Ranking the 10 most valuable young players in the St. Louis Cardinals organization

The St. Louis Cardinals are firing on all cylinders as they pass the quarter mark on the 2025 regular season, and their rise back to relevance has been driven by their emerging young talent.

For as much flak as the Cardinals have received for their player development woes (and rightfully so), their young core is deep and wise throughout the organization. There is a strong mixture of young, established big league talent blossoming into high-level players, youngsters with two years or fewer of service time, and top prospects that will surely join them soon.

Today, we are going to look at this snapshot in time and rank the Cardinals' young talent.

Here are the 10 most valuable young players in the St. Louis Cardinals organization

Honorable Mentions: Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, Alec Burleson, Andre Pallante, and Tekoah Roby

I think an argument could be made for any of these four players to make the top ten list, but all sit on the outside looking in for their own set of reasons.

Until the last second, Nolan Gorman actually held down the tenth spot on my list, but as I reviewed the names again, I just couldn't help but feel like Gorman's stock at this moment in time is as low as ever. If Gorman turns things around at the big league level in the near future, we could be having a completely different conversation, but for right now, he's stuck in no man's land. His potential feels far too high not to make the list, but the production just is not there for me. I hope he turns it around!

Alec Burleson has a really intriguing bat, but his defensive limitations and inability to produce against left-handed pitching diminish his overall value compared to others on this list.

Thomas Saggese was excellent at the plate in his short stint with the big league club this year, but I'm still not ready to move him over other names on this list. I think he can be a valuable regular for a long time, but I don't think he has quite the ceiling or positional value as others do. Tekoah Roby's dynamic arm could shoot him up this list soon, but for now, we need to see more.

Andre Pallante is another interesting case to me, as young starting pitchers who have proven themselves at the big league level are a valuable commodity. Still, he only has a few years of control remaining, and I do think this year has seen enough regression that I wouldn't confidently put him in my top 10.

If you're plugged into Cardinals prospects, you may even be hoping to see Rainiel Rodriguez or Yairo Padilla fly up onto this list, and if they keep on their current trajectory, that will probably happen. DSL and FCL players always come with extreme caution, but Rodriguez, who is just 18 years old, has hit six home runs in his last 10 games in the FCL and has a 1.512 OPS after posting a 1.145 OPS with 10 home runs in 41 games in the DSL last year. Rodriguez is a catching prospect, but many believe he'll move to first base or DH in the future.

Padilla is a toolsy, switch-hitting shortstop prospect who, at age 17, is giving scouts a ton to dream on. If he can continue to fill out physically and hone his plate skills, he's got a bright future ahead of him.

#10 - Michael McGreevy

I have no issue admitting when I was wrong on a player. When Michael McGreevy was called up for a spot start last summer, I had every expectation that he'd get rocked in St. Louis and return to Memphis to try and develop. Instead, he went seven innings against the Texas Rangers, allowing just one run on five hits and a walk.

McGreevy was brought back to St. Louis in late September and continued to impress, allowing just two hits in a three-inning relief appearance. He made two more starts for them as well, allowing just three runs in five innings at Coors Field and then shutting down the Giants' lineup for just one run in eight innings of work.

Coming into the 2025 season, the thought was that McGreevy would be in the big league rotation to get his first full run with the team. Instead, the club held onto their veteran starters, and McGreevy once again began the year down in Memphis.

McGreevy did get one opportunity to make his mark on the club again earlier this month, coming out of the Cardinals' bullpen against the New York Mets with the bases loaded in the fourth inning of a doubleheader, and proceeded to give the Cardinals 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just one hit and one walk to one of the best teams in all of baseball.

McGreevy has pitched like an ace in his five career big league games. No, that's not what I think he will be as a big leaguer, but his ability to show up in big moments already in his career and go toe to toe with the best in baseball gives me confidence that he will be a productive starter for a long time.

While McGreevy projects as more of a back-of-the-rotation kind of arm, some of the improvements he has made to his arsenal even since last year may give him the potential to be a middle-of-the-rotation guy.

Cost-controlled pitching is one of the most desirable assets in all of baseball. You can never have enough pitching, and having a guy that you can depend on and are only paying the league minimum is like gold in today's game.

I don't know if McGreevy will be more than a back-end starter, but I am confident he will be a productive one when given the chance. The fact that I feel so good about McGreevy's floor, and know that he also could be even better than we thought, lands him on my list of the most valuable Cardinals right now.

