Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - ROOKIE RACE: Are Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt’s All-Around Skills ENOUGH to OUTSHINE Sal Stewart?

Episode Date: August 6, 2026

St. Louis Cardinals ignite Rookie of the Year debate: Should JJ Wetherholt's all-around dominance outweigh Sal Stewart's offensive powerhouse season? The battle heats up as Wetherholt excels defensive...ly and on the bases, but Stewart's RBI and home run totals lead the charge. Can Wetherholt close the offensive gap and claim the award, or will voters favor Stewart’s bat? The episode spotlights the Cardinals’ long-awaited series win over the New York Yankees, driven by Andre Pallante’s gritty pitching and key hits from Ivan Herrera and JJ Wetherholt. Updates from the farm shine on Nolan Gorman's power surge in AAA and new trade acquisition Josiah Ragsdale’s electrifying debut. Looking ahead, St. Louis prepares to host the Colorado Rockies, aiming to keep momentum alive and answer lingering questions about their playoff chase and emerging young talent. 00:00 NL Rookie of Year Debate 14:35 Cardinals Beat Yankees 22:52 Minors Update, Gorman Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-st-louis-cardinals/ Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/mlb/ Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonstlcardinals.supercast.com/ Follow the show on Twitter/X: @LO_Cardinals Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Amazon This Back To School Season, spend less on your kids, with Amazon. With Amazon’s low Back To School Prices, just spend less on your kids. Because every dollar you don’t spend on them, is a dollar you haven’t spent on them. Stance Check out the ICON collection from Stance—premium comfort, performance, and durability designed for whatever your day brings. Use promo Code LOCKEDON at checkout for 20% off your purchase. Learn more at https://Stance.com. Stance. The Official Sock Partner of Major League Baseball. Clutch Parlays Go to https://ClutchParlays.com today and use code LOCKEDON for your first month free on a monthly plan. Pick Smarter. Parlay Sharper. KALSHI For a limited time, Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get up to $500 in bonus credits when you trade $25. Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM to play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) #ForTheLou #stlcards #mlb #lockedoncardinals #stlouiscardinals Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Should JJ Weatherhole be the NL rookie of a year over South Stewart? Let's break it down on today's episode of Lockdown Cardinals. You are Locked on Cardinals, your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey there, Cardinals fans, I'm J.D. Hafford and today's episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account. Use code Locked On for $20 off your first purchase. the St. Louis Cardinals get their first series win. Yes, since the All-Star break. Here we go. And to celebrate, we got the ugly shirt back on if you're watching on the video side.
Starting point is 00:00:45 On the audio side, you can't see it, just know it's hideous. I had to look around a little bit to find it since it had been so long. Six straight series they had lost. Not good, not good, but we got our hands on it, so we're good to go. So we're going to discuss the game and the series here in just a little bit. We'll head down to the farm. Nolan Gorman? Starting to get people's attention again. I'll tell you what he's been up to. But we're going to start with a debate that I think it's going to get me in some trouble here
Starting point is 00:01:17 because I don't think everybody's going to like what I'm about to tell you. And it has to do with the National League rookie of the year voting. Now, it appears that it's a two horse race between the Cardinals, J.J. Weatherholt and the Cincinnati Red South Stewart. And there are arguments for both sides. And both guys are very much deserving. And this is important because whomever wins the award earns their team an extra amateur draft pick after the first round. Plus, you get bragging rights, which is pretty cool too. And that's always fun to hang that over the head of your opponents. The last Cardinal to win the NL Rookie of the Year award
Starting point is 00:01:56 was some guy named Albert Pooholz. I don't know what ever happened to him. But he did that in 2001. By the way, I just finally got him on MLB the show, 26. I've been saving and saving and saving to buy Show Hey Otani so I could finally get Albert Pooholz. So welcome home machine, you're on the squad. But before Albert won it,
Starting point is 00:02:19 the Cardinals had back-to-back winners in 54 and 55, It was Wally Moon and then Bill Verdun and Bake McBride, the 1974. Can't say I've ever heard of that person. And then more people that I'm aware of back to back again with Vince Coleman and Todd Whirl in 1985 and 1986. And then it was Albert. So it's been 25 years since the Cardinals of that a winner in the NL rookie of the Year award winning category.
