Prospects On Deck: 3B Michael Curialle – Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals selected Michael Curialle in the 12th round of the 2022 June MLB Draft out of UCLA. During his three years as a starter at the University of California Los Angeles, the Freehold, NJ native batted .306, with 87 runs scored, 33 doubles, six triples, eight home runs, 86 RBIs and 40 walks.

In Curialle’s first season in pro baseball, he was sent to play with the Palm Beach Cardinals (Low A) and through 21 games, he batted .231, with nine runs, four doubles, five RBIs and six walks. During the month of August that season, he hit safely in 8 of 13 games and 3 of 5 in September as he got acclimated to pro pitching.

So far in 2023, Curialle has showed off his knack at putting the bat on the ball as he current is batting .398 (37 for 91), with 12 doubles, two triples, a home run, 18 RBIs and 21 walks. As of May 10th, he currently leads the Florida State League in runs scored (28), tied for the lead in hits (37), second in batting average (.398), first in OBP (.529) and OPS (1.131).

During the month of April, he batted safely in 14 of the 20 games, with 5 multi-hit games in the process. Currently in May, he has a five-game hitting streak, has hit safely in 7 of his last 8 games, while batting .576 (15 for 26), with 12 runs scored, four doubles, seven RBIs, and nine walks.

The Palm Beach Cardinals are 17-12, tied for first place in the FSL East Division, as they are winners in seven of their last 10 games. The Cardinals have won League and Division Titles in 2005 and 2017 and won the second half title in 2022.

As Curialle stays hot, so do the Cardinals as they are working towards adding another division title to their trophy case and Curialle is a huge piece to their current winning ways.

Congratulations to Palm Beach 3B Michael Curialle (A) on winning his second Florida State League Player of the Week Award!

Curialle had an otherworldly week, with 12 hits and 9 walks in 26 PA, good for a slash line of .706/.808/1.000 with 9 runs, 4 RBI & 4 extra-base hits. 👏 pic.twitter.com/MQxSxWE4p2

— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) May 8, 2023

David Conde

David is the Founder and Co-Owner of Legends On Deck and Co-Host of the Legends On Deck Podcast. A lifelong sports fan with a special passion for the New York Mets and New York Knicks, David has spent more than a decade covering the sports he loves. From 2010 to 2014, he served as a Senior Editor for MetsMerized Online and Mets Minors, and in June 2014 fulfilled a lifelong dream by covering the New York Mets at Citi Field as a credentialed writer. As Legends On Deck has expanded beyond baseball, David has enjoyed diving into more sports, learning along the way and sharing those stories with readers and listeners. Married for over 27 years and the proud father of two adult sons, he continues to connect with sports fans through Legends On Deck, the podcast and social media.