Outfielder Honeyman establishing his own identity in Arizona Fall League

They don’t hand out a “C” to denote the captain of a club during the Arizona Fall League, but there’s little doubt that Travis Honeyman is the unofficial hype man of the 2025 Glendale Desert Dogs.

Growing up as a Yankees fan on Long Island, Honeyman is used to making friends fast. He starred at Boston College and was a frequenter of Fenway Park, a supporter behind enemy lines. He played in both the New England Collegiate League and Cape Cod League as an amateur, wood-bat circuits that tested his ability to acclimate to new teammates as much as hitting breaking balls.

“Wherever I go, it's all baseball -- same game,” Honeyman said during Fall League Media Day on Oct. 3. “Also, I make friends really quickly. I’ve got a big personality. I've been here for two days and I already know all these guys.”

Honeyman has long been familiar with the grind of pro ball. His older brother, Bobby, was a standout at Stony Brook before joining the Mariners organization for three seasons. He topped out at Double-A but imparted his knowledge to his younger brother, whom the Cardinals liked enough to snag with their third-round selection in the 2023 Draft.

“I started playing baseball because of my brother Bobby,” Honeyman said. “Everything that I've done throughout my career thus far has been because of him. Even now, after games, he's calling me, texting me, helping me out with my swing and mental stuff.”

It’s the mental part that might be most relevant. Honeyman underwent left shoulder surgery just prior to his Draft year and residual issues wiped out almost all of his first pro campaign in 2024.

So despite being a little old for the Single-A Florida State League, that was where Honeyman began 2025. He quickly proved far too skilled for opposing pitchers, hitting .321 with a 159 wRC+ over 29 games for Palm Beach. He spent the rest of the campaign with High-A Peoria where he logged a .390 on-base percentage, ninth in the Midwest League (min. 200 plate appearances).

“This is my first true year and it was awesome to get back out there,” Honeyman said. “I love baseball, so being able to play finally was awesome and not just being in rehab, lifting weights every day.”

The Cardinals have established a track record of drafting and developing all different types of outfielders of late: Lars Nootbaar is unique from Tommy Pham, who is unique from Jon Jay, who is unique from Victor Scott II. They also have a unique blend of talent down on the farm as well: Ryan Mitchell (STL No. 10) is the club’s highest-ranked outfield prospect but he’s yet to make his pro debut after being selected in the second round this July. Joshua Baez (STL No. 11) had a breakout season in ‘25 and has put his name on the big league radar. Chase Davis (STL No. 24) was the club’s first-round choice in 2023 and can flash the all-around impact potential that made him so well regarded when it’s all clicking.

But it’s Honeyman who is putting his skill set on center stage during the Fall League. When the right-handed hitter was coming out of school, scouts wondered whether he could tap into his power with enough consistency against pro pitching. Through 102 games at the lower levels, he’s gone deep just three times. The 24-year-old is aware of the perception, and he responded on Oct. 8 by hammering a 429-foot homer for Glendale.

“Yeah, I got pop. I haven't shown too much of it yet, but I got pop,” Honeyman laughed. “Hopefully down here, and maybe next season, we'll see more of it. But I got in the tank.”

Cardinals hitters in the Fall League:

Graysen Tarlow, C: A three-time National High School Invitational winner during his days at Orange Lutheran HS (Orange, Calif.), Tarlow parlayed a two-year career with Cal State Northridge into becoming a 19th-round selection of the Cardinals in 2023. He has slowly matriculated through St. Louis’ system, earning a bump to Double-A Springfield in early August. He posted a .401 on-base percentage and 116 wRC+ through 54 games across two levels during the regular season. The Fall League gives the 24-year-old an opportunity to catch advanced arms from other organizations.

Miguel Ugueto, OF: Selected by the Cardinals during the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft last December, Ugueto climbed as high as Double-A in his inaugural season in the organization. The Venezuela native has experience at all three outfield positions but injuries have limited the 23-year-old to just 232 games across five Minor League seasons, making the Fall League a perfect opportunity for him to garner valuable in-game reps.

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Cardinals pitchers in the Fall League:

Chen-Wei Lin, RHP (No. 16): Lin made franchise history in July 2023 as St. Louis’ first player signed out of Taiwan. At 6-foot-7, the MLB Draft League alum backs up his height with impressive velocity, including topping out at 101 mph this summer. Despite missing a month on the injured list, Lin was able to parlay a solid 12-start run for Peoria into a bump to Springfield down the stretch. After walking just 2.8 batters per nine innings during his 2024 campaign, that number ballooned to 7.0 this year, a mark the 23-year-old will need to rein in as he continues his upward trajectory.

Tyler Bradt, RHP: After three seasons spent oscillating between the rotation and bullpen with VMI, Bradt transferred to East Carolina and impressed enough during 18 relief appearances to land on the Cardinals’ radar in the 2023 Draft as a senior sign. The 24-year-old repeated High-A this season and pitched well enough with his 94-97 mph heater and mid-80s sweeper mix to earn a bump in August to Double-A, where he posted a 2.50 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 18 innings. He’s notched a career 9.8 K/9 rate but will need to lower his 5.9 BB/9 rate as he reaches the upper Minors.

D.J. Carpenter, RHP: An imposing presence on the mound at 6-foot-8 and 242 pounds, Carpenter has the power stuff to go along with the look: a 97-98 mph fastball and a mid-80s slider that gets a healthy dose of swing-and-miss. Despite missing two full years, the MLB Draft League alum will be Rule 5 Draft-eligible this offseason and will be looking to make a case with an AFL résumé that his electric stuff could make the sizable jump from High-A straight to the bigs.

Randel Clemente, RHP: Few hurlers in the system can match Clemente’s dynamic arsenal in short stints. But the 23-year-old also needs to learn how to hone said repertoire, and the AFL should be a solid step in that direction. With a fastball that hit 98 mph in his Glendale debut, the 6-foot-3 native of the Dominican Republic also has a mid-80s slider and 82-84 mph curveball that has helped accrue 12.3 K/9 across five Minor League seasons. Conversely, his shaky command has led to 7.6 BB/9 in the same span. He’s Rule 5-eligible and made 12 appearances at Double-A this season with batters hitting just .170 against him across three levels.

Darlin Saladin, RHP: Signed for $200,000 out of the Dominican Republic as the 2019-20 international signing period opened, Saladin has enjoyed success at every rung he's played at on the Cardinals’ Minor League ladder. Some early career command issues cropped up this past season at High-A, leading to a 4.85 ERA across 26 appearances spent as a multi-inning piggyback option. Working with a 93-95 mph sinking fastball, mid-80s changeup, 81-83 mph slider and low-80s curveball, the 5-foot-11 righty has the repertoire to stick in a rotation but his stuff could play up even more in shorter stints. Saladin presents a fascinating Rule 5 case this offseason after going unselected last year but he’s also likely to need some more seasoning at the upper Minors.