On epic heater, top prospect Rodriguez leads Cardinals' catchers homer barrage
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In late August, MLB Pipeline ranked the Cardinals as having the second-best system in baseball as it pertained to talent behind the dish. Saturday night was a thunderous exclamation point backing that up.
Rainiel Rodriguez, St. Louis’ No. 1 prospect, drilled his second homer in as many nights and third in the past four games for Double-A Springfield during its 11-5 defeat at the hands of Arkansas at Route 66 Stadium. The 19-year-old has been on a tear this month, slashing .432/.532/.703 in 10 contests with more walks (10) than strikeouts (eight).
Up in the big leagues, on a night where the franchise honored legendary catcher Yadier Molina, Leo Bernal (STL No. 7) clobbered what was a then-go-ahead homer in the eighth inning. At Triple-A Memphis, Andy Yerzy, a 28-year-old Minor League veteran got the start behind the dish and also went deep during the Redbirds’ 8-1 victory.
Bernal has gotten off to a torrid start to his big league career, collecting a hit in 10 of his first 11 games with three homers and 13 RBIs in that span. In addition to slashing .311/.367/.556, he’s provided exemplary defense behind the dish, no surprise with his above-average field tool and plus throwing arm. Manager Oli Marmol has taken notice:
“Impressive, not only physically, but I would say his preparation and ability to see the game and communicate what he sees has been really good,” said the skipper of Bernal earlier this week.
But there’s no catching prospect in baseball ranked higher than Rodriguez. He’s spent the summer consistently stacking up numbers that put him among the elite teenagers to play at Double-A over the past two decades.
By virtue of Rodriguez’s latest homer for Springfield -- his 27th overall factoring in his time with High-A Peoria -- he became the first player since at least 2005 to hit 23 homers in a season at Double-A before turning 20 years old. Among those in their teens with at least 200 at-bats at the level, Rodriguez’s .999 OPS trails only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (2018, 1.120), but is slightly ahead of a pantheon of superstars -- Mike Trout, Ronald Acuña Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Giancarlo Stanton among them.
For as exciting as it's been to watch Rodriguez rewrite the record books offensively, it’s worth noting that he’s done all of it while serving primarily as a catcher, notoriously the most demanding position in the sport defensively. The Cardinals have layered in reps at first base and designated hitter to keep his bat in the lineup, but he’s made 66 starts behind the dish this year across two levels.
Rodriguez may never be a Gold Glover but he has an above-average throwing arm, as evidenced by his latest caught stealing Saturday, his 27th of the year (on 101 tries, giving him a 26.7 percent caught-stealing rate).
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Building the next nucleus of successful Cardinals baseball has been the modus operandi in 2026. A year ago, JJ Wetherholt was tearing up the upper Minors and Joshua Báez (STL No. 3/MLB No. 58) was doing the same just months ago. Factor in Bernal’s arrival, Rodriguez’s meteoric ascension to the No. 17 spot on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list and the All-Star-level production from Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera, and the shape of a core is gaining some clarity heading into 2027.