Who’s Hot, Who’s Cold: Báez. Doyle, Gastelum, Cijntje, & Ortiz
The Cardinal Chronicle
Who’s Hot, Who’s Cold: Joshua Báez. Liam Doyle, Luis Gastelum, & Jurrangelo Cijntje, make the list this week
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Friday brings another look around the Cardinals’ minor league system, and this week’s Who’s Hot, Who’s Cold report starts with a familiar name at Triple-A Memphis.
Joshua Báez is back in the middle of the story.
This weekly report is not designed to rewrite the prospect board every seven days. A hot week does not make a player a finished product, and a cold week does not erase the tools that put a player on the map. But performance still matters, especially when it comes from ranked prospects producing at the upper levels of the system.
This week’s report includes several Cardinal Chronicle Top 30 prospects, including Joshua Báez, Rainiel Rodriguez, Leo Bernal, Chen-Wei Lin, Luis Gastelum, Yhoiker Fajardo, Braden Davis and Deniel Ortiz.
Here are three hitters and three pitchers trending up, followed by three hitters and three pitchers looking to turn the page.
Who’s Hot — Hitters
Joshua Báez, CF, Memphis Redbirds
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: No. 3
Joshua Báez was the clear headliner this week.
In five games for Triple-A Memphis, Báez went 6-for-18 with eight runs, five home runs, 11 RBIs, two walks and only three strikeouts. He hit .333 with a 1.567 OPS.
That is not just a hot week. That is a power surge.
The most encouraging part is not simply the five home runs, though that number speaks loudly enough by itself. It is the strikeout total. Báez has always had impact power, but the question has been whether the swing-and-miss would get in the way of the production. This week, it did not.
Five homers, 11 RBIs and only three strikeouts in 18 at-bats is the kind of line that gets attention in any front office. For a No. 3-ranked prospect already producing at Triple-A, this kind of week keeps him planted firmly in the St. Louis roster conversation.
Rainiel Rodriguez, C, Springfield Cardinals
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: No. 1
The top prospect in the system had another strong week at Double-A.
Rodriguez went 9-for-20 with eight runs, one home run, two RBIs, four walks and two stolen bases in five games for Springfield. He hit .450 with a 1.142 OPS.
That is a complete offensive week from a premium position. Rodriguez reached base, scored runs, showed power and even added value on the bases. For a catcher, that kind of all-around production carries extra weight.
Rodriguez remains No. 1 on the Cardinal Chronicle board because of the combination of age, position, offensive upside and performance against advanced competition. This week did nothing to weaken that case. If anything, it strengthened it.
Leo Bernal, C, Memphis Redbirds
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: No. 6
Bernal earns the third spot after a strong week at Triple-A.
In five games for Memphis, Bernal went 6-for-18 with six runs, two doubles, one home run, five RBIs and five walks. He hit .333 with a 1.089 OPS.
The five walks are the key number here. Bernal did not just run into a few hits. He controlled the zone, reached base and produced damage when he got pitches to handle.
As a switch-hitting catcher already at Triple-A, Bernal remains one of the more valuable position-player prospects in the system. The offensive production has not always been loud, but weeks like this show why the overall profile still matters.
Also worth noting: Bligh Madris had a monster week for Memphis, hitting .429 with two home runs, eight RBIs and a 1.387 OPS. Dakota Harris went 8-for-22 with seven RBIs and five stolen bases at Double-A, while Jalin Flores hit three home runs and posted a 1.105 OPS at High-A.
Who’s Hot — Pitchers
Luis Gastelum, RHP, Memphis Redbirds
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: No. 25
Gastelum had the cleanest pitching line in the system this week.
In five scoreless innings for Triple-A Memphis, he allowed one hit, walked nobody and struck out eight. He finished with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.20 WHIP.
That is domination.
The zero walks may be the most impressive part of the line. Triple-A hitters will punish mistakes, and free passes usually make life harder in a hurry. Gastelum gave them nothing. One hit, no walks and eight strikeouts across five innings is about as clean as it gets.
Ranked No. 25 on the Cardinal Chronicle board, Gastelum is not the loudest name in the system, but proximity matters. A pitcher getting outs at Triple-A is always worth tracking.
Chen-Wei Lin, RHP, Springfield Cardinals
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: No. 20
Lin gave Springfield six no-hit innings and earns a prominent spot on this week’s hot list.
In six scoreless innings at Double-A, he allowed no hits, walked three and struck out six. He finished with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.50 WHIP.
The three walks keep it from being perfect, but six no-hit innings at Double-A will always stand out. Lin continues to show swing-and-miss ability, and when he keeps the traffic under control, the stuff plays.
As the No. 20 prospect on the Cardinal Chronicle board, Lin remains one of the more intriguing arms in the back half of the Top 30. The command still needs to keep improving, but the talent is easy to see when he is throwing strikes.
Hunter Dobbins, RHP, Memphis Redbirds
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: Not Ranked
Dobbins gave Memphis another useful Triple-A outing.
In five innings, he allowed four hits, three runs, no earned runs, no walks and struck out five. He finished the week with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP.
