To say life has been good recently for the Cardinals’ top two prospects would be something of an understatement. Rainiel Rodriguez and Liam Doyle emphatically showed just why they are two of the most promising players in the Minors on Tuesday night.
Rodriguez delivered his second consecutive multihomer game to back Doyle, who dominated over 5 1/3 frames to lead Double-A Springfield past visiting San Antonio, 8-0, at Route 66 Stadium.
Every roundtripper MLB’s top-ranked catcher hits extends his career high, which is up to 23 and counting, including 19 at Double-A. Rodriguez is in the midst of a 15-game hitting streak and has hit safely in all but one game this month and 23 of his past 24.
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The 19-year-old slugger did all of his damage early, helping to build a comfortable cushion for his batterymate to work with. Rodriguez launched a solo jack to left field to open the scoring in the first inning and extended the lead with a no-doubter to left-center in the fourth.
The clouts gave Rodriguez four taters in six at-bats dating back to Sunday's two-dinger contest. No less impressive has been his run production. MLB’s No. 18 prospect has driven in at least one run in seven consecutive games and 19 in August, during which he’s slashing .452/.475/.918 with 18 extra-base hits and eight long balls.
That offense, and some synergy from behind the plate, helped push Doyle to another impressive outing as MLB’s No. 44 prospect delivered arguably his best start for Springfield.
Handed the early lead, Doyle pitched largely to contact against the Missions, scattering four hits and walking one during his 87-pitch outing. After striking out nine in his previous outing, the 22-year-old racked up six more K’s while working into the sixth for the third time this season -- all since July 31.
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But the progression from Doyle extends further back. Since his ERA ballooned to 6.08 after his June 16 start, the southpaw has lived up to his billing as the fifth overall selection in the 2025 Draft and is steadily showing why St. Louis views him as a future frontline starter.
In nine starts since June 26, Doyle has the sixth-lowest ERA (1.60) among all qualified Minor Leaguer hurlers, striking out 57 in 45 innings while yielding just a .175 average-against. The two-month stretch has lowered his ERA to 3.90, the lowest it has been all season.
For a Cardinals organization intent on developing and integrating its young talent into a successful Major League club, Rodriguez’s offensive fireworks and Doyle’s pitching surge offer perhaps the clearest signs yet that a future battery could be forming before their eyes.