Ticker...Rodriquez...Crooks...Franklin...

The Cardinal Chronicle
Prospect Stock Market Report
On Deck — Tracking the Future of the Cardinals
April 28, 2026
St. Louis — By Ray Mileur

As the minor league season pushes deeper into its fourth week, the picture across the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system is beginning to sharpen. A few prospects are accelerating with sustained production and dominance. Several are weathering the expected bumps in the developmental road while holding firm. Others remain sidelined or are still searching for traction.

Hot streaks cool. Slow starts can turn. Injuries heal. Adjustments happen. But trends matter — and right now among the Cardinals’ top 20 prospects, several young players are beginning to separate themselves from the pack. Here is where the market stands this week.

STOCK RISING ↑

No. 4 – Rainiel Rodriguez (C, High-A, age 19)

The Movement
Rodriguez is off to a blazing start at High-A, hitting .320/.450/.580 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in limited action. His framing, receiving and arm strength continue to draw rave reviews, while his mature plate discipline stands out for a teenager facing advanced pitching.

Old School Take
When a 19-year-old catcher posts these kinds of numbers while still developing behind the plate, baseball people notice. Rodriguez is climbing fast — and deservedly so.

No. 8 – Jimmy Crooks (C, Triple-A, age 24)

The Movement
Crooks continues to rake for Memphis, slashing .320/.430/.680 with six home runs and 18 RBIs through 19 games. He’s drawing walks, controlling at-bats and has improved defensively, throwing out 38 percent of baserunners while capably handling a veteran pitching staff.

Old School Take
A catcher who can hit for power and defend at a high level is premium currency in this game. Crooks is forcing his way into the conversation in St. Louis — and the glove-first label is officially gone.

No. 11 – Tanner Franklin (RHP, High-A, age 21)

The Movement
Franklin delivered another gem for Peoria — five scoreless innings, one hit, two walks and nine strikeouts. He now has 31 strikeouts in just 15⅔ innings with a 2.30 ERA. His fastball command continues to sharpen and his breaking ball is missing bats at an eye-opening rate.

Old School Take
You don’t often see strikeout numbers like this from a 21-year-old in High-A. Franklin is making every start count and pounding loudly on the door for a promotion.

UNDER THE RADAR

Won-Bin Cho (OF, Double-A, age 22)

The Movement
Cho continues to show growth as a complete hitter, using the whole field, controlling the strike zone and flashing the extra-base power that first put him on the radar. He is quietly becoming one of the more interesting bats in the system.

Old School Take
Sometimes prospects rise with noise. Others climb with consistency. Cho feels like the latter — and those players often surprise people quickest.

STOCK HOLDING →

No. 2 – Liam Doyle (LHP, Double-A, age 21)

The Movement
Doyle followed his shaky debut with a much cleaner outing: 4⅔ innings, one earned run, six strikeouts and noticeably improved fastball command. The premium stuff remains intact — now it is about stacking quality starts.

Old School Take
First-round arms earn their stripes through adjustments. Doyle still looks every bit like a frontline talent; repetition and command refinement will do the rest.

No. 10 – Tekoah Roby (RHP, Triple-A, age 24)

The Movement
Roby remains on the 60-day injured list while recovering from Tommy John surgery. No setbacks have been reported, but he is weeks away from competitive throwing.

Old School Take
The talent hasn’t changed — only the timetable. You stay patient on upside arms like this until the baseball is back in his hand.

No. 17 – Cooper Hjerpe (LHP, Double-A, age 25)

The Movement
Hjerpe continues progressing in rehab from Tommy John surgery and is throwing live bullpens, with a mid- to late-May return target still realistic.

Old School Take
He’s still the same deceptive left-hander. The question isn’t what he is — it’s how quickly his arm allows him to become that again on a mound in competition.

STOCK FALLING ↓

No. 9 – Brandon Clarke (LHP, High-A, age 22)

The Movement
Clarke remains sidelined following surgery to repair an aneurysm in his throwing arm and is expected to miss at least the first half of the 2026 season.

Old School Take
Injuries reset clocks. The arm talent is still there — right now, the mission is simply getting healthy enough to restart the journey.

No. 20 – Jesús Báez (INF, Triple-A, age 21)

The Movement
Báez has struggled early at Memphis, hitting .210 with just two extra-base hits while striking out at a concerning rate through 20 games. The tools still flash, but the box-score production has not followed.

Old School Take
Rule 5 eligibility is coming, and the margin for error narrows with every passing month. Báez still has the gifts — now he needs results to match them.

For the Record — Prospect development rarely moves in straight lines. Hot streaks cool. Slow starts are common. Injuries heal. Adjustments happen. But trends matter — and, four weeks into the season, several young Cardinals are beginning to separate themselves from the pack.

Prospect value doesn’t truly rise or fall every seven days, but momentum, development, and trajectory do. That’s what we track here.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports