Jurrangelo Cijntje, Liam Doyle Put Cardinals' Bright Future on Display

The St. Louis Cardinals had a great day down in the minors on Thursday.

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (87) throws a pitch during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals may not have played a game on Thursday night, but there was a lot for fans to be excited about down in the minors throughout the day.

Over the last few years, the biggest hole for the Cardinals has been in the starting rotation. St. Louis hasn't been in the playoffs since 2022 and that's arguably the biggest reason why. Of course, there have been holes elsewhere, but the Cardinals had the 26th-best rotation ERA in 2023 (5.08), the 20th-best rotation ERA in 2024 (4.33), and the 25th-best rotation ERA in 2025 at 4.67.

That's not going to cut it. This year, the Cardinals have been better and currently have the 10th-best rotation ERA in baseball at 3.94. We should see it get even better in the not-so-distant future as well. Since Chaim Bloom took over as president of baseball operations, he has done a good job bolstering the farm system. Right now, the Cardinals actually have the second-best farm system in the league, per Baseball America.

What should excite fans even more is that the club is oozing with elite pitching prospects at the top of the farm system. Eight of the Cardinals' top 14 prospects are pitchers, led by No. 2 overall prospect Liam Doyle. On Thursday, Doyle took the mound for Double-A Springfield and was lights-out. But that's not all. One of the biggest additions of the offseason was switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, who was the centerpiece in the Brendan Donovan deal. He took the mound on Thursday in Triple-A and was also nails.

Liam Doyle

Tennessee's Liam Doyle (12) pitches against Wake Forest at the NCAA college baseball Knoxville Regional final on June 2, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Doyle took the hill against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and tossed six strong innings and allowed just one earned run and struck out six batters, to go along with just two base hits.

Liam Doyle tonight: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 K.

Liam Doyle got into trouble in the 6th, loading the bases with no outs, but managed to escape having allowed just one run.

That’s seven straight starts allowing two earned runs or fewer, with a 1.82 ERA over that span. pic.twitter.com/oDfXnU63aN

— Aidan Gray (@AidanG_Baseball) August 14, 2026

His season ERA is now down to 4.28 on the season in 19 starts, despite a tough start to the season. At the time when he was struggling, he was attempting to improve his secondary pitches in real time. Now, a few months later, clearly he has found something. Doyle has 106 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched and looks like he's ready for Triple-A.

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje throws the ball during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Like Doyle, Cijntje dominated on Thursday night. Cijntje took the hill for Triple-A Memphis and tossed 6 1/3 electric innings and allowed just two base hits and one run, to go along with 11 strikeouts.

Jurrangelo Cijntje’s dominant night is done

6.1 IP
2 H
1 ER
1 BB
11 K pic.twitter.com/db1ll9gj5A

— Redbird Farmhands (@RedbirdFarmhand) August 14, 2026

Like Doyle, Cijntje had some struggles early on this season. Now, he's just one step away from the majors and really is starting to come into his own.