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The Cardinal Chronicle 20/20 Report: Twenty Prospects, Twenty Quick Takes St. Louis, MO — By Ray MileurThere’s no need for a Top 50 list.Not in this system. Not in this era.The Cardinals don’t have fifty legitimate prospects, nor does any other organization and pretending otherwise doesn’t serve the reader. What they do have is a defined group of twenty, players who matter, players who are moving, and players who will shape the next version of this organization.This is not a ranking built on projection models or industry echo.This is a working list.Twenty prospects. Twenty quick takes. No wasted motion.&nbsp; The 20/20 List#20 – Jesus Baez (INF, AAA, 21) Big arm, real bat speed, but the clock is ticking. Rule 5 eligibility looms, and without a strong season, he risks getting lost in the numbers game.#19 – Emanuel Luna (OF, ROK, 17) Too early for certainty, but the tools are loud. Power and speed combination fits the mold of where this organization wants to go.#18 – Tai Peete (OF, A+, 20) Elite athlete, high ceiling—but swing-and-miss is real. This is a boom-or-bust profile, and 2026 will start telling us which way it leans.#17 – Cooper Hjerpe (LHP, AA/AAA, 25) It all comes down to health. When right, he’s different. But “when healthy” is doing a lot of work here.#16 – Yairo Padilla (SS, ROK, 23) Speed plays. On-base ability plays. Power doesn’t—yet. If that changes even a little, he climbs quickly.#15 – Tink Hence (RHP, AAA, 23) Electric arm, fragile track record. The bullpen may be the fastest path—and maybe the right one.#14 – Ixan Henderson (LHP, AAA, 24) Breakout season followed by a setback. If he returns to form, he’s knocking on the door as a back-end starter.#13 – Yholker Fajardo (RHP, A, 19) Quiet riser. Three organizations already, and his stock keeps climbing. That tells you something.#12 – Ryan Mitchell (OF, ROK, 19) One of the more exciting bats in the lower levels. The move to center field will define his ceiling.#11 – Tanner Franklin (RHP, A+, 21) Starter conversion is the story. Big arm, new weapons, and a real chance to jump levels quickly.&nbsp;#10 – Tekoah Roby (RHP, AAA, 24) The talent is there. The injuries are too. This is now a long-term play.#9 – Brandon Clarke (LHP, A+, 22) Best slider in the system. Full stop. Health will determine how fast this moves.#8 – Jimmy Crooks (C, AAA, 24) Defense carries him—but that’s enough. He’s close, and he fits what big league staffs need.#7 – Quinn Mathews (LHP, AAA, 25) Polished, advanced, and nearly ready. Feels like a debut waiting for the right moment.#6 – Leo Bernal (C, AAA, 22) Gold Glove defense with emerging pop. The catching logjam is real—but he’s forcing the issue.&nbsp;#5 – Jurrangelo Cijntje (RHP, AA, 22) The switch-pitching experiment may be over—but the arm isn’t. There’s real upside here from the right side.#4 – Joshua Baez (OF, AAA, 22) The turnaround is real. Strikeouts down, confidence up. This is a different player than a year ago.#3 – Rainiel Rodriguez (C, A+, 19) Power you can’t teach. The ball sounds different off his bat—and that matters.#2 – Liam Doyle (LHP, AA, 21) Frontline potential. Power stuff. Future rotation anchor if everything holds.#1 – JJ Wetherholt (2B, MLB, 23) No projection needed. He’s already here—and already producing. This is the face of what’s next.&nbsp; My Old School TakeThis isn’t about hype. It’s about direction.There’s more risk in this system than people want to admit—but there’s also more upside than we’ve seen in years. The difference now is that the Cardinals are finally leaning into it.You can see it in the athletes. You can see it in the power. You can see it in the willingness to move players aggressively.Not all twenty will make it.That’s not the point.The point is this—enough of them will.And when they do, this list won’t just be a snapshot.It’ll be the early blueprint of what’s coming next in St. Louis.&nbsp; &nbsp;

