On September 6th, both the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Peoria Chiefs played their last game of their seasons. Palm Beach ended with a 13-5 win, finishing with a 67-65 record. This was not good enough to make the playoffs. The Chiefs ended their season with a 3-2 loss and a 63-68 record. Obviously this was not good enough to make the playoffs. The Springfield Cardinals season ended yesterday, however they were good enough to make the playoffs. For some reason, minor league playoff stats don’t count which I think is dumb, but I will still wait to share the Springfield stats for the end of the Memphis Redbirds season, which doesn’t end until the 24th. In case you missed it, I covered the rookie leagues earlier this month.
Palm Beach Cardinals
Yairo Padilla, SS – 19 (VEB’s #17 prospect)
Stats: 29 G, 128 PAs, .281/.354/.474, 10.2 BB%, 18.8 K%, .193 ISO, .333 BABIP, 118 wRC+
Padilla got off to a very late start since his season didn’t start until late June. Technically, I could put Padilla in the Peoria section, because that’s where he ended his season, but he only played in 4 games and the stats weren’t good, so felt more appropriate for him to be in this section. Nice thing is that, although the injury was inconvenient, I’m not sure it actually delayed his progress much. I don’t think he’s promoted after just 128 PAs if he never got injured. I’m not sure he would have gotten promoted a whole lot quicker and he’s still starting next season in High A next season.
Ryan Mitchell, OF – 19 (VEB’s #20 prospect)
Stats: 107 G, 496 PAs, .231/.389/.365, 20.2 BB%, 33.1 K%, .135 ISO, .353 BABIP, 112 wRC+
There are very few batting lines you could conjure up that are a less exciting 112 wRC+ than what Mitchell has put together. With that said, context is important. For starters, I imagine most players in his position get a trial run in the complex leagues first. I don’t know how many games are in a high school season, but it is a lot, lot less than 107 games. The Cardinals threw him into the fire and he came out with an above average hitting line. I would say there’s a fairly good chance the Cardinals will repeat him at this level. If he looks like a different hitter, a quick promotion may be in order, but I’d certainly want him to strike out less than 33% of them before a promotion.
Alexander Frias, OF – 18 (acquired in Dustin May trade)
Stats (CPX): 32 G, 137 PAs, .441/.518/.678, 11.7 BB%, 15.3 K%, .237 ISO, .516 BABIP, 189 wRC+
Low A: 236 PAs, .240/.339/.397, 11 BB%, 23.7 K%, .157 ISO, .301 BABIP, 96 wRC+
It probably goes without saying, but his complex league stats were with the Brewers and a little more than half of his Low A stats were with the Brewers as well. I didn’t feel the need to separate his Low A stats with the Brewers and Cardinals because I really don’t think the Cardinals made any changes in the middle of the season. But he was both better and worse as a Cardinal. Better, because his 101 wRC+ was an improvement over the 92 wRC+. Worse, because he struck out more (27.3%) and had less power (.129), but did carry a much higher BABIP. So BABIP was the only reason he was better here. It’s all a small sample size anyway, and I’ll much less certain of his placement to begin next season than I am for Mitchell.
Trevor Condon, OF – 18 (1st round pick, 13th overall, 2026 draft)
Stats: 7 G, 31 PAs, .321/.387/.536, 9.7 BB%, 19.4 K%, .214 ISO, .214 ISO, .381 BABIP, 142 wRC+
Well alrighty then. If you’re like me, this is the first time you were aware of how Condon did in Low A. It’s weird, because I knew he was down there, and yet I never checked his progress. Honestly, kind of unfortunate that the season has ended in his case, I want more. Very, very good start though. Probably not good enough to start next year in High A, because you know it’s seven games, but can’t ask for more.
