Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
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hmoss859
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Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
Like this pickup, super athletic LH hitter with power and speed, has some swing and miss in game, but he has huge upside
Just 20yo, he projects as a 2028 arrival to MLB
Just 20yo, he projects as a 2028 arrival to MLB
Last edited by hmoss859 on 02 Feb 2026 17:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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craviduce
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NYCardsFan
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Re: Tai Peete, the other part of the Donovan trade
Kinda interesting, Kyle Reis compared him to a “pre-2025 Baez.” But, he goes on, “he’s different than Josh Baez pre-2025, too, because he’s actually hit the sh*t out of the ball when he makes contact.”
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brock118
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Re: Tai Peete, the other part of the Donovan trade
WHEN is the key word there....that doesn't happen often enough so far.NYCardsFan wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 17:47 pmKinda interesting, Kyle Reis compared him to a “pre-2025 Baez.” But, he goes on, “he’s different than Josh Baez pre-2025, too, because he’s actually hit the sh*t out of the ball when he makes contact.”
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brock118
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Re: Tai Peete, the other part of the Donovan trade
Fangraphs write up on him:brock118 wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 17:51 pmWHEN is the key word there....that doesn't happen often enough so far.NYCardsFan wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 17:47 pmKinda interesting, Kyle Reis compared him to a “pre-2025 Baez.” But, he goes on, “he’s different than Josh Baez pre-2025, too, because he’s actually hit the sh*t out of the ball when he makes contact.”
The third and final of the team’s 2023 first rounders, Peete is as athletic and talented as he is risky — and he’s quite athletic. Twitchy, fast, and strong, Peete hits the sweet spot as a short-ish levered guy with plus speed and plus impact. He’s also got a plus arm and after a speed bump in the summer of 2024, has taken pretty well to center field. It’s a star’s collection of tools and the upside is correspondingly high.
Two years on, though, Peete hasn’t reliably turned all of that talent into baseball skill or production. The scariest part here is that he doesn’t seem to track pitches well. He’ll often swing uncompetitively over spin (the 44% whiff rate on spin is perhaps the most glaring data point in his chart) or chase fastballs well out of the zone. It’s not a bat path issue, as he actually manipulates the barrel head pretty well, but he’s often either not on time, swinging at pitches well off the plate, or both. His front hip leaks early, which tends to make this issue particularly stark on pitches on the outer third, and Peete has no chance on changeups that fade off the plate low and away. Understandably, it sounds likely that he’s going to repeat High-A.
Plus-plus athletes deservedly get a lot of runway to figure things out. A 30% strikeout rate at both levels of A-ball is almost always a very bad sign, but a guy with Peete’s coordination and bat speed at least has a chance to flip a switch in a way that slower-twitch athletes do not. This is a step back from some of the more aggressive forecasts you’ve seen for Peete at this site. His ceiling hasn’t changed — you can still dream on a star — but it’s become less likely that he’ll reach it. He projects as a fourth outfielder with thump off the bench.
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swatski
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
Sounds like Gorman as a hitter with a little less power but better speed.
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rage-STL
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
Tai Peete clubs 2 grand slams
Tai Peete 2023 GRAD | SS/3B, RHP | TYRONE, GA
#20 overall high school player in the 2023 class. I think he looks like an exciting addition to the outfield group.
Tai Peete 2023 GRAD | SS/3B, RHP | TYRONE, GA
#20 overall high school player in the 2023 class. I think he looks like an exciting addition to the outfield group.
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CCard
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
Another guy that can't hit in the minors and we'll waste time and space on. If he can't hit in the minors he ain't going to hit in the majors. I guess time will tell. Another project years away from any possible help. Not a good time to be a Cardinal fan. Who is there to pay for a ticket to go and see play? They might as well have brought up the entire minor league teams top 20 players. People will need a book just to know who's playing. Not a good look at all for the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals. On the bright side for the rest of the league, they're all going to be licking their chops to get to this Cardinals team. 
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Talkin' Baseball
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
The problem so far is that he is all athleticism. He hasn't shown much improvement and seems more exposed the more he advances.rage-STL wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:22 pm Tai Peete clubs 2 grand slams
Tai Peete 2023 GRAD | SS/3B, RHP | TYRONE, GA
#20 overall high school player in the 2023 class. I think he looks like an exciting addition to the outfield group.
