The new MLB Pipeline rankings for the St. Louis Cardinals feature some new faces at the top of the list. That includes a new number-one prospect and a pitcher who soared up the organization’s rankings. The new rankings released in mid-August moved the Cardinals up from 23rd in the League to 19th.
Plenty of Movement in New Cardinals Prospect Rankings
A New Top Prospect
The Cardinals had their highest draft position in 26 years for the 2024 MLB Draft. With the No. 7 pick in the draft, the team selected JJ Wetherholt out of West Virginia University. The infielder was talked about as a potential number-one pick in the leadup to the draft. Now, just a month removed from the draft, Wetherholt is the organization’s new number-one prospect.
“What our group really liked about JJ is his well-roundedness,” said Cardinals assistant general manager and head of scouting Randy Flores on August’s Cardinals Insider Show. “He showed someone who has really good athleticism defensively. Additionally, a left-handed swing who knows the zone. A very difficult hitter to strike out or to get to expand, but he pairs that with knowing how to do damage.”
Wetherholt has already impressed the organization since arriving in Single A. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak went to Jupiter, Florida to watch the highly touted prospect play earlier this month.
JJ Wetherholt delivers his first professional four-hit game!
The @Cardinals top prospect (7th overall Draft pick in 2024) has an .841 OPS in 14 games for Single-A @GoPBCardinals. pic.twitter.com/FR9YozTeTC
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 17, 2024
“He’s been really impressive,” Mozeliak told KMOX Radio. “Obviously, everyone would agree we drafted him for his offensive upside, but he played a really good shortstop. Just the versatility he’s going to provide for us in the future is outstanding. I think his bat is his calling card and I think it’s going to carry him very quickly through the minor leagues.”
The Cardinals have a budding star and former top prospect in the big leagues with rookie shortstop Masyn Winn. However, the rest of the infield has question marks in the future. The struggles of Nolan Gorman at second base and the uncertainty of aging stars like Nolan Arenado at third create a possibility to slide Wetherholt in at many positions in a year or two if his bat continues to progress as projected.
A Pitcher Flying Up the Ranks
Left-handed pitcher Quinn Mathews had the largest jump in the prospect rankings across the entire Cardinals organization. Mathews started the year as the No. 22 prospect, but he now sits as the third overall prospect for the Cardinals. He’s the No. 86 prospect in all of baseball.
Mathews has come up three levels so far in 2024, starting in Single-A ball, moving to High-A, and now playing with the Cardinals Double-A affiliate. The lefty leads all minor league pitchers in 2024 in strikeouts with 180 — 33 more than the next-highest total.
“He’s very impressive,” Mozeliak told KMOX. “He spent his offseason incredibly well and made the most of it. Enormous talent.”
In his most recent start, Mathews took a perfect game into the seventh inning. He struck out 12 batters in the start and lowered his August ERA to 0.70.
“He’s like a robot out there, there’s no highs or lows with him,” said Jimmy Crooks, the Cardinals’ No. 6 overall prospect who caught Mathews’ dazzling start. “He’s pretty much the same, but throughout, he’s very consistent. He goes out there and does his thing, takes it a pitch at a time and he’s just a bulldog out there, honestly. He shows no emotion, which is crazy with what he’s doing, but that’s just him because he wants to be a perfectionist.”
Across 22 minor league starts this season, Mathews has a 2.27 ERA and has averaged nearly six innings per start.
A Familiar Face in the Top Three
Before Wetherholt ascended to the top spot in the Cardinals prospect rankings, that title was held by right-handed pitcher Tink Hence. The 6′ 1″ starter is now the Cardinals’ No. 2 prospect and the top pitching prospect in the organization. His demotion one spot in the rankings hasn’t lowered the organization’s excitement over him.
Hence has dealt with some minor injury issues in 2024, but when he’s been healthy, he’s dazzled. Starting 17 games in Double-A, Hence has put together a 2.67 ERA with 94 strikeouts. He’s averaging 11.97 strikeouts per nine innings this year and has a fastball that can consistently hit the high 90s.
The 22-year-old is the No. 51 prospect in all of baseball. While he’s still looking to crack the 100 IP benchmark in his pro career, a trip to the big leagues looks to be in the not-so-distant future for the 2020 draft pick.
A Pair of Batters Knocking on the Major League Door
Rounding out the Cardinals’ top five prospect rankings are outfielder Victor Scott II and infielder Thomas Saggese. Scott II started the season in St. Louis before being sent down to Triple-A in April. He’s been called up twice since then, most recently in early August. He’s on the big league roster right now.
Scott II is the No. 5 prospect for the Cardinals. He’s the speediest prospect the organization has. He’s struggled in 36 MLB appearances so far, posting a batting average of just .140. In the minors, though, he’s fared better. Scott II has a slash line of .219/.302/.318 in Triple-A this year. He’s added six home runs and 29 stolen bases. Excellent defense and exciting baserunning are Scott’s most eye-popping qualities.
The No. 4 prospect Saggese has yet to crack the MLB ranks. So far in Triple-A, the infielder has a slash line of .247/.309/.433 and has belted 18 home runs. He was part of the return for the Cardinals’ trade of Jordan Montgomery to the Texas Rangers at the 2023 Trade Deadline.
The infielder started the season as the No. 4 overall prospect and stayed in that spot at the mid-season update. With Gorman’s struggles and the team trading Gold Glover Tommy Edman at the 2024 trade deadline, Saggese figures to compete for a spot on the 2025 roster at second base.
Photo Credit: © Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
