The St. Louis Cardinals flashed a lot of star potential at the top of their farm system in 2026.
JJ Wetherholt entered the campaign as the Cardinals' top overall prospect and immediately showed why on Opening Day and beyond. Wetherholt played like a 10-year veteran, as opposed to a rookie finding his way, and he should be in line for at least a Gold Glove Award now. Both Joshua Baez and Leo Bernal didn't get promotions until late in the season, but they also looked like stars in the making right away. Quinn Mathews also looked like someone who could contribute to this club for a long time.
Beyond top prospects Rainiel Rodriguez and Liam Doyle, guys like Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tanner Franklin and Jesus Baez have been talked about a lot down in the minors. But pay attention to No. 11 prospect Josiah Ragsdale as well. He came over ahead of the trade deadline in the Cardinals' trade with the Milwaukee Brewers centered on Dustin May and JoJo Romero.
What Ragsdale did in 2026 is show that he can be the total package. He played in 119 total games down in the minors across High-A and Double-A and slashed .295/.418/.536 with a .954 OPS, 24 home runs, 65 RBIs, 37 stolen bases and 25 doubles.
The Cardinals' Farm System Is Loaded
Ragsdale hasn't played above Double-A yet, but the expectations should be high. Look at Baez's numbers for 2025 when he also played in High-A and Double-A to see why. Baez slashed .287/.384/.500 with an .884 OPS, 20 home runs, 79 RBIs, 54 stolen bases and 23 doubles in 117 games. Then, his game took off even more in 2026. Now, Baez looks like a star of the future for St. Louis.
For Ragsdale, his 2026 numbers compare favorably to Baez's 2025 numbers at the same level down in the minors. Don't expect to see Ragsdale make the big league club out of Spring Training. Baez was someone who was talked about all throughout the 2026 season until he eventually was promoted.
Ragsdale could very well end up being the 2027 version if he can take another step forward. He's just 22 years old right now as well. If he can follow a similar path as Baez, there's a real chance that we'll see an outfield at some point in 2027 with him, Baez and Jordan Walker. If Walker and Baez play like they did in 2026 and Ragsdale takes a step forward, we're talking about what very well could be a high-powered long-term group.
It's early, of course. But Ragsdale has the potential to be a star.
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