{"id":804892,"date":"2026-09-14T15:43:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/804892\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T15:43:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:43:11","slug":"st-louis-cardinals-minor-league-update-lower-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/804892\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Update: Lower Levels"},"content":{"rendered":"

On September 6th, both the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Peoria Chiefs played their last game of their seasons. Palm Beach ended with a 13-5 win, finishing with a 67-65 record. This was not good enough to make the playoffs. The Chiefs ended their season with a 3-2 loss and a 63-68 record. Obviously this was not good enough to make the playoffs. The Springfield Cardinals season ended yesterday, however they were good enough to make the playoffs. For some reason, minor league playoff stats don\u2019t count which I think is dumb, but I will still wait to share the Springfield stats for the end of the Memphis Redbirds season, which doesn\u2019t end until the 24th. In case you missed it, I covered the rookie leagues<\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Yairo Padilla, SS – 29 G, 128 PAs, .281\/.354\/.474, 10.2 BB%, 18.8 K%, .193 ISO, .333 BABIP, 118 wRC+<\/p>\n

Padilla got off to a very late start since his season didn\u2019t start until late June. Technically, I could put Padilla in the Peoria section, because that\u2019s where he ended his season, but he only played in 4 games and the stats weren\u2019t good, so felt more appropriate for him to be in this section. Nice thing is that, although the injury was inconvenient, I\u2019m not sure it actually delayed his progress much. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s promoted after just 128 PAs if he never got injured. I\u2019m not sure he would have gotten promoted a whole lot quicker and he\u2019s still starting next season in High A next season.<\/p>\n

Ryan Mitchell, OF – 19 (VEB\u2019s #20 prospect)<\/p>\n

Stats: 107 G, 496 PAs, .231\/.389\/.365, 20.2 BB%, 33.1 K%, .135 ISO, .353 BABIP, 112 wRC+<\/p>\n

There are very few batting lines you could conjure up that are a less exciting 112 wRC+ than what Mitchell has put together. With that said, context is important. For starters, I imagine most players in his position get a trial run in the complex leagues first. I don\u2019t know how many games are in a high school season, but it is a lot, lot less than 107 games. The Cardinals threw him into the fire and he came out with an above average hitting line. I would say there\u2019s a fairly good chance the Cardinals will repeat him at this level. If he looks like a different hitter, a quick promotion may be in order, but I\u2019d certainly want him to strike out less than 33% of them before a promotion.<\/p>\n

Alexander Frias, OF – 18 (acquired in Dustin May trade)<\/p>\n

Stats (CPX): 32 G, 137 PAs, .441\/.518\/.678, 11.7 BB%, 15.3 K%, .237 ISO, .516 BABIP, 189 wRC+<\/p>\n

Low A: 236 PAs, .240\/.339\/.397, 11 BB%, 23.7 K%, .157 ISO, .301 BABIP, 96 wRC+<\/p>\n

It probably goes without saying, but his complex league stats were with the Brewers and a little more than half of his Low A stats were with the Brewers as well. I didn\u2019t feel the need to separate his Low A stats with the Brewers and Cardinals because I really don\u2019t think the Cardinals made any changes in the middle of the season. But he was both better and worse as a Cardinal. Better, because his 101 wRC+ was an improvement over the 92 wRC+. Worse, because he struck out more (27.3%) and had less power (.129), but did carry a much higher BABIP. So BABIP was the only reason he was better here. It\u2019s all a small sample size anyway, and I\u2019ll much less certain of his placement to begin next season than I am for Mitchell.<\/p>\n

Trevor Condon, OF – 18 (1st round pick, 13th overall, 2026 draft)<\/p>\n

Stats: 7 G, 31 PAs, .321\/.387\/.536, 9.7 BB%, 19.4 K%, .214 ISO, .214 ISO, .381 BABIP, 142 wRC+<\/p>\n

Well alrighty then. If you\u2019re like me, this is the first time you were aware of how Condon did in Low A. It\u2019s weird, because I knew he was down there, and yet I never checked his progress. Honestly, kind of unfortunate that the season has ended in his case, I want more. Very, very good start though. Probably not good enough to start next year in High A, because you know it\u2019s seven games, but can\u2019t ask for more.<\/p>\n

Dee Kennedy, 2B – 21 (4th round, 2026 draft)<\/p>\n

Stats: 21 G, 92 PAs, .143\/.283\/.208, 14.1 BB%, 21.7 K%, .065 ISO, .179 BABIP, 47 wRC+<\/p>\n

