There is nothing quite like the summer baseball rhythm in the Ozarks, even when the final scores don’t go our way. On this morning’s episode of The Starting Lineup, we shook off the late-night press box fog to visit with Springfield Cardinals play-by-play announcer Jason Schwartz. Currently in his second year steering the broadcast booth in Springfield, Jason joined us right after a couple of high-scoring, tough losses to map out exactly where this Double-A roster is heading and how the top talent in the St. Louis pipeline looks up close.

Scouting the Top Prospects at Route 66 Stadium

We wanted to get the real scoop on the elite talent currently taking the field right here in Springfield. Jason broke down what it’s like to watch the top two prospects in the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization develop on a daily basis. Pitcher Liam Doyle, last year’s first-round draft pick, is anchoring the rotation and watching his strikeout numbers tick upward as he commands his professional arsenal. Behind the plate, 19-year-old phenom Rainiel Rodriguez—the second youngest player in all of Double-A—just cracked his first multi-homer game at this level. When Doyle and Rodriguez form the starting battery, Springfield fans are witnessing the absolute future of the franchise.

The Pitch Count Protocol and New Rule Havoc

One of the big talking points around the hot stove this season has been pitcher longevity and evolving minor league rules. Jason gave us the technical breakdown on how the St. Louis organization manages prized arms like Liam Doyle and switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje. With strict maximum limits around 80 to 85 pitches, avoiding that one high-pitch early inning is the secret to seeing these guys work past the fifth frame. Furthermore, Jason shed light on a wild new Texas League rule change: limiting pitchers to just one pick-off move. It’s creating absolute havoc on the basepaths, shifting a massive advantage to base runners and forcing young catchers like Rodriguez to adapt on the fly.

Pulling Double Duty: From Springfield to Southern Cal

Beyond the diamond, Jason is a born-and-raised L.A. guy who maintains a massive footprint in college sports. We dove into the logistics of his incredible broadcasting grind, where he pulls double duty as the post-game voice for the USC Trojans. Last fall, Jason actually managed his Trojans duties remotely right from our local studio in Springfield—navigating late-night West Coast kickoffs that wrapped up at 4:30 AM just ahead of a 1:00 PM Cardinals first pitch the next day. With USC kicking off a grueling Big Ten slate this August against San Jose State, Jason is gearing up for another wild autumn of cross-country sports coverage.

Memphis Bound: The Rise of Joshua Baez

Before letting Jason catch up on some well-deserved sleep, we had to look slightly ahead at a name Springfield fans fell in love with last summer: Joshua Baez. Now tearing it up for Triple-A Memphis with 18 home runs and 12 steals, Baez continues to be “appointment viewing.” Jason confirmed that the raw power part of his game is 100% legitimate, assuring Cardinal fans that Baez has the ceiling of an absolute superstar when he inevitably makes the leap to the big leagues in St. Louis.