Starting point is 00:02:46 So it'd be nice to be able to hang our hats on that that we finally got a guy. that was nationally recognized, who you've got under contract with the new extension, is going to be a pillar of your team moving forward for the better part of the next decade. I'm obviously very excited about J.J. Weatherholt's future. I love the dude. I think he's in everything that the Cardinals could have asked for, personality-wise, the way he plays the game, how he's going to be in the community. Everything about him is a 10 out of 10.
Starting point is 00:03:19 It's phenomenal. But when you compare them to what South Stewart is doing, there are some things to worry about when it comes to JJ winning this award. One of these two guys is superior offensively. The other one is superior defensively. And in the grand scheme of things, the best all-round player, obviously it should win the award. But in this day and age, you know, offense is what most people look at. And we've got stats and analytics that can back up either. side. So if we put the numbers side to side offensively, it's really not even that close in most
Starting point is 00:03:56 category. So up on the video side, you'll see the comparison between Sal and JJ. RBI total. Sal is dwarfing what JJ has done this year. Granted, JJ's a lead off hitter. And Sal was batting in the three, four spot for a lot of this year, although he's in the number two spot now for them, but 86 to 41 RBI difference. Home runs 24 to 16. Slugging 479 to 386. OPS 814 to 734. OPS plus 121 to 10. WRC plus 115 to 110. All of that is in favor of the Cincinnati Red South Stewart. Now, JJ beats him in a landslide in war. Wins above replacement. 4.3 to 1.7. he's also up on him in OBP, 348 to 335. Defensively, J.J. wipes the floor with him.
Starting point is 00:04:52 Like, Sal Stewart doesn't even really have a position. They move him around quite a bit. He plays him first. He's been at second. He's been at third. There's a lot of deaching as well, where JJ has been the second basement for the Cardinals 99.9% of the time. Now, he just played shortstop the other night in New York, but, I mean, he's a second
Starting point is 00:05:12 basement. And he's one of the best in the league defensively. second in the league. Not second, not like as a second basement, but second in the league overall in outs above the average with 21 behind Pete Crow Armstrong, who's got 22. Defensive run saved. He's plus 13, which is third best among all second baseman
Starting point is 00:05:33 behind Bryce to ring of the Brewers, who won the Gold Glob and Platim Glove in 2024. We know he's pretty darn good. And then Nasim Nunez from Washington, who's been a big surprise for them and has had quite a season. So you put all this together. And if you want to throw base running in there,
Starting point is 00:05:52 you can do that too, where JJ's, his base running metrics and stuff like are much better than Sal's. He's just a better, like, runner. He's faster. But they have equal about stolen bases. They both got 12, which is weird. But the argument is really Sal's offense
Starting point is 00:06:08 versus JJ's all-around play. And I've been debating this with, and colleagues for a couple of weeks now. And as much as I love J.J. Weatherholt, I think that voters are going to end up siding with Sal Stewart if J.J. doesn't pick up the pace offensively. Now, one player plays in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in Major League Baseball. The other one hits and the worst hitters ballpark in Major League Baseball in
Starting point is 00:06:38 in 2026. I know that's a thing. And if you move numbers around and you can see like, well, if JJ played in Cincinnati all the time, this is what his numbers would be. And if style went to St. Louis, this is what his numbers would be. I get that. But that's make believe. It's not real. It's not real. They just play where they play.
Starting point is 00:06:58 And I think that voters in the end are going to give more attention to the overall offensive numbers. And if it ended today, I think the vote would go to South Stewart. Doesn't mean I have to like it. You know, I'm not rooting for Sal Stewart to win. There was a vote on MLB.com, actually. that had them tied with 144 total vote points, JJ got 19 first place, Sal got 17.
Starting point is 00:07:22 And, you know, in their write-up about it, they said, you know, Weatherholt gets top billing because of his edge in first place votes. He's got a picture of JJ up there. There we go. But after placing second in this poll in each of the past two months, Stewart has knotted things up thanks to a strong July. Seven home runs, 510 slugging percentage.
Starting point is 00:07:39 He leads all NL rookies and is up among the MLB leaders in several offensive categories, including RBIs, homers, and extra base hits. Weatherholt's 16 dingers are the second most among NL rookies, but he does much more than slug. He sits in the 95th percentile of MLB and base running run value. And he has the major second highest fielding run value. Weatherholt's all-around game has made him one of just 11 position players
Starting point is 00:08:04 with at least a 4.0F4. So even while he slumped at the plate in July, the 23-year-olds still proved or provided plenty of value. Now, again, do not misconstrue what I'm saying here. That is that that I'm an anti-J. I'm not. I love JJ. If I didn't have this weird curse of where I buy a jersey or something of somebody
Starting point is 00:08:31 and they immediately go to crap or get hurt, I would get a Weatherhole jersey because I believe in him that much. I think South Stewart is a very good player. And he's doing a lot for the Cincinnati Reds. So it's not that I'm saying I'm anti-J-J. I want JJ to win this award. I would love that. I think he's very much deserving.
