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Chris Clegg's top St. Louis Cardinals prospects rankings for 2025. Read his top 10 St. Louis Cardinals fantasy baseball prospect power rankings and outlooks for dynasty leagues.
St. Louis Cardinals fans have had a rough stretch the last few years. It is no secret that the MLB team was aging, and the farm system was not in a good spot. The organization brought in Chaim Bloom, who does a tremendous job on the scouting and development side of things. He most recently built the Red Sox farm into one of the best in baseball. The St. Louis top prospects list looks much better today than it did this time last year.
Today, we will cover the St. Louis Cardinals' top 10 prospects heading into the 2025 season as part of the MLB Prospect Rankings For Each Team series. There is a ton of talent to know here for dynasty leagues. RotoBaller readers can see reports on the top 10 St. Louis Cardinals fantasy baseball prospects below and can see the full 30 by heading to the Dynasty Dugout!
So, who is on the way to Busch Stadium, and what do those players bring to the table for fantasy baseball dynasty leagues? Let's dive into the St. Louis Cardinals' top 10 prospects for 2025.
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No. 10 Cardinals Prospect - Cooper Hjerpe, LHP
Age 24, 6-foot-3/200 pounds, Double-A
Finding innings has been tough for Hjerpe, who has dealt with multiple injuries throughout his career. He pitched just 52 innings in 2024, dealing with elbow injuries, and he reached five innings just twice this year. However, his results were good on the mound, as he posted a 3.27 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 28 walks.
While the fastball sits in the low 90s, Hjerpe has topped out at 94 mph from an incredibly tough arm angle and release point. It is a true sidearm delivery with a four-foot release height that creates a very flat VAA, making it extremely tough for hitters to pick up.
Hjerpe mixes a cutter that sits in the mid-to-upper 80s with shorter horizontal movement, but his sweeper that sits in the mid-to-upper 70s has a strong two-plane break with 17 inches of sweeping action. The changeup gets strong movement the other way, sitting in the mid-80s and having up to 17 inches of fading action.
His command is sometimes inconsistent, and his strike-throwing is right around average. Hjerpe's most significant issue has been availability, which is the best ability. If he can string together a healthy 2025 season, there is a lot of potential here. But throwing a total of 93 pro innings since being drafted in 2022 is somewhat concerning.
No. 9 Cardinals Prospect - Michael McGreevy, RHP
Age 24, 6-foot-4/220 pounds, MLB
The value of an arm that can throw consistent innings year after year is sometimes underappreciated, and I was guilty of that myself. After throwing 150 innings in Triple-A, posting a 4.02 ERA in a hitter-friendly International League, McGreevy threw 23 more innings in the majors, posting a 1.96 ERA. After pitching over 100 innings in college in 2021, McGreevy has thrown at least 144 or more innings every season since, with this year pushing to 173.
From an arsenal perspective, McGreevy leads with a sinker in the 91-92 mph range. It gets heavy arm-side movement with nice sinking action and above-average extensions. He also mixes a four-seam fastball, but it is a pitch that gets below-average IVB from his 5-foot-10 release height.
The cutter sits around 89 mph with good carry, but the slider is probably McGreevy's best secondary, sitting around 84 mph with depth and consistently over 10 inches of sweeping action.
McGreevy utilizes a changeup with minimal velocity separation from the sinker and has a similar movement profile. He rounds out the deep arsenal with a two-plane curveball with depth and heavy sweeping action. The pitch averaged 79 mph in 2024.
The strike-throwing is slightly better than average, and McGreevy locates his pitches well. The ceiling is pretty capped by his low whiff totals, but the ability to limit hard contact and pitch deep into starts is a solid skill.
No. 8 Cardinals Prospect - Tekoah Roby, RHP
Age 23, 6-foot-1/210 pounds, Double-A
Unfortunately, injuries have been the story of Roby's career, as a shoulder injury limited the talented arm to just 38 innings in 2024 where the results were less than desirable. This followed a 2023 season where Roby pitched just 58 innings and was traded from the Rangers to the Cardinals, where he thrived. Roby also looked like one of the better arms in the 2023 Arizona Fall League.
When healthy, Roby's fastball sits around 95 mph but has been up to 99 occasionally. He utilizes the pitch often, having solid metrics on it. The curveball is Roby's best asset, though, sitting in the low 80s with a ton of depth. He gets swings in and out of the zone with the curveball.
Roby mixes in a mid-80s slider and even an upper-80s cutter. He rounds out his arsenal with a changeup in the low-to-mid 80s with nice fading action.
The pitch mix is deep, and Roby has a ton of arm talent. The lack of innings is still concerning, as he has struggled to stay healthy. The strike-throwing skills are around average, but Roby missed fewer bats in 2024, which likely could be injury-related.
