Early in the 2025 season, a few players from the Cardinals’ 2024 draft class are showing promise.
first-round selection With an OPS of over.900, JJ Wetherholt has been playing well for Double-A Springfield. Ryan Campos, a fourth-round selection, has been displaying excellent plate discipline, as seen by his 14 walks in 15 games for High-A Peoria. Cade McGee, a ninth-round selection, has already made a strong impression and won Player of the Week for Low-A Palm Beach.
However, Josh Kross, a sixth-round selection, has had the fastest start to 2025 among draftees. For Palm Beach this season, the 22-year-old has been alternating between first base and catcher nearly equally.
Josh Kross is on fire this year and has fans dreaming about his future as the Cardinals’ first baseman
Is Kross going to be the Cardinals’ future first baseman? The organization has four catching prospects in its top 30 prospects rankings.
“What’s clicking is the team as a whole,” Kross said in reference to his explosive season debut to Redbird Rants. “Our pitchers are getting outs while delivering their pitches. Getting outs and trying to maintain a zero in the error column are our defenses. For me, seeing the ball that I can harm and smashing it is what’s clicking. I’m not rolling over and chasing balls that are pitches. For me, getting off to this start was crucial since it boosts my confidence for the lengthy season that lies ahead. Additionally, it teaches me to regain confidence by reviewing my accomplishments at the beginning of the year when I’m feeling down.
With six home runs, 29 RBIs, six doubles, two triples, and an OPS of 1.048 through 19 games played, the Cincinnati product has been probably the system’s most potent hitter. During one of the weeks he played, he was selected Low-A Player of the Week for the whole Low-A league.
That week of game action also included hitting for the cycle.
“It feels awesome to win a Player of the Week award,” Kross stated. “I relished the moment I learned that not everyone gets to receive those accolades during the season. The following day, however, it was back to work. Now that it’s over, my attention is on taking home another Player of the Week honor. Wherever I wind up at the conclusion of the season, I want to play baseball as best I can for the Palm Beach Cardinals. The most important thing is to stay focused, help my teammates, and lead us to another title.
New draftees may occasionally need some time to acclimate to the nuances of the professional affiliate ball lifestyle. After the draft, Kross did get an opportunity to make his Low-A debut last season, playing in 23 games. But he is ready for the considerably longer haul that this season will provide.
“I think it’s going to be a long season, and I need to keep grinding,” Kross said. “Whether they are working on or off the field, there is always someone out there who will be working while you are not. I must be level-headed, focused, and diligent if I want to achieve. Keeping my defense as fresh as my attack was one of the changes I needed to make before the season began. Because of the year-round concentration on training in the cages, your defensive skills may suffer.
He needed to prepare throughout the offseason before his first full season in professional baseball in order to have this sort of start to the season.
“I worked on my strength and consistency in my routines this offseason,” Kross said. “I think those are the two main focuses I had in mind going into the offseason so I could come back this year and crush the baseball.”
Given the output being produced at the level, Kross will soon be promoted to High-A Peoria as he approaches the 50-game and 200 plate appearance milestones at Low-A.
