Rival managers believe the Cardinals may already have their battery of the future

Not much has gone right on the big league field for the St. Louis Cardinals, but there has been plenty of excitement to go around for the minor league players. While JJ Wetherholt is not expected to make his Major League debut this season, Baseball America ran a poll of current minor league coaches, and the future looks bright beyond the top prospect.

Michael McGreevy and Leonardo Bernal received recognition from opposing managers.

In Baseball America's annual Best Tools survey, minor league managers were asked to choose players they thought deserved honors for 21 different superlatives. These honors include things like best prospect, best arm, and even best managing prospect, among others. The Cardinals saw their prospects show up in multiple categories as the best in their leagues. Two such honorees were pitcher Michael McGreevy and catcher Leonardo Bernal, perhaps creating confidence that the Cardinals could have some long-term stability in their battery.

Former top organization prospect Michael McGreevy has since lost that prospect tag after being in the majors for nine starts this year to go along with five other appearances spread through last season. It took longer than anticipated, but McGreevy is finally getting the consistent opportunity that many thought he deserved coming into the 2025 campaign. The Cardinals' management of their rotation, along with stunning health luck, prevented an opening for the rookie to step in. That changed when the organization cut bait with Erick Fedde, whose departure paved the way for a McGreevy promotion. Fans were excited for the prospect to enter the rotation due to his positive reviews and projection as at least a mid-rotation starter. His best tool as rated by FanGraphs is his command, as they project him at a 70-grade pitcher in terms of command.

The survey results confirm the media projection, as McGreevy was voted to have the Best Control tool for the Triple-A International League. He has absolutely deserved that honor, as the 25-year-old has limited free passes at an amazing rate. Between Memphis and St. Louis, McGreevy has walked a total of 22 batters in 126 innings, good for a 1.57 K/9 rate. According to Baseball Savant, the righty's 3% walk rate at the major league level puts him in the 99th percentile of the league. While the command has been spectacular, his strikeout rate is near the very bottom of baseball, at just 14%, and opposing batters have a .297 expected batting average against McGreevy. He has been able to limit the damage en route to a 4-2 record and a 4.41 ERA but will need to establish a putaway pitch to push past his mid-rotation projection.

Throwing to a good catcher will be important to any pitcher, and the Cardinals appear to have a perfect candidate to handle McGreevy's starts for the foreseeable future. Catcher Leonardo Bernal, the number 73 overall prospect as rated by MLB.com, also finds his name among the winners of best tools. The switch-hitter was voted as the Best Defensive Catcher for the Double-A Texas League, where he has spent the entire season with Springfield. Bernal has shone on both sides of the ball this season, and his 39% caught stealing rate would be near the Major League lead.

Along with his plus arm and highly rated defense, the 21-year-old has continued to progress as a hitter. Last season, Bernal put up a career-high 12 homers in 124 games split between Single-A and Double-A. This year, though, he has unleashed something in his swing and already has 13 home runs in just 88 games while bumping his batting average up to a career-high .270. The catching situation will be interesting to follow through the offseason, as the team currently has Pedro Pages as the main starter with Yohel Pozo as the backup. Ivan Herrera has put the gear away for this year, but he may use the offseason to get back into it. Jimmy Crooks III is the starter in Memphis and appears next in line to receive a promotion, but Bernal and Single-A backstop Rainiel Rodriguez are projected higher than Crooks.

Even if this year has not gone as fans have wanted, it does appear that Chaim Bloom and the reinvestment into player development has had some positive results. It may still take a couple of years to truly see the outcome, but it looks like things are moving in the right direction for the future.