Prospect Rainiel Rodriguez getting attention

[PadsFS07]

:d
Do we just draft catchers. We have several coming up. Let him learn a different position. A place that we are short on.

Rainiel was an international signee for $300k in 2024, like Herrera ($200k in 2016) and Bernal ($680k in 20/21).

Pages was drafted in the 6th round of 2019 ($256k) and Crooks was 4th round of 2022 ($470k).

[Bully4you]

He's definitely a catcher.
Did you see the caboose on that guy.
It's either catcher, 1B or DH.
I hope he has defensive skillzzz.

[PadsFS07]

He's also rather short to be moved to 1B ~ 5'8 according to latest STL media guide.

His CS% is rather good for the league too. Average around 20% and Rodriguez is at 30%. Let him stay there as long as he can.

[hugeCardfan]

I don't really care if he is a good catcher or not. We have catchers. If his bat holds up, I would want him in the lineup 150 games a year. Can't do that at catcher and why tie up the DH spot if he is athletic enough to play another position?

+1 and if you’ve got all those better defensive catchers who can hit decently already and will probably end up moving him anyway why not move him now so he can start getting good at the position instead of waiting until he’s closer to the majors so you end up with another walker situation where he comes up and sucks on defense because he’s learning a new position

He is so not like Walker.

Why have you seen him abruptly change positions and become a good fielder immediately at the new position?

Walker wasn't that good at the position he was playing before the outfield. Rainiel is getting good reports on his defense now, at 18. We need to see how good he might be before pushing him around in the outfield. We don't know what will happen with Crooks or Bernal. Catching is a tough position to stay healthy... If Rainiel is the toughest of the 3 and a natural, 4 years from now he may be the catcher and hitting 35 bombs. He isn't Walker.

Meh, I’d say that if he continues with this offensive upside you have to find him a spot somewhere else in the field. Obviously this is all extremely premature. But he’s already getting “star potential” projections out of him with the bat. And I’d much rather see him develop a less demanding position in the minors while he continues to hit than develop a much more demanding position in the minors while he continues to hit. That way he’s not learning in the fly when he gets into the MLB. His bread and butter as of now is clearly what he does at the plate not behind it. IMO that should be focused on and getting him the most at bats humanly possible going forward. He can always DH yes, but keeping him healthy long term should be considered here. Unless he is flashing Yadi like ability defensively I say find him a new spot and rely on Crooks and/or Bernal and continue to develop some catchers.

At 5'8" and built like a tank, there aren't a lot of positions besides catcher and DH, which I'm fine with especially since he is already showing signs as an effective catcher. He and Bernal could switch positions between catching and DH or Bernal at 1B.

[Jobu's Rum]

Hopefully Bloom knows how to handle his up and comers, Moe would leave him in AAA/AA till he was 27

Yeah like Walker and Carlson. Mozeliak holds everyone back.

Everyone knows Walker was too soon, I'm sorry Mrs. Mozeliak, he is just too incompetent to continue in the role.

[Hachi]

Really intrigued by his profile. Statcast data has him up there with some of the elite hitters in today's game, very interesting to see if they start him in PB next year before a jump to double A

[craviduce]

Really intrigued by his profile. Statcast data has him up there with some of the elite hitters in today's game, very interesting to see if they start him in PB next year before a jump to double A

Statcast data has him in the HOF. He's top in almost every modern measuring stat

[smilinjoefission]

More Freeman, less Franco please

[Hachi]

Really intrigued by his profile. Statcast data has him up there with some of the elite hitters in today's game, very interesting to see if they start him in PB next year before a jump to double A

Statcast data has him in the HOF. He's top in almost every modern measuring stat

Yea I don't wanna jump the gun but as far a prospect I like the most it's

JJ
Him
Baez (Joshua)
Doyle

Cardinals don't have elite talent to me besides them and we haven't had a face of the franchise it seems like in 5 plus years

[ScotchMIrish]

Will we leave him alone or will we "fix his swing" like we did with Walker?

[Rojo Johnson]

Hopefully Bloom knows how to handle his up and comers, Moe would leave him in AAA/AA till he was 27

Yeah like Walker and Carlson. Mozeliak holds everyone back.

How many scores of Cardinal players/coaches are ready to chase Moe out of town with flaming pitchforks? The man is a raving idiot.

[Galatians221jb1]

https://x.com/tjstats/status/1963243046901789152?s=46

This guy says he’s the #18 prospect in all of baseball. Hope he’s right

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Yea I don't wanna jump the gun but as far a prospect I like the most it's

JJ
Him
Baez (Joshua)
Doyle

Cardinals don't have elite talent to me besides them and we haven't had a face of the franchise it seems like in 5 plus years

Yea, I'm with you on those four. Very exciting. Luckily, JJ is going to satisfy my need to see some a new, shiny prospect at the MLB level at the beginning of next year, barring injury.

The other guys might not be that much farther along. 2027, hopefully. That's pretty optimistic for Rodriguez, but he's moved quick this year and it didn't slow him down much.

[PadsFS07]

Hopefully Bloom knows how to handle his up and comers, Moe would leave him in AAA/AA till he was 27

Yeah like Walker and Carlson. Mozeliak holds everyone back.

How many scores of Cardinal players/coaches are ready to chase Moe out of town with flaming pitchforks? The man is a raving idiot.

Doesn’t matter to me really. The guy said something about Mozeliak that isn’t true. There’s plenty of stuff to complain about without having to just blatantly make up more.