Dee Kennedy, 2B – 21 (4th round, 2026 draft)
Stats: 21 G, 92 PAs, .143/.283/.208, 14.1 BB%, 21.7 K%, .065 ISO, .179 BABIP, 47 wRC+
Not the greatest start I’ve ever seen, but given the small sample, that Kennedy was playing more baseball than he’s ever played in his life and that his K/BB numbers were still really good, I don’t think we can read anything into this. I also have no idea how to handle super low BABIPs in the minors, especially with less than 100 PAs. For what it’s worth, his xwOBA was .284 which suggests he was unlucky, though still not great.
Owen Henne, IF – 21 (6th round, 2026 draft)
Stats: 16 G, 67 PAs, .218/.358/.509, 13.4 BB%, 16.4 K%, .291 ISO, .200 BABIP, 127 wRC+
I let the stats surprise me and I transcribe them the way you read them, so I first saw that Henne was batting .218 and then saw the .358 OBP and thought, okay another high BB guy with no power. Then I saw the slugging percentage. Probably not gonna have a player’s stats surprise me as much as this. He hit 4 homers in 16 games. He didn’t have a set position, so I think he just kind of played his way into playing as much as he did.
Jayden Lobliner, C – 22 (9th round, 2026 draft)
Stats: 14 G, 54 PAs, .220/.278/.460, 5.6 BB%, 44.4 K%, .240 ISO, .318 BABIP, 89 wRC+
Okay, I stand corrected. Immediately. Lobliner’s batting stats are a real rollercoaster. He hit four homers in 14 games, but unlike Henne, he didn’t walk. Also he struck out almost half the time. This is a line you can only get when you have a 14 game sample. His college stats suggest he’s not much of a walker. Feels like he was probably drafted for his defense.
Jacob Haley, RHP – 20 (11th round, 2026 draft)
Stats: 5 G (3 GS), 11 IP, 18.8 K%, 18.8 BB%, 35.7 GB%, .148 BABIP, 4.91 ERA/8.13 FIP/6.57 xFIP
Haley presumably pitched, unlike most other pitchers drafted, because he threw just 27.2 IP between his college season at South Alabama and in a summer league. The year before, he threw 33.1 IP. So his 11 innings gives him a career high of 37.2 IP, and I’m not entirely sure if the Cardinals want to attempt a starter route with him, but clearly next year would still be more of a first time through the order approach anyway. He can probably throw 60-70 innings next season, whether entirely in relief or not.
Dallis Moran, RHP – 21 (16th round, 2026 draft)
Stats: 9 G, 13.2 IP, 22.4 K%, 17.2 BB%, 37.1 GB%, .176 BABIP, 3.29 ERA/5.01 FIP/6.02 xFIP
Moran missed pitching in live games entirely in 2025, and pitched 28 innings in his collegiate season. Whatever formula the Cardinals used, they determine Moran could throw about 40 innings this season, which is why his season continued. Like Haley, he wasn’t very good, but I suppose it would be stranger for a 16th rounder to dominate right away (or at all).
Andrew Dutkanyvch, RHP – 22
Stats: 11 G (7 GS), 40.2 IP, 26.7 K%, 13.6 BB%, 39 GB%, .293 BABIP, 5.09 ERA/4.41 FIP/4.73 xFIP
I’m ignoring his complex league stats, which are absolutely dreadful, but I’m pretty sure those are rehab appearances, which are just about making sure your arm doesn’t fall off. With that said, I am comfortable calling this a step back for Dutkanych, a player some VEBers wanted to put in the top 20. I kind of thought he already figured out Low A last season, but these are worse stats than last year. The one positive is that his innings did jump from 17.2 IP to 46 IP, so from an innings standpoint, he’s probably on track. I’m hoping he’s in Peoria next year though.
Sebastian Dos Santos, SS – 18
Stats: 55 G, 255 PAs, .246/.400/.437, 17.3 BB%, 23.5 K%, .191 ISO, .295 BABIP, 129 wRC+
Dos Santos began his season in the complex league and dominated there for a 142 wRC+. I only shared Frias’ stats because he was in the Brewers system. You already knew Dos Santos dominated the complex league. It’s pretty cool how many teenagers I’ve covered in full season ball. Not just teenagers either, these are teenagers who will certainly be on next year’s top 20 list.