Starting point is 00:08:54 And if I had to choose one of the two players for the rest of their careers, I'm taking JJ Weatherhole. I think for the long run, he's the better all-round players, second base, shortstop, 30, he can do a lot of that stuff at elite levels defensively. And I think the offense is only going to get better for him. but the Cardinals swoon in July coincides with JJ's swoon offensively. In his last 28 days, he's batting a buck 88.
Starting point is 00:09:23 He's got an S OPS plus at 83 over that period. That's 17% below league average. Is the race over? No, we got two months left to go here. But JJ's got a lot of catching up to do in my eyes offensively if he wants to take home the trophy. The double on Wednesday night was a good start. I need more of that from him.
Starting point is 00:09:47 I need him coming through in clutch situations and driving more people in. Obviously, got to have people on base at the bottom of the Cardinals order for him to do that. But he doesn't have to beat Sal Stewart in these categories to win. He just needs to close the gap a little bit, in my opinion. And then the defensive side of things that he does, which is incredible as a rookie, playing second base, which is not his normal position. He was a shortstop. I think that would push him over the edge to win.
Starting point is 00:10:15 I want JJ to win. I'm rooting for him. He deserves to win. But I think if it ended today, the truth is the nod would probably go to Stewart just because of the offensive numbers. That's just my opinion. Agree or disagree, let me know down in the comments section.
Starting point is 00:10:30 Again, I'm not rooting for Sal Stewart to win. I want JJ to win. I love JJ. Let's go JJ. I hope he gets the award. I just hope he goes on a tear for like four to six weeks. And it makes this race even that much more on his side of things because if he does that, that's where it'll go. He's just got to pick it up offensively. So agree or disagree on the things we're saying here. Who would you vote for? And try not to be biased. You know, I know we're Cardinal fans here. And so we want, you know, the Cardinals to win. And that's obviously. we would want to vote for JJ.
Starting point is 00:11:08 But if you weren't rooting for a team and you didn't have a stake in anybody, who do you think would win? That's what I need to know. Just give me your honest opinion about that stuff. And then afterwards, right. But JJ rules and then we'll be fine. So hit me up in the comments section. Let's talk about this Yankees series when the Cardinals just defeated New York in the Bronx.
Starting point is 00:11:30 We'll talk about Wednesday night's victory and the series itself. We'll get into all of that coming up next on lockdown Cardinals. Support for today's episode comes from clutch parlays, whether you're betting on the big game, player props or building your next parlay, having the right information makes all the difference. Now, tracking odds across sports books like Fandall, fighting value, building parleyes, tracking bets, and analyzing performance. Clutch parlays is the people that will give you the tools to make every wager with more confidence. And what makes clutch parley stand out is how they make everything so accessible. It's so easy. Instead of, you know, just kind of piecing stuff together,
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Starting point is 00:13:09 Football seasons right around the corner. You're going to want them. Clutchparlays.com. Bring together live odds line shopping, predictions, bet tracking, and analytics in one place so you can bet with more confidence. Fix smarter, parley sharper. It's time for the everyday icon presented by stance as the official sock partner of Major League Baseball. I still got my stance socks over here. Here they are, buddy. The ones that I've had for years now. And then the newest ones that I use for the gym are awesome as well. But as the official sock partner, Major League Baseball Stance knows that, you know, greatness isn't built in a single moment. moment, it's earned over time through consistency, preparation, and showing up every day. That's why
Starting point is 00:13:52 each week we're recognizing one player whose performance embodies those same qualities. We talked about Alec Berlinson earlier this week. Today, I'm going with Andre Palante, picked up his 12th win of the season on Wednesday, defeating the Yankees and helping the Cardinal seal their first series win of the second half of the season. So good job, Andre. The everyday icon is presented by Stance. Check out the icon collection from Stance, premium comfort performance and durability. designed, but whatever your day brings. Use promo code locked on and check out for 20% off your first purchase. Stance, the official sock partner of Major League Baseball, learn more at stance.com. Thanks again for making Locked on Carthage first listen of the day. And thank you for making
