Checking In on Cardinals Playing Winter Ball
Credit: Criollos De Caguas
This season, a few Cardinals have been playing winter ball down in the D.R., Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Venezuela, though it feels like the number of players is way lower than in years past under the old regime. Notable names that have played include new 40-man addition Bryan Torres, Cesar Prieto, and one of the Cardinals’ most promising prospects, Deniel Ortiz. Cardinals legend Yadier Molina also took over a struggling Navegantes del Magallanes team in Venezuela and has led them to an over-.500 record since assuming the managerial role.
LIDOM
INF Cesar Prieto
As I mentioned in my winter ball preview article, Prieto switched winter league squads in 2025 from Águilas Cibaeñas to Leones del Escogido. He played 14 games for the Leones, slashing .268/.362/.268 for a .630 OPS with no extra-base hits, while mainly playing second base. He was recently replaced by Jorge Mateo as the starting second baseman for Escogido, meaning his participation is likely complete.
UTIL Bryan Torres
Bryan Torres will show up twice in this article, as he has played in both LIDOM and LBPRC this offseason and was added to the 40-man roster at the start of the offseason. For Toros del Este, he played only eight games due to Hurricane Melissa canceling over a week and a half of games. In that short sample size, Torres slashed .333/.389/.485 for an .874 OPS with three extra-base hits, including a homer.
RHP Gerson Moreno
The Cardinals signed Moreno in July and decided to retain him on their Memphis roster for the start of the 2026 season. Moreno has pitched for Toros del Este this winter and has had a ton of success as one of the team’s top leverage relievers. In 21 games, Moreno has thrown 16.1 innings with a 1.65 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts, good for an 11.0 K/9 against just a 2.8 BB/9. The 29-year-old could be a sneaky MLB bullpen option in 2026, as he also posted a 1.23 ERA in Memphis in a limited sample size.
LVBP
Yadier Molina
Molina returned to Navegantes del Magallanes, where he previously managed in 2022, after the GM fired the previous manager following a 5–11 start. Since then, Yadi has led the team to a 17–13 record and brought them from six games below .500 and well out of a playoff spot to the sixth and final playoff position at 22–24. With nine games left in the LVBP regular season, Magallanes currently holds the final spot over La Guaira by one game. One area Yadi will need to improve if he wants to eventually become an MLB manager is his temper, as he has already been ejected multiple times in a small sample size, a consistent issue throughout his managerial tenures.
RHP Jose Davila
The one Cardinal who has consistently started in the winter leagues is Jose Davila, who has made 10 starts for Águilas de Zulia, posting a 3.10 ERA in 40.2 innings with a 1.37 WHIP and 33 strikeouts. He has had multiple six-inning, one-run-or-less performances, which are very strong outings for a winter league. After a rough season in Peoria, where Davila posted an ERA above 6.00, it’s good to see him getting back on track with a solid LVBP campaign.
OF Mike Antico
One of the few American imports this winter ball season, Antico played 12 games for Navegantes del Magallanes at the start of the year before Yadi began managing the team. He struggled to adapt to the environment, slashing just .222/.300/.259 for a .559 OPS with only one extra-base hit. Antico played a solid center field and will continue to fill that depth role at Memphis in 2026.
SS Jeremy Rivas
Last season, Rivas flashed more power in the LVBP, which made me really excited about him in 2025. While he did show more power this year, it came at the expense of both his on-base percentage and batting average taking major dips. In 10 games with the Bravos this season, Rivas has slashed .214/.258/.286 for a .544 OPS with a couple of extra-base hits. Rivas is still only 22 years old and is the best infield defender in the organization, but the bat lags behind, and I hope to see progress in 2026.
LBPRC
UTIL Bryan Torres
After finishing his short stint with Toros in the D.R., Torres made his way back to his home country of Puerto Rico, where he signed a new contract with Criollos de Caguas over the summer. Torres has mainly played center field, with some time at second base, and has been the team’s primary leadoff hitter. He has slashed .312/.387/.404 for a .791 OPS in 29 games, with a homer and seven extra-base hits. Torres, the 2024 LBPRC MVP, is likely to be part of the WBC as a utility man for Team Puerto Rico, and his consistent performance in the winter leagues and at Triple-A shows why he may be a starting outfielder for Yadier Molina’s squad.
3B Deniel Ortiz
Probably the most exciting prospect playing winter ball this season, Ortiz came off a very strong year between Palm Beach and Peoria, where he posted an OPS close to .900. While Ortiz has only slashed .216/.327/.261 for a .588 OPS in 26 games this season, he has been getting consistent playing time and, after starting slow, has found his footing more recently with a strong couple of weeks. One thing that has stood out when watching Ortiz is that his defense at third base looks good, as he has played there in almost all of his games and looks much more comfortable at the position than he did earlier in the pro season at Palm Beach.
C Sammy Hernandez
Similar to Ortiz, Hernandez got off to a slow start this season but has heated up in recent days, recording both a four-hit and a two-hit game within the past week. Hernandez has been in a timeshare with another Ponce catcher, limiting him to 17 games this season, but he has been solid, slashing .244/.319/.317 for a .636 OPS with three doubles. He has also continued to be a solid catcher behind the plate, an area where he has steadily progressed.
LMP
3B Ramon Mendoza
Mendoza is one of the main players for the newly formed Tucson Baseball Team in the Mexican Winter League, serving as the team’s primary third baseman. Mendoza has struggled offensively, slashing .210/.300/.293 for a .593 OPS with a homer and nine doubles in 51 games. He has continued to be a plus defender at third base, but the offense has been a bit underwhelming given the strong season he had in Springfield.
RHP Giovanni Vargas
Every year, it seems one player breaks out during the winter leagues and ends up on my radar heading into the next season. This year, that player is 19-year-old Giovanni Vargas, who has been excellent for Yaquis de Obregón. In 10 appearances, Vargas has thrown 15.2 innings with a 1.15 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, and eight strikeouts. While he is not much of a strikeout pitcher, Vargas has limited far more experienced hitters to just 5.7 hits per nine innings, which is impressive given the offense-friendly environment of the LMP. Vargas made only one appearance at Palm Beach this past season, but this strong campaign has put him firmly on my radar heading into 2026.