Jonathan Mejia, 2B – 21
Stats: 76 G, 321 PAs, .220/.368/.424, 18.4 BB%, 27.4 K%, .204 ISO, .277 BABIP, 114 wRC+
Unfortunately, Mejia’s season ended about a month early, as he played in his last game on August 5th. Though it has taken him much longer than I think the Cardinals hoped for when they first promoted him to Low A back in 2023, Mejia has played well enough to be in Peoria next season finally.
Miguel Hernandez, SS – 18 (
Stats (CPX): 49 G, 191 PAs, .270/.435/.534, 20.4 BB%, 20.9 K%, .264 ISO, .313 BABIP, 137 wRC+
Low A: 25 G, 103 PAs, .304/.466/.494, 19.4 BB%, 26.2 K%, .190 ISO, .440 BABIP, 163 wRC+
In Hernandez’s case, I’m pretty sure he hadn’t been promoted to Low A the last time I did a minor league update, so you get his complex league performance too. Happily though, you can see that he hit much better after being promoted, albeit entirely BABIP-related. So I’m pretty sure he’ll still be in Low A when next season starts, although it will be an extremely good sign if the Cardinals deem him ready for High A right at the start.
Ethan Young, RHP – 22
Stats: 10 GS, 31 IP, 25.3 K%, 11.3 BB%, 35.2 GB%, .407 BABIP, 7.26 ERA/4.32 FIP/4.79 xFIP
Young’s season got derailed very early on in the season. He got injured midseason, not pitching in a game from May until late August. He only pitched in two games at the end of the season. Who knows how long he pitched injured and he didn’t pitch particularly well in his last two games either. So it’s very nearly the same as if he missed this entire season to injury.
Payton Graham, RHP – 22
Stats: 16 (15 GS), 53.2 IP, 21.6 K%, 12.7 BB%, 35.7 GB%, .320 BABIP, 5.70 ERA/5.28 FIP/5.64 xFIP
Graham did not pitch particularly well, although he showed flashes, but I imagine from the Cardinals’ perspective, the fact that Graham stayed healthy all year is the most important thing. If you remember, the Cardinals drafted Graham last season knowing he was, at the time, recovering from Tommy John surgery. He had thrown just one game in college before getting injured. He threw an additional 9.2 IP in the complex league, utterly destroying the competition, so he threw 63.1 IP in all this season.
J.P. Cabrera, C – 19
Stats (CPX): 39 G, 136 PAs, .257/.341/.363, 9.6 BB%, 19.1 K%, .106 ISO, .315 BABIP, 76 wRC+
Low A: 25 G, 100 PAs, .213/.278/.315, 7 BB%, 22 K%, .101 ISO, .273 BABIP, 61 wRC+
I honestly probably didn’t even share Cabrera’s stats in the last update, because they most likely didn’t stand out to me. I don’t like to share bad stats. But the fact that this 19-year-old catcher was promoted to Low A despite poor hitting stats is worth pointing out. They clearly think highly of his defense.
Brannelli Franco, RHP – 19
Stats CPX: 9 G (5 GS), 22 IP, 16.7 BB%, 21.7 K%, 51.5 GB%, .426 BABIP, 10.64 ERA/8.14 FIP/7.28 xFIP
Low A: 4 G (2 GS), 15 IP, 22.7 K%, 7.6 BB%, 46.7 GB%, .256 BABIP, 3.00 ERA/5.50 FIP/5.00 xFIP
This is… confusing! Franco was unimaginably bad in the complex league, not missing any bats and walking a ton. His one positive was that he induced groundballs, but he probably allowed a lot of hard contact. Behind-the-scenes though, the Cardinals saw something shift in him, and he was promoted to Low A and… he pitched fairly well! The groundballs stayed and the K/BB significantly improved. No idea how this happened.
