5 Cardinals Prospects to Watch in 2026
Credit: Peoria Chiefs
RHP Frank Elissalt
Elissalt may be one of the most interesting pitchers in the entire system. I wanted to make a point to include him in this list because few prospects in baseball match him in pure stuff. Anchored by one of the best Stuff+ fastballs in the minor leagues, Elissalt ended the year with a 3.41 ERA between two levels (A and High-A).
So what went right, and what went wrong in his first pro season? He swapped between starting and relief roles, putting up solid strikeout rates before struggling post-trade to Saint Louis. Overall, the stuff remained strong, but command issues were very apparent. A theme you will see with many of the pitchers I am going to cover.
In terms of raw stuff, the fastball sat roughly 95 mph with about 16.5 to 17 inches of IVB and a spin rate near 2535 RPMs. This, paired with a low release and arm angle just south of 21 degrees, creates a monster shape. It induced Whiff rates over 30% and extremely low xBAs. He also features a sweeper, a harder gyro slider, and a splitter that also induced Whiffs at over a 30% rate.
To take the next step in 2026, we will need to see better command, specifically to LHH. He could find more success in locating his fastball in the upper third of the zone, as he tends to sit on the lower band currently. You could cite reliever risk here, but the stuff is so good, I think you continue to get him starts until he proves the command is not capable.
LHP Braden Davis
I'll start this by saying I like Braden Davis more than anyone should. If you like the Cardinals' 4th round selection of Cade Crossland, you should love Braden Davis. There are few, if any, change-ups in the system as good as Davis’s, but I will cover that topic in another article.
Let's start with the numbers. Davis finished the season with a 2.85 ERA over 110.1 innings pitched, allowing only 4.7 hits per nine while striking out 33.8% of hitters faced this season. So with all of these numbers, why isn’t he a top prospect in the organization? Well, the answer is walks again. He posted a 16.6% walk rate between A and High-A.
He utilizes 3 pitches. In A ball, his fastball sat near 17.5 inches of IVB, averaging about 92-93 mph. He did see some upticks at times as the season progressed. Next, he features a slider that worked as a great swing-and-miss pitch against lefties. Finally, he threw a dynamic change-up that accounted for astronomical Whiff rates through the season. North of the 50% mark. This is one of the more dominant pitches in the entire Cardinals minor league organization. If Davis can even slightly improve his walk rate, he clearly becomes a pitcher to watch very closely.
3B/1B Deniel Ortiz
Ortiz is one of the biggest risers in the Cardinals system and a very interesting bat. However, a lot of his profile and upside could depend on whether he can stay on the left side of the infield. Right now, the defense is likely below average, but there is plenty of time to work on it, and I think the arm is good enough to stick at third if the defense improves.
The offensive profile is pretty exciting. He shows great exit velocities (Average, Max, 90th%) and a solid approach at the plate. He does struggle with Whiffs but did reduce his K% from 27.5% in A ball to 22.3% in High-A. One thing that has me hopeful for continued progress is his adjustments to large jumps in competition. Ortiz did not come from a large college program, so I would expect some initial struggles in his pro debut as he is seeing pitching at a much higher caliber than he ever had before. Those struggles versus velocity and Whiff rate will be something to monitor if he repeats High-A. I would expect to see improvements and eventually a shot at AA this season.
Overall, Ortiz’s excellent exit velocities and ability to pull the ball in the air lend to the dream of plus power and a solid approach. Pair that with him being a competent 3rd baseman, and you have an intriguing prospect ahead of 2027. If he ends up at first, it's still exciting but the profile becomes a lot less rare, and there is a tougher path for accumulating WAR. I will also mention he had 39 stolen bases this year. He looked excellent in A ball, swiping bags to a tune of 31 stolen bases to 3 caught stealing. However, he was caught stealing almost as much as he was successful in High-A. The sprint speed data does not favor him to be a big base stealer, as it is below average. It will be interesting to see if he maintains his aggressiveness going into 2026.
RHP Kaden Echeman
Let's call this a shot in the dark. I'm not sure Echeman will be a starter or a reliever, but he has stuff that really caught my eye. He throws a 4-seamer that got about a 34% Whiff rate this past season. It sat about 92.5 mph and touched as high as 96. At 6-foot,190lbs, I’m not sure how much room there is for projection, but with his current fastball generating 2600+ RPMs and nearly 21 inches of IVB there is a lot to love with this fastball. It comes in very flat near the top of the zone. If the fastball ticks up, you have a near elite pitch; if it stays the same, it should still play well.
His breakers also generated good Whiff numbers as well. The curve generated a 37.5% Whiff rate, and the sweeper did as well. In pro ball, the curve may be more of a get-me-over pitch, and I would not be surprised if the sweeper took more focus. He threw a change, but at a very low usage, and nothing about the metrics truly sticks out. A change may not be needed if he ends up a reliever.
Overall, Echeman is someone I will be watching closely. His ability to spin the ball and create swing-and-miss are all characteristics that are rare in the organization, and I will be interested in what kind of role he plays. Likewise, I will be interested in how his pitches are affected by a pro ball and to see how the curve plays against professional hitters.
RHP Jacob Odle
A little backstory here, I was so excited when the Cardinals drafted Jacob Odle. He had great stuff with a fastball hitting upper 90s, and great spin data. I saw so much potential, and I believe the Cardinals did too with the deal they gave him. Then he got injured. In 2025, he came back and was given the chance to start in low A, and a couple of things caught my attention. The first being the command, it was rough, but that is something you can expect with a young player coming off an injury who already had command issues. The second thing I noticed is that the stuff was not quite what it was before the injury.
This trend continued through the year, and overall, it wasn't great numbers-wise. He ended the season with a nearly 6.00 ERA. I was pretty disappointed, but then I started looking into the data. Odle threw four pitches this season with a 30+ Whiff rate. Almost everything he threw grades extremely well in Stuff+ models. Then, finally, the 4-seam velocity slowly started to tick up, and his IVB average gradually increased.
All this being said, is he a great pitching prospect? Not until he shows he can command the ball more. However, the stuff is extremely promising, maybe some of the most underrated in the system. Likewise, with his frame, I think there is a path to upper 90s again as he continues to stay healthy. He ended the season averaging 94.1 mph, spinning the ball at nearly 2500 RPM. I think he likely repeats low A, but his ability to add velocity and command the baseball will be something I watch closely this year.