20/20 Report: Twenty Prospects, Twenty Quick Takes

The Cardinal Chronicle ABS Is Here — But Is It Better for the Game? St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurMajor League Baseball has introduced its latest innovation to the game — the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system — and like every rule change before it, the question isn’t whether it works.The question is whether it helps.The early returns suggest what we already suspected: ABS doesn’t eliminate controversy — it simply moves it to a different place.Across Opening Day, teams were quick to test the system. Challenges flipped calls at the margins — particularly at the top of the strike zone — where umpires have historically shown the most inconsistency. Early data showed missed calls clustering heavily in that upper band, reinforcing the league’s push to reshape the strike zone into a more defined, rectangular standard rather than the “oval” zone umpires have naturally developed over time.That’s the theory.But baseball isn’t played in theory.&nbsp; The Human Element Isn’t Going Anywhere For all the talk about precision, ABS still depends on human judgment — just at a different moment.Players must decide, instantly, whether to challenge. That’s not a math problem. That’s feel. That’s instinct. That’s experience.And that’s where things get interesting.Some teams have already explored using data on umpire tendencies — where they tend to miss, how often, and in which parts of the zone. In theory, that could give hitters or pitchers an edge in deciding when to challenge.In reality, it may just clutter the mind.Too much information can be just as dangerous as not enough. A pitcher thinking about probabilities instead of execution is already behind — whether the scoreboard says so or not.Baseball has always rewarded clarity. See it. Throw it. Hit it.ABS doesn’t change that.&nbsp; A Game of Inches… Now With Reviews The challenge system is designed to correct the obvious misses, but what we’re seeing early are not obvious calls.They’re borderline.A pitch that clips the zone by half a ball. A fastball at the letters that depends entirely on how a hitter’s height is measured that day. A breaking ball that nicks the bottom edge by the slimmest margin.Those aren’t mistakes — those are judgment calls.And now, they’re subject to replay.There’s a real question here: are we improving the game by correcting those calls, or are we just slowing it down to argue over fractions?Because baseball, at its core, has always lived in that gray area.&nbsp; The Cost vs. The Gain Here’s the part that doesn’t get talked about enough.Even if a team maximizes ABS perfectly — makes every right challenge, flips every borderline call — the actual gain over a full season is marginal. We’re not talking about a 10-win swing. We’re talking about maybe a handful of runs.Maybe.And that comes with a cost: time, resources, attention, and focus.There’s an old-school truth in this game — you don’t overhaul your approach for marginal gains unless you’re sure it won’t cost you something bigger.Right now, that balance isn’t clear.&nbsp; The Real Test Is Still Ahead What we’re seeing now is the experimental phase. Teams are probing. Players are learning. Umpires are adjusting.And make no mistake — the league will adjust too.We’ve already seen early attempts at gamesmanship get shut down quickly. That’s baseball. You push the edge until someone pushes back.But the bigger picture is still unfolding.Will ABS make the game fairer?Probably.Will it make the game better?That’s still up for debate.Because sooner or later, this system won’t just flip a borderline call — it’s going to flip a moment.A late-inning pitch. A full count. A game on the line.And when that happens, we’ll stop talking about theory and start talking about consequences.That’s when the real conversation begins.Coming Monday in The Cardinal Chronicle: “When ABS Costs You a Game.”&nbsp;

ABS Is Here — But Is It Better for the Game?

The Cardinal Chronicle Breaking Barriers in Palm Beach: Amanda Seimer Named General Manager St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurJUPITER, Fla. — The St. Louis Cardinals pipeline isn’t just about players developing on the field—it’s also about leadership rising behind the scenes. The Palm Beach Cardinals have named Amanda Seimer as their new general manager, marking a significant step forward for both the organization and the broader landscape of Minor League Baseball.Seimer, who also serves as Director of Ticket Operations at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, steps into the role after years of steady progression through the game’s front-office ranks. Her path wasn’t accidental—it was built the old-fashioned way: opportunity, persistence, and a clear sense of direction.Raised in Kingston, Ohio, Seimer grew up competing across multiple sports, including basketball, cross country, track, and equestrian. She went on to play college basketball at Ohio University, where the foundation for her future in sports began to take shape.“I knew once my basketball career ended, I wanted to find a way to stay in sports,” Seimer said. “I originally changed my major to be an on-field reporter and had dreams of working at ESPN. But after an internship with the Chillicothe Paints, I realized I wanted to be part of a team—part of the game itself.”That realization set her course.Over the years, Seimer worked her way through various roles across organizations, eventually landing at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium—one of the most unique environments in baseball, hosting two Major League clubs during Spring Training and two Florida State League teams during the season.“It’s baseball all the time,” she said. “I love the creativity that comes with Minor League Baseball, and I love the energy of Spring Training crowds.”From ticket operations to sales and beyond, Seimer became a fixture within the organization—earning the kind of trust that doesn’t show up in a box score but matters just the same. Her promotion to general manager is the result of a long-term commitment to the game and a steady climb through the ranks since beginning her career in 2009.“I’ve wanted to be a general manager since I started working in baseball,” she said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and excited for what’s ahead.”Seimer points to trailblazer Kim Ng as a source of inspiration—someone who helped redefine what leadership in baseball can look like. Now, Seimer adds her own chapter to that story, not by making noise, but by doing the job and doing it well.Her advice to others looking to follow a similar path is simple and grounded:“Don’t give up. Things won’t always go the way you expect, but if you keep working toward your goals, the opportunity will come.”Palm Beach opens its 2026 season on April 2 against St. Lucie, with additional excitement surrounding the debut of the club’s alternate identity, the “Frozen Iguanas,” on April 4.But beyond promotions and game nights, this moment carries a little more weight.Because while prospects develop on the field, the game itself continues to grow off it—and Amanda Seimer is now part of that next wave of leadership shaping the future of Cardinals baseball.&nbsp; The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future

