Where the St. Louis Cardinals' top prospects will be starting the 2025 season

The St. Louis Cardinals enjoyed an exciting start to their season, sweeping the Minnesota Twins in the first series of the year. Friday's scheduled off day turned the focus to the organization's Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds, who opened their campaign with a tough loss.

While minor league records do not make a difference to the big league club, the team will be keeping their eyes on how their top prospects perform while down on the farm. For fans who are interested more in the transition than success at the major league level, there is plenty to be interested in at the lower levels of the league. The Cardinals have eight of their top 10 prospects (as ranked by MLB.com) at Double-A or higher, so these are names we could see in St. Louis before long.

Where are the Cardinals' top prospects starting the 2025 season?

Triple-A Memphis Redbirds

Pitchers: Quinn Mathews (#2 organization, #45 overall), Tink Hence (#3, #76), Michael McGreevy (#11), Sem Robberse (#14), Gordon Graceffo (#16), Ian Bedell (#26)

One of the deepest groups of the entire Cardinals system lies in their pitching depth at the highest levels of the minors. Depending on how things go with the big league club, it is possible that each of these arms, minus Tink Hence, could throw some innings in St. Louis this year. Hence was recently announced to be starting the season on the 60-day injured list, and while a major league debut is not out of the question, the Cardinals will most likely continue to bring Hence along slowly as they have since his professional debut in 2020.

Lefty Quinn Mathews had a strong debut in professional baseball, pitching at four levels and leading the entire minor leagues in strikeouts before being named the Minor League Pitcher of the Year. It never seemed like a realistic possibility that Mathews would crack the majors no matter how he performed in this spring, and that held true, as he will open the season as a top arm ready and waiting behind Michael McGreevy in the Memphis rotation.

McGreevy also put together a strong spring and one that could (should?) have earned him a spot on the Opening Day roster. The veteran presence on the big league staff, however, relegated McGreevy to Memphis, where he will continue working as a starter and most likely be the first name called up to fill the rotation if there is a long-term need in St. Louis. McGreevy and Mathews have each made their 2025 debuts with middling results in their one outing thus far.

Sem Robberse, Gordon Graceffo, and Ian Bedell have all worked primarily as starters in their professional careers and will most likely remain in that role for the time being. Graceffo has already started for Memphis as well and gave up four runs in 2.1 innings but did strike out six batters.

Catcher: Jimmy Crooks (#4)

Crooks is a name to keep on your radar for the entire 2025 season after narrowly missing out on a top-100 prospect ranking to begin the year. The old-school catcher was named the Minor League Player of the Year last season and has kept that momentum going so far in 2025, hitting a long homer in his first game of the year. While there is an ongoing catching battle at the Major League level between Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages, another strong year from Jimmy Croks could make that competition even more interesting for the near future.

Infielders: Thomas Saggese (#5), Cesar Prieto (#20)

Saggese was one of the players most impacted by Nolan Arenado's desire to stay in St. Louis. If the third baseman would have departed in the offseason, it is possible that Saggese could have cracked the Opening Day roster as a utility depth piece. Since being acquired from Texas, Saggese has been a consistent hitter wherever he has played and has started strong this season as well. He made his major league debut at the end of last season but will have to wait for another long-term opening to be called up again this year.

Cesar Prieto is another utility infielder who has handled the bat well during his pro career with strong gap power that helped him hit 35 doubles and 14 homers last season with Memphis. If there is a short-term need at the big league level, Prieto, Jose Barrero, and Jose Fermin may battle for the call-up since they are all older prospects with the ability to play multiple positions. In two games, Prieto has a homer and double without striking out.

Outfielders: Matt Koperniak (#22), Michael Helman (#29)

The outfield situation is interesting, as each of these players is the same age or older than the current outfielders on the Major League roster. Koperniak had one of the best springs out of any offensive player, hitting .355 with two homers and three doubles with plenty of hard-hit balls and demonstrating great plate coverage. It would have seemed like a very Cardinals-like move if Koperniak cracked the roster over Victor Scott II and received plenty of playing time out of the gate, but he will have to sit and wait for his next opportunity.