#9 - Jordan Walker

This is quite the tumble for Jordan Walker, who religiously held the number one spot on lists like this for me and many others for quite some time. Looking solely at his performance in 2025, there is no shot he'd be on this list, but all of the promise he still has offensively makes it impossible not to include him.

I, like many others, though, am far more worried about his future than I ever have been. In 142 plate appearances prior to last night's game, Walker was slashing .186/.254/.248 with just two home runs and a 31% strikeout rate. He did mash a huge solo home run for St. Louis last night, but he was sitting at 55% below league average according to wRC+ prior to the game, and if it were not for his pedigree as a prospect, he wouldn't have been on the Cardinals roster anymore.

Of course, he knows that as well, but the Cardinals committed to Walker having the "runway" this year. Just how long that runway goes for remains to be seen, but the club wants to do everything in its power to see Walker get opportunity after opportunity to slug again.

It's not hard to notice Walker's issues with the low and away slider anytime he steps to the plate. It's a pitch he consistently gets beat by. Sometimes he is whiffing through the air as the breaking ball darts away from him. Sometimes, in an effort to avoid chasing, he freezes and sees the pitch catch the outside part of the zone. And other times, he does get the bat on the ball, but drives it straight into the ground for an out.

Until Walker can manage that part of his game and figure out how to do damage more often, he is never going to be close to the player who many. thought he could be.

On the bright side, his defense has improved quite a bit this year. He's in the 79th percentile in outs above average for right fielders this year, after being a bottom-three defender in baseball in 2023 and well below average in 2024. That really is a big win in his development, but it ultimately won't mean a ton if the bat doesn't come back around.

Walker is just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to emerge as a force at the plate. As a 20-year-old in 2023, Walker posted a 116 wRC+ in 117 games for St. Louis. It's crazy to think how much he has regressed over the last two years, but again, it is very possible that he puts it all back together soon to make good on his promise.

#8 - Quinn Mathews

The second-best prospect in the Cardinals' farm system, according to most publications, Quinn Mathews, broke out in a huge way for the Cardinals last year, winning minor league pitcher of the year honors from most of those same prospect outlets.

A fourth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Stanford, Mathews added significant velocity to his repertoire, and it paid off in a major way. Across four minor league levels and 26 starts, Mathews posted a 2.76 ERA with 202 strikeouts in just 143.1 innings of work. He looked every bit like a top 50 prospect in baseball, and that's where he finds himself ranked now.

The lefty revealed at Winter Warm-Up this year that baseball really wasn't his plan until he was drafted. Mathews wanted to be an investment banker and was equally invested in developing that side of his future while at Stanford. Since becoming a pro, he's poured his full self into baseball, revealing gears he could get to that he was unable to before.

Mathews has front-line upside while also having the strength and endurance to be an innings-eater on the mound. He's only the second minor league pitcher since 2012 to strike out over 200 batters in a season, and a major reason for why is because of how many innings he was able to cover while dominating on the mound.

The Cardinals have struggled to develop starting pitching for years now, and while the tide is turning in that department, Mathews blossoming at the Major League level would be a massive piece of truly changing the narrative.

Mathews has missed significant time already this year due to a shoulder injury, but appears to be returning to action in the near future. While he struggled quite a bit to begin the year at Triple-A, it would make sense that the shoulder played a big role in that, but he'll need to prove he's back to his form when he's on the mound again. If he can do so, Mathews should make his MLB debut sometime this year.

#7 - Victor Scott II

I gotta be honest, this is one of the hardest lists I have made in quite some time, as I think starting especially at number seven, you could really move any of these guys around on this list. Victor Scott II has been excellent for the Cardinals in 2025, and I wouldn't blame anyone for having him higher on this list.

With how poorly things with for Scott at the plate last year, I had very low expectations for what he could produce if he won the center field job in 2025. Not because I didn't believe in him as a player or the upside he had long-term, but simply because I did not know if he was quite ready for that challenge yet.

Entering Saturday's action against the Royals, Scott has slashed .270/.333/.372 with 2 HR and 18 RBI in 41 games for St. Louis, resulting in a 100 wRC+ on the season so far, a massive step up from his rookie campaign.

The Cardinals did not need Scott to be much of anything offensively coming into the year, but what he's done so far has helped the Cardinals' lineup take things to the next level. Scott's on-base ability at the nine spot in the Cardinals' lineup creates more opportunities for the top of the Cardinals' order.

Everyone knows the stolen base threat that Scott is, swiping 13 bags already on the young season. It certainly puts pressure on opposing pitchers when he is on base, and when he breaks for second or third, he's nearly impossible to nab. On top of this, Scott's speed also allows him to turn singles from the guys coming up behind him into opportunities to go first to third or even get all the way home on those.

