It was a massive power display for Double-A Springfield on Wednesday, with No. 2 Cardinals prospect Rainiel Rodriguez (MLB Pipeline’s No. 22 overall) leading the way.
Rodriguez stayed hot in June with a 2-for-3 night, including a home run. Meanwhile, Tre Richardson III, Jesús Báez (STL No. 19) and Won-Bin Cho each smashed their first Double-A homers as Springfield defeated Northwest Arkansas, 7-1, at Route 66 Stadium.
COMPLETE CARDINALS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Richardson got the party started right away, launching his big fly to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Rodriguez followed right behind him with a double, though he was stranded at second.
With the teams playing to a 1-1 tie into the fifth inning, Rodriguez broke things open in the home half. Jon Jon Gazdar reached after being hit by a pitch, and Richardson shot a two-out single ahead of Rodriguez. That’s when Rodriguez punched his fifth Double-A homer to right-center field for the three-run bomb. Springfield never looked back.
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
Báez and Cho added insurance in the eighth inning. Báez went deep to left field after two quick outs, and Cho knocked in two more with his long ball following a Miguel Ugueto double.
Notably, Rodriguez’s pair of hits and three RBIs bumped his June slash line to.333/.450/.561, including four home runs. Overall, the 19-year-old catcher -- the youngest hitter in the Texas League -- has put together a strong .857 OPS across two levels.