Not the greatest start I\u2019ve ever seen, but given the small sample, that Kennedy was playing more baseball than he\u2019s ever played in his life and that his K\/BB numbers were still really good, I don\u2019t think we can read anything into this. I also have no idea how to handle super low BABIPs in the minors, especially with less than 100 PAs. For what it\u2019s worth, his xwOBA was .284 which suggests he was unlucky, though still not great.<\/p>\n

Owen Henne, IF – 21 (6th round, 2026 draft)<\/p>\n

Stats: 16 G, 67 PAs, .218\/.358\/.509, 13.4 BB%, 16.4 K%, .291 ISO, .200 BABIP, 127 wRC+<\/p>\n

I let the stats surprise me and I transcribe them the way you read them, so I first saw that Henne was batting .218 and then saw the .358 OBP and thought, okay another high BB guy with no power. Then I saw the slugging percentage. Probably not gonna have a player\u2019s stats surprise me as much as this. He hit 4 homers in 16 games. He didn\u2019t have a set position, so I think he just kind of played his way into playing as much as he did.<\/p>\n

Jayden Lobliner, C – 22 (9th round, 2026 draft)<\/p>\n

Stats: 14 G, 54 PAs, .220\/.278\/.460, 5.6 BB%, 44.4 K%, .240 ISO, .318 BABIP, 89 wRC+<\/p>\n

Okay, I stand corrected. Immediately. Lobliner\u2019s batting stats are a real rollercoaster. He hit four homers in 14 games, but unlike Henne, he didn\u2019t walk. Also he struck out almost half the time. This is a line you can only get when you have a 14 game sample. His college stats suggest he\u2019s not much of a walker. Feels like he was probably drafted for his defense.<\/p>\n

Jacob Haley, RHP – 20 (11th round, 2026 draft)<\/p>\n

Stats: 5 G (3 GS), 11 IP, 18.8 K%, 18.8 BB%, 35.7 GB%, .148 BABIP, 4.91 ERA\/8.13 FIP\/6.57 xFIP<\/p>\n

Haley presumably pitched, unlike most other pitchers drafted, because he threw just 27.2 IP between his college season at South Alabama and in a summer league. The year before, he threw 33.1 IP. So his 11 innings gives him a career high of 37.2 IP, and I\u2019m not entirely sure if the Cardinals want to attempt a starter route with him, but clearly next year would still be more of a first time through the order approach anyway. He can probably throw 60-70 innings next season, whether entirely in relief or not.<\/p>\n

Dallis Moran, RHP – 21 (16th round, 2026 draft)<\/p>\n

Stats: 9 G, 13.2 IP, 22.4 K%, 17.2 BB%, 37.1 GB%, .176 BABIP, 3.29 ERA\/5.01 FIP\/6.02 xFIP<\/p>\n

Moran missed pitching in live games entirely in 2025, and pitched 28 innings in his collegiate season. Whatever formula the Cardinals used, they determine Moran could throw about 40 innings this season, which is why his season continued. Like Haley, he wasn\u2019t very good, but I suppose it would be stranger for a 16th rounder to dominate right away (or at all).<\/p>\n

Andrew Dutkanyvch, RHP – 22 <\/p>\n

Stats: 11 G (7 GS), 40.2 IP, 26.7 K%, 13.6 BB%, 39 GB%, .293 BABIP, 5.09 ERA\/4.41 FIP\/4.73 xFIP<\/p>\n

I\u2019m ignoring his complex league stats, which are absolutely dreadful, but I\u2019m pretty sure those are rehab appearances, which are just about making sure your arm doesn\u2019t fall off. With that said, I am comfortable calling this a step back for Dutkanych, a player some VEBers wanted to put in the top 20. I kind of thought he already figured out Low A last season, but these are worse stats than last year. The one positive is that his innings did jump from 17.2 IP to 46 IP, so from an innings standpoint, he\u2019s probably on track. I\u2019m hoping he\u2019s in Peoria next year though.<\/p>\n

Sebastian Dos Santos, SS – 18<\/p>\n

Stats: 55 G, 255 PAs, .246\/.400\/.437, 17.3 BB%, 23.5 K%, .191 ISO, .295 BABIP, 129 wRC+<\/p>\n

Dos Santos began his season in the complex league and dominated there for a 142 wRC+. I only shared Frias\u2019 stats because he was in the Brewers system. You already knew Dos Santos dominated the complex league. It\u2019s pretty cool how many teenagers I\u2019ve covered in full season ball. Not just teenagers either, these are teenagers who will certainly be on next year\u2019s top 20 list.<\/p>\n