On top of that, Scott has cleaned up his defense in center field, not pairing that elite athleticism with a good feel for the position has now made him one of the best defensive center fielders in all of baseball.

Players like Victor Scott II do not grow on trees, and any time you can get an elite defensive center fielder, one of the best stolen base threats in the game, and have the guy be league-average or better at the plate, you have yourself a very valuable player.

#6 - Matthew Liberatore

You know what wasn't on my bingo card this year? Matthew Liberatore becoming the single most important young starter in the Cardinals organization. And yet, here we are!

For as much promise as Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, Michael McGreevy, and Tekoah Roby have, it is Matthew Liberatore who is out there dealing for St. Louis right now, and he finally looks like the guy they thought they were getting when they traded Randy Arozarena for him back in 2019.

At the time of the deal, Liberatore was a top 50 prospect in baseball, a tall, flame-throwing left-handed pitcher who the Tampa Bay Rays selected in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft under Chaim Bloom's leadership. He has had many bumps and hiccups on the road since then, but man, it'll all be worth it if 2025 is a sign of things to come.

In eight starts for St. Louis so far, Liberatore has a 3.11 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 46.1 innings pitched to go along with a 1.01 WHIP. Liberatore has been masterful at limiting walks this year, ranking fourth in baseball in walks per nine while being in the top 30 in ERA, top 10 in xERA, and top five in FIP on the year.

Part of Liberatore's success this year simply comes from the Cardinals' commitment to him. After an excellent spring training, the Cardinals named Liberatore as their fifth starter, stating they would be rolling with him for quite a while and wanted to see what he could do with that "runway" they talked about for other players. And boy, has it worked.

Liberatore had a rocky few starts to begin the season, but quickly settled into his role in the rotation. He has talked about how the certainty has been getting about remaining in the rotation has allowed him to get comfortable with his routines, work on things behind the scenes, and continue to optimize himself as a starter. We've seen Liberatore drop his curveball usage dramatically while implementing a hard slider with great success, and he's becoming much more confident in his fastball and choosing his spots with it wisely.

When Liberatore is on the mound, he is shut down against left-handed hitters and now is able to manage righties at a high enough level to turn in start after start of great baseball.

I'm not sure if Liberatore will be able to maintain this high level of run prevention going forward, but even a guy with a 3.80 ERA or lower this year would be a massive development for the organization. Just in the span of a year, they could go from having no young starters in their rotation to Liberatore and Pallante, along with McGreevy, Mathews, Hence, and Roby all knocking on the door.

With Liberatore set to hit arbitration this offseason, he's still four years away from free agency, making him an extremely valuable part of this Cardinals roster for years to come.

#5 - JJ Wetherholt

The seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, JJ Wetherholt, continues to show why he had number one pick worthy talent each and every day he shows up to the ballpark.

The Cardinals had Wetherholt begin the 2025 season in Double-A, completely skipping High-A in an aggressive move to see how he fared against more advanced pitching. Well, it didn't take long for him to get adjusted.

Wetherholt struggled during his first week of action, but has quickly made the Texas League his playground as he shows off his elite hit tool and growing power in his bat. In 94 at-bats, Wetherholt is slashing .298/.387/.426 with two home runs and 14 RBI. Wetherholt just sent a baseball to the moon on Saturday night that displays the kind of power he hopes to continue to tap into.

What makes Wetherholt so special of a talent is his all-around ability at the plate to get on base and do damage in the process. Wetherholt hits the ball to all fields, and may be one of the best young hitters in the minor leagues at driving the baseball the opposite way. He does this while also having a really good feel for the strike zone, rarely striking out while also drawing walks at a good rate.

While Wetherholt is unlikely to be a big-time power hitter ever in his career, he is someone who could end up hitting around .300, posting an extremely high on-base percentage, finishing near the top of MLB in doubles, and hitting 20 or so home runs in some of his best years. He's about as pure of a hitter as it gets as a prospect, and the Cardinals have to love what they are seeing from the 22-year-old.

Wetherholt is still a prospect, though, and one without a ton of sample size yet. He is recognized by most outlets as a top 30 prospect in the game already, but I think this is the cap of where he should be on the most valuable young Cardinals list because we have not seen him at the big league level yet. I do not expect to until 2026, and that is totally okay. I have a ton of confidence in the floor that Wetherholt boasts offensively, and if he can continue to push toward his ceiling, he'll fly up this list even further in the near future.

