Fall leagues are where prospects get polished. Here are some Cardinals to watch

An exhilarating postseason that is winding down into a dud of a World Series does not account for the sum total of professional baseball being played this fall.

Yadier Molina was just hired as the manager of the Aguilas club in the Dominican Winter League, and there he will oppose skipper Albert Pujols’ Escogido team.

That league, the lifeblood of winter baseball in the Caribbean, is one where players in need of opportunity to catch the right set of eyes can flourish; look no further than Pujols’ starting right fielder, St. Louis Cardinals prospect Matt Koperniak.

If the Dominican is where players go to be seen, Arizona is where they go to be polished. The Arizona Fall League is controlled by MLB and its teams and the players there are generally considered to be rising prospects on the verge of regular MLB appearances; these typically aren’t players who need a shot, but rather players whose teams are counting on them to seize their opportunity.

Memphis Redbirds manager Ben Johnson is in that same role for the Glendale Desert Dogs, the team for which Cardinals prospects have been assigned to play this fall. Most of his charges have no big league experience; some of those who do, like Cincinnati Reds infielders Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, are young and missed most of 2024 with injuries. The AFL, for players like that, represents an opportunity to get reps.

In its role as a finishing school, though, it can also provide teams with a measuring stick for prospects who very well could be counted on for larger roles and can be a tantalizing preview of summers still to come. Cardinals infielder Thomas Saggese, who turned in uneven results after his September call-up, is among those on a path to asserting that readiness.

Saggese is batting .375 with a 1.119 OPS for Glendale in his first 52 plate appearances, driving three doubles and two home runs. He also has 11 walks and just nine strikeouts, showing the kind of plate discipline that will be necessary for him to maximize his skills as a big league hitter. He has taken his defensive reps exclusively at second base after floating around the infield throughout the 2024 season; for the Cardinals, that versatility will likely still be the key to carving out a permanent role in the big leagues.

Catcher Leonardo Bernal, a 20-year-old switch hitter who spent most of last season with High-A Peoria before a late promotion to Double-A Springfield, hasn’t had quite as much success at the plate. He managed only five singles and eight strikeouts in his first 24 at bats, splitting time evenly behind the plate with Philadelphia’s Jordan Dissin and Michael Turner of the Chicago White Sox.

That Bernal was selected by the Cardinals for a roster spot, though, is indicative of the team’s excitement for his future. Even behind young big league catchers Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés (both of whom previously played in the AFL), there’s strong depth behind the plate throughout the St. Louis system. Bernal and recently-selected minor league player of the year Jimmy Crooks highlight that depth, and it’s perhaps the strongest position player group of any the Cardinals have in the system.

Where the AFL truly shines as a finishing school, though, is for pitchers. Glendale has already used 25 arms in their first 17 games, an indication both of the need teams have for their players to get reps and the concern around any individual pitcher extending their innings ceiling too high.

Still, 2023 eighth round draft pick Ixan (ee-SHAWN) Henderson has allowed just one earned run across 8 ⅓ inning spread across three appearances. Henderson will be 23 next season and topped out at Peoria in 2024; in 2025, the Cardinals will likely push to see if the lefty can break through as high as Triple-A Memphis.

Brycen Mautz, a fellow lefty who was a second-round pick in 2022, has had less success. He’s been knocked around in four appearances from the bullpen, allowing six earned runs in 4 ⅓ innings. Mautz also struggled at Peoria last season, and the Cardinals had hope that success in the AFL would allow him to end his year on a strong note. Instead, he’ll have to put more struggles behind him.

Two arms who have also gotten looks and may indeed find their way to the big leagues as soon as 2025 are righties Trent Baker and Matt Svanson. Svanson was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Paul DeJong in 2023, and he put up 27 saves in a strong season as Springfield’s closer. Both he and Baker, a ninth round pick in 2021, will be 26 next year, and with the Cardinals likely to significantly pare down roster blockages ahead of them, it would not be a shock for either to see opportunities in the majors.

Those opportunities are what will define the 2025 St. Louis Cardinals. Whatever progress is or isn’t coming out of their player development system as currently constituted is set to take a step back in the face of its ongoing reboot.

This year’s AFL represents an opportunity for players rising under the old regime to demonstrate they’re still able to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them.