Breakout Prospect? Cardinals Outfielder Turning Heads In Big Way

The St. Louis Cardinals are seemingly ready to rebuild their roster, though there's still an outside chance they could crack into the postseason, barring more struggles from the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Cincinnati Reds.

Either way, this isn't the season the Cardinals are seemingly eyeing as their World Series winning year, especially after trading away top relievers Phil Maton, Steven Matz, and Ryan Helsley at the trade deadline.

Rather than looking to contend and compete, the Cardinals could take the rest of this season to figure out what they have with some of their top prospects. Players like Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, and JJ Wetherholt jump off the page as potential September call-ups in St. Louis. However, there are still some prospects in the Cardinals' system who could surprise the baseball world.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently called outfield prospect Nathan Church the Cardinals' biggest breakout prospect of the season. Church has been making waves in the minor leagues as he continues to push for a big league call-up.

Nathan Church turning heads in a big way in minor leagues

Feb 17, 2025; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Nathan Church (91) warms-up during spring training. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

"With plus speed and terrific defensive skills in the outfield, Church was viewed as a prototypical fourth outfielder heading into the 2025 season," Reuter wrote. "That could still end up being his long-term role, but his OPS has jumped from .705 in 2024 to .908 this year as he has slugged a career-high 15 home runs and showed more impact potential at the plate in the upper levels of the minors."

Coming into the season, Church didn't look like much for the Cardinals. It's not often than .700 OPS players in the minor leagues ever translate to serviceable big league hitters. While his speed and defense are game changers, hitting like that is a one-way ticket to eventually being released.

But there's a reason Church has been turning heads this year and it's not solely his defense. The 25-year-old outfielder has an OPS over .900 split between three levels of the minor leagues. Pair that with his incredible speed and above average defense and the Cardinals could give him a shot in the big leagues as early as this year.

Church seems like the kind of outfielder the Cardinals are looking for. He can swipe bases and play good defense while also offering a potential .750 OPS bat at the big league level. There's a chance St. Louis elevates him to the big leagues in the coming weeks.

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