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The Cardinal Chronicle In the Spotlight: LHP Nick Raquet - Beating the Bushes St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurSome players take the straight highway to the big leagues. Others take the back roads, step away for a season — or two — and come back stronger.Nick Raquet fits squarely in that second category.The 30-year-old left-hander (6-0, 215) made his Major League debut in Seattle on September 8, 2025, delivering two scoreless appearances on consecutive days. No fanfare. No theatrics. Just clean innings and quiet effectiveness.Originally selected in the third round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals, Raquet’s path wasn’t linear. After grinding through the system, he stepped away from organized baseball for two full seasons (2021–22), working as a consultant for Ernst &amp; Young. That’s not something you often see on a pitching résumé.But the arm didn’t disappear — and neither did the ambition.In 2023, pitching for the York Revolution of the Atlantic League, Raquet went 13-7 with a 3.71 ERA across 24 starts. He was named York’s Pitcher of the Year and shared Atlantic League Co-Pitcher of the Year honors. It was a comeback season that put him back on the professional radar.The Cardinals signed him as a minor league free agent in January 2024.By 2025, Raquet was more than organizational depth. He tied for the Cardinals’ minor league lead with 10 wins and became the first Cardinals minor league pitcher to post double-digit wins in relief since 2016. He provided steady innings, flexibility, and a dependable left-handed option capable of working in multiple roles.At 30, Raquet is not a prospect chasing projection. He’s a pitcher who understands opportunity, appreciates it, and competes for it. For a club that values resilience and internal depth, his story is a reminder that development doesn’t always follow a straight line.Sometimes it takes a detour to arrive ready. The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.

LHP Nick Raquet - Beating the Bushes

The Cardinal Chronicle St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurFray Peniche Honored with 2025 George Kissell AwardThe St. Louis Cardinals organization announced last night that Dominican Summer League Cardinals (R) manager Fray Peniche has been named the 2025 recipient of the George Kissell Award — one of the highest honors in the club’s player development system.Since 2008, the award has been selected by a vote of Cardinals minor league staff and is presented annually to a staff member who exemplifies excellence in player development — not merely in wins and losses, but in teaching, mentorship, and organizational impact.Peniche, 52, enters his 16th season as a coach in the Cardinals organization — his 28th overall in professional baseball — and has spent every one of his Cardinals seasons as manager of the DSL Cardinals at the club’s academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. Hired in 2011, the Dominican native has compiled a 449-462 record in the Dominican Summer League, but his influence reaches far beyond the standings.At the Cardinals’ Dominican Academy, Peniche serves as far more than a field manager. He is often the first professional voice young Latin American prospects hear after signing. For many 16- and 17-year-olds adjusting to professional expectations, cultural shifts, and the grind of daily baseball instruction, Peniche has been a steady hand guiding their development both on and off the field.The award bears the name of George Kissell, long regarded as one of the foundational teachers in Cardinals history — a man whose emphasis on fundamentals, discipline, and doing things “The Cardinal Way” shaped generations of players and coaches. That Peniche is recognized by his peers for carrying forward those same values speaks volumes about his impact.The Dominican Summer League rarely draws headlines. There are no large crowds, no televised games, and no box scores that dominate social media feeds. But in Boca Chica, the foundation of the future is laid. It is where raw talent is shaped into professional habits. It is where character is tested. It is where the first steps toward Busch Stadium quietly begin.Peniche’s tenure spans waves of prospects — some who have climbed the organizational ladder, others who have not — but all who passed through his clubhouse experienced the standard and structure the Cardinals pride themselves on.In an era when player development is increasingly data-driven and performance-focused, the George Kissell Award remains a reminder that teaching still matters. Development still matters. People still matter.Fray Peniche has spent nearly three decades proving exactly that.

Fray Peniche Honored with the 2025 George Kissell Award

The Cardinal Chronicle This Date in St. Louis Cardinals History – Born on This Day: Preacher Roe St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurOn February 26, 1916, Elwin Charles Roe was born in Ash Flat, Arkansas. Baseball would come to know him simply as Preacher Roe, a left-handed craftsman whose career bridged wartime baseball and the postwar golden age of the game.Roe broke into the majors in 1938, but like many players of his generation, his career was interrupted by military service during World War II. When he returned, he resumed his work on the mound with the St. Louis Cardinals, contributing to one of the franchise’s most successful eras.He was part of the 1944 Cardinals club that captured the World Series title in the famed “Streetcar Series” against the Browns. That team was built on depth, discipline, and quiet toughness. Roe fit that mold. He was not a power pitcher who overpowered hitters; instead, he relied on command, movement, and an outstanding curveball. He worked efficiently, trusted his defense, and gave his club a chance to win every time he took the ball.Though Roe would later achieve national acclaim with Brooklyn — including a 20-win season and multiple All-Star selections — his years in St. Louis helped shape his reputation as a dependable, intelligent left-hander. He represented the kind of pitcher who understood that winning ballgames required precision more than bravado.Preacher Roe passed away in 2008 at the age of 92, leaving behind a legacy that stretched across decades of baseball history. For Cardinals fans, his name remains tied to the resilient wartime teams that upheld the standard of excellence in St. Louis.Today, we remember a man born on this date who did his job with skill, steadiness, and the quiet confidence that defined an era.&nbsp; The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.

