St. Louis Cardinals release 2025 Spring Breakout roster filled with exciting names

The St. Louis Cardinals have released their full roster for Major League Baseball's annual Spring Breakout game. This is the second year for the Spring Breakout games, and the Cardinals have tabbed many of their top prospects to play in the game. 16 of their top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline are on the roster.

The Cardinals roster is highlighted by its top prospects in JJ Wetherholt (#23 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline) and Quinn Mathews (#45 overall). Other exciting prospects include Jimmy Crooks (#4 organizational prospect), Thomas Saggese (#5 organizational prospect), and Chase Davis (#10 organizational prospect).

Other names to keep an eye on include catcher Rainiel Rodriguez, a player who has skyrocketed up prospect lists; shortstop Yairo Padilla, another teenager who has ample hype surrounding him; and outfielder Yordalin Pena, who hit his first career spring training home run the other day to give the Cardinals the lead in the ninth inning.

Left-hander Cooper Hjerpe is a name to watch, too. The organization's sixth-ranked prospect is on a fast track to the majors in the near future. Luis Gastelum, a hard-throwing righty who struck out 70 batters in 48 innings last year with Low-A Palm Beach, is an exciting inclusion on the roster.

This year's roster includes names that are a bit deeper in the organizational depth chart. Several players on the roster have yet to play beyond rookie ball. 25-year-old Osvaldo Berrios is a former player of the Gateway Grizzlies who was signed by the Cardinals last June. Tyler Bradt is a former sixteenth-round pick in the draft. 2024 draftee Ryan Campos makes the cut with the catcher group as well.

However, there are some interesting exclusions from the list, including recent draft picks like Brian Holiday (80th overall in 2024) and left-handed pitcher Brycen Mautz (59th overall in 2022). Also, international signee and right-handed pitcher Chen-Wei Lin isn't included in the list. Lin had a 2.79 ERA with 123 strikeouts across 116 innings and 22 starts for Low-A Palm Beach last year.

Last year, Tink Hence and Joshua Baez showed up for the Cardinals. Hence threw two innings and struck out three batters while averaging nearly 96 miles per hour on his fastball. Baez went 1-3 with a solo home run.

The Cardinals will go head-to-head against the Miami Marlins on Friday, March 14th. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 P.M. ET, and the game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Midwest. The Marlins' roster includes 26 of their top 30 prospects, including Starlyn Caba (#2 in the system, #80 overall) and Andrew Salas (#5 in the system).

The Spring Breakout game is an opportunity for budding stars or unknown commodities to show off for a wide audience. Many of these players won't be seen during the regular season due to the level they'll play. The breakout game gives fans a chance to get to know some of the organization's more obscure prospects. Tune in on March 14th to see some exciting young prospects for the St. Louis Cardinals!