Cardinals Slugger Named 'Most Pleasant' Surprise

The St. Louis Cardinals surely know how to pick catching talent.

Take a look at the big league roster, for example. St. Louis has three-time All-Star Willson Contreras and moved him to first base because they had two other talented catchers at the big league level right now in Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés.

There's even more talent on the way to the big leagues as well. Three of St. Louis' top seven prospects are call catchers: Jimmy Crooks (No. 4), Leonardo Bernal (No. 6), and Rainiel Rodriguez (No. 7).

Crooks is the closest to the big leagues with MLB.com projecting him to make the jump to the majors in 2025. Rodriguez is the furthest away as he is just 18 years old. MLB.com is projecting him to make the majors in 2029.

Although Rodriguez isn't close to MLB action, he's already turning heads. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis, and Sam Dykstra listed him as St. Louis' "most pleasant prospect surprise."

"Cardinals: Rainiel Rodriguez, C (No. 7)," Mayo, Callis, and Dykstra said. "The move stateside can come with its share of bumps, but that hasn’t been the case at all for Rodriguez, who hit 10 homers and tied for the Dominican Summer League lead with 25 extra-base hits in 2024. The 18-year-old backstop continues to show at least plus power with six homers through his first 12 games in the Florida Complex League, most among Rookie-ball hitters. His .944 SLG and 1.475 OPS also rank second at the level in this early juncture. Already considered advanced, Rodriguez is slugging even ahead of schedule."