#4 - Lars Nootbaar

There may not be a more polarizing player in the Cardinals fanbase than Lars Nootbaar. I've never quite understood why some people love to hate on him, but I would think those voices are quieting down week by week as he continues to stay on the field and produce at a high level.

Going into Saturday night's contest against the Kansas City Royals, Nootbaar was slashing .260/.374/.434 with seven home runs, 24 RBI, and 29 runs scored as the Cardinals' leadoff man, good for a 128 wRC+ and 1.2 fWAR already on the season. Nootbaar's 15% walk rate is the 12th best in all of baseball, and his 15.5% strikeout rate is the 28th best in the game. Nootbaar has settled into the lead-off spot for the Cardinals by walking a ton, rarely striking out, and doing damage when he gets the opportunity to do so.

Nootbaar's wRC+ ranks 53rd in all of baseball to begin the year, showing fans who doubted him just how impactful he can be when he's on the field. He's always been impactful when healthy (posting a career 118 wRC+ thus far), but his career high in games played is just 117. Nootbaar is well on his way to breaking that in 2025, and the Cardinals are major beneficiaries of that.

Nootbaar is once again a Statcast darling this year, but get this, the numbers are even better now than the last few seasons when he was constantly a breakout candidate for many around the game. Nootbaar has always been a guy who ranks highly in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, Whiff%, Chase%, BB%, Hard-Hit% and more, but he's also turn his few weaknesses into strengths now as well, with his bat speed, LA Sweet-Spot%, and K% all now elite as well. If you look at his Baseball Savant page today, you'll truly see all red in his batting profile, and his overall batting run value ranks in the 92nd percentile.

Nootbaar is making a strong case for his first-ever All-Star nod this year, and even if he doesn't get it, just keeping up this kind of production all year long would be sweet confirmation of how good the 27-year-old can be. Right now, Nootbaar is on pace for 24 home runs, 81 RBI, and 98 runs scored over the course of 150 games, which Nootbaar is currently on track to play in 154.

While injuries have been a fair criticism of Nootbaar, what I have not understood is why people have felt the need to diminish his ability as a player. When he is on the field, he produces. Yes, he does need to show he can stay on the field consistently for people to take him seriously as a top-end talent, but his 4.5 fWAR pace sure does point to how well he is producing this year.

#3 - Brendan Donovan

I had a really difficult time choosing between Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan for number three on my list, but Donovan got the slight edge for a number of reasons.

Donovan is one of the most versatile players in all of baseball, truly deserving of consideration for his second career utility man Gold Glove for his ability to play tremendous defense in the corner outfield spots and all four infield positions as well. Donovan has gotten the opportunity to settle in at second base more than usual this year, and he continues to make incredible plays for the Cardinals as they boast MLB's best defense.

Saturday night's 1-0 win over the Royals was a perfect example of Donovan's impact on the club defensively. With two runners on and no outs in the bottom of the 8th inning, Donovan fielded a tricky one hopper at second base and made a quick flip to Masyn Winn at second, allowing them to get the runner at second into a run down to turn two and leave just a runner on first with two outs. The very next at-bat, Bobby Witt Jr. smoked a ground ball up the middle, but Donovan made an incredible diving stop and flipped the ball to second to end the inning.

Donovan continues to flash incredible leather for the Cardinals, but it is his bat that has made the most noise so far this year. Donovan is slashing .321/.382/.458 with three home runs, 21 RBI, and 25 runs scored, good for a 138 wRC+. Donnie's .371 wOBA is 28th in baseball, but his xwOBA of .391 actually indicates he still has even higher production in the tank.

While Donovan may not have the power stroke that others bats have, he does have sneaky power and could push 20 home runs on the year, but he does most of his damage in the form of doubles. Donovan's 14 doubles rank fifth in all of baseball so far this year, just three away from Bobby Witt Jr.'s MLB lead.

Nootbaar has the higher ceiling offensively, but Donovan's bat has been incredible as well, and his defense and versatility can't be matched. And while Donovan did have season-ending elbow surgery back in 2023, he has been far more reliable health-wise than Nootbaar so far in his career.

On top of all of that, Donovan has emerged as a leader in the Cardinals clubhouse, and not to say that Nootbaar or others aren't, but I think it is clear that Donovan can be a pillar in their clubhouse for a long-time, should they choose to keep him around (and that should be the plan). For a young team looking to create a new era of Cardinals baseball, Donovan is a perfect fit long-term.

If you haven't checked this out already, we had Donovan on the Dealin' the Cards podcast during spring training, and it further cemented for me the kind of person he is and why he brings so much value to this Cardinals ballclub.