Stats: 76 G, 321 PAs, .220\/.368\/.424, 18.4 BB%, 27.4 K%, .204 ISO, .277 BABIP, 114 wRC+<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Mejia\u2019s season ended about a month early, as he played in his last game on August 5th. Though it has taken him much longer than I think the Cardinals hoped for when they first promoted him to Low A back in 2023, Mejia has played well enough to be in Peoria next season finally.<\/p>\n

Miguel Hernandez, SS – 18<\/p>\n

Stats (CPX): 49 G, 191 PAs, .270\/.435\/.534, 20.4 BB%, 20.9 K%, .264 ISO, .313 BABIP, 137 wRC+<\/p>\n

Low A: 25 G, 103 PAs, .304\/.466\/.494, 19.4 BB%, 26.2 K%, .190 ISO, .440 BABIP, 163 wRC+<\/p>\n

In Hernandez\u2019s case, I\u2019m pretty sure he hadn\u2019t been promoted to Low A the last time I did a minor league update, so you get his complex league performance too. Happily though, you can see that he hit much better after being promoted, albeit entirely BABIP-related. So I\u2019m pretty sure he\u2019ll still be in Low A when next season starts, although it will be an extremely good sign if the Cardinals deem him ready for High A right at the start.<\/p>\n

Stats: 10 GS, 31 IP, 25.3 K%, 11.3 BB%, 35.2 GB%, .407 BABIP, 7.26 ERA\/4.32 FIP\/4.79 xFIP<\/p>\n

Young\u2019s season got derailed very early on in the season. He got injured midseason, not pitching in a game from May until late August. He only pitched in two games at the end of the season. Who knows how long he pitched injured and he didn\u2019t pitch particularly well in his last two games either. So it\u2019s very nearly the same as if he missed this entire season to injury.<\/p>\n

Stats: 16 (15 GS), 53.2 IP, 21.6 K%, 12.7 BB%, 35.7 GB%, .320 BABIP, 5.70 ERA\/5.28 FIP\/5.64 xFIP<\/p>\n

Graham did not pitch particularly well, although he showed flashes, but I imagine from the Cardinals\u2019 perspective, the fact that Graham stayed healthy all year is the most important thing. If you remember, the Cardinals drafted Graham last season knowing he was, at the time, recovering from Tommy John surgery. He had thrown just one game in college before getting injured. He threw an additional 9.2 IP in the complex league, utterly destroying the competition, so he threw 63.1 IP in all this season.<\/p>\n

Stats (CPX): 39 G, 136 PAs, .257\/.341\/.363, 9.6 BB%, 19.1 K%, .106 ISO, .315 BABIP, 76 wRC+<\/p>\n

Low A: 25 G, 100 PAs, .213\/.278\/.315, 7 BB%, 22 K%, .101 ISO, .273 BABIP, 61 wRC+<\/p>\n

I honestly probably didn\u2019t even share Cabrera\u2019s stats in the last update, because they most likely didn\u2019t stand out to me. I don\u2019t like to share bad stats. But the fact that this 19-year-old catcher was promoted to Low A despite poor hitting stats is worth pointing out. They clearly think highly of his defense.<\/p>\n

Brannelli Franco, RHP – 19 <\/p>\n

Stats CPX: 9 G (5 GS), 22 IP, 16.7 BB%, 21.7 K%, 51.5 GB%, .426 BABIP, 10.64 ERA\/8.14 FIP\/7.28 xFIP <\/p>\n

Low A: 4 G (2 GS), 15 IP, 22.7 K%, 7.6 BB%, 46.7 GB%, .256 BABIP, 3.00 ERA\/5.50 FIP\/5.00 xFIP<\/p>\n

This is\u2026 confusing! Franco was unimaginably bad in the complex league, not missing any bats and walking a ton. His one positive was that he induced groundballs, but he probably allowed a lot of hard contact. Behind-the-scenes though, the Cardinals saw something shift in him, and he was promoted to Low A and\u2026 he pitched fairly well! The groundballs stayed and the K\/BB significantly improved. No idea how this happened.<\/p>\n

Jake Shelagowski, RHP – 22<\/p>\n

Stats: 11 G (2 GS), 34.2 IP, 24.7 K%, 11 BB%, 43.8 GB%, .344 BABIP, 5.71 ERA\/4.12 FIP\/4.95 xFIP<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s 13th round pick, Shelagowski pitched okay, actually pretty damn close to how I imagine a 13th round college pick to perform in Low A. Given his age, you\u2019d hope for better though. He is currently injured.<\/p>\n

