Editor’s Note: I posted about Tai Peete and got a DM because my post was similar to something someone had done. Google Tai Peete, I am one of the first things to come up. Hence forth, anyone who tweets or posts about Tai Peete I will be messaging and saying I noticed him first! (Sarcasm).
Full disclosure, I have a Tai Peete Bowman 1st True Gold auto in a PSA 10. The PSA 10 of this card hasn't sold in a few months, but it’s probably in the $500 range. Cards like these, if the player is good, are very sought after. Kevin McGonigle’s version of this card just sold for over $12,000.
Tai Peete is not Kevin McGonigle…. Yet.
So, I will be doing weekly updates on Tai Peete’s progression this season, in hopes that he continues to improve, becomes Kevin McGongile, and helps me pay for a house. I will do this in the same format as my other blogs, but this one will be a little more in-depth since it's the first.
What You Need To Know
When the Cardinals traded Brendan Donovan, most of the attention understandably went towards him. Of course, for me, all I could think about was Tai Peete.
Now, a month into his first year with the Cardinals organization, Peete is starting to make his mark.
Peete is hitting .286 with a .919 OPS, and the power has shown up quickly. Four home runs in 98 at-bats may not sound ridiculous on its own, but when you add the extra-base impact, the run production, and the fact that he is walking at a higher clip than last year it seems like things are starting to come together.
What I Like
The first thing that stands out is the damage. Peete’s OPS is sitting at .919, and FanGraphs has him with a strong .272 ISO. He is doing real extra-base damage, and currently leads the Cardinals farm system with 14.
Second, he is currently hitting 70 points higher than he did in 2025. That is all patience and looking for the right pitches, which is evident by his BB/K numbers improving.
The third thing is, he is still 20 years old people. He started playing in the minors at 17 years old.
What I’m Watching
The obvious one: strikeouts.
FanGraphs has Peete at a 30.1% strikeout rate in its current 2026 minor league sample. He had a 30.6 % rate in 2025, and a 30.7 % rate in 2024. His BB% is the best it has ever been, so it does at least seem like he is being a little more patient.
Where He Stands Now
Every week I will show the changes from the previous week. For now, I will just list them.
Average (AVG): .283
On-Base Percentage (OBP): .359
Slugging Percentage (SLG): .554
OPS: .914
Home Runs: 4
RBI: 20
SB: 4
See you next week.