The unearned runs made the line look a little messier than the actual pitching performance. Dobbins did his job. He threw strikes, avoided free passes and kept Memphis in position.
He may not be on the prospect board in the same way as some younger arms, but he remains important organizational depth. The Cardinals have already needed him once this season, and a clean Triple-A outing like this keeps him relevant.
Also worth noting: Yhoiker Fajardo, ranked No. 8, allowed one earned run and struck out six over five innings at High-A. Cade Crossland, ranked No. 16, struck out seven in four innings for Palm Beach. Brycen Mautz, ranked No. 14, allowed one earned run across 5.2 innings for Memphis, though five walks kept him just outside the top three.
Who’s Cold — Hitters
Colton Ledbetter, RF, Memphis Redbirds
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: Not Ranked
Ledbetter had the toughest offensive week on the board.
In three games for Memphis, he went 0-for-12 with one walk and seven strikeouts. He hit .000 with a .077 OPS.
There is no need to dress that up. That was a hard week. The strikeouts piled up, and there was no extra-base impact to offset the lack of contact.
The good news is that baseball gives a player another chance quickly. The bad news is that Triple-A does not wait long for adjustments. Ledbetter needs to get back to putting the ball in play and controlling the zone.
Jose Cordoba, RF, Peoria Chiefs
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: Not Ranked
Cordoba also lands on the cold side after a quiet week at High-A.
In five games for Peoria, he went 1-for-15 with no runs, no RBIs, no walks and three strikeouts. He hit .067 with a .133 OPS.
The lack of walks and extra-base damage made it difficult to create any offensive value. When a hitter is not reaching base and not driving the ball, the week gets cold fast.
This is one to flush and move forward from.
Deniel Ortiz, 3B, Springfield Cardinals
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: No. 29
Ortiz had an odd week statistically.
He scored four runs and walked five times, but he went just 1-for-15 with one double, one RBI and five strikeouts. He hit .067 with a .433 OPS.
The five walks matter. They show he was still seeing pitches and finding ways to reach base. But the bat did not produce enough contact or damage to stay off the cold list.
Ortiz is still holding a spot on the back end of the Cardinal Chronicle Top 30, but weeks like this show why the margin is thin. He does not need to be perfect, but he does need more offensive consistency to strengthen his case.
Also worth noting: Tre Richardson III went 2-for-16 at Double-A but did steal four bases and draw three walks. Trey Paige and Matt Koperniak also had quiet weeks, with limited impact at the plate.
Who’s Cold — Pitchers
Braden Davis, LHP, Springfield Cardinals
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: No. 26
Davis had the roughest pitching week on the board.
In 3.2 innings for Springfield, he allowed six hits, five earned runs, six walks and one home run while striking out one. He finished with a 12.27 ERA and a 3.27 WHIP.
The walks are the story. Six walks in 3.2 innings will sink almost any outing, especially at Double-A. Davis has enough arm talent to stay on the prospect radar, but the command has to be better than this.
He remains ranked because the strikeout ability and left-handed profile still matter, but this was a week to reset.
Jurrangelo Cijntje, RHP, Springfield Cardinals
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: No. 5
Cijntje’s week was not clean.
In 4.2 innings at Double-A, he allowed six hits, five earned runs, three walks and one home run while striking out four. He finished with a 9.64 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP.
The stuff remains interesting, and the long-term ceiling has not disappeared. But the Double-A transition has been uneven, and this was another reminder that talent and polish are not the same thing.
Cijntje is still one of the most talented arms in the organization. The next step is turning that talent into cleaner innings, fewer baserunners and more consistent command.
Liam Doyle, LHP, Springfield Cardinals
Cardinal Chronicle Ranking: No. 2
Doyle lands on the cold list again, and that is not where anyone expected the No. 2 prospect to be.
In 4.1 innings for Springfield, he allowed three hits, four earned runs, four walks and one home run while striking out four. He finished with an 8.31 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP.
The strikeouts are still there, but the walks and damage remain the concern. Doyle’s raw stuff keeps him near the top of the board, but performance has to catch up eventually. That is not an insult. That is the standard that comes with being ranked this high.
The talent is real. The command has to become more reliable.
Also worth noting: José Davila struck out eight in 3.1 innings at High-A, but he also allowed five earned runs. Yhoiker Fajardo had a strong enough week to land on the hot-side mention, while Pete Hansen struck out three but allowed five runs, three earned, in four innings for Memphis.
Old School Take
This week was a good reminder of why prospect rankings have to breathe.
Joshua Báez keeps making Triple-A power impossible to ignore. Rainiel Rodriguez continues to look like the top prospect in the system. Leo Bernal reminded everyone that a young Triple-A catcher with on-base ability and pop still carries real value.
On the mound, Gastelum and Lin delivered two of the cleanest outings in the system, while Dobbins showed why usable Triple-A depth matters over the course of a long season.
The cold side carried some big names, too. Braden Davis, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Liam Doyle all had rough weeks, and that matters. It does not erase their talent, but it does show the work still in front of them.
That is the minor leagues.
Some players are pushing. Some are correcting. Some are reminding us that tools get you ranked, but performance keeps you moving.
Performance still gets a vote.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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