Cardinals Little-Known Prospect St. Louis Fans Should Know Now

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the best farm systems in Major League Baseball right now.

When Chaim Bloom took over as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations after the 2025 season came to a close, he got to work trying to add high-end prospects to the organization. He traded Brendan Donovan, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado away and got a handful of prospects in return, including Jurrangelo Cijntje (No. 4), Brandon Clarke (No. 9), Yhoiker Fajardo (No. 12), and Tai Peete (No. 17), among others. The Cardinals also got big league-ready starters, including Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts. Dobbins has made one start in the majors this season and Fitts unfortunately is on the Injured List and is done for the season.

The future is bright for the Cardinals, to say the least. Over the course of the season so far, a lot has been said about guys like Liam Doyle, Rainiel Rodriguez, and Joshua Báez, but let's take a look at another under-the-radar prospect fans should know about.

Cardinals No. 20 prospect Brycen Mautz is with Triple-A Memphis right now and could be a candidate to watch to make his big league debut in 2026.

Cardinals Fans Should Know Brycen Mautz

Mar 7, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Brycen Mautz (52) pitches in the six inning against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

As of right now, Mautz is a starter. He has made eight starts for Memphis so far this season and has a 2.97 ERA in 36 1/3 innings pitched. In 2025, he made 25 starts with Double-A Springfield and logged a 2.98 ERA in 114 2/3 innings pitched. Overall, he has a 3.97 ERA in 80 professional starts so far, although he has been much better in 2025 and 2026 overall.

Right now, there isn't a clear path to the Cardinals' starting rotation in the big leagues. St. Louis' rotation currently features Michael McGreevy, Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May, Andre Pallante, and Kyle Leahy. The Cardinals have Dobbins in Triple-A along with Quinn Mathews (No. 6 prospect), who should be in consideration to make his big league debut in 2026. If Doyle can continue to impress, maybe he could be an option late in the season. Cijntje is someone to watch out for more likely in 2027 than 2026.

If injuries pop up, maybe there could be space for Mautz to make an appearance as a starter at some point in 2026, but the Cardinals have been blessed with fairly good health so far. If the Cardinals are in contention for a playoff spot down the stretch, Mautz would be an intriguing bullpen candidate at that point for the big league club.

Right now, Mautz is someone the fans should know about. He's one step away from the big leagues and is having a great season. But will that result in a big league promotion in 2026? That's contingent on what role the team sees for him and likely injuries in the majors.

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