St. Louis Cardinals

TRACK RECORD: Generally, prospects who attempt to be two-way players in pro ball are pitchers who also play first base or DH. Winn is the rare player who could succeed as a shortstop and a righthander. No prominent draft pick has tried to do both since 2008 first-round pick Casey Kelly played shortstop and pitched in the lower levels of the minors for the Red Sox. He eventually moved to the mound full-time.

SCOUTING REPORT: Winn is going to make the Cardinals' decision on what is his best long-term home very difficult. He's an athletic, rangy shortstop with a plus-plus arm and plus speed. He plays a little too fast at times, but his arm gives him an extra step of range most shortstops don't have. Winn's performance at the World Wood Bat Championship in 2019 cemented his status as a two-way star. Winn sat at 95 mph and touched 98 for three innings while mixing in a potentially plus slider and changeup. He also went 3-for-4 with a home run and triple, with all three hits having 95 mph or better exit velocities. Winn has above-average raw power, in addition to being athletic and an intense competitor.

THE FUTURE: The Cardinals are expected to send Winn out first as a shortstop. It's hard to have him work on both because of the demands on his arm, but St. Louis is serious about letting him try to develop both as a position player and a pitcher.

TRACK RECORD: MLB initially suspended Nunez from signing for a year because of an issue regarding his age. While he was ineligible, his stuff just kept getting better and better. On the first day after MLB ended the scouting/signing shutdown that had been put in place during the coronavirus pandemic, the Cardinals signed Nunez for $525,000.

SCOUTING REPORT: Nunez already can touch 100 mph with above-average spin. He also has an athletic build and a strong if lean frame. In addition to his potentially plus-plus fastball, Nunez also has a less consistent slider that flashes plus potential but sometimes gets slurvy. He's yet to throw in an official game, but Nunez's delivery has starter traits because he repeats it well. It's hard to project his control and command when he's so far away, but his delivery is clean.

THE FUTURE: Considering his age--he'll turn 19 before Opening Day--Nunez should jump straight to the U.S. and Class A in 2021. The Cardinals have plenty of successful experience at helping older Latin America signees make a speedy adjustment to pro ball. Throwing 100 mph has been found to help that transition.

TRACK RECORD: As a child, Hence (whose given name is Markevian) was nicknamed Stinker, but his dad quickly changed it to Tink. He was a travel teammate of Cardinals' second-round pick Masyn Winn on a team coached by Cardinals area scout Dirk Kinney. Like Winn, Hence was committed to play at Arkansas.

SCOUTING REPORT: Hence has been a fixture on the baseball diamond since he ditched diapers. His stuff isn't consistent yet, but at his best it's already extremely impressive. His fastball sits between 90-93 mph but he can crank it up to 95-96 mph and get swings and misses at the top of the zone. His slider and curveball are two distinct pitches. Both flash plus and he has solid feel for locating them. He's even shown the potential for an average changeup. Hence is athletic and has plenty of room to fill out. He needs to continue to improve the consistency of his delivery as he gets stronger, but he has more upside than most supplemental second-round picks.

THE FUTURE: The sky's the limit with Hence, who shows feel for spinning breaking balls to go with a promising fastball. Like most pitchers drafted out of high school, patience will be required.

TRACK RECORD: Yet another in a long line of savvy international signings by the Cardinals, Rondon was 18 when St. Louis signed him in 2016. Five years later, the Cardinals added him to their 40-man roster, further validating an impressive rise through the minors.

SCOUTING REPORT: Instead of an encore in games that count, Rondon had to settle for solid work at the club's alternate training site. Facing older hitters, his blend of savvy and stuff baffled once again. Rondon topped out at 93-94 at the ATS but has touched 96-97. He varies speeds well and is comfortable locating his fastball, slider, curveball and changeup at any point in the count. Rondon's slider is arguably his only above-average pitch, but he can make his average curve as big, slow or hard as he needs. His changeup, once average, has backed up. He has average control and lives at the edges of the zone.

THE FUTURE: After pitching with Aguillas in the Dominican League, Rondon should head to Triple-A to begin 2021. He's not overpowering, but evaluators rave about his feel for pitching. He could eventually be a multi-inning reliever, a back-end starter or even a setup man.

