Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Rainiel Rodriguez Makes Loud Statement With 106-MPH Double

The St. Louis Cardinals got a glimpse into the future on Sunday afternoon.
Patrick McAvoy|
Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images
Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals fans got a glimpse into the not-so-distant future on Sunday.

The Cardinals faced off against the Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon and 19-year-old prospect Rainiel Rodriguez made his first Spring Training appearance with the club.

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"Rainiel Rodriguez, the club's No. 3 prospect, will make his first Spring Training appearance in this afternoon's game at Houston, starting as the designated hitter and batting ninth," the Cardinals shared on X. "The 19-year-old is ranked as the 35th overall prospect in MLB by Baseball America."

It didn't take him long to make an impact as well. Rodriguez blasted a 106 miles per hour double in his first at-bat.

Cardinals fans got a look at Rainiel Rodriguez

St. Louis Cardinals logo
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

Rodriguez is just 19 years old, so Cardinals fans shouldn't get their hopes up for him making the jump to the big leagues in 2026. But this is a guy who can be a game-changer in the middle of the lineup in the not-so-distant future. He is an elite-level prospect with a 50-grade hit tool and 60-grade power, per his official MLB.com scouting report.

"Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 55," per the scouting report. "Rodriguez signed for $300,000 out of the Dominican Republic in April 2024, and two months later, he was one of the most dominant hitters in the Dominican Summer League.

"His 25 extra-base hits over 41 games were tied for the most on the international complex circuit, while his 10 homers tied for fourth. He finished among the top four qualifiers in average (.345) and slugging percentage (.683), and his 1.145 OPS was the highest by a qualified DSL catcher since at least 2006. Rodriguez was a DSL midseason and end-of-season All-Star and won Player of the Month honors in July."

In 2025, he played in 84 total games across Rookie-Level, Class-A and High-A. He slashed .276/.399/.555 with 20 homers, 63 RBIs, four stolen bases, 22 doubles and 59 runs scored. That's some insane production. Now, he's already showing what he can do in big league Spring Training.

More MLB: Cardinals Opening Day Roster Projection 1.0: JJ Wetherholt Shines, Rotation Battles

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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