Stats: 18 GS, 79.2 IP, 23.8 K%, 10.2 BB%, 49.8 GB%, .366 BABIP, 7.23 ERA\/5.91 FIP\/4.59 xFIP<\/p>\n

Well I certainly don\u2019t know what to make of this line. He\u2019s actually striking out more batters than last season and though he has more walks, it\u2019s not a lot more. He\u2019s getting a smiliar amount of groundballs. However, he did not allow homers last year. He allowed a ton this year. He allowed 17 homers in his 18 games pitched, with 25.8% of flyballs turning into a homer. He was a victim of the home run insanity that occurred in the minors this season.<\/p>\n

Stats Low A: 20 G, 72 IP, 34.3 K%, 17.9 BB%, 38.8 GB%, .324 BABIP, 5.38 ERA\/4.49 FIP\/4.55 xFIP<\/p>\n

High A: 5 GS, 25.1 IP, 29.3 K%, 12.1 BB%, 41.1 GB%, .268 BABIP, 1.42 ERA\/3.20 FIP\/4.92 xFIP<\/p>\n

Crossland seems to be following the Braden Davis track. Don\u2019t ever allow hitters to make contact, even if it means you will walk a lot of batters. Granted, significant improvement in his five starts at the High A level in terms of walks, even if you want it still lower. I\u2019m not sure how positively I\u2019d look at his season without those 5 starts, but well it\u2019s a harder level and he acted like it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Jack Martinez, RHP – 23 (Acquired in Nolan Arenado trade)<\/p>\n

Stats (Low A): 16 GS, 60.2 IP, 32.6 K%, 12.9 BB%, 30.8 GB%, .280 BABIP, 4.30 ERA\/4.03 FIP\/4.76 xFIP<\/p>\n

High A: 8 G, 33 IP, 23.2 K%, 11.3 BB%, 34.1 GB%, .273 BABIP, 5.18 ERA\/6.07 FIP\/5.88 xFIP<\/p>\n

Now this, this is what I expect when someone gets promoted to a higher level. I will commend Martinez for also improving upon his walk rate, but he missed a lot less bats and didn\u2019t get better results. Martinez is a bit like found money though as I really didn\u2019t envision a future MLB player in return for Nolan Arenado with his contract.<\/p>\n

Brayden Smith, OF – 22 (acquired for Nic Raquet)<\/p>\n

Stats (Low A): 81 G, 356 PAs, .247\/.363\/.402, 14 BB%, 26.1 K%, .155 ISO, .328 BABIP, 109 wRC+<\/p>\n

High A: 24 G, 101 PAs, .261\/.327\/.457, 7.9 BB%, 32.7 K%, .196 ISO, .375 BABIP, 98 wRC+<\/p>\n

Raquet was released by the Orioles two weeks ago, so even though Smith might not become anything, I think the Orioles wish they could take this trade back. It does sort of seem like strikeouts will be a problem, maybe his biggest problem to making the majors.<\/p>\n

Andrew Williamson, OF – 20 (2nd round, 2026 draft)<\/p>\n

Stats: 20 G, 88 PAs, .189\/.295\/.419, 11.4 BB%, 29.5 K%, .230 ISO, .200 BABIP, 78 wRC+<\/p>\n

Sort of a mixed debut pro season for Williamson, who was rather aggressively placed in High A to begin his career. He had plenty of power with 5 homers in his 20 games. But BABIP was very much not his friend, resulting in a well below average line. This was considered his age 20 season, but he did turn 21 on July 11th, so he\u2019s among the oldest \u201c20\u201d-year-olds.<\/p>\n

Caden Ferraro, OF – 21 (3rd round, 2026 draft)<\/p>\n

Stats: 21 G, 85 PAs, .216\/.306\/.405, 10.6 BB%, ,22.4 K%, .189 ISO, .245 BABIP, 80 wRC+<\/p>\n

Oddly similar to Williamson, but not as much power and a higher BABIP. But the same general concept is there. Ferraro had power and actually didn\u2019t strike out that much, but lots of baseballs found gloves.<\/p>\n

Stats: 15 GS, 33 K%, 17.6 BB%, 39.1 GB%, .283 BABIP, .283 BABIP, 3.86 ERA\/5.37 FIP\/5.11 xFIP<\/p>\n

