Re-ranking the 10 most valuable young players in Cardinals' organization

There have been a lot of changes to the list!
Aug 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA;  St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) celebrates with designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) after hitting a three run home run against the New York Yankees during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Aug 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) celebrates with designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) after hitting a three run home run against the New York Yankees during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
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#4 - Rainiel Rodriguez (Previous ranking: NR)

Yes, I fully acknowledge that this is an aggressive ranking. Rodriguez has not played above the High-A level yet and is just 18 years old. I am by no means guaranteeing that he will become a star or even a good major league player.

But with that being said, there are only two or three players in this organization currently that I would value higher than Rodriguez. If an opposing team would want to get their hands on Rodriguez, it's going to cost them.

In 368 plate appearances this year between the complex league, Low-A, and High-A, Rodriguez has slashed .276/.399/.555 (.954 OPS) with 20 home runs and 69 RBI, walking 14.7% of the time while striking out just 17.7% of the time. At an extremely young age, Rodriguez already knows how to attack the baseball with power, the right angles to maximize that power, and make great swing decisions.

Rodriguez's 162 wRC+ in his age-18 season can only be matched by an incredible group of names. Adam Akbani found this great tidbit the other day - since 2006, only nine 18-year-olds have posted a 150 wRC+ or higher in a season with at least 250 plate appearances: Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton, Wander Franco, Jackson Chourio, Samuel Basallo, Fernando Tatis Jr., Freddie Freeman, and Rodriguez.

Whenever a player, at age 18, is doing something that only players who compete for MVP awards have done, we should take notice.

Again, does that mean Rodriguez is going to become one of the best players in baseball or even hold a candle to the production of those guys? No. But to me, it makes him an extremely valuable piece in your organization, and someone that you can't help but be excited about. The Cardinals lack top-end talent right now, so anyone who really shows those kinds of signs has to be valued highly. 2026 will be a major test for Rodriguez, and if he continues to produce, he'll be one of the top prospects in the sport.

Some prospect evaluators are already aggressively ranking Rodriguez. Every major outlet now has him as a top 100 prospect, and some prospect evaluators are already putting him in their top 50, 20, or even top 10 prospects in the sport.