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An Old Friend
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
19 HR / 25 SB likely as one of the youngest players in the league (19 year old in High-A) shows the tools. It’s fairly stupid to suggest that a kid who is just entering his age-20 season can’t hit in the minors.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:34 pm Another guy that can't hit in the minors and we'll waste time and space on. If he can't hit in the minors he ain't going to hit in the majors. I guess time will tell. Another project years away from any possible help. Not a good time to be a Cardinal fan. Who is there to pay for a ticket to go and see play? They might as well have brought up the entire minor league teams top 20 players. People will need a book just to know who's playing. Not a good look at all for the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals. On the bright side for the rest of the league, they're all going to be licking their chops to get to this Cardinals team.![]()
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Ozziesfan41
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
+1 people were writing off Baez also and day and his development people started working with him on cutting down his strikeouts in January of last season and he made good progressAn Old Friend wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:41 pm19 HR / 25 SB likely as one of the youngest players in the league (19 year old in High-A) shows the tools. It’s fairly stupid to suggest that a kid who is just entering his age-20 season can’t hit in the minors.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:34 pm Another guy that can't hit in the minors and we'll waste time and space on. If he can't hit in the minors he ain't going to hit in the majors. I guess time will tell. Another project years away from any possible help. Not a good time to be a Cardinal fan. Who is there to pay for a ticket to go and see play? They might as well have brought up the entire minor league teams top 20 players. People will need a book just to know who's playing. Not a good look at all for the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals. On the bright side for the rest of the league, they're all going to be licking their chops to get to this Cardinals team.![]()
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CCard
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
Maybe so. I didn't do a deep dive into his numbers or age. but tell me then, what weight do you give the 19 homeruns and 25 stolen bases then?An Old Friend wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:41 pm19 HR / 25 SB likely as one of the youngest players in the league (19 year old in High-A) shows the tools. It’s fairly stupid to suggest that a kid who is just entering his age-20 season can’t hit in the minors.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:34 pm Another guy that can't hit in the minors and we'll waste time and space on. If he can't hit in the minors he ain't going to hit in the majors. I guess time will tell. Another project years away from any possible help. Not a good time to be a Cardinal fan. Who is there to pay for a ticket to go and see play? They might as well have brought up the entire minor league teams top 20 players. People will need a book just to know who's playing. Not a good look at all for the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals. On the bright side for the rest of the league, they're all going to be licking their chops to get to this Cardinals team.![]()
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An Old Friend
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
When a 19 year old does that in High-A, it tells me has the power and speed to compete. It’s a tough level at that age and he did a lot of damage when he made contact.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:44 pmMaybe so. I didn't do a deep dive into his numbers or age. but tell me then, what weight do you give the 19 homeruns and 25 stolen bases then?An Old Friend wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:41 pm19 HR / 25 SB likely as one of the youngest players in the league (19 year old in High-A) shows the tools. It’s fairly stupid to suggest that a kid who is just entering his age-20 season can’t hit in the minors.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:34 pm Another guy that can't hit in the minors and we'll waste time and space on. If he can't hit in the minors he ain't going to hit in the majors. I guess time will tell. Another project years away from any possible help. Not a good time to be a Cardinal fan. Who is there to pay for a ticket to go and see play? They might as well have brought up the entire minor league teams top 20 players. People will need a book just to know who's playing. Not a good look at all for the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals. On the bright side for the rest of the league, they're all going to be licking their chops to get to this Cardinals team.![]()
Bloom is trying to raise the ceiling here, not the floor.
For reference, Josh Baez… who fans are really excited about… played High-A at 21 and hit .225 with 10 HR / 19 SB in about 70 games.
Last edited by An Old Friend on 02 Feb 2026 20:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Absolut
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
Facts and logic will not be toleratedAn Old Friend wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:41 pm19 HR / 25 SB likely as one of the youngest players in the league (19 year old in High-A) shows the tools. It’s fairly stupid to suggest that a kid who is just entering his age-20 season can’t hit in the minors.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:34 pm Another guy that can't hit in the minors and we'll waste time and space on. If he can't hit in the minors he ain't going to hit in the majors. I guess time will tell. Another project years away from any possible help. Not a good time to be a Cardinal fan. Who is there to pay for a ticket to go and see play? They might as well have brought up the entire minor league teams top 20 players. People will need a book just to know who's playing. Not a good look at all for the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals. On the bright side for the rest of the league, they're all going to be licking their chops to get to this Cardinals team.![]()
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CCard
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
It tells me that he's years away from helping the major league team if he even gets there at all. So pardon me if I'm not impressed at another lotto ticket.An Old Friend wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:48 pmWhen a 19 year old does that in High-A, it tells me has the power and speed to compete. It’s a tough level at that age and he did a lot of damage when he made contact.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:44 pmMaybe so. I didn't do a deep dive into his numbers or age. but tell me then, what weight do you give the 19 homeruns and 25 stolen bases then?An Old Friend wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:41 pm19 HR / 25 SB likely as one of the youngest players in the league (19 year old in High-A) shows the tools. It’s fairly stupid to suggest that a kid who is just entering his age-20 season can’t hit in the minors.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:34 pm Another guy that can't hit in the minors and we'll waste time and space on. If he can't hit in the minors he ain't going to hit in the majors. I guess time will tell. Another project years away from any possible help. Not a good time to be a Cardinal fan. Who is there to pay for a ticket to go and see play? They might as well have brought up the entire minor league teams top 20 players. People will need a book just to know who's playing. Not a good look at all for the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals. On the bright side for the rest of the league, they're all going to be licking their chops to get to this Cardinals team.![]()
Bloom is trying to raise the ceiling here, not the floor.
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An Old Friend
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Re: Tai Peete, the other player in the Donovan trade
That’s fine… you value proximity over ceiling. That gets you the Fitts / Dobbins / Ledbetters of the world.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:52 pmIt tells me that he's years away from helping the major league team if he even gets there at all. So pardon me if I'm not impressed at another lotto ticket.An Old Friend wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:48 pmWhen a 19 year old does that in High-A, it tells me has the power and speed to compete. It’s a tough level at that age and he did a lot of damage when he made contact.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:44 pmMaybe so. I didn't do a deep dive into his numbers or age. but tell me then, what weight do you give the 19 homeruns and 25 stolen bases then?An Old Friend wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:41 pm19 HR / 25 SB likely as one of the youngest players in the league (19 year old in High-A) shows the tools. It’s fairly stupid to suggest that a kid who is just entering his age-20 season can’t hit in the minors.CCard wrote: ↑02 Feb 2026 20:34 pm Another guy that can't hit in the minors and we'll waste time and space on. If he can't hit in the minors he ain't going to hit in the majors. I guess time will tell. Another project years away from any possible help. Not a good time to be a Cardinal fan. Who is there to pay for a ticket to go and see play? They might as well have brought up the entire minor league teams top 20 players. People will need a book just to know who's playing. Not a good look at all for the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals. On the bright side for the rest of the league, they're all going to be licking their chops to get to this Cardinals team.![]()
Bloom is trying to raise the ceiling here, not the floor.
Those guys help raise the floor. You need players with big upside, too.