Cardinals fall to Diamondbacks 3-2 on July 18 despite a Paul Goldschmidt HR. While the team battles, a top analyst labels a Cards prospect a 'superstar'.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was another one of *those* nights. A game filled with grit, a late-inning power surge, and crucial plays, only to end in a frustratingly close 3-2 loss to the Diamondbacks. While the sting of stranding the tying run in the ninth is fresh, the biggest Cardinals news on Friday didn't happen at Chase Field. It came from a top prospect analyst, who declared something fans have been waiting years to hear: the Cardinals finally have a 'true superstar' brewing in the minors.
The Cardinals now have a 'true superstar' in their farm system.
The box score tells a familiar story of a tightly contested battle. Starter Andre Pallante was solid, not spectacular, navigating 5.2 innings and keeping the team in it despite allowing three runs. The offense sputtered early before Nolan Gorman sparked some life with an RBI double in the fourth. Down 3-1 in the eighth, Paul Goldschmidt did what he does best, launching his 18th home run of the year to pull the Cardinals within one. After a shutdown inning from Ryan Helsley, the stage was set for a ninth-inning comeback, but it wasn't to be. A leadoff single was erased by a double play, and after a walk put the tying run on second, Masyn Winn's groundout sealed the tough loss.
While the big-league club fights through injuries—with Nolan Arenado still day-to-day (finger) and Lars Nootbaar on the IL (ribs)—the organization received a massive vote of confidence. A leading MLB prospect expert declared that St. Louis boasts a 'true superstar' in its farm system, a potential franchise-altering talent. While the analyst didn't name names, speculation immediately centers on 2024 first-round pick JJ Wetherholt and dominant left-hander Quinn Mathews. After years of developing solid contributors, the idea of a top-tier, impact player on the cusp of the majors is a powerful antidote to a tough loss.
The front office is clearly working to build the next wave, and the 2025 draft strategy confirms it. The Cardinals went all-in on high-octane pitching, selecting lefty Liam Doyle and his elite fastball with their top pick. They followed up by grabbing hard-throwing righties Tanner Franklin and Ty Van Dyke, the latter of whom posted an absurd 1.52 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 47.1 innings in his senior year at Stetson. It wasn't all pitching, as second-round outfielder Ryan Mitchell brings elite contact skills to the system, but the message is clear: the future Cardinals rotation could be bringing the heat.
Tonight's loss is a tough pill to swallow, no doubt. But for the first time in a while, the future feels more than just hopeful—it feels imminent. With a potential superstar on the way and a new class of power arms stocking the system, these close losses might soon be a thing of the past. Now, all eyes turn to Saturday's game, where the Cardinals will look to even the series and hopefully get Nolan Arenado's bat back in the starting lineup.
