The St. Louis Cardinals have two superstar prospects named to the MLB Futures Game in Raniel Rodriguez and Liam Doyle.
Liam Doyle and Rainiel Rodriguez have been selected to the 2026 All-Star Futures Game!
Rodriguez, 19, is currently the team’s number one prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He recently leapfrogged his co-star in the Futures Game, Doyle.
This season, Rodriguez has a dominant .870 OPS between High-A and Double-A. As a teenage catcher, there isn’t much left to be desired.
Rodriguez has power in all fields, the frame to back it up, and plenty of years to grow. His development has baseball analysts in a frenzy.
Doyle, the Redbirds’ first-round pick last year, has struggled to a 6.35 ERA, but has maintained over 12 strikeouts per nine innings.
Doyle’s is far from MLB opportunities, and this season has been dedicated to formulating an elite pitch mix, rather than taking shots at minor league success.
St. Louis fans are excited about the news and can’t wait to see the future on full display.
Social Media Reacts to Cardinals’ Futures Game Selections
Here’s what people are saying:
Derick Goold: “#stlcards picked for the Futures Game: Rainiel Rodriguez, C Liam Doyle, LHP.”
Redbird Rants: “Cardinals fans will catch a glimpse of tomorrow and a blast from the past at the Futures Game (via @jbuc14).”
Dealin’ The Cards: “The future is here. Cardinals prospects Rainiel Rodriguez and Liam Doyle are headed to the 2026 All-Star Futures Game!”
Jeff Jones: “Liam Doyle and Rainiel Rodriguez will be the Cardinals reps at the Futures Game.”
Corey Miller: “‘I do envision it every day… They had a minicamp over there (Busch Stadium), and I was like, here is where I want to be.’ #STLCards have one of the top prospects in baseball in catcher Rainiel Rodriguez. He’ll represent the franchise in the Futures Game, and is rapidly rising.”
STL Sports Central: “The #STLCards have two prospects headed to the All-Star Futures Game LHP Liam Doyle and C Rainiel Rodriguez are the No. 12 and No. 22 prospects in baseball, respectively (per MLB Pipeline).”
Cardinals Prospects Are Different Now
Analysts across baseball have been very high on both Doyle and Rodriguez.
MLB Pipeline wrote on Doyle, “The 6-foot-2 southpaw comes with a lot of intensity on the mound — he credits having a chip on his shoulder as a northeasterner from New Hampshire — and his delivery is both high-tempo and high-energy. He gets down the mound to generate a low release height but blows his 95-97 mph four-seamer (touching 100) past and typically above bats. Doyle relied on the heater heavily in school, and for good reason, it generated whiffs at a 40 percent rate. He played off that with an 84-87 mph splitter that was just as effective, if less often used.”
Additionally, MLB Pipeline noted on Rodriguez, “Standing stout at 5-foot-10, Rodriguez packs a punch from the right side. He doesn’t need much lower-half movement to get firing, relying on his strength and bat speed to punish baseballs with consistency. Not only does he hit the ball hard for his age (104.2 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity at Single-A), but he also elevates and pulls the ball regularly, leading to high homer totals and slugging percentages. His eyes can light up against fastballs, leading to some chase against heat, but he makes enough hard contact and keeps from biting more often on softer stuff to balance it out for what should be at least an above-average offensive profile.”
Based on current profiles and projections, the Cardinals have plenty to look forward to.
Cardinals Superstar Prospects Selected to MLB Futures Game