Jake Shelagowski, RHP – 22
Stats: 11 G (2 GS), 34.2 IP, 24.7 K%, 11 BB%, 43.8 GB%, .344 BABIP, 5.71 ERA/4.12 FIP/4.95 xFIP
Last year’s 13th round pick, Shelagowski pitched okay, actually pretty damn close to how I imagine a 13th round college pick to perform in Low A. Given his age, you’d hope for better though. He is currently injured.
Peoria
Leonel Sequera, RHP – 20
Stats: 18 GS, 79.2 IP, 23.8 K%, 10.2 BB%, 49.8 GB%, .366 BABIP, 7.23 ERA/5.91 FIP/4.59 xFIP
Well I certainly don’t know what to make of this line. He’s actually striking out more batters than last season and though he has more walks, it’s not a lot more. He’s getting a smiliar amount of groundballs. However, he did not allow homers last year. He allowed a ton this year. He allowed 17 homers in his 18 games pitched, with 25.8% of flyballs turning into a homer. He was a victim of the home run insanity that occurred in the minors this season.
Cade Crossland, LHP – 22
Stats Low A: 20 G, 72 IP, 34.3 K%, 17.9 BB%, 38.8 GB%, .324 BABIP, 5.38 ERA/4.49 FIP/4.55 xFIP
High A: 5 GS, 25.1 IP, 29.3 K%, 12.1 BB%, 41.1 GB%, .268 BABIP, 1.42 ERA/3.20 FIP/4.92 xFIP
Crossland seems to be following the Braden Davis track. Don’t ever allow hitters to make contact, even if it means you will walk a lot of batters. Granted, significant improvement in his five starts at the High A level in terms of walks, even if you want it still lower. I’m not sure how positively I’d look at his season without those 5 starts, but well it’s a harder level and he acted like it wasn’t.
Jack Martinez, RHP – 23 (Acquired in Nolan Arenado trade)
Stats (Low A): 16 GS, 60.2 IP, 32.6 K%, 12.9 BB%, 30.8 GB%, .280 BABIP, 4.30 ERA/4.03 FIP/4.76 xFIP
High A: 8 G, 33 IP, 23.2 K%, 11.3 BB%, 34.1 GB%, .273 BABIP, 5.18 ERA/6.07 FIP/5.88 xFIP
Now this, this is what I expect when someone gets promoted to a higher level. I will commend Martinez for also improving upon his walk rate, but he missed a lot less bats and didn’t get better results. Martinez is a bit like found money though as I really didn’t envision a future MLB player in return for Nolan Arenado with his contract.
Brayden Smith, OF – 22 (acquired for Nic Raquet)
Stats (Low A): 81 G, 356 PAs, .247/.363/.402, 14 BB%, 26.1 K%, .155 ISO, .328 BABIP, 109 wRC+
High A: 24 G, 101 PAs, .261/.327/.457, 7.9 BB%, 32.7 K%, .196 ISO, .375 BABIP, 98 wRC+
Raquet was released by the Orioles two weeks ago, so even though Smith might not become anything, I think the Orioles wish they could take this trade back. It does sort of seem like strikeouts will be a problem, maybe his biggest problem to making the majors.
Andrew Williamson, OF – 20 (2nd round, 2026 draft)
Stats: 20 G, 88 PAs, .189/.295/.419, 11.4 BB%, 29.5 K%, .230 ISO, .200 BABIP, 78 wRC+
Sort of a mixed debut pro season for Williamson, who was rather aggressively placed in High A to begin his career. He had plenty of power with 5 homers in his 20 games. But BABIP was very much not his friend, resulting in a well below average line. This was considered his age 20 season, but he did turn 21 on July 11th, so he’s among the oldest “20”-year-olds.
Caden Ferraro, OF – 21 (3rd round, 2026 draft)
Stats: 21 G, 85 PAs, .216/.306/.405, 10.6 BB%, ,22.4 K%, .189 ISO, .245 BABIP, 80 wRC+
Oddly similar to Williamson, but not as much power and a higher BABIP. But the same general concept is there. Ferraro had power and actually didn’t strike out that much, but lots of baseballs found gloves.
