Rainiel Rodriguez

Rodriguez probably won't be a threat on the bases and he may end up at designated hitter long term, but in 2025 he had a historically great age-18 season at the plate. The 5-foot-10 slugger slashed .276/.399/.555 with 20 home runs, a 14.7 percent walk rate and a 17.7 percent strikeout rate in 84 games while climbing from the Florida Complex League all the way to High-A. Not only does Rodriguez make advanced swing decisions, but he's already mastered the art of pulling the ball in the air, logging a 30.3 percent groundball rate and a 52.5 percent pull rate. This approach will prevent him from being a .300 hitter, but he could still be a .275 hitter who hits 35-plus homers annually. The biggest question with Rodriguez is whether the Cardinals will continue to try to develop him as a catcher, or if they'll fast-track his bat to the big leagues. Read Past Outlooks