Cardinals Rumors: 3 prospects St. Louis should call up before Sept. 1
By Mark Powell
It’s time for the St. Louis Cardinals to plan for the future. In doing so, the Cards should call up these three prospects and see what they have for 2024.
While some fans and pundits think the rest of the Cards 2023 season is a wash, there’s plenty of reasons to watch this group.
John Mozeliak pulled the trigger on some rather large trades at the deadline, sending the likes of Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery, among others, away to contending teams. The Cardinals aren’t winning anything in 2023, but Mozeliak believes in their 2024 core. Part of adding to that core will come via free agency and trades, but also players within the organization who have yet to receiver their big-league opportunity.
The Cards added several pitching prospects to the mix, and already had an intriguing farm system to begin with. Here are some prospects the organization should already be looking at as potential September call-ups, giving them a cup of coffee in the bigs prior to 2024 spring training.
Cardinals prospects to add to the roster: Gordon Graceffo
Gordon Graceffo went on the injured list early this season, and was viewed as a relative afterthought in part because of that reason. However, Graceffo has since returned and is making his way up the minor league ranks.
It’s certainly risky to bring up Graceffo too soon, especially because he’s coming off injury and is likely on an innings limit. However, he is the Cards third-ranked prospect and potentially a part of their 2024 rotation or bullpen, should he perform well enough.
MLB Pipeline set Graceffo’s likely big-league debut as this season. His inability to do so would be seen as a setback in the organization, and he’s earned the right to get a chance — even if that opportunity is a spot start — to face some MLB hitters. For the front office, watching Graceffo face big-league competition provides the knowledge of what he needs to work on heading into next season.