Breaking Barriers in Palm Beach: Amanda Seimer Named GM

The Cardinal Chronicle Not All Wins Are Created Equal — A Look at Liberatore’s Opening Day St. Louis, MO — By Ray Mileur&nbsp; There are wins that look good in the box score and then there are outings that leave a pitching coach with more questions than answers.Matthew Liberatore picked up the win on Opening Day against the Tampa Bay Rays, but a closer look at the outing tells a different story. This wasn’t a pitcher in full command of his arsenal&nbsp; it was a pitcher working through trouble, leaning heavily on one pitch to escape innings that could have unraveled.And at the center of it all was the fastball.Liberatore’s four-seam fastball never established itself.After sitting in the mid-94 mph range during Spring Training, his velocity dipped into the 91–92 mph range during key moments on Opening Day. Just as concerning as the drop in velocity was the lack of life. The pitch flattened out, stayed in the hitting zone too long, and failed to generate swings and misses.Major league hitters don’t miss those pitches very often. When a fastball lacks both velocity and movement, it becomes predictable - and predictable pitches get hit.Falling behind in counts changes everthing and the Cardinals had emphasized a “race to two strikes” approach for Liberatore entering the season. That plan never took hold on Opening DayInstead, he consistently found himself behind in the count, forcing him into hitter-friendly situations. Rather than dictating at-bats with his expanded pitch mix, Liberatore was reacting and pitching from behind at the major league level is a difficult way to survive.This also neutralized one of his key offseason additions, because in my opinion&nbsp; the splitter was designed to be a finishing pitch, particularly against right-handed hitters, never became a factor But because Liberatore struggled to get ahead, he rarely had the opportunity to use it in those situations.A chase pitch only works when hitters are protecting the zone. In advantage counts, hitters can sit on fastballs and ignore anything that dips out of the strike zone.Without early count leverage, the splitter remained more of a concept than a weapon.The slider carried the load, everytime I checked the pitch selection off the scoreboard in tough situations, it seemed like he was throwing the slider. Liberatore relied heavily on it to generate swing-and-miss, and it was his most effective pitch throughout the outing. It helped him escape multiple jams and ultimately kept the game within reach.But relying on one pitch to navigate through a lineup is not a long-term solution, especially on the second and third time through the batting order.Over time, hitters adjust. They begin to anticipate it, forcing the pitcher back into the zone with less effective offerings.The cutter continues to be a question mark for me, rather than serving as a bridge between his fastball and breaking pitches, it often behaved like a slower, straighter fastball lacking the late movement needed to miss barrels.At this level, that kind of pitch tends to get squared up.Liberatore entered 2026 with a new number, a new role and a new expanded arsenal, a deeper mix designed to keep hitters off balance and reduce his reliance on the fastball.But Opening Day reinforced a familiar truth, no matter the number of pitches in your makeup everything is still built around the fastball.If the fastball isn’t competitive, the rest of the arsenal becomes harder to use effectively. Pitch sequencing breaks down, hitters gain confidence, and the margin for error disappears.My pld school take, a starting pitcher doesn’t need a dominant fastball&nbsp; but he does need an honest one. Right now, Liberatore’s fastball isn’t there. The velocity is inconsistent, the command is unreliable, and it’s forcing him into situations where even his best secondary pitches can’t consistently bail him out.To his credit, he battled. He worked through the traffic. He found a way to get the win, but if that fastball doesn’t firm up soon,&nbsp;those jams he escaped on Opening Day will come back and haunt him later in the season.A win is a win, but not all wins are created equal. &nbsp;Photo - Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images&nbsp;

