JUPITER, FL – MARCH 17: A detail shot of the St. Louis Cardinals logo along the dugout railing prior to the 2024 Spring Breakout Game between the Houston Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Deam Chevrolet Stadium on Sunday, March 17, 2024 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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The St. Louis Cardinals have enjoyed a jumpstart on what was once seen as a potentially lengthy rebuilding project, posting a winning record in the competitive National League Central division as they give several younger players opportunities to develop.
But the team’s longer-term plans to contend might have taken a step back this week as the organization surprisingly lost a young pitching prospect to retirement amid a harsh stretch on the mound.
After beginning his first full professional season in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and then earning a promotion to Class-A this season, 23-year-old Owen Rice has abruptly ended his career, according to the official transaction log.
St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Retires Quickly After Promotion
Rice’s retirement came at a surprising point in his young professional journey.
“It’s not every day that you see a 23-year-old retire,” Patrick McAvoy noted for OnSI. “Rice was a 20th-round pick by the Cardinals in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This season, he began the campaign with the FCL Cardinals and had a 5.84 ERA in 11 appearances. He was promoted to Class-A on June 27 and debuted with the club that day. He pitched 2/3 of an inning and allowed three runs and walked four batters. Three days later, he has officially hung up his cleats and called it a career.”
While neither Rice nor the Cardinals have publicly detailed the reasons behind his decision as of this writing, the timing made for one of the more unusual minor league developments of the season.
Only days separated what appeared to be a significant career milestone — his first promotion to full-season baseball — from the announcement that his professional career had ended. And based on the available information, it seems that a harsh performance in his Class-A debut might have motivated the decision.
St. Louis Cardinals Lose Recent Draft Pick To Surprising Retirement
Rice entered professional baseball after an accomplished collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where his coaches believed he possessed the tools to succeed at the next level.
“Today is an exciting day for Owen as he gets to realize his dream of being drafted into professional baseball by the St. Louis Cardinals,” the school’s head coach, Shaun Wegner, said at the time. “We all knew from the first bullpen session he threw in the fall of 2022 that he possessed the physical traits and physique to be a pro.”
That dream ultimately lasted just one professional season with the organization after the pitcher’s first promotion led to an unfortunate outing on the mound.