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Rainiel Rodriguez Surging at Double-A Springfield
St. Louis Cardinals catcher prospect Rainiel Rodriguez took some time settling in at Double-A Springfield after his promotion in early May, hitting just .182 with two extra-base hits over his first 21 games there. However, since then, the Cardinals' top-ranked prospect has caught fire, hitting .368 with 20 doubles and 18 home runs in just 53 games, good for a 1.134 OPS during that time. That type of production is impressive on its own merit, but the right-handed hitter is doing all of this as one of the youngest players in Double-A at age 19. The youngster is in position to begin 2027 at Triple-A and has a shot to debut next year despite his age, though it is crowded at catcher in St. Louis with Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages, and fellow catching prospect Leo Bernal, so it will be interesting to see how it shakes out. Rodriguez (and Bernal, for that matter) has played some first base this year, and with his power potential, designated hitter is always an option as well, which gives him multiple paths to the majors. The 5-foot-10 Dominican should be on redraft managers' radar in 2027, and his dynasty arrow is pointing way up.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
Alec Burleson Hits Three Homers, Drives in Six Runs in Win Over Yankees
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman/outfielder Alec Burleson was nearly all the offense the Cardinals needed in Monday's 13-7 win over the hosting New York Yankees in the Bronx. Burleson had a day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three home runs, six RBI, and a strikeout to boost his season average to .288 and his OPS to .830. As a controllable young slugger, Burleson was getting calls from other teams on the trade deadline on Monday, but the Cardinals elected not to move him, and they're probably pretty happy with that decision. The 27-year-old left-handed slugger is now up to a .288/.350/.480 slash line this year with 18 home runs and 77 RBI for the Red Birds. Burleson was money in July, going 31-for-106 (.293) with two home runs, seven doubles, 14 RBI, 15 runs scored, and a stolen base in 28 games played, but the knock against him is that he's hitting just .194 (26-for-134) with three of his 18 homers against lefties and his poor defensive metrics. His advanced hitting metrics support his overall production, though, as he comes in with a .296 expected batting average and .379 xwOBA.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Alec Burleson a Trade Candidate at the Deadline?
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman/outfielder Alec Burleson is one of "the most popular controllable bats on the trade market," a source told Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. There is still time for Burleson to get traded before Monday's Aug. 3 deadline, but it remains to be seen if a contending team will offer the Cardinals enough to get something done. The 27-year-old left-handed slugger is under team control for two more years after 2026, which makes him pretty attractive, especially since he goes into Monday's action with a .284/.347/.458 slash line, .805 OPS, 15 home runs, 71 RBI, 57 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 111 games and 472 plate appearances in 2026 in his fifth year in the majors with the Cardinals. Burleson needs only seven more home runs to set a new career high in that department, and his .805 OPS is a career best. The former second-rounder from East Carolina University hit .293 (31-for-106) with a .751 OPS in 28 games in July, but he's batting just .194 (26-for-134) with two of his 15 homers on the year against left-handers, and his future is likely as a full-time DH.
Source: MLB Network - Jon Morosi
Source: MLB Network - Jon Morosi
Alec Burleson Is a Top Second-Half Power Buy
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson reached the break at .273/.337/.468 with 15 home runs and 67 RBI, and the damage could have been worse. Statcast has him at a .294 expected average and .540 expected slugging percentage. He also finished with 19.7 expected homers, nearly five more than the real total. That is a loud gap for a hitter already producing. Burleson has not sold out to get there. His strikeout rate sits at 15.1%, while the hard-hit rate jumped to 48.7% and the barrel rate to 11.6%, both career highs. Left-handers are still the problem, holding him to a .195 average, but St. Louis kept him in the lineup and used him at first base in 91 of 94 games. The profile says hold, or buy before the power catches up. A bigger second half is very much in play.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Blaze Jordan Earns Call to Majors, a Priority Add in All Leagues?
The St. Louis Cardinals are promoting infield prospect Blaze Jordan to the MLB roster ahead of Friday's contest against the Minnesota Twins. Jordan is currently ranked as the team's No. 25-ranked prospect on MLB.com, but he has been among the top hitters at the Triple-A level this season. Through 57 contests at Triple-A, the first/third baseman has posted an impressive .313/.373/.548 line with a stellar .921 OPS. During this stretch, Jordan has hit 19 doubles and launched 11 long balls while swiping two bags. This is worth noting as Jordan stumbled during his first stint with Memphis last summer, posting a low .198/.242/.366 line over a 41-game stint. Given that Nolan Gorman has struggled at the plate this season and was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding move, Jordan has a clear path to carve out an everyday role at the hot corner. For now, he is worth picking up all 12+ team leagues ahead of his MLB debut.
Source: MiLB Central
Source: MiLB Central
Blaze Jordan Dominating at Triple-A, On the Verge of Earning the Call?
St. Louis Cardinals infield prospect Blaze Jordan has put together a strong start to the Triple-A regular season and has made a strong case to earn the call to the majors before the end of the first half. Jordan was initially selected in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. He eventually joined the Cardinals in the trade that sent Steven Matz to the Red Sox last summer. With Triple-A Memphis this season, Jordan has looked more than comfortable, carrying a stellar .309/.369/.529 slash line with 17 doubles, 10 home runs, and two stolen bases. This is a stark improvement compared to the low .198/.242/.366 line he posted during his first stint with the Redbirds last summer. While Alec Burleson remains the team's primary first baseman, Jordan could carve out a role at the hot corner given Nolan Gorman's inconsistencies. For now, he is worth stashing in deeper 12+ team leagues with multiple N/A spots as his MLB debut continues to loom closer.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