Starting point is 00:14:36 locked on the one sports podcast network. Pop the champagne if you got it because the Cardinals finally won the series in the second half of the season. They do it over New York, over the Yankees. And it's no secret. The Cardinals have had a pretty disgusting July, you know, they went 10 and 18. It was, it was bad, so bad that they hands down decided to sell at the deadline, which was the right move, in my opinion. The last series of the team won was over the Braves back on July 10th and 12th, and that was right before the All-Star break. Since then, you had losses to Arizona, the Angels, the Reds, the Cubs, the Blue Jays. They split the first two games in New York, one where both offenses were having a good old
Starting point is 00:15:19 time field day combining for 20 runs and 10 home runs and the cardinals 13 to 7 win on Monday and then they both cratered in game two with the Yankees taking it two to nothing. And again, these are two offenses that have been struggling for a while now, both sides. So Wednesday, it was Dre Day in the Big Apples. The Cardinals turned to Andre Palante, arguably their best starting pitcher all season. And although the Yankees made them work really, really hard, lots of deep counts, lots of long, It bats, credit to the Yankees for fouling off a gazillion pitches. But Dre was able to battle.
Starting point is 00:15:57 Like he just didn't quit. Five in a third innings, he gets through. He throws 103 pitches. Second highest amount this season had 104 against Milwaukee back in June. And somehow, you know, despite the walks and despite the long counts and such, he only gives up one run on three hits. Ball's just short of a quality start, but all things considered, not a bad job, especially in that ballpark.
Starting point is 00:16:18 And again, the Yankees' offense is struggling there without some big guys. But at the same time, you still got to beat the guys in front of you. Same windup was able to score seven on Monday against you. So not a bad job. Ball pin, yeah, got sketchy. It usually does. Their inability to throw strikes consistently was a problem. The combination of Soriano, Brule, Stanach, O'Brien.
Starting point is 00:16:44 They walk five guys. They hit a guy. but miraculously, they were able to limit the, the Yankees to just that one run in that sixth inning that was charged to Palante. So technically, ballpin didn't give up any runs over the final three and two-thirds innings. They get the three-to-one victory and they take the series two games to one, which is why we get to celebrate with the ugly shirt today. Offense, nine hits on the night, but only scored. They had that one big inning in the fifth inning that had back-to-back two out doubles by J.J. Weatherhold and Yvon Herrera, where they burn the center field. or Trent Grisham not once but twice,
Starting point is 00:17:18 which was awesome to see. He plays a shallow center field, and they got it over his head, man. We need more clutch moments from both of those guys, especially with Jordan Walker out right now with the knee inflammation, although he's day to day and he's still working his way back. It doesn't look like it's going to be an IL stint or anything, but at the same time, you take out that big bopper.
Starting point is 00:17:39 Other people got to step up, and it's J.J., excuse me, JJ and Yvon that have to do that. along with Alec Berlison and, you know, Blaze Jordan and Nathan Church had a really good series. The team is still trying to figure out how to push more runs across. But in the end, that was all the scoring they needed. Three runs, that was enough. Palante picks up his Schwellth win of the year, which is now tied for the third most in baseball. Former Cardinal Sunny Gray, Philly starter Christopher Sanchez, lead the way with 14 in the league.
Starting point is 00:18:08 Chase Burns of the Reds is at 13. And right there, Andre Palante, among Cy Young winners, sale in Sandy Alcantara. Rookie Foster Griffin's been really good with Washington, although he just got traded. And then Brewer's vulture reliever, Aaron Ashby, who took off in the first half with all those wins. Hasn't had one in a while, I think. But there's Andre Palante sitting there, which is crazy to think about after how bad he was in 2025. But after that 13 run outburst on Monday, Cardinals' offense manages just three runs over the final two games, but also let's give the Yankees pitching staff some credit.
Starting point is 00:18:46 They're one of the best in the league, even though the Cardinals didn't even have to face Garrett Cole or Max Freed or Carlos Rodon. But they beat Schlittler. They should get credit for that. So it's a bit of a mixed bag there. Weather's was very good in that second game when he shut out the Cardinals. So that was tough.
