Cards’ Bernal gets back into the swing of things with a grand slam in winter ball

After a hot start in his cup of coffee in the Majors, Leo Bernal headed to the Dominican Winter League and showed off a similar power stroke for the Estrellas Orientales. In the first inning of Monday's 6-3 victory over the Gigantes del Cibao, MLB's No. 80 prospect quickly turned on a pitch by former Padres Minor League right-hander Jackson Goddard in a 2-2 count and pulled it over the right-field wall. COMPLETE CARDINALS PROSPECT COVERAGE Cardinals Top 30 prospects 2026 prospect stats Draft pick stats Highlights The switch-hitting Bernal is tied for fourth on the circuit with 12 RBIs following his fourth homer of the offseason. The Cardinals' No. 4 prospect drove in 21 RBIs across 24 games in the big leagues after his September promotion. The 22-year-old catcher slashed .284/.333/.474 with five homers, three doubles and 12 runs. The 60-grade thrower started 15 of his 20 appearances behind the plate while making four additional starts at first base. More from MLB Pipeline : • Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage At Triple-A in his sixth Minor League season, the Panama-born prospect notched a career-best .831 OPS, 16 homers and 77 RBIs. He also threw out roughly 27.4 percent of would-be basestealers. In a deeply talented St. Louis farm system, Bernal could be the backstop of the future for the next wave of arms, which includes Liam Doyle ( STL No. 2 / MLB No. 40 ), Tanner Franklin ( No. 6 ) and Jurrangelo Cijntje ( No. 12 ).