A healthy 2025 likely sees Roby reach the majors. The arm talent is that of a starter; the health, not so much.
No. 7 Cardinals Prospect - Chase Davis, OF
Age 23, 6-foot-1/216 pounds, Double-A
Davis spent most of his season in Single-A Palm Beach before ending the year in Double-A. Davis slashed .253/.350/.416 between all three stops, with 12 home runs and nine stolen bases. It is worth noting that Davis made several swing/approach changes throughout the season, and after the final change on June 28, the numbers soared.
From that date forward, Davis slashed .282/.369/.455 with seven of his 12 home runs. The changes were a slow progression for Davis, who became much more square in the box rather than starting extremely open. His hands remained high pre-swing, something he changed a bit early in June. His spine angle was also more upright to begin the swing.
The underlying power metrics are slightly above average, starting with his 90th percentile exit velocity of 104 mph. From July 1 forward, Davis registered a 90th percentile exit velocity near 107 mph and topped at 112 mph.
The contact skills are solid, and Davis has shown the ability to handle multiple pitch types well. His overall contact rate of 75 percent showed growth all season, which is an encouraging sign moving forward.
Having a solid glove and a big-time arm, Davis should find a spot in the corner outfield where his power should play. Given the solid finish for the season, Davis could be in for a breakout in 2025.
No. 6 Cardinals Prospect - Jimmy Crooks III, C
Age 23, 6-foot/230 pounds, Double-A
Crooks spent his entire 2024 season in Double-A Springfield, where he posted a strong .321/.410/.498 slash line with 11 home runs. Crooks missed a chunk of time at the beginning and end of the 2024 season, but he was highly productive when on the field; this followed a strong 2023 regular season and Arizona Fall League.
The underlying data backs it up as well. Crooks makes contact at a solid 73 percent clip, but the in-zone number was north of 81 percent. He rarely expands the zone, as shown by his 11.6 percent walk rate and chase rate of around 25 percent.
The power numbers are strong, and the quality of contact is near that of the elite. Some underlying numbers are not all that different from Dalton Rushing from a contact quality standpoint. A 90th percentile exit velocity near 107 mph stands out in a big way.
When Crooks connects, he often hits the ball in the air and has a solid all-fields approach. That is not to say he cannot get to the pull side, though, as he hit some big-time home runs to right field as a left-handed hitter.
The Cardinals have a lot of catching talent in their system, but Crooks might be the best of the group. He is a skilled bat who also threw out 33 percent of attempted base stealers.
No. 5 Cardinals Prospect - Yairo Padilla, SS
Age 17, 6-foot/170 pounds, Dominican Summer League
Padilla enjoyed a successful first pro season in 2024 after signing in January for $760K. He immediately hit the ground running, posting a slash of .287/.391/.404 with a home run and 22 stolen bases. The extra-base hit power has yet to show up, as he had five doubles and four triples, but he has a frame to add more strength.
Spending a month of the DSL season as a 16-year-old, he was one of the league's top performers, showing a well-rounded skill set. The contact skills are good, as Padilla posted strong overall and in-zone contact rates. The switch-hitter did have pretty drastic splits, which were much better than those of a left-handed hitter, but the sample was so small that it is hard to form an opinion.
Padilla has impressive clock times and is a highly efficient base stealer. Evaluators have graded his clock times at 60-70. If he maintains his speed and develops more power, Padilla becomes an intriguing power and speed threat.
If you are looking for a prospect who could break out in 2025 as he comes stateside, look no further than Padilla. The feedback on Padilla is absurd. One source told me, "He is a unicorn." Now up to 6 feet, Padilla might take off in 2025, and you don't want to miss the boat.
No. 4 Cardinals Prospect - Thomas Saggese, INF
Age 22, 5-foot-11/185 pounds, MLB
Saggese got off to a pretty slow start to the 2024 season but wound up picking things up and spending much of September with the big league club. Through the first two months of the season, Saggese had a .230/.296/.388 line with just six home runs and nine doubles. After the start of June, Saggese finished the minor league season with a .267/.324/.470 line with 14 home runs and doubles apiece. The brief major league sample was unimpressive, but he got invaluable experience.
The underlying data on Saggese is just ok -- a 103 mph (90th percentile) exit velocity and an average exit velocity of 87 mph. His contact skills improved, but he finished with a 75 percent overall mark and an 82 percent in-zone mark. He is quite aggressive, chasing out of the zone at a nearly 37 percent clip, but he makes up for it with his in-zone contact. The overall swing rates are quite high as well.
Saggese will likely always play well above what the underlying data suggests he should, and I think he can be a solid major-league player for a long time. He hits the ball at ideal angles and gets to the pull side often. He should find a regular role with the MLB squad as early as Opening Day 2025.
