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The St. Louis Cardinals named prospects Cesar Prieto and Darlin Saladin the minor league players of the month. Both players performed well in the month of May and were well deserving of the honor.
Prieto Continues Stellar Offensive Production
The Cardinals made some excellent additions to the farm system at the trade deadline last season. The Cardinals’ prospect Cesar Prieto was one that may have flown under the radar for some. However, he is showing now that he could be a key piece in the near future.
The young infielder Prieto ranked at the top among all Cardinals’ minor leaguers in several offensive categories in May. He ranked second with an OPS of .880, 14 extra base hits, five homers, and slugging percentage at .537. Additionally, he ranked third with 51 total bases and fourth with 15 RBI’S and runs scored with 16. The left-handed hitter also had a 20-game on-base streak. Prieto’s game continues to develop, and he could get a taste of the big leagues sooner than later.
New Pitching Prospect to Keep an Eye On
The Cardinals signed Saladin as an international free agent in 2019. The young hurler spent his first two professional seasons pitching for the Cardinals’ Dominican Summer League affiliate. The young righty then pitched twelve games for the Florida Complex League Cardinals and one game for Palm Beach in 2023. He was then assigned to Single-A Palm Beach to start the 2024 season, and he hasn’t disappointed. In eight appearances this season at Palm Beach, Saladin has an impressive 1.98 ERA, 51 strikeouts over 41 innings pitched, and a 0.95 WHIP.
The 21 year old righty had an eye-opening month of May, posting a 0.69 ERA, 0.81 WHIP with 37 strikeouts across five starts. Saladin started the month with a 15-inning scoreless streak. Additionally, he set a career high with nine strikeouts in his start versus Daytona. He ranked first in the organization in ERA and second in WHIP and strikeouts. The Dominican native is progressing nicely and is undoubtedly a prospect to keep an eye on.
Cardinals’ Minor League Depth Is Improving
St. Louis has been making some improvements in their depth at the minor league level. The organization has had several good drafts and has added some promising prospects via international signings. Furthermore, the organization made some excellent additions at the 2023 trade deadline, including Prieto. If they can do a better job at developing pitching over the next few years, there are several good pitching prospects that could make an impact soon.
