Cardinals Little-Known Utility Man Retires After 5 Years

The St. Louis Cardinals quietly lost a prospect to retirement.

Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

A little-known St. Louis Cardinals prospect has opted to hang up his cleats and call it a career after five years in the organization.

Infielder Jacob Buchberger has been in the Cardinals system since 2021. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Davenport University by the organization and made his professional debut in 2021. That season, he spent time with the Class-A Palm Beach Cardinals and High-A Peoria Chiefs. He has been with the organization ever since, but officially retired from professional baseball on Jan. 23, per his official MiLB.com profile.

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Buchberger, the 28-year-old infielder, made it up to Double-A, but was not able to get over the hump and make the jump to Triple-A or the big leagues. He first joined the Double-A Springfield Cardinals in 2022 and then spent the 2023, 2024 and 2025 campaigns in Springfield. His best professional season was in 2023. That year, he played in 117 games for Springfield and slashed .239/.322/.416 with 18 homers, 49 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and 12 doubles. In 2024, he slashed .249/.338/.366 with seven homers, 42 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and 15 doubles in 109 games played.

The former Cardinals prospect is retiring

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

In 2025, he played in just six games.

This isn't the type of move that will move the needle in St. Louis at the big league level, but it does signal a bit of depth leaving the organization. Buchberger played all over the place down in the minors, with the vast majority of his playing time in the infield. In 2024, he played in 97 games at third base, one game at first base, five games in left field, and one game in right field. In 2025, all six of his appearances came in left field.

Now, the young utility man will move on after five years in the organization for the Cardinals. Hopefully, he finds what he's looking for in his next career path.

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