St. Louis Cardinals Breakout MLB Prospects Entering 2024

Entering 2024, we’re examining multiple Cardinals prospects on the verge of a breakout season. To qualify as a breakout prospect for this exercise, a player must rank outside the Top 10 Prospects in his organization entering the year.

You can find all of our preseason prospect rankings here and a link to breakouts for all 30 teams here.

CLICK HERE

Breakout Prospects

Travis Honeyman, OF

Preseason rank: 16
BA Grade: 50. Risk: Extreme.

TRACK RECORD: Honeyman played sparingly at Boston College as a freshman but broke out after earning a starting role as a sophomore and .329/.402/.506 in 41 games. He followed that up with a standout showing in the Cape Cod League in 2022 where he hit .289/.400/.530 in 24 games. He returned to Boston College for his draft spring but was limited to 39 games due to a shoulder injury. The Cardinals selected Honeyman in the third round and signed him for a below-slot bonus of $700,000.

SCOUTING REPORT: Honeyman’s bat-to-ball skills are above-average and that’s been the case throughout his college career. He shows strong plate coverage skills with a short swing and loose hands, though his swing does have some moving parts with a leg kick and a hand pump. After showing plate discipline as a sophomore Honeyman’s chase rate jumped as a junior. Some of this is explained by an adjustment to a more aggressive approach, but his struggles versus spin were evident. Honeyman shows above-average raw power and will turn on a pitch to his pull side, but his more linear bat path is more conducive to line drives than back-spinning fly balls. Honeyman is an above-average runner and has some success as a basestealer. That speed translates to the outfield where he’s seen time in all three positions as an amateur, though his route running is currently subpar and will need to improve. He has an average throwing arm.

THE FUTURE: Honeyman has everyday regular potential if he can stay on the field and everything comes together.

Scouting Grades
Hitting: 50. Power: 45. Run: 55. Fielding: 45. Arm: 50.

Zach Levenson, OF

Preseason rank: 18
BA Grade: 45. Risk: High.

TRACK RECORD: After one season with Seminole State (Fla.) JC, Levenson transferred to Miami, where he spent two seasons with the Hurricanes and hit .295/.406/.546. He was selected to the all-Atlantic Coast Conference third team in 2023 after hitting .292/.397/.554 with 14 home runs. The Cardinals drafted Levenson in the fifth round in 2023 and signed him for $381,300. He debuted with Low-A Palm Beach after signing and hit .268/.331/.480 in 34 games.

SCOUTING REPORT: Levenson showed a combination of plate skills and average or better power both as an amateur and in his short pro sample. Levenson has a simple righthanded swing with strong wrists and loose hands which allow him to adjust to a variety of pitch types. He has a good balance of aggression and patience and rarely swings himself into outs. Levenson’s raw power is average at present and he shows the ability to get to it by hitting the ball consistently at good angles. Levenson is an average runner who could slow down to fringe-average. He has enough speed for the corner outfield where he’s a fringe-average defender with a fringe-average arm.

THE FUTURE: Levenson is an offensive-driven corner outfielder with second-division regular upside.

Scouting Grades
Hitting: 50. Power: 50. Run: 45. Fielding: 45. Arm: 45.

Zack Showalter, RHP

Preseason rank: 22
BA Grade: 50. Risk: Extreme.

TRACK RECORD: Showalter was committed to South Florida but blew up on the showcase circuit in his pre-draft summer. The Orioles selected him in the 11th round and signed him for fifth-round money with a $440,000 bonus. Showalter debuted the following summer in the Florida Complex League and impressed over three appearances before he was promoted to Low-A Delmarva. At the trade deadline he was dealt to the Cardinals as a part of the Jack Flaherty deal, then after one appearance with Palm Beach was placed on the injured list and missed the remainder of the season.

SCOUTING REPORT: Showalter is a projectable righthander with unique release characteristics that play up his fastball. He mixes four pitches with a fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. His fastball sits 92-93 mph and touches 95 from a sub-five foot release height that creates deception. Showalter’s four-seam fastball is an above-average pitch that could grade plus with added velocity. His three secondaries are all below-average at the moment with his slider showing the best projection of the trio. Showalter’s strike-throwing is below-average but should develop to fringe-average as he tones down his violent operation.

THE FUTURE: Showalter is an intriguing projection righthander with a quality fastball but a wide range of outcomes.

Scouting Grades
Fastball: 55. Curveball: 40. Slider: 50. Changeup: 40. Control: 45.