No. 3 Cardinals Prospect - Tink Hence, RHP
Age 22, 6-foot-1/195 pounds, Double-A
Hence was selected in the second round of the COVID-shortened 2020 draft that the Cardinals knocked out of the park. After having questions surrounding his ability to pitch deep into games his first two seasons, 2023 was a significant breakout for Hence as he tossed 96 innings and posted a 4.31 ERA with 99 strikeouts and 34 walks.
Multiple injuries limited Hence to just 79 innings in 2024, as he missed time with shoulder, chest, and lat injuries. When on the mound, he was impressive, though, as he posted a 2.71 ERA, struck out 109 batters, and walked just 26.
From an arsenal standpoint, Hence leads with a fastball that averaged 94 mph in 2024. It has around 16 inches of IVB, which is above average for a 5-foot-6 release height. However, the velocity dropped over 1 mph in 2024, which is notable.
The slider is Hence's most-used secondary, sitting in the mid-80s with a strong gyro shape. The changeup is an interesting offering in the low-to-mid 80s, with over 15 inches of arm-side movement, but it is also a dead-zone shape. The curveball has good depth and is close to a 12-6 shape, sitting closer to 80 mph.
Hence did see some regression with strike-throwing in 2024, posting a closer-to-average rate of 63 percent. Regardless, the bat-missing ability is there. Hence will need to show more durability and the ability to throw more than 100 innings.
No. 2 Cardinals Prospect - Quinn Mathews, LHP
Age 24, 6-foot-5/188 pounds, Triple-A
Mathews went from a low-90s innings-eating arm out of Stanford, who went in the fourth round in 2023, to one of the top pitching prospects in baseball very fast. After sitting 91.5 mph at Stanford, Mathews averaged nearly 95 mph this year.
From a performance standpoint, Mathews struck out 202 batters across four levels in 143 innings pitched, lapping the field on his way to the MiLB strikeout crown. The combination of the ability to go deep into games, plus the strikeout stuff, has Mathews on the cusp of pitching in the Cardinals rotation.
As previously mentioned, Mathews' fastball ticked up, but it can reach 98 with 17 inches of IVB, which is above average for his 5-foot-7 release height. Mathews gets a solid extension and had an impressive whiff rate on the fastball.
The slider is Mathews' most-used secondary, sitting north of 85 mph and having a gyro shape. The changeup has heavy arm-side movement, around 81 mph, his highest whiff rate offering of any pitch. Mathews rounds out his arsenal with a two-plane curveball in the mid-70s, giving him four true velocity bands.
When you pair an above-average strike-thrower with a major tick-up in stuff, you have the makings of a high-floor arm. Mathews commands his pitches well and misses plenty of bats, having a swinging strike rate north of 17 percent this year. The CSW, an impressive 34 percent, is one of the best marks in Minor League Baseball.
I would expect Mathews to be a part of the Cardinals rotation for at least 20 starts in 2025.
No. 1 Cardinals Prospect - JJ Wetherholt, SS
Age 22, 5-foot-10/190 pounds, Single-A
Wetherholt entered the 2024 season as a favorite to go 1.1 after an incredible sophomore year in which he slashed .449/.517/.787 with 16 home runs and 36 stolen bases. A strong Cape Cod League performance only solidified the college season. Hamstring injuries have unfortunately hampered some of his career and limited him to just 36 games in 2024.
They were impressive nonetheless as Wetherholt slashed .331/.472/.589 with eight home runs. He stole less, just six times, but that is not surprising given the nature of his injury.
The contact skills are some of the best from the 2024 class, with an overall contact rate of 84 percent and an in-zone mark north of 88. He rarely chases out of the zone and shows excellent pitch recognition. With a chase rate of 14 percent, the number fell to around 10 percent against breaking and offspeed pitches. Those numbers are the best in college baseball.
You may look at a quick twitch athlete who is smaller, like Wetherholt, and question the power, but I would advise against it. The power is legit here. I mentioned the power output with 16 home runs, backed by a 93 mph average exit velocity and a 105 mph (90th percentile).
These numbers took another step forward this year, sitting at a 95 mph average and 108 mph (90th percentile). Wetherholt also posted an impressive 58 percent hard-hit rate.
The biggest question in Wetherholt's profile is how he will handle high-velocity fastballs. Big 12 pitching is not the greatest, and Wetherholt's numbers against fastballs 94 mph or harder were closer to the league average. He also does not lift the ball much to the pull side.
But if you want an exceptional athlete who can play all over the diamond with tools across the board, Wetherholt is your guy.
For full reports on the Top 30 Prospects in the St. Louis Cardinals system and the top 50 ranked, head to the Dynasty Dugout for more of Chris's work!
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