Cardinals' Prospect Named Arizona Fall League All-Star, HR Derby Entry

Rarely do leadoff hitters ever participate in Home Run Derbies, unless, of course, they are named Shohei Ohtani or Kyle Schwarber.

St. Louis Cardinals center field prospect Tai Peete – one of the brightest stars in the Arizona Fall League all of October and into November – is the exception to that rule because his talents are so varied and uncommon.

Mixing plenty of power with blinding speed, Peete – the No. 17-ranked prospect in the Cardinals system – was not only named an Arizona Fall League All-Star, but he will also be competing in the league’s Home Run Derby on Saturday night. The AFL’s Home Run Derby contest is slated for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. local time) at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Ariz. The eight participants will face off in a single-elimination head-to-head bracket.

Peete, 21, received both honors after a 16-game run in the Arizona Fall League where he ranks second in runs (20), fourth in hits (22), tied for second in triples (four), tied for second in stolen bases (13) and tied for seventh in doubles (five). Also, he’s 12th in batting average (.328), 24th in on-base percentage (.410), 11th in slugging (.612) and 12th in OPS (1.022).

Peete has been the leader – and the lead-off hitter – on a Peoria (Ariz.) team that has an AFL-best record of 14-9, has won eight its last 10 games and boasts a whopping plus-41 run differential. Made up of prospects from the Cardinals, Orioles, Reds, Padres and Marliners, Peoria has AFL All-Stars – six representing the National League and six representing the American League.

Cardinals pitching prospect Tekoah Roby, who was pitching in the AFL some 15 months after having reconstructive Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, was also named an AFL All-Star, but he won’t pitch in Saturday’s game as the Cardinals continue to monitor his workload as he rehabs his way back into top form.

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While working on a strict pitch count, Roby – the No. 14-ranked prospect in the Cardinals’ Minor League system – has not allowed a run over three starts. In 9 2/3 innings pitched, he has allowed just six hits while striking out 13 and walking only one batter.

Peete, who came to the Cardinals from the Seattle Mariners in the three-team trade that revolved around All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan going out west, hit for the cycle twice at High-A Peoria and he hit 13 home runs in 2026 in High-A and Double-A. He did all that despite contracting an illness that required him to be hospitalized for multiple weeks and resulted in him losing 25 pounds.

The midseason absence was the reason the Cardinals wanted Peete to play in the Arizona Fall League, a finishing school of sorts over the past few years for prospects such as Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, Michael McGreevy and Thomas Saggese before they made the jump to the big leagues.

Peete, 21, most recently homered on Oct. 26 when he led off the game with a 408-foot shot off a 0-1 slider from Brewers pitching prospect Win Scott. That ball left Peete’s bat at 99 mph and it was part of a 3-for-4 performance with three RBI, a run scored and a walk.