Again, so many of these guys could be moved around on this list based on your preferences, but if I were leading the Cardinals front office, Donovan would be on my shortest of shortlists of guys to keep long-term.

#2 - Masyn Winn

For as awesome as Brendan Donovan has been at the plate this year, Masyn Winn has quietly been right there with him, trailing Donovan by just three points in wRC+ (Winn's sits at a 135 on the season).

This is an incredible feat by Winn, as the young shortstop began the year about as cold as possible at the plate, failing to record a hit in his first five games of the season (a 0-21 streak). Since the first five games of the season, Winn is hitting .330/.414/.540 with a .954 OPS and 167 wRC+. That's incredible stuff from Winn in his sophomore season!

On the season as a whole, Winn is slashing .280/.372/.458 with five home runs and 15 RBI, recently being moved up to the number two hole, which is right around the time the Cardinals began to heat up as a club. His continued growth as a hitter has been beyond impressive.

Coupled with his elite glove and arm at baseball's most important position, Winn continues to show why he can be a star in today's game. Winn already has five OAA on the year, and he is using that great range of his and plus-plus arm to make plays that few, if any, other shortstops can.

Winn is just 23 years old and already someone who can win a Gold Glove and be a well-above-average hitter at the plate. I expect him to cool off a bit at the plate all fall from his current production, but if he settles into 10% above-league average or better at the plate for the rest of this season, that'll help establish him as one of the premier shortstops in today's game.

His all-around skillset, positional value, age, and loads of team control all help to pump up his value on this club. I do think there are some parts of his offensive profile that need tuned up over time if he wants to be an impact bat, but for now, Winn knows how to be an asset at the plate even with some of his limitations.

The number one name on this list though has proven time and time again that he knows how to hit with the best talents in all of baseball.

#1 - Ivan Herrera

All Ivan Herrera has done since becoming a big leaguer is mash, and with each passing game, he's further cementing himself as not just a critical part of the Cardinals' core, but I believe the central piece of their lineup moving forward.

I dove into this idea on Thursday, but for all of the attention that Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman have received, Herrera is the young bat who the Cardinals have been hoping to develop for over a decade now. Ever since the passing of Oscar Taveras, the Cardinals have been searching for that difference-making young bat that they've developed themselves. They've had various players over the years fill that role for small stretches, but never any true homegrown superstar talents.

Herrera is changing that.

Prior to last night's game, Herrera was slashing .419/.480/.907, an insane 1.387 OPS and 271 wRC+ on the year, slugging five home runs and 18 RBI in just 13 games. Since 2023, Herrera has been slashing .317/.392/.485, good for a 147 wRC+, which is the 11th-best in all of baseball.

I get that regression is coming for Herrea. He is hitting better than Aaron Judge so far this year, and we know that is not going to continue. But everything Herrera has shown us to this point in his big league career is that he is an elite hitter, the kind that can truly anchor the Cardinals' lineup for years to come.

It is kind of hard to believe that Herrera won't be 25 years old until June 1st, as he first made his brief big league debut for St. Louis back in 2022. I think some people began to get prospect fatigue with Herrera, causing them to fade him a bit in favor of the new prospects and young talents coming up. In reality, Herrera may be the best position player the Cardinals have produced in over a decade.

Even if Herrera can't stick at catcher long-term, that bat, if it continues at or near this rate, is so good that Herrera is the most valuable young player the club has. If he can figure out his arm issues behind the plate, Herrera truly has the potential to be one of the best players in all of baseball. Even if he is just a DH long-term, moves to first base, or perhaps even the outfield, he's going to start hearing his name in elite company if his bat is that productive.

There is an added layer of value that Herrera provides that is a bit specific to the Cardinals as well. If you look at this list, or even try and start listing off the Cardinals' best hitters, you'll notice that the majority of the ones they are building around long-term are left-handed. Nootbaar, Donovan, Wetherholt, and Scott, along with names like Gorman, Burleson, Chase Davis, Jimmy Crooks, and others, all bat from the left side. As far as young bats go, unless Jordan Walker figures things out, there is not a right-handed bat that could become a middle-of-the-order option that is not named Willson Contreras.

So, Herrera holds special value for this Cardinals club as it balances itself long-term, and he looks like he'll be the center piece of that lineup moving foward.

Herrera's development is the number one storyline I am watching for during the rest of the 2025 campaign. If he truly is the kind of player I think he is, this changes so much for this Cardinals club, and truly sets up Chaim Bloom to hit the ground running in 2026 with a strong young core headlined by a true superstar talent in Herrera.