Meet the top prospects on the Springfield Cardinals' roster to open the 2024 season
The 20th season of Springfield Cardinals baseball will start its home slate on Tuesday night beginning a six-game series with the Wichita Wind Surge.
The 6:35 p.m. home game at Hammons Field will feature a Double-A Cardinals roster with seven prospects ranked in the top 30 in the organization's farm system. Six are pitchers and one is a catcher.
Here are the names to know on the SpringBirds' roster to start the 2024 season.
More: Retired St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright to headline Springfield concert
Tink Hence, RHP
Hence is the main attraction as the No. 1 prospect in the Cardinals' farm system. He's a right-handed starting pitcher and is the 59th overall prospect in all baseball.
The 63rd overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft spent a chunk of last season in Springfield where he went 2-5 with a 5.47 ERA in 12 starts. He struck out 33 batters in 54 1/3 innings.
Tekoah Roby, RHP
Roby returns to Springfield after spending time in the Queen City last season. He started four games and didn't record a decision with 12 innings pitched and a 3.00 ERA. He's the organization's second-ranked prospect.
The Cardinals acquired him when they traded Jordan Montgomery at the deadline last season. Like Hence, Roby has some durability questions that the Cardinals hope to see fixed moving forward. Both have missed time in recent seasons.
More: Missouri State baseball's last year under Keith Guttin hasn't been one to celebrate so far
Jimmy Crooks, C
Crooks is the highest-ranked non-pitcher Springfield opens the season with and he's the No. 11 prospect in the St. Louis organization.
Crooks is making his Springfield debut after spending most of last season with High-A Peoria where he batted .271 in 114 games with 12 home runs and 73 RBIs. He's touted more for his defensive abilities as someone who can knock down pitches and throw runners out.
Max Rajcic, RHP
Rajcic returns to Springfield as the 13th overall prospect in the Cardinals organization. He hasn't spent much time with the SpringBirds as he only made a brief appearance during the postseason a year ago.
He split his time between Single-A and High-A last season. In High-A Peoria, he finished with a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts with 55 strikeouts and a 3-3 record. He was a closer and a starter at UCLA and has latched on to starting games in the pros. He's touted for his control as he begins a longer stint at the highest level he's pitched.
More: How Cuonzo Martin will go about returning Missouri State basketball where it needs to be
Ian Bedell, RHP
Bedell is making his Springfield debut after spending all of last season with High-A Peoria. He went 4-2 in 27 appearances and 19 starts with a 22.44 ERA, 106 strikeouts and a .218 batting average against him.
The Cardinals' 19th overall prospect was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Year last season and he got through all of it healthy when that had been a concern. Earning top-pitching honors last season was thanks in large part to his command.
Edwin Nunez, RHP
Nunez is the Cardinals' 23rd overall prospect and he's making his Springfield debut. He split his time between Single-A and High-A last season and made 41 appearances between the two and finished with a 3.39 ERA. The reliever struck out 65 batters in 63 2/3 innings and recorded 10 saves.
Nunez has a big arm which could lead to him touching 100 mph this season. According to MLB.com, he threw 24 of the 30 hardest pitches at Single-A Palm Beach last season despite leaving the club for High-A midseason.
More: Cuonzo Martin contract details at Missouri State: Salary, buyout, incentives
Andre Granillo, RHP
Granillo, the 27th-ranked prospect in the Cardinals organization, returns after making 44 relief appearances in Springfield last season. He spent a little bit of time with Triple-A Memphis where he made nine appearances with a 6.08 ERA in 13 1/3 innings.
Granillo's Double-A season last year saw him finish with a 3-4 record and a 4.42 ERA with 14 saves. He pitched 55 innings and struck out 72 batters. According to his MLB.com profile, there is hope he could be in the St. Louis bullpen mix by the midway point this season.
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield Cardinals top prospects in 2024 St. Louis organization
