Inside The Cardinals

Fan-Favorite Or Prospect? Cardinals Facing Impossible Choice

The Cardinals should shake up the roster a bit down the stretch...
Patrick McAvoy|
Mar 20, 2018; Jupiter, FL, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat with sunglasses sits on a glove in the dugout during a spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2018; Jupiter, FL, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat with sunglasses sits on a glove in the dugout during a spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals clearly are looking ahead to the future and it's arguably time to make a change.

As the Cardinals approached the trade deadline, there were at least some questions still about whether the club could turn things around at the last second. St. Louis looked like a playoff team for a good chunk of the season early on but a few weeks before the All-Star break things started to really shift. Now, the Cardinals are in fourth place in the National League Central with a 56-57 record. The Cardinals now have 49 games to figure out what the 2026 campaign will look like.

The concept of "runway players" is going to be big over the next few months, especially with guys like Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and even Alec Burleson. The Cardinals have young guys to take a look at. St. Louis already has brought Michael McGreevy into the rotation full-time and and there's another guy down in the minors in Quinn Matthews who will be worth giving a shot at some point as well.

Another guy who should be called up at some point is No. 5 prospect Jimmy Crooks. The young catcher is projected to make his big league debut in 2025 by MLB.com. He's done well this season in Triple-A and is slashing .264/.319/.434 with 12 homers and 68 RBIs in 80 games.

In the big leagues right now, the Cardinals have Iván Herrera who isn't catching and instead is DHing and playing some outfield. Beyond him, the Cardinals have Pedro Pagés who is hitting just a tick above .200 on the season and 28-year-old Yohel Pozo.

Crooks is 24 years old so it's not like he's some young 20-year-old propect. He's been in the system since the 2022 MLB Draft and is one of the Cardinals' top overall prospects. At this point, it makes sense to give him a chance as fast as possible.

More MLB: Cardinals 'On The Cusp' Of Promoting Phenom, Per ESPN's Jeff Passan

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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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