Jacob Buffa, who has been with the Astros since 2019, left the organization after they missed the playoffs
The St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of a years-long rebuild.
As with any rebuild, the Cardinals' farm system will play a major role in the future of the franchise.
St. Louis has four players on MLB Pipeline's top 100 list: infielder J.J. Wetherholt (No. 5 MLB Pipeline), left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold (No. 36 MLB Pipeline), catcher Rainiel Rodriguez (No. 55 MLB Pipeline) and catcher Leonardo Bernal (No. 92) MLB Pipeline.
Over the course of the Cardinals' rebuild, it will be important for the organization to properly manage the prospects, and the organization will have a new key figure in the player development department.
Jacob Buffa, the Houston Astros' farm director, has been with the team since 2019 and has been the organization's senior director of player development and performance science the last two seasons. The report comes via MLB.com's Houston beat writer Brian McTaggart.
Buffa is from the St. Louis area according to McTaggart's report and will be returning to his hometown club.
Before joining the Houston organization, Buffa opened a baseball training facility in St. Louis.
According to his bio page on the Astros' staff directory website, Buffa was in charge of biomechanics and sports science for player development.
According to the website, "he (was) responsible for setting the vision and strategy for how minor leaguers are developed under the Astros system."
The Cardinals are clearly trying to find a consistent message top-to-bottom within the organization, and bringing Buffa into the fold will help the team reach that goal.
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