his player comparison made out for him.

Former Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and Davis share extremely similar swings, and from a tools standpoint, Davis has the ability to be a very similar player. Gonzalez was a three-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glover winner in right field, two-time Silver Slugger, and finished third in MVP voting in 2010. He was a career .843 OPS hitter, consistently hitting in the middle of the Rockies order during the 2010s.

If Davis can become that kind of player, that would be a huge win for the Cardinals. It's not really fair to expect him to be that good, but it's hard to deny the similarities when you watch the two play.

Davis got his first taste of professional ball at Single-A Palm Beach this season, posting a .636 OPS in 34 games without hitting a home run. He's likely 2-3 years away from the Major Leagues, so there's still a lot of time and development needed to show what kind of player Davis will become.