The Cardinals are moving two of their brighter young names up a level, with Tai Peete and Tanner Franklin headed to Double-A Springfield, according to Franklin’s father, Jim Franklin, and MiLB Central.
It’s the latest sign that St. Louis’ farm system keeps churning out real momentum this season. Franklin and Peete have both turned into headline prospects, and now each is getting a chance to prove it against tougher competition.
Franklin, 22, was St. Louis’ second-round pick in 2025 out of the University of Tennessee.
The Cardinals were drawn to his big fastball, his aggressive presence on the mound, and the strikeout potential that made him such an appealing college arm. That bet has already started to pay off.
He first caught a wider Cardinals audience’s attention in the Spring Breakout games during spring training, where he was the most effective of the club’s prospects on the mound. Since then, he has put together a 4.21 ERA across 72.2 innings while striking out 11.3 batters per nine innings.
The recent stretch has been even more impressive. In a post on X by Aidan Gray, Franklin’s work since July 1 was laid out this way:
Tanner Franklin being promoted to Double-A needed to happen.
Since July 1st (5 GS):
2.66 ERA
31 K to 5 BB (27.4% K-BB%)
31% whiff% or higher in each of his last 5 games
Improving Strike% https://t.co/ZsMJzk9xi0
- Aidan Gray (@AidanG_Baseball) August 2, 2026
That kind of strikeout-to-walk profile is a big part of why St. Louis is pushing him along now. Franklin is currently the Cardinals’ No. 4 prospect on MLB Pipeline, and his 70-grade fastball is clearly moving him fast.
Peete is getting the same bump, and his case has been just as hard to ignore. The left-handed slugger has become one of the organization’s biggest breakout stories this year.
Acquired in the Brendan Donovan deal with the Seattle Mariners, Peete is hitting .283/.356/.583 with a .939 OPS. He first broke through with a wild performance that led to his first cycle of the season, then followed it up by doing it again on August 1.
He’s been piling up extra-base hits, running well, and giving the system a dose of energy at a time when the big league club has been living through plenty of deadline noise. Peete is ranked as MLB Pipeline’s 16th-best Cardinals prospect and carries an ETA of 2028. At 20 years old, he’s already forcing people to take notice.
His ability to affect the game with his bat, his legs and his arm gives St. Louis plenty to work with down the road.
The Cardinals entered the season talking about a rebuild, then started winning anyway. While the majors have been caught in the usual deadline churn - sell or don’t sell, extend or trade, all of it - the younger wave in the system has kept climbing.
It may not be the loudest story in the organization, but it’s becoming one of the most important. With Chaim Bloom’s revamped farm system continuing to rise, Peete and Franklin look like central pieces for what comes next, whether that ends up being as long-term contributors or as valuable trade currency if the right deal comes along.
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