Not All Wins Are Created Equal

The Cardinal Chronicle Morning Briefing St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurAn Off Day - Now it's Back to WorkAday off in late March doesn’t mean much in the standings.But it can mean something in the clubhouse.After Opening Day, the St. Louis Cardinals stepped away for a moment — a pause before the long haul of the season begins to take shape. One game doesn’t define anything, but it can reveal plenty. And what we saw on Opening Day left more questions than answers.Start with the rotation.Matthew Liberatore’s outing didn’t settle anything. The raw ability is still there, but the fastball — the one pitch that has to carry him — lacked finish and consistency. Early in the season, you don’t overreact. But you don’t ignore it either.Behind him, the bullpen didn’t exactly slam the door.There were flashes, sure. But there were also missed spots, traffic on the bases, and the kind of uneven execution that tells you roles are still being sorted out. That’s not unusual in March. But it’s something to watch closely as games begin to matter.And they will start to matter quickly.Because while this is a Cardinals team with talent, it’s also a team in transition.The debut of JJ Wetherholt wasn’t just another name penciled into the lineup — it was a signal. The organization is beginning to lean into its next wave. This season isn’t just about wins and losses. It’s about identifying who belongs when the next contending club takes shape.You can see that same story playing out across the roster.With Lars Nootbaar sidelined, there are at-bats available in the outfield. Opportunities like that don’t last forever, and players know it. Early-season competition has a way of revealing who is ready — and who isn’t.At the same time, decisions made at the end of camp are still hanging in the air.Nelson Velazquez, one of the most productive hitters in spring training, isn’t on this roster. And when a bat like that is left off, it doesn’t just disappear from the conversation. It lingers. It gets revisited. Especially if the offense sputters.That’s the nature of this game.And it’s part of what makes this season feel… different.This doesn’t have the look of a club pushing all its chips to the middle of the table. It feels more measured. More deliberate. A team trying to balance development with competitiveness — walking that fine line between building for tomorrow and competing today.There’s nothing wrong with that.But it does change how you watch the game.The Cardinals return to action today, and the focus will be simple: cleaner pitching, sharper execution, and a step toward stability. That’s how you build a season — not in one game, but in the steady correction of the things that didn’t quite click the first time out.It’s early.But early has a way of telling you where to look.&nbsp; The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future

An Off Day - Now it's Back to Work

The Cardinal Chronicle Morning Farm Report Memphis Opens with a Statement on the Mound St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Memphis Redbirds opened their 2026 season the way you want your Triple-A club to open it — clean, controlled, and led by pitching.A 3-0 win over Gwinnett wasn’t just a box score result. It was a tone-setter.Right-hander Richard Fitts got the ball in the opener and gave Memphis exactly what you’re looking for from a starter working into form. The 26-year-old, acquired in the Sonny Gray deal, worked 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out three. The command wasn’t perfect — four walks, including two in the first inning — but he settled in and showed composure. That matters more than the stat line this time of year.From there, the bullpen took over — and that’s where things got interesting.Packy Naughton picked up the win, tossing 1.1 perfect innings, striking out two and retiring all four hitters he faced. After multiple elbow surgeries and lost time over the last two seasons, seeing Naughton healthy and effective isn’t just a good story — it may turn into a needed one. The Cardinals are going to need a dependable left-handed arm at some point this season, and if he stays on the field, he’s going to force that conversation.Gordon Graceffo closed it out with 1.1 innings for the save. Efficient, controlled, and exactly what you want from a pitcher who has already ridden the Memphis-to-St. Louis shuttle. He’s been up, down, and stretched thin at times — five separate stints in the majors last year — and it’s fair to question what that does to a young arm’s development. Stability might be the best thing for him right now.Offensively, Memphis didn’t need much — just timely swings.Ramon Mendoza provided the early spark with a solo home run in the second, then added an RBI double later in the game. Jimmy Crooks followed with a 415-foot shot to left-center in the fifth — a reminder of the raw power that earned him Minor League Player of the Year honors in 2024. The glove is big-league ready. The bat is still catching up. But the opportunity is coming.At the top of the lineup, Bryan Torres did his job the old-fashioned way — he got on base. Three times. All walks. Doesn’t matter how it looks, that’s winning baseball. A leadoff hitter’s job is simple: be on base when the lineup turns over. He checked that box.As for Nelson Velazquez, the spring standout finished 0-for-4 with a walk — one of those “a little bit outside” four-pitch passes that tells you pitchers weren’t interested in giving him much to hit.On the health front, Memphis opens the season short-handed, with several arms on the injured list, including Ixan Henderson, Tekoah Roby, and Sem Robberse among others — a reminder that pitching depth isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.My Old School Take: Opening night in Triple-A wasn't about fireworks it was about,&nbsp; indicators. Who’s healthy. Who’s throwing strikes. Who looks like they belong. Memphis checked a lot of those boxes last night, especially on the mound. And if that pitching holds, this club is going to matter all summer, not just in the standings, but in St. Louis.&nbsp; The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future

Memphis Opens with a Statement on the Mound

The Cardinal Chronicle 

The Cardinal Chronicle is dedicated to preserving Cardinals history, covering today’s game, and following the next generation through the minor leagues. Written in the tradition of the old beat writers, it’s baseball with perspective — steady, faithful, and rooted in a lifelong love for the game.