Inside The Cardinals

MLB Writer Has High Praise For Cardinals' 18-Year-Old Prospect

The Cardinals have a lot of young talent including an 18-year-old catcher in the minor leagues.
Zach Pressnell|
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of young talent. They have players like Masyn Winn and Iván Herrera who have burst on the scene this season and dominated. Victor Scott II has looked like one of the better young outfielders in the National League due to his incredible defense and breakout bat.

This doesn't even mention the farm system which is headlined by first round pick JJ Wetherholt and Quinn Mathews. But the Cardinals' depth in the farm system is where they can really separate themselves.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently shared some praise of Cardinals prospect Rainel Rodriguez and called him St. Louis' best teenage prospect at the moment.

"The Cardinals have a strong track record of developing catcher talent, and Rodriguez was an early standout from their 2024 international class after signing for $300,000," Reuter wrote. "He hit .345/.462/.683 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs and 38 RBI in 42 games in the Dominican Summer League, and while he is still raw defensively, he also threw out 23 of 71 base stealers."

Rodriguez, 18, is the Cardinals' seventh ranked prospect and the team's third highest ranked catching prospect. He was signed a year ago and has slashed a ridiculous .353/.479/.739 in rookie ball so far.

The 18-year-old is only going to get better from here. His defense is still growing and developing, but the youngster has legit power potential, which is rare from a catching prospect.

There's a good chance the Cardinals are looking at Rodriguez with the belief that he could be one of the team's main catchers of the future in a few short years.

More MLB: MLB Writer Suggests Cardinals 'Fed Up' With Veteran Star

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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