Nathan Church Stats & Scouting