Jacob Odle, RHP – 22
Stats: 15 GS, 33 K%, 17.6 BB%, 39.1 GB%, .283 BABIP, .283 BABIP, 3.86 ERA/5.37 FIP/5.11 xFIP
Odle also made 9 appearances in Low A at the beginning of this season, striking out 36% of batters with a 1.91 ERA. The walks kind of exploded in High A and he sort of stopped getting grounders, but he still struck out a third of the hitters he faced. Better yet, he increased his innings from 51.2 IP to 96 innings, putting him in a good position by the time he’d be ready for the big leagues.
Brian Holiday, RHP – 23
Stats (Three Levels): 19 G (17 GS), 26.4 K%, 5.1 BB%, 48.3 GB%, .302 BABIP, 4.95 ERA/4.76 FIP/3.86 xFIP
Holiday pitched in 12 of those 19 games at Low A, and an additional four games in the complex league, and his stats are actually fairly similar at those two levels. The rookie league stats are a bit better, but it’s close. And he finished with three games at High A, which are a step down, although he still carries a low walk rate. I didn’t feel like listing the stats to three different levels, just know the High A stats drag it a down a bit (although he had a 3.94 ERA)
Josh Kross, C/1B – 23
Stats: 86 G, 375 PAs, .252/.341/.438, 10.9 BB%, 25.1 K%, .185 ISO, .314 BABIP, 99 wRC+
Kross’ season actually ended in early August to injury and he hasn’t played since. If you’re wondering how much he played at catcher, he started 31 games. 38 games were at 1B and 16 games were at DH. Given his defensive status, I suspect he’ll have to hit better than this.
Ryan Weingartner, IF – 21
Stats. (Low A): 85 G, 382 PAs, .226/.366/.384, 16.5 BB%, 22 K%, .158 ISO, .269 BABIP, 108 wRC+
High A: 15 G, 52 PAs, .182/.308/.227, 15.4 BB%, 25 K%, .045 ISO, .258 BABIP, 51 wRC+
Last year’s 8th round pick is on schedule even with his struggles at Peoria. His performance at Palm Beach wasn’t terribly exciting, but it was an overall good showing and you hope that the low BABIP was partially unlucky, because that line with a good BABIP would actually be an exciting batting line.
Patrick Galle, RHP – 22 (acquired in the trade for Sonny Gray)
Stats: 37 G, 41.2 IP, 20.9 K%, 18 BB%, 40.2 GB%, .339 BABIP, 6.91 ERA/5.51 FIP/6.55 xFIP
Well his utter dominance in Low A did not really carry over to Peoria, although you can’t blame the Cardinals for promoting him. He struck out 60% of batters and that is not a typo.
Ty Van Dyke, RHP – 22
Stats: 16 G, 70.2 IP, 23.2 K%, 11.3 BB%, 39.3 GB%, .332 BABIP, 5.60 ERA/5.10 FIP/5.35 xFIP
Van Dyke was last year’s 10th round pick and he actually had zero issues at Palm Beach, throwing in 5 games to end last season and 7 starts to begin this season. In his second attempt, he managed to strike out a bunch of hitters. As you’ve probably picked up, the offensive environment is rather high, so his stats are not as discouraging as normal.
Sammy Hernandez, C – 22
Stats: 65 G, 253 PAs, .279/.411/.529, 17 BB%, 18.6 K%, .250 ISO, .311 BABIP, 140 wRC+
A season after posting a .064 ISO all year, Hernandez hits 11 homers and 18 doubles in 65 games this season. I don’t know what to make of this dude, because the Cardinals refuse to promote him. He seemingly excelled in 2024 at the Low A level, but then repeated the level in 2025. Then his power disappeared. Confusingly, he saw High A both at the end of 2024 and 2025. So I would assume he’s in Springfield next year, but maybe not!
And I’m going to stop there. Even with a more expansive list, I know I’ve chosen to omit some players who could be posted, but at a certain point, I have to pay attention to the clock.
