Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Cardinals Prospects That Could Contribute Now

As of mid-June, the St. Louis Cardinals are currently 27-40, good for last place in the NL Central. That does not, however, mean that 2023 is doomed for the Cardinals quite yet. The NL Central is the tightest division in baseball and the Cardinals are 8.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. While an 8.5 game deficit may sound like a lot, it has happened before-just ask the 2011 Cardinals team. It may simply take one or two players to step up and spark a resurgence in St. Louis. Here are three Cardinals prospects who could fill that role and contribute in 2023.

Iván Herrera, C

Iván Herrera has been simply excellent so far this year. The Cardinals’ top catching prospect is currently slashing .296/.425/.531 with 6 home runs through 43 games with Triple-A Memphis. Moreover, Herrera has shown excellent plate discipline with 35 walks to 40 strikeouts. However, scouts are skeptical of his defensive toolset. Specifically, Herrera’s framing graded below average during his brief stint in St. Louis last year. Additionally, runners are 34-for-41 in stolen base attempts against him this year.

Herrera has shown this year that he can hit. Although his bat was underwhelming at the MLB level last season, his OPS in Triple-A is nearly .200 points higher this year. It is time to give Herrera another chance to prove himself in the big leagues. Herrera is unlikely to take over the primary catcher role but could fill in nicely at DH and make the occasional start behind the plate. He could join Nolan Gorman in a platoon role at DH, allowing Gorman to go to second base against lefties in place of Brendan Donovan.

Michael McGreevy, RHP

The Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2021 out of UC Santa Barbara, Michael McGreevy currently ranks as the Cardinals’ seventh-best prospect. McGreevy has posted a 3.38 ERA across 12 starts so far between Double-A Springfield and Memphis in 2023. McGreevy is a command pitcher who relies on soft contact to get outs. What is the most encouraging part about McGreevy’s season to this point is his elite ground ball rate. For a pitch-to-contact archetype, keeping the ball on the ground is paramount. McGreevy has done just that with a ground ball rate of 57.7% this year. This paired with the fact McGreevy has added some velocity to his fastball this year makes him an interesting candidate to get a call-up.

For a Cardinals pitching staff that has struggled mightily to begin the year, McGreevy may be able to provide some stability. Cardinals starters have pitched to a 4.63 ERA and have averaged 5 1/3 innings per start. McGreevy appears to be the next best pitching prospect that could provide value to the big league club. The only potential issue is that McGreevy is not currently on the 40-man roster, which complicates his promotion to MLB.

Moisés Gomez, OF

Moisés Gomez is a very intriguing prospect. After being released by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021, he was signed by the Cardinals and went on to hit 39 home runs in 2022. His calling card is that power, which has produced 16 homers through 58 games for Memphis this year, seventh-most in all of Triple-A. Gomez’s .519 slugging percentage ranks third among qualified Memphis hitters, trailing only Luken Baker and Herrera. The tradeoff to Gomez’s pop is his tendency to strike out. He is striking out at a rate of 27.2%, which has resulted in a .299 OBP. In this respect, Gomez is similar to many of the game’s top power hitters. His high strikeout rate and low OBP are not necessarily cause for concern, but rather the necessary tradeoff for standout power. Furthermore, Gomez posted a .371 OPB last year in a much larger sample size.

It is clear that the Cardinals see Gomez as a part of the future. He was added to the 40-man roster last year to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Gomez has seen time at all three outfield positions this year. With Tyler O’Neill and Lars Nootbaar on the IL, Gomez could provide some outfield depth.

 

Photo Credit- Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Players Mentioned- Ivan Herrera, Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, Michael McGreevy, Moises Gomez, Luken Baker, Tyler O’Neill, Lars Nootbaar

Braden Olson

Braden Olson

Braden Olson is a freelance sports writer focusing on Major League Baseball. Born and raised in the midwest, Braden is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. After playing four years of college baseball while studying engineering, Braden looks at the game of baseball from an analytical perspective.

Share:

More Posts

Send Us A Message