TRACK RECORD: Williams' path to the majors has been long and winding. A D-Backs draftee, Williams was traded the next year to the Rays in a swap that brought Jeremy Hellickson to Arizona. He made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Rays. He was then dealt to the Cardinals for Tommy Pham at the trade deadline. A broken hand suffered punching a TV and hamstring injuries slowed him in 2019, but he returned to the majors briefly in September 2020.

SCOUTING REPORT: Williams hits the ball very hard. He just struggles to hit the ball very hard in the air. With his level swing, he hits stinging singles and doubles rather than home runs. Williams has aboveaverage raw power. He will take a walk and he does a solid job of recognizing spin. He puts in good at-bats against lefthanders. A fringe-average runner, Williams' plus arm is an asset in right field, but he has struggled with reads and when to lay out and when to pull up, which is why he's considered a fringe-average defender.

THE FUTURE: Williams' ties a record with this Prospect Handbook appearance--he's been in eight books since 2014. He's out of options and will head to spring training looking to add a much-needed lefty bat to the very righthanded Cardinals' lineup.

TRACK RECORD: The Cardinals spotted and signed Whitley despite him throwing only 4.1 innings as a redshirt junior at Division II Mount Olive as he returned from Tommy John surgery. Whitley has reworked his delivery to better use his legs and drive off the mound, transforming himself into a fastmoving power reliever. He made the Cardinals' Opening Day roster but was added to the 10-day injured list during the Cardinals' coronavirus shutdown. He missed further time with a sore elbow, but returned late in September and made the postseason roster.

SCOUTING REPORT: Whitley's delivery is extremely short in the back, as he simply rocks into loading his plant leg and then explodes to the plate. It's a simple delivery and he repeats it well, showing above-average control. He works up and down in the strike zone, elevating a 92-95 mph above-average fastball that has above-average carry at the top of the zone. He has touched 97-98 in the past, but didn't reach those heights in the majors in 2020. Whitley's fastball sets up a mid-80s above-average slider that dives below the zone much more than it tilts. The former starter has more comfort throwing his straight mid-80s fringe-average changeup than most relievers. Because he works up and down, he doesn't have a significant platoon disadvantage.

THE FUTURE: Whitley should fit nicely in the Cardinals' 2021 bullpen. His combination of stuff and control gives him a shot at a significant role as a setup man.

TRACK RECORD: One of the best players at the 2016 15U World Cup, Nunez has long been a productive hitter. The Cardinals may have landed a steal because they signed him in a year when they were unable to spend more than $300,000 on the international market. Nunez won the Dominican Summer League triple crown in his debut, hitting .415 with 13 home runs and 59 RBIs.

SCOUTING REPORT: Nunez's follow-up was not nearly as impressive. He was demoted after struggling at low Class A Peoria, but didn't set the world on fire in the Appalachian League either. In 2020, Nunez was invited to the Cardinals' alternate training site, where he spent a lot of time working on his defense at third base. Nunez is already on the borderline of getting too big for the position, but he moves well for his size. He has an inconsistent arm that flashes plus. Nunez has plus power, above-average bat speed and solid plate coverage, but right now he has a grip-and-rip approach.

THE FUTURE: It's fair to give a mulligan to a Cuban teenager jumping straight from the Dominican Summer League to the Midwest League. Nunez should get another shot at Class A. This year will be an important one to prove his bat is as advanced as advertised.

TRACK RECORD: The Indians signed Torres out of Colombia for $150,000 and watched him quickly fill out and blossom. St. Louis picked him up along with Conner Capel in a deal that sent Oscar Mercado to the Indians in 2018. Torres struggled in 2019 with an aggressive jump to low Class A Peoria, but he was one of the better prospects in the Appalachian League after a midseason demotion. With a 60-player roster limit, Torres was not part of the Cardinals' alternate training site.

SCOUTING REPORT: Torres could develop plus power one day if he can learn to get into better counts and pounce on juicy pitches. He will likely always have some swing and miss, even on hittable pitches, because he has timing issues. Torres is an average runner, and an above-average defender in the corner outfield spots with an above-average arm. He has solid athleticism to go with his developing strength.