Born on this Day : Preacher Roe

The Cardinal Chronicle In the Spotlight: Tink Hence St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurWhen Oliver Marmol spoke Wednesday morning, his words were measured — but meaningful. Tink Hence will remain on a reliever’s schedule through the end of spring training. One to two innings at a time. Multiple appearances per week. A structured routine designed to build comfort, consistency, and durability.The door is not closed on Hence as a starter. But it certainly feels like the organization is leaning toward another direction — at least for now.Hence has long been viewed as one of the system’s most electric arms. The fastball plays. The secondary pitches flash. When healthy and in rhythm, he looks every bit like a future impact major leaguer. The issue has never been talent. It has been sustainability — managing workload, building durability, and navigating the demands of a full starter’s routine over six months.A bullpen role simplifies that equation.Shorter outings allow his stuff to play at maximum intensity. More frequent appearances create repetition and routine. It also gives the Cardinals a way to manage innings carefully while potentially accelerating his path to St. Louis. In today’s game, high-leverage relief is not a fallback plan — it is often a critical piece of winning baseball.This feels less like a permanent conversion and more like a controlled evaluation. Marmol’s wording matters. “Remain on a reliever’s schedule through the end of spring” is not the same as “He is a reliever.” It gives the club information. It gives Hence structure. And it keeps long-term options intact.From a developmental standpoint, the move makes sense. The Cardinals need dependable bullpen weapons. They also need clarity on where Hence best fits moving forward. A defined spring role helps answer both questions.Development is rarely a straight line. Sometimes the path that looks sideways in March becomes the smartest move by July.For now, watch the usage. Watch the consistency. Watch how he handles pitching multiple times per week. The answers will come from the mound — not the label.The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.

Tink Hence to Work out of the Bullen

The Cardinal Chronicle St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurHERRERA SET FOR SPRING DEBUT; URÍAS NEARING RETURNJUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals will welcome back a key bat today as Iván Herrera is scheduled to make his spring debut as the designated hitter.According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Herrera will be in the lineup Thursday, marking his first game action of the spring. After an offseason of preparation and building toward the 2026 campaign, the organization will ease him in with DH duties before returning him behind the plate.Herrera remains a pivotal piece in the Cardinals’ long-term plans. His offensive upside — particularly his ability to drive the baseball to all fields — gives the lineup another layer of depth as the club continues sorting through its spring roster decisions.In additional good news, Ramón Urías is expected to return to the lineup either Thursday or Friday. His presence will bring added infield stability and veteran at-bats as the Cardinals work through the final stretch of Grapefruit League play.With Opening Day drawing closer, the Cardinals appear to be trending toward full strength. Spring is about timing, rhythm, and readiness — and this week marks another step in that direction. The Cardinal Chronicle Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future

HERRERA SET FOR SPRING DEBUT; URÍAS NEARING RETURN

<h3>The Ninth Inning Isn’t Given — It’s Claimed</h3>There’s something different about the ninth inning.Velocity matters. Spin rate matters. Command matters. But, in the end, the closer’s job is about temperament. The ninth inning belongs to the pitcher who wants it most when the game is on the line.The St. Louis Cardinals appear to have three legitimate candidates to claim that role this season, and it feels less like a formal competition than an audition under pressure.RHP Matt Svanson may have the purest closer profile of the group. Two plus breaking pitches paired with a 97-mile-per-hour fastball is the kind of arsenal that shortens games. More importantly, he carries himself like a ninth-inning arm. There’s a difference between pitching the ninth and owning it. Svanson looks like someone who would rather attack hitters than nibble around them. If the job were handed out on the basis of stuff and demeanor alone, he might already have it.LHP JoJo Romero brings a different case. Coming off his best season, he has earned trust within the bullpen. Left-handed closers are uncommon, which adds to his value, and if the Cardinals see him as a potential midseason trade piece, giving him save opportunities could increase that value. Romero does not overpower the way Svanson can, but he competes and throws with conviction. Managers often lean toward the arm they trust most early in the year, and Romero may be that option.Then there is RHP Riley O’Brien. Big arm. Electric stuff. At times, unpredictable command. He can create traffic and then escape it, evoking memories of former closer Jason Isringhausen, who made the ninth inning feel longer than it was—only to walk off the mound with another save. O’Brien has that same high-wire quality. The question is consistency. Closers can survive a little chaos; they cannot survive constant chaos.This job may not be decided in March. The Cardinals have often allowed bullpen roles to settle themselves over time. Early opportunities will likely be shared, and performance will separate the field.That is how it should be.The ninth inning isn’t assigned in a meeting room. It isn’t given based solely on radar gun readings. It is claimed, one pressure pitch at a time.By May, we may have our answer.By September, we will know who truly owns it.

Cardinals Ninth-Inning Auditions to Heat UP

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.