Only 19 years old, Cardinals' top prospect continues to demolish Double-A pitching

For the third time in just over three weeks, the Double-A Springfield scoreboard went final with four knocks in the hit column for Rainiel Rodriguez. 

The Cardinals’ No. 1 prospect has been blistering the baseball down the stretch -- he has slashed .414/.494/.771 since the first four-hit performance of his career on Aug. 18. By virtue of his 25th roundtripper of the year -- 21st at Double-A -- in Springfield’s 16-6 win over Arkansas at Route 66 Stadium on Wednesday night, Rodriguez became just the fourth Minor Leaguer since 2019 to produce a 25-homer season before turning 20 years old.

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Despite being one of just seven 19-year-olds to receive consistent at-bats at Double-A this season, MLB’s No. 18 prospect has done virtually nothing but rake since his promotion on May 12. After graduating from High-A Peoria with a .949 OPS to open the year, his numbers have improved in his first taste of the upper Minors, all while taking on the additional duties that surround handling a pitching staff and game-planning from behind the dish.

Rodriguez leads all Cardinals Minor Leaguers in average (.321), hits (141), runs (94) and OPS (.977) this season and ranks near the top in a bevy of other categories. But he’s been particularly hot of late, having been named a two-time Texas League Player of the Week during August, when he slashed .393/.440/.809 with 19 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs in 21 games. 

Nothing's changed in September, either. Rodriguez has gotten off to an 11-for-25 start with seven walks and just two strikeouts. He’s reached base safely in 26 consecutive contests, a span in which his 1.253 OPS is third-best in the Minors.

Rodriguez will be bringing his otherworldly production to the Texas League playoffs, which begin next Tuesday. The Cardinals have shellacked their competition during the second half, posting a +117 run differential through play Wednesday. 

With 399 runs scored in that span, Springfield leads the circuit. While Rodriguez has undoubtedly played a major part in that, so has Jesús Báez (STL No. 15), who drilled his 38th homer of the season across two levels Wednesday. Acquired at last year’s Trade Deadline in the deal that sent reliever Ryan Helsley to the Mets, Baez is tied for the second-most roundtrippers of any Minor League hitter this season.

The Cardinals have also been nails on the bump, yielding the fewest runs in the league (282) during the second half. Wednesday’s starter, Liam Doyle (STL No. 2/MLB No. 44), has played a significant part in that. St. Louis’ 2025 first-round pick spun five no-hit frames in his latest outing before losing his bid in the sixth, after which he exited with a “little bit of a blister” on his left hand that isn’t expected to be a long-term issue.

While the big league Cardinals remain in the hunt for a National League Wild Card spot, they’ve also been able to get Leo Bernal (STL No. 7) valuable reps behind the dish as a big leaguer. All-Star Iván Herrera and veteran Pedro Pagés are also in the mix, as is Jimmy Crooks, who recently graduated from prospect status.

But in the long run, it would be hard to say that anyone in that group offers the same upside as Rodriguez. The Cardinals have continued developing the No. 1 catching prospect behind the dish while keeping his reps in check, as he hasn’t caught on three consecutive days all season. 

Although he’s equipped with an above-average throwing arm, Rodriguez has also made 24 starts at first base to give the Cardinals another option for his bat. Because ultimately, it’s his offense -- he leads the Texas League with a .324 average -- that will get the Dominican Republic native to St. Louis.