St. Louis Cardinals 2025 International Signings Review
Image credit: Pedro Strop (Photo via Ben Badler)
In 2024, the Cardinals signed two of the best prospects who played in the Dominican Summer League last year with shortstop Yairo Padilla and catcher Rainiel Rodriguez. They’re now two of the better prospects in the organization and both in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, where Rodriguez has been the league’s most dangerous hitter through the first month of the season.
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For their 2025 class, here are scouting reports on the big names to know and sleepers to watch for the Cardinals. You can find international reviews for all 30 teams here.
Top Of The Class
From 2009-2021, Pedro Strop pitched in 13 major league seasons as a reliever, first with the Rangers and Orioles before joining the Cubs, where he spent eight years and had most of his best seasons. His son, Royel Strop, is a 16-year-old center fielder who signed with the Cardinals for $1.4 million.
Strop is a wiry 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, an athletic lefty with high overall baseball acumen. He’s a patient hitter who makes good swing decisions to get ahead in counts and work his walks. Scouts were split on Strop’s pure hitting ability, with some concerned about swing-and-miss, but it’s a mature approach for his age and whippy bat speed for a player who lacks much strength yet but has room left to add good weight, driving the ball well to both alleys with occasional home run juice to his pull side. He’s a plus runner who should hold his speed as he gets stronger and has an above-average arm that could tick up as he fills out.
Names To Know
Kenly Hunter, OF, Nicaragua: The top prospect in Nicaragua this year—and one of the best players to come out of the country in the last several years—Hunter signed with the Cardinals for $700,000. Hunter, who turned 17 in May, played for Nicaragua last year in the U-18 World Cup Americas Qualifier, where he batted .423/.444/.577 in 27 plate appearances and tied for the tournament lead in hits (11).
He’s a lean, athletic 6 feet, 170 pounds with plus speed and at least a plus arm. He’s a former shortstop who has taken well to the outfield, where he’s showing good range and instincts for his age and projects to stick in center. Hunter is a righthanded hitter with an aggressive approach, a quick swing and doubles power with a chance for everything to tick up as he gains much-needed strength and gets more accustomed to seeing better velocity than he saw in Nicaragua.
Miguel Hernandez, SS, Venezuela: Hernandez has been an up-arrow player since signing with the Cardinals for $500,000. He’s young for the class—he turns 17 on DSL Opening Day—and has a well-rounded skill with a bat that’s trending up. Hernandez is a wiry 6-foot shortstop with plus speed and fluid defensive actions. He’s athletic and light on his feet with soft hands, showing the attributes to stick at shortstop if he can improve his fringe-average arm with strength gains.
So far, the early returns have been encouraging with his offensive performance. Hernandez has a short righthanded swing that has gotten tighter and faster as he’s started to layer on strength, showing good bat-to-ball skills with a line-drive approach and alleys power. It’s likely a hit-over-power offensive game but with a chance for more of his doubles to turn into home runs over the next few years.
Juan Rujano, C, Panama: Rujano signed with the Cardinals for $750,000, the top bonus this year for a Panamanian player. Rujano, 17, is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds who stands out for his power potential. It’s a power-over-hit offensive game from a righthanded hitter who drives the ball well now and has room on his frame to fill out and grow into bigger power. For a catcher his size, Rujano is loose, flexible and has a solid-average that could still get stronger, though he will have to smooth some things out with his receiving and blocking. He’s working his way back from a triceps injury but should be back early in the DSL season.
Yeferson Portolatin, SS, Dominican Republic: Signed for $450,000, Portolatin is a 17-year-old, switch-hitting shortstop with a compact swing from both sides, with more efficiency and bat speed hitting lefthanded. He recognizes pitches well, has an eye for the strike zone and doubles power from his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame. He’s a high-energy shortstop whose speed and arm strength are both a tick above-average with the tools to handle a middle infield spot, with second base more likely than shortstop long term.
Daniel Gomez, RHP, Venezuela: The Cardinals signed Gomez, a 17-year-old righthander, for $350,000. He’s 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, a more strength-based than quick-twitch with a heavy fastball that touches 92 mph. He has a repeatable delivery to throw strikes, mixing in a curveball that’s ahead of his changeup.
Sleeper Watch
For $75,000, the Cardinals signed 17-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Sebastian Dos Santos, who stands out for his glove. He’s a skinny 6-foot shortstop who defends his position well. He’s not a big runner, but he’s an instinctive fielder with a nose for the ball, soft hands and a good internal clock. Dos Santos is a switch-hitter who tracks the ball well with a contact-oriented approach and will need to add strength to drive the ball with more extra-base impact.