Starting point is 00:19:03 And, you know, the starting pitching for the Cardinals, how are you going to be mad at them? You know, McGreevy, Dobbins, and Palante, to combine to give up just five runs in the three-game series. A lot of damage done against the bullpen in that first game. So, again, they have no judge. They got no Bellinger. They got no stand.
Starting point is 00:19:23 I get that. That didn't hurt the Cardinals pitching cause. But still, you got to beat whoever the opponent throws out there. You had to win in that ballpark, which is a great hitter's ballpark. So you can be negative about it. Or you can be like, hey, pretty good. Good series win. good job by certain people. Not so good job by other people, but you got the win as a team.
Starting point is 00:19:45 So you got to be pleased about that. One of the new pieces from the trade deadline that they got from the Brewers made quite the impression in this first game. In fact, his first debate with the organization. And Nolan Gorman, remember him? It's on a tear right now with Memphis Redbirds. We'll talk about it coming up on Locked on Cardinals. Make baseball season more this year on CalChi, America's number one prediction market platform. You can trade on every single game. The St. Louis Cardinals are off on Thursday, but are trading at 61% to beat the Colorado Rockies on Friday, meaning a $100 trade pays out $162.97 if they win.
Starting point is 00:20:27 If you take the Rockies, a $100 trade pays out at $2.23.62. You make the call. On Cal She, you're trading against peers in a live market, meaning there is no house. And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out of your position. the draft pick, the game, and more on Cal She. Download the Calci app use code locked on to get up to $500 in bonus credits when you trade $25. Cal She is spelled K-A-L-S-H-I. Cal Sheet trade on anything. 18-plus only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Cali products are not available in all jurisdictions.
Starting point is 00:21:09 Prices, values, and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information, She.com slash regulatory. Nothing like watching a Cardinals game live and in person. You get the excitement of just the game of baseball itself. You got the concessions, the beers, the hot dogs, all the smells, which is always one of my favorite parts about going out to the ballpark. You got the beauty that is Bush Stadium. TARPS off section is a lot of fun.
Starting point is 00:21:36 The only problem is getting tickets can feel like a grind. You deal with long queues, surprise fees, prices jumping at checkout. Doesn't happen with the game time app. That gives fancy advantage with constant innovation. And it's how you unlock amazing tickets and experiences and do it in just a few taps. Very simple to use. You get the game time guarantee, which means you get 100% authentic tickets delivered on time at the best price. And fees are included in the price you see.
Starting point is 00:22:01 What you see is what you pay, period. They give you seat views. They give you zone deals. You can choose your favorite teams throughout Major League Baseball. You can do it in other sports if you want to. NFL's coming up. NHL with the Blues get ready to get rolling. here and not too distant future. So two taps, it's done. You'll get alerts and
Starting point is 00:22:19 information when like new deals drop. No stress, no hidden fees. Take the guesswork out of buying MLB tickets with game time. Download the game time app, create an account. News code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account redeemed code L-O-C-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the game time app today. Thanks for making it locked on Carlos first listen of the day. Thank you for making it locked on the number one sports podcast network. So Nolan Gorman got sitting down to Memphis back on June 12th. I was struggling big time at the Major League level. He was in a three for 50 slide.
Starting point is 00:22:58 I was striking out a ton, wasn't hitting home runs. It was an absolute mess any time he came to the plate. And we had seen him go down this road before. And this time, the Cardinals were like, look, we're kind of in the playoff race right now. We can't do this. Not right now. We need some thump. We need something.
Starting point is 00:23:17 and Gorman needed to reset. He needed to go down again and get some things figured out. Mentally, physically, get it all figured out. We fast forward now until August 6th. Cardals are no longer really in a playoff chase. Okay, four games back of the wild card. If you want to hang on to that, that's fine. But Gorman has been down at Memphis this entire time and things did not go well early on.
Starting point is 00:23:43 But here we are, again, August 6th. and he's now on an absolute tear at AAA. Homer again on Wednesday night, a two-run shot, which now gives him six dingers in his last eight games. Now, before getting sent down, he only had seven home runs and 26 RBIs and 201 at Bats with the Cardinals. He's now up to 10 home runs and 23 RBIs in just 116 at Bats at AAA Memphis. Yes, it is AAA pitching.
Starting point is 00:24:10 I get that, but he can only face who he can face. So to get these results is pretty good. The batting average still stinks. It's terrible. But the power is showing up, which was the biggest concern because we knew at the major league level, Nolan Gorman's not going to be a 300 hitter. He's not going to be a 250 hitter. He's a 210 to 220 type of guy because of all the strikeouts.
