Cardinals No. 8 Prospect Quietly Emerging as Elite Defender

The Cardinals have seen one of their top prospects emerge as a star this season.

Aug 31, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8) reacts after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are rebuilding right now, so there should be more attention on the farm system than on the veterans at the big league level.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, they have a very solid farm system to look forward to. They have a few elite prospects at the top of the farm system.

MLB.com's Sam Dykstra, Jim Callis, and Jonathan Mayo highlighted the best defensive prospects for each team. For the Cardinals, they highlighted catching prospect Jimmy Crooks, who's on the verge of another call-up to the big leagues.

Jimmy Crooks is an elite defensive catcher

Sep 6, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8) signals to the pitcher in a game against the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

"Crooks got 15 games in the Majors last year, but to open this season, he was pushed back to Triple-A Memphis, where he’s continued to be lights-out when it comes to restricting opposing runners," they wrote. "He’s thrown out four of 10 attempted basestealers in his eight defensive starts for the Redbirds, and he’s posted five of the six fastest pop times from St. Louis or Memphis backstops so far in ‘26, checking in with one as low as 1.8 seconds. Crooks moves well enough to be a solid blocker and framer too, and the 24-year-old should factor into the big league club’s catching depth again this summer."

Crooks is the best defensive catcher in the entire Cardinals organization. He's a good blocker with one of the best pop times in the entire minor leagues. For the Cardinals, he certainly has the best consistent pop time. But his bat wasn't competitive enough to stick in the big leagues last season.

The Cardinals also have a lot of catching depth in their organization. Pedro Pages, Iván Herrera, and Yohel Pozo are all on the Cardinals roster right now, blocking Crooks. But his production at the plate has ticked up in a big way.

Jimmy Crooks coming around as a hitter, too

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8) stands at bat against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Crooks has been much better at the plate in Triple-A this season than he was with the Cardinals last year, which could earn him another shot at the big leagues this season.

This season, Crooks is slashing .292/.404/.563 with four home runs in 13 games. If he continues trending in this direction, while pairing it with elite defense, the Cardinals are going to have no other option than to elevate him to the big leagues.

The future is bright at catcher in St. Louis. Crooks is the next stud catcher for the Cardinals, but there are more prospects coming up through the minor leagues behind him.