Michael Helman is another utility guy who can fill in all across the diamond. Helman was acquired in a cash trade with the last-place Minnesota Twins in early February as the team's first addition of the offseason. He did not do much in spring training to warrant a roster spot, and his playing time in Memphis will be interesting to keep an eye on.

Double-A Springfield Cardinals

Pitchers: Cooper Hjerpe (#6), Tekoah Roby (#12), Max Rajcic (#23), Luis Gastelum (#30)

Cooper Hjerpe is what you may think of when you think of a typical lefty starter, sporting a quirky motion and a workhorse mentality. Even with his low-90s fastball, Hjerpe strikes out plenty of batters and had a mixed spring as a non-roster invitee. The lefty got into two games, covering three innings, and striking out four hitters but walked three.

Tekoah Roby is an extremely exciting pitcher for the Cardinals and will receive his first start of the season on Friday. The right-hander was acquired alongside Saggese in the trade with Texas and has struggled since moving over to St. Louis. He did receive an invite to major league camp this year and pitched well, striking out 10 batters in nine innings of work. Roby has plus stuff and could become a mid-rotation arm if he stays healthy.

Rajcic was drafted in the sixth round out of UCLA and has been a workhorse since making his professional debut in 2023. He has thrown at least 123 innings in each of his first two seasons which sets him up well to continue working his way up the starter ladder. Rajcic got into three games and covered 7.2 innings in big league spring. While he struck out eight, he also walked seven others but only gave up one run. The righty did not really have command issues in the minors, so it will be interesting to see how he bounces back with Springfield.

Luis Gastelum was signed out of Mexico in 2023 and made headlines with his ridiculous changeup that breaks like a screwball. Last season, Gastelum threw 48 innings and struck out 70 batters in Palm Beach. He could very easily work his way up the reliever depth chart this season.

Catcher: Leonardo Bernal (#7)

Leonardo Bernal battled with Jimmy Crooks during spring training and held his own, hitting .385 with two homers in his nine games but will begin the season in Springfield. While he could compete in AAA, the Cardinals most likely want to continue to give the switch-hitter regular playing time as a starting catcher rather than split time with Crooks in Memphis. Bernal is only 21 years old, and the Cardinals' organizational catching depth is something other teams may be checking in on throughout the year.

Infielder: JJ Wetherholt (#1, #23)

The Cardinals had to be ecstatic when one of the most complete hitters in the 2024 draft, JJ Wetherholt, fell to them with the seventh overall pick. In his short professional debut in Palm Beach last season, the shortstop hit .295 with a .805 OPS in 29 games. His athleticism and plate coverage gave him an invite to big league camp this year, and the 22-year-old held his own, walking six times, hitting a homer, and stealing three bases in 10 games. The Cardinals will most likely keep him at shortstop for the time being, but his defensive future is something to keep an eye on with Masyn Winn in St. Louis.

Outfielders: Chase Davis (#10), Nathan Church (#21)

Chase Davis was an exciting pick as a first-rounder out of Arizona in 2023 but has not done much in his professional career yet, but he played with the major league squad for three games before being the first player re-assigned to the minors. Davis is an extremely athletic outfielder who has flashed some power potential but has to take another leap with his offense to get the call-up to Memphis. The outfield depth in Triple-A is nothing spectacular so he could force his way up with a solid start to the year.

Nathan Church grabbed some headlines with his 99.7mph throw to nail a runner at home during spring training, and defense has always been his calling card. The speedy lefty hit nine homers and stole 24 bases with Springfield last year and has great plate coverage, striking out 60 times and drawing 43 walks in 127 games.