Odle also made 9 appearances in Low A at the beginning of this season, striking out 36% of batters with a 1.91 ERA. The walks kind of exploded in High A and he sort of stopped getting grounders, but he still struck out a third of the hitters he faced. Better yet, he increased his innings from 51.2 IP to 96 innings, putting him in a good position by the time he\u2019d be ready for the big leagues.<\/p>\n

Stats (Three Levels): 19 G (17 GS), 26.4 K%, 5.1 BB%, 48.3 GB%, .302 BABIP, 4.95 ERA\/4.76 FIP\/3.86 xFIP<\/p>\n

Holiday pitched in 12 of those 19 games at Low A, and an additional four games in the complex league, and his stats are actually fairly similar at those two levels. The rookie league stats are a bit better, but it\u2019s close. And he finished with three games at High A, which are a step down, although he still carries a low walk rate. I didn\u2019t feel like listing the stats to three different levels, just know the High A stats drag it a down a bit (although he had a 3.94 ERA)<\/p>\n

Stats: 86 G, 375 PAs, .252\/.341\/.438, 10.9 BB%, 25.1 K%, .185 ISO, .314 BABIP, 99 wRC+<\/p>\n

Kross\u2019 season actually ended in early August to injury and he hasn\u2019t played since. If you\u2019re wondering how much he played at catcher, he started 31 games. 38 games were at 1B and 16 games were at DH. Given his defensive status, I suspect he\u2019ll have to hit better than this.<\/p>\n

Ryan Weingartner, IF – 21<\/p>\n

Stats. (Low A): 85 G, 382 PAs, .226\/.366\/.384, 16.5 BB%, 22 K%, .158 ISO, .269 BABIP, 108 wRC+<\/p>\n

High A: 15 G, 52 PAs, .182\/.308\/.227, 15.4 BB%, 25 K%, .045 ISO, .258 BABIP, 51 wRC+<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s 8th round pick is on schedule even with his struggles at Peoria. His performance at Palm Beach wasn\u2019t terribly exciting, but it was an overall good showing and you hope that the low BABIP was partially unlucky, because that line with a good BABIP would actually be an exciting batting line.<\/p>\n

Patrick Galle, RHP – 22 (acquired in the trade for Sonny Gray)<\/p>\n

Stats: 37 G, 41.2 IP, 20.9 K%, 18 BB%, 40.2 GB%, .339 BABIP, 6.91 ERA\/5.51 FIP\/6.55 xFIP<\/p>\n

Well his utter dominance in Low A did not really carry over to Peoria, although you can\u2019t blame the Cardinals for promoting him. He struck out 60% of batters and that is not a typo.<\/p>\n

Stats: 16 G, 70.2 IP, 23.2 K%, 11.3 BB%, 39.3 GB%, .332 BABIP, 5.60 ERA\/5.10 FIP\/5.35 xFIP<\/p>\n

Van Dyke was last year\u2019s 10th round pick and he actually had zero issues at Palm Beach, throwing in 5 games to end last season and 7 starts to begin this season. In his second attempt, he managed to strike out a bunch of hitters. As you\u2019ve probably picked up, the offensive environment is rather high, so his stats are not as discouraging as normal.<\/p>\n

Stats: 65 G, 253 PAs, .279\/.411\/.529, 17 BB%, 18.6 K%, .250 ISO, .311 BABIP, 140 wRC+<\/p>\n

A season after posting a .064 ISO all year, Hernandez hits 11 homers and 18 doubles in 65 games this season. I don\u2019t know what to make of this dude, because the Cardinals refuse to promote him. He seemingly excelled in 2024 at the Low A level, but then repeated the level in 2025. Then his power disappeared. Confusingly, he saw High A both at the end of 2024 and 2025. So I would assume he\u2019s in Springfield next year, but maybe not!<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m going to stop there. Even with a more expansive list, I know I\u2019ve chosen to omit some players who could be posted, but at a certain point, I have to pay attention to the clock.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On September 6th, both the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Peoria Chiefs played their last game of their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":804893,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2403],"tags":[5,160,4,6213,673,67,4311,4310,38503],"class_list":["post-804892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-louis-cardinals","tag-baseball","tag-cardinals","tag-mlb","tag-st-louis-cardinals-news","tag-st-louis","tag-st-louis-cardinals","tag-stlouis","tag-stlouiscardinals","tag-veb-daily"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/117270164467813309","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=804892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/804893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=804892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=804892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=804892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}