Players can always benefit from spring training as a method to grow and get ready for the season. However, many use it as a stage to demonstrate their skills and worth to the company.
It’s time for spring training! With the arrival of Major League Baseball, fans who have been freezing all winter are finally enjoying some much-needed sunshine. In 2025, St. Louis Cardinals supporters traveling to Jupiter, Florida, will witness primarily young players vying for regular roles. Spring Training turns into a platform for prospects to further up their game, making it more than just a month for growth. Both Quinn Mathews and Jimmy Crooks, two prospects for the Cardinals, advanced to the next level last season. Players who were once considered years away from making it to the major leagues are now considered to be higher-end prospects in the system. Here are the three players I thought would match this scenario, and the same thing might occur in 2025.
Bryan Torres
One of the more seasoned players among the non-roster invites is Torres. He has yet to reach the major leagues in his career and is about to enter his 28th season. At the age of 17, he joined the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 2015, but he had trouble producing any impressive offensive output. Torres finally figured it out in 2022, scoring.925 on-base per game in 93 Double-A games. Over the following two seasons, his output declined, but in 2024, he resumed his high level of consistency. He carried his performance to the Puerto Rican Winter League, where he recorded an OPS of.820 over 36 games, after managing to put up an OPS of.834 over 120 games in Springfield. Although he doesn’t pose much of a threat to authority, he is getting better at making contact and getting on base. 2025 Spring Training is going to be his most significant yet because of his age and the length of time he has been working hard in the minor levels.
Andre Granillo
The pitching has emerged as the most robust component of the farm system. Emerging talents like Tink Hence and Quinn Mathews, dependable middle rotation choices such as Tekoah Roby, Cooper Hjerpe, and Michael McGreevy, as well as versatile possibilities like Gordon Graceffo, Matthew Liberatore, and Max Rajcic. However, amidst the prominence of these pitchers throughout spring, Granillo has the opportunity to emerge and attract attention. He commenced his career under challenging circumstances but has progressively enhanced his performance annually. In 2024, Granillo recorded a combined ERA of 3.88, a WHIP of 1.262, and a strikeout rate of 11.1 SO/9 while dividing time between Memphis and Springfield. He exhibited instability in AAA but appeared unequivocally dominant in AA. The 24-year-old may not be the premier prospect dominating innings in the Cardinals’ minor levels, however he possesses a significant opportunity to make an impression this spring training.
R.J. Yeager
Only five of the twenty-six non-roster invites were infielders, topped by top prospect J.J Wetherholt. The rest of the group looks to be project pieces, save for R.J. Yeager. The 26-year-old is coming off a disappointing year in Springfield, when he registered a .715 OPS across 113 games. But outside of last season, he has hit the ball pretty well across the minor leagues. Across three minor league seasons, he is averaging a slash line of .274/.349/.433/.781 with 11 homers and 10 stolen bases across 89 games. He does average 51 strikeouts a season, but he also averages 91 hits a season. The hit tool is there, the athleticism is there; it is time to bring it all together and really wow the organization. If the young players who are not slated to contend for roster places perform this spring, it will make it more harder for the next Cardinals head management to decide what is the future core of this team.