THE FUTURE: Torres is Rule 5 eligible even before he's established himself in full-season ball. The tools are there to be a well-rounded player, but like many prospects he'll need to add plate discipline and pitch recognition to get to his potential.

TRACK RECORD: Rodriguez is a testament to the value of digging a little deeper to scout. He signed for $25,000 as an 18-year-old and turned 19 before his second game in the Dominican Summer League, but the Cardinals quickly found his catch-and-throw skills made him a very useful backstop. He was a Florida State League all-star in 2019, made it to Double-A at the end of that year, and spent the summer of 2020 at the alternate training site.

SCOUTING REPORT: Rodriguez does not have a plus tool, but his game-calling, receiving and blocking skills make him an above-average defender and give him a path to a useful MLB career. He’s athletic for a catcher and has solid balance and flexibility in his setup. His arm strength is average, but he has a quick transfer and throws accurately. Rodriguez has a contact-oriented approach with a short stroke. He has below-average power, but he can yank a line drive over the left field fence. Like many catchers, he’s a baseclogger.

THE FUTURE: Rodriguez was left off the 40-man roster but went unpicked in the Rule 5 draft. He’s ready to head to Double-A. With his reliable glove, he’s not far away from being a backup option in the major leagues.

TRACK RECORD: The Cardinals had to work hard to scout Fletcher, who reclassified to join the 2019 class six months before the draft. That meant teams had to circle back to scout him more heavily, but it's not easy to scout high school prospects in Maine during the spring. The Cardinals were confident in what they had seen from him in multiple showcase events. Fletcher became the third-highest Maine prep draftee ever.

SCOUTING REPORT: Fletcher is a plus-plus runner with some of the best athleticism in the organization. His twitchy athleticism also carries over to the plate, where he has a fast, handsy swing with above-average bat speed. There's not a lot Fletcher can't do--he was also 91-94 mph off the mound in high school, and that plus arm carries over to the outfield. Fletcher displays plus raw power in batting practice, but he has work to do at laying off breaking balls out of the zone.

THE FUTURE: Even with a lost year, Fletcher will play 2021 as a 19-year-old. His athleticism, speed and center field defense give him foundational tools that should ensure a lengthy pro career.

TRACK RECORD: Bernal was the top prospect from Panama in the 2020 class and one of the top catchers in Latin America with a lengthy track record of success. Bernal was the catcher for Panama at the 2016 Little League World Series. Two years later, he represented Panama again at the U-15 World Cup in his home country, winning a silver medal at 14 as the youngest hitter on the team.

SCOUTING REPORT: Bernal has a strong, Wilson Ramos-type build at 6 feet, 200 pounds and projects to stick behind the plate with a chance to be an above-average defender. His catch-and-throw skills are advanced for his age, with good agility, blocking and receiving skills to go with a plus arm. He also earns high marks for his leadership skills and overall baseball smarts. Bernal is a patient hitter who manages his at-bats well to get on base with the strength to drive the ball for damage from both sides of the plate.

THE FUTURE: Upon officially signing, Bernal immediately became one of the better catching prospects in a Cardinals system that has plenty of promising backstops.

TRACK RECORD: When the Cardinals traded Sam Tuiavaila to the Mariners at the trade deadline in 2018, they acquired an eventual replacement. Elledge had a dominating MLB debut on Aug. 16, when he struck out five in 2.2 hitless innings. He struggled with his control, but he was a regular option in the Cardinals' bullpen in September.

SCOUTING REPORT: There's little subtlety to Elledge's approach. He has two pitches, and likes to work up and away with his 92-95 mph, above-average fastball. The pitch has late life and run to get swings and misses at the top of the zone. The fastball sets up Elledge's plus, low-80s slider, which has above-average depth but generally is a chase pitch. Only one out of every four he threw in the majors finished in the strike zone, but he can start it out over the plate before it dives to the dirt down and away from righthanders. Lefties hit . 316/.458/.842 against Elledge because he doesn't throw anything that breaks away, so they can focus on the inner half of the plate. He can locate to his gloveside but not armside.