Starting point is 00:24:32 But the payoff is he can hit the ball over the wall a lot. But he wasn't even doing that. Well, with the Cardinals. And that was a problem. But he's also taking more walks. It looks like he's being a little more selective. The OBP has jumped at 329 with Memphis compared to 279 in the big leagues. Again, AAA pitching, major league pitching.
Starting point is 00:24:52 It's a big difference. Can he do these things when he comes back up, which he probably will at some point? I don't know. We'll have to wait and find out. But, I mean, is it going to hurt that much at this point to throw him a line and reel him back up and see what he can do and find out exactly what the hell you got in this dude? because it's not like the guys playing third base or tearing the cover off the ball.
Starting point is 00:25:15 As much as it's been fun to watch, Blaise Jordan do some things. He's got more triples than home runs, which is weird. Three triples, one home run. One. Like, we need more. You got to get more from that third base spy.
Starting point is 00:25:30 That just cannot be a black hole of offense over there. So another note from that game down at Memphis, starting pitcher Cooper Jerpy. Toss four scoreless frames. This was his AAA debut, 2022 first round pick. All the talent in the world, injuries have been his problem.
Starting point is 00:25:49 But in this one, he allows two hits. He does walk for everybody strikes out for all the potential in the world to be something special, whether it's a starter, whether it's a reliever, very quirky, very crisp sale like of delivery. And he's recovering from Tommy John's surgery. It's good to see him healthy. And seeing him at the AAA level having some success,
Starting point is 00:26:09 that's good. That's good. Good for him. At Springfield, dropped down to double A. Josiah Ragsdale, who was one of the outfielderers that the Cardinals acquired from Milwaukee on Monday in the Dustin May and Jojo Romero deal, made his Cardinals debut on Wednesday. And first at bat, first at bat, he pops his 20th home run of the season. 110, smashed right center, gives him a 20, 2020 season, which is 20 home runs. He's got 21 doubles. He's, He's got 31 stolen bases already, a complete player, and he's having a monster season. And we hope to see it continue as a member of the Cardinals organization.
Starting point is 00:26:51 Finish the game two for four. The new left-hander, Sandro Santana, which came over in the Arizona deal for Lars Neupar, also debuted with an inning in a third, three strikeouts, lowered his ERA since being promoted to the AA level to 0.53 and 12 appearances. Crazy, right? Springfield lost, too, five to three, which is wild to think about when you got that lineup that we're watching down there and the amount of talent they got. They're not going to lose many. I can promise you that. But the other team got the best of them on Wednesday night.
Starting point is 00:27:25 The other outfielder picked up from Milwaukee. Alexander Friess also made his debut with Palm Beach, got an infield single. They lost two to one. Cardo is going to be back at home to face the Rockies this weekend. Kyle Leahy gets the start on Friday. He's been fantastic over the last like two months. So hopefully he'll continue that. It's always nice to face the Rockies not at Coorsfield in Colorado.
Starting point is 00:27:51 But we have seen them come to Bush Stadium before and beat our team. So we'll see what they got. They got a couple of guys like McCarthy and Mickey Moniac that have been doing some good things. But obviously the splits away games compared to their home games. Their offense suffers. So hopefully they'll suffer some more. they go from hitting at Coors to coming to Bush Stadium, aka the Death Valley of the Midwest.
Starting point is 00:28:15 But Leahy gets to start Friday, Libby on Saturday, McGreevy on Sunday. Thanks for making Locktown Cardinals, your first listen of the day. If you haven't already, give us a follow on X at L0 underscore Cardinals, TikTok, Instagram at Lockdown Cardinals. You can like, subscribe on YouTube.
Starting point is 00:28:29 We are less than 50 away from 15,000 subscribers. I appreciate you guys, man. I'd love to see how this channel has grown. So keep it coming. And if you enjoy daily Cardinals content, we got you covered here at Lockdown Cardinals. For your second list, then try Locked on MLB Game Night. Every game every night until the World Series champion is crowned. Local analysis, but on a national scale, you can find MLB Game Night on the Locked on MLB YouTube channel or wherever you listen to your podcast.
Starting point is 00:28:55 Enjoy the day off on Thursday. You're the best fans of baseball for a reason. We'll see you next time on Lockdown Cardinals.

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