High-A Peoria Chiefs

Pitcher: Darlin Saladin (#17)

Darlin Saladin was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 and made it up to High-A last season. The righty is under six feet but still boasts a nice fastball and has flashed enough potential with his secondary pitches to warrant run as a starter. Saladin was eligible for the Rule 5 draft this past offseason, but being a 22-year-old in A-ball limited his suitors. He has averaged over a strikeout an inning and has shown solid command since turning pro.

Outfielder: Zach Levenson (#28)

Levenson is a right-handed hitting outfielder who was drafted out of Miami in 2023 and had a strong debut season with Palm Beach but struggled with Peoria last year. He has the potential to be an above-average power hitter and could find time in Springfield if any of the above hitters make the move to the next level.

Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals

Pitchers: Chen-Wei Lin (#13), Zack Showalter (#19)

One of the most intriguing arms in the entire organization, the 6'7 Lin was signed out of Taiwan in 2023 and has shown good strikeout stuff but struggled with his command in his short professional career. Lin took a step forward in 2024, going 10-5 and pitching 116 innings with Palm Beach. This season will be a big one for the 23-year-old's development for the future.

Zack Showalter was an 11th-round pick by the Orioles in 2022 and has been stuck in Single-A since his pro debut. To this point, he has never thrown more than 34 innings in a season but has shown great strikeout potential. His command and lack of secondary pitches have hindered his development, so he will have to show growth in both of those aspects to move up to the next level.

Catcher: Ryan Campos (#18)

Another quality catcher in the minor leagues, Ryan Campos has opened some eyes with a strong first season in Palm Beach last year. After being drafted out of Arizona State, the 22-year-old backstop hit .319 with as many walks as strikeouts in 26 games. Campos is seen as more of a contact hitter and does not profile to have much power even as he matures, so his defense, which needs some work, will help to move him along the organization.

Rookie League FCL Cardinals

Pitchers: Brian Holiday (#15), Branneli Franco (#25)

Brian Holiday was drafted in the third round out of Oklahoma State in 2024 but did not make his debut last season. He sports a low- to mid-90s fastball and needs to command the zone to be successful. Holiday will need to show development in his secondary pitches, but his slider appears to be his best so far.

The youngest pitcher on the list, the 18-year-old Franco was signed last January from the Dominican Republic. He has a mid-90s fastball but could add a couple more ticks as he matures into his 6'3 frame. As is the case with many pitchers from the DR, Franco struggles to command the strike zone and walked 13% of batters last year. The command issues limited him to a little over three innings per start, so Franco will need to lower that rate if he wants to stick as a starter.

Catcher: Rainiel Rodriguez (#8)

The final catcher on the list is another 18-year-old from the Dominican, and Rainiel Rodriguez tore up the Dominican Summer League with 25 extra-base hits in 41 games. Rodriguez projects as an above-average hitter but will need to continue to improve defensively to stick as a catcher. Since he is only a teenager, there is plenty of time to work on his defensive skills, but his offensive potential makes him another enviable piece in the minor leagues.

Infielder: Yairo Padilla (#9)

Another 2024 international free agent signed from the Dominican is switch-hitting 17-year-old Yairo Padilla. The shortstop showed well in the DSL, being named an All-Star after notching 10 extra-base hits and 22 steals in 35 games. Padilla has shown patience at the plate and puts the ball in play well for a young hitter. There is potential for Padilla to add more power to his game, and he may stick as a shortstop, but his strong arm could play well at third base as well.

Outfielders: Travis Honeyman (#24), Royelny Strop (#27)

Boston College product Travis Honeyman was limited to 20 games in his first season due to shoulder surgery, but he had a strong showing before the injury. Honeyman is seen as an above-average hitter with decent pop and good wheels who can play all around the outfield.

The son of former major league reliever Pedro Strop, Royelny was signed during this year's international signing period for $1.5 million. The lanky lefty projects as an outfielder with above-average power once the 16-year-old adds some bulk to his 6'1 frame. Depending on how his body reacts to added weight, Strop may settle in as a corner outfielder with pop, and his lefty swing has shown the ability to hit with power to all fields.