THE FUTURE: Elledge was entrusted with pitching the seventh and eighth innings when the Cardinals were behind. Now he needs to earn Mike Shildt's trust to work in higher-leverage situations.

TRACK RECORD: Fernandez had a breakout season in 2019, when he leapt from high Class A to the majors. He made his MLB debut in August. He made the Cardinals' 2020 Opening Day rotation, but soon tested positive for Covid-19. He returned to action in September, then tried to make up for lost time by pitching in the Dominican League.

SCOUTING REPORT: Fernandez's stuff took a step back in 2020, which is troubling because his plus fastball has long paved his way to the majors. In 2019, Fernandez sat at 95-97 mph and bumped 99. In 2020, he sat at 93-95 mph and touched 97 once. Fernandez does not locate his fringe-average downerbreaking slider very well, and his above-average changeup is not as effective when paired with a less hairy fastball. His swing-and-miss rate in his admittedly short MLB stints dropped by half from 2019 to 2020. Fernandez's control is fringe-average, but his command wavers. He needs to get his fastball back or improve his slider to have success.

THE FUTURE: Fernandez did struggle in 2020, but his 2019 season was excellent, and his bout with the coronavirus explains some of his setback. He will compete for a spot in the Cardinals bullpen in 2021.

TRACK RECORD: After an impressive sophomore season as a reliever, Bedell earned himself a lot of money by making six dominant starts in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2019. He went 4-0, 0.59 in six starts with 36 strikeouts and three walks in 31 innings. Bedell's excellent summer became even more important when the 2020 college season was shut down in mid March. By then, he had made four solid starts in Missouri's weekend rotation.

SCOUTING REPORT: Nothing Bedell throws stands out, but his competitiveness and confidence are apparent. His 89-93 mph fastball is fringe-average, although some scouts see it as average because of his above-average command and plus control. His changeup is average as well. He also throws an average low-80s spike curveball and he's recently added a fringe-average slider.

THE FUTURE: Bedell is seen as a high-floor, quick mover with a solid track record of success. Bedell has had some success in the bullpen in college and will touch 94-95 more often as a reliever, but his command and control should give him a shot to prove he can be a starter.

TRACK RECORD: A high school teammate of Kyle Tucker at Tampa's Plant High, Woodford has taken a little longer than Tucker to develop but he's climbed the minor league ladder steadily, gotten stronger and thrown harder. Woodford has never dominated as a pro, but he's been dependable enough to work his way to the majors.

SCOUTING REPORT: Working out of the pen for multiple innings in his big league debut, Woodford pitched like a starter. He mixed fastballs, sliders, curveballs and even a couple of changeups, but his command strayed. Woodford's fringe-average 92-94 mph fastball is relatively straight. He gives up hard contact if he isn't around the edges of the zone. He showed little feel for his potentially above-average, mid-70s curveball. He bounces it or sails it, but it has exceptional depth if he can figure out better command. He commands his average slider the best, and it has solid depth but little tilt.

THE FUTURE: Woodford was hit hard in his MLB debut, but his curveball and slider give him a shot to develop into a multi-inning reliever or spot starter.

TRACK RECORD: Burleson was a star from day one at East Carolina as a pitcher and in his sophomore season turned into one of the Pirates' best hitters as well. He was a member of USA Baseball's Collegiate National team as a two-way player. As the 70th overall pick, he became the fourth-highest draftee in school history.

SCOUTING REPORT: Burleson does not accept strikeouts as a price of power. He struck out just 37 times in his three years at ECU and just three times in 75 plate appearances as a junior. Despite his size and strength, Burleson is primarily a contact-oriented hitter who does not sell out to get to power. He hit .341/.387/.496 for his ECU career. There is hope that his focus on hitting will help him focus on getting even stronger, as his profile is somewhat dependent on him getting to more of his above-average raw power. The Cardinals are going to start Burleson in the outfield, a spot he played sporadically as an amateur. His below-average speed limits him to the corners, but he also has shown he's a nimble first baseman.

THE FUTURE: Pure hitters often get to their power eventually if they keep making solid contact, and Burleson generates loads of consistent contact.

