Cardinals Prospect Tearing Up Arizona Fall League, Hitting .429

Playing with the same confidence and swagger that he had at Double-A Springfield after getting promoted from High-A Peoria on Aug. 4, St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Tai Peete continues to prove to be one of the top players in MLB’s Arizona Fall League.

Peete, 21, went 3 for 5 with an RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases in Peoria’s (Ariz.) 4-3 loss to Scottsdale on Wednesday night in Fall League play. Peete stole second twice and even swiped third late in the game.

Peete, whom the Cardinals acquired from the Mariners last February in the trade that revolved around All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan, is hitting .429 through three games. Among players with at least 11 at bats, Peete is 6 for 14, and his batting average ranks first in Arizona Fall League play. While batting leadoff, Peete has scored four runs and he has a double, a home run, two RBI and three stolen bases in four tries.

Peete’s night could have been even bigger on Wednesday night had he come through in the ninth inning with the potential tying run on second base and the potential winning run on first base. However, after getting ahead 1-0 and 2-1 in the count, Peete struck out to end the game. The speedy outfielder with plenty of pop in his bat had swing-and-miss issues early in his professional career and he has struck out four times so far in Arizona Fall League play.

Peoria, which is made up of prospects from the Mariners, Orioles, Padres, Reds and Cardinals, dropped to 1-3. Sammy Hernandez, a standout High-A catcher in the Cardinals Minor League system this past season, went 1 for 4 with an RBI. Hernandez, who played first base on Wednesday, is 3 for 9 with a triple, an RBI and two stolen bases in two Arizona Fall League games thus far.

Third baseman Cade McGee was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts on Wednesday.

Pitching in relief, Michael Watson twirled a second inning of scoreless relief. Joseph King struck out three and allowed just one hit over 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

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Tekoah Roby, the No. 14-ranked prospect in the Cardinals’ Minor League organization, is expected to make his Arizona Fall League debut on Friday against Surprise (Guardians, Mets, Phillies, Rangers and Royals). Roby, who progressed to Triple-A in 2025, hasn’t pitched in a game in more than 15 months after needing Tommy John surgery to replace a torn UCL in his right elbow. Roby, who was acquired by the Cardinals at the MLB Trade Deadline in 2023 in the deal centered around left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery, spent the entire 2026 season rehabilitating at the Cardinals’ Spring Training facility in Jupiter, Fla.

Peete, who was drafted No. 30 overall out of high school in Georgia in 2023, started to show off his rare blend of speed and power in 2025 in the Minor Leagues when he had 24 doubles, four triples, 19 home runs, 63 RBI and 25 stolen bases in High A. The problem, however, was that he stuck out 162 times and had a 30.6 percent strikeout rate.

This past season, Peete hit .300 with 14 doubles, six triples, 10 home runs, 39 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 42 games at High-A Peoria (Ill.). Despite missing time with a concussion, Peete hit for the cycle twice while playing for the Chiefs.

That earned him a promotion to Springfield, where Peete sparked the Cardinals to a stellar second half from the leadoff spot. In 21 games at the Double-A level, Peete slashed .319/.360/.489/.849 with five doubles, a triple, three homers and 16 RBI. Most importantly, he cut his strikeouts down to 80. Including a three-game rehab stint in the Florida Complex League, he trimmed his strikeout rate to 26.9 percent.