TRACK RECORD: Perseverance has never been a problem for Prater. He lost three fingers on his right hand in a lawnmower accident when he was 2. The injury never slowed him as a pitcher, and he's a switch-hitter too. He was an extremely reliable starter for Oklahoma as one-third of a weekend rotation that was all drafted in 2020's shortened five-round draft.

SCOUTING REPORT: Prater pitches with a lot of deception. He works from a lower arm slot and pitches from the first-base side of the rubber. Combined with his closed-off delivery, that means that lefties especially have a hard time picking up the ball. The deception has helped Prater's fringe-average 90-93 mph fastball be effective. His average slider works more because of location than power or bite--lefties don't see it well and he is comfortable back-footing it to righthanders. His average changeup keeps righthanders honest because it gives them something to worry about on the outer third of the plate. He has fringy control, but that's partly because he knows he has to nibble. His command is better than his control.

THE FUTURE: Prater is a back-end starter who may end up working in the bullpen to help his stuff play up. He has a knack for getting the most out of his stuff.

TRACK RECORD: Sosa was a high-profile international signing out of Panama in 2012, far enough back that he was a teammate of Jack Flaherty in the Gulf Coast League in 2014. Sosa's path to the majors has been frustrating. He made the Cardinals' Opening Day roster in 2020 but contracted Covid-19 before he played in a game. Once he recovered, he remained at the alternate training site.

SCOUTING REPORT: Sosa's value is as a reliable defender who can play second base, third base or shortstop without any issues. He's an above-average defender at all three. Offensively, Sosa has made steady improvements and found the more lively Triple-A ball to his liking, as he set a career high with 17 home runs in 2019. He projects as a below-average hitter with below-average power in the big leagues. His aggressiveness means he does not get on base very often.

THE FUTURE: This is an important season for Sosa, as he's already used four options. He either makes the Opening Day roster or will have to be placed on outright waivers. He's ready to be a utilityman but time is running out to claim that job.

TRACK RECORD: The top target among the Cardinals’ 2015 international signings, Seijas arrived as a pro with athleticism and a fastball that could bump the mid 90s. Five years later, not much has changed. The Cardinals added Seijas to the 40-man roster after the 2019 season but outrighted him during the 2020 season. He went unclaimed on waivers and unselected in the Rule 5 draft.

SCOUTING REPORT: Seijas is still young enough to put everything together. He has solid arm speed and arm strength, running his fastball into the mid 90s at his best, but it’s an average pitch without any exceptional movement characteristics. His breaking ball is slurvy and his changeup is inconsistent, with both grading as fringe-average pitcher. A starter throughout his minor league career so far, Seijas' fringy control and command make a move to the bullpen likely long-term.

THE FUTURE: Seijas will try to make the jump to Double-A in 2021. He’ll need to improve his breaking ball or changeup to have a major league future, even as a reliever.

TRACK RECORD: Baker had an exceptional freshman season as a two-way player for Texas Christian, leading the Big 12 Conference in batting average (.379), runs scored (59) and RBIs (62) while posting a team-high 11 home runs. He also made 10 starts on the mound, going 3-1, 1.70. The rest of his career was marred by injuries, but he was productive when healthy and the Cardinals drafted him in the supplemental second round in 2018. Baker made it to high Class A Palm Beach in his pro debut in 2019, but was not brought to the Cardinals alternate training site in 2020.

SCOUTING REPORT: Baker is a massive, 6-foot-4, 265-pound slugger with plus-plus raw power. He can catch up to any fastball and he has game-changing power, although that power has yet to fully manifest itself in games. He struggles to recognize and adjust to breaking balls, limiting him to a possibly below-average hitter. He did have a late surge at Palm Beach, slugging .654 in August, so there is hope he is progressing. Baker is a well below-average first baseman—his 10 errors were second-most among first basemen in the Florida State League in 2019—who struggles to consistently catch the ball. He needs a lot of work and is a risk to end up strictly a designated hitter.

THE FUTURE: After letting Luke Voit go and watching him turn into a productive slugger, the Cardinals have every reason to give Baker chances. He’s ready for Double-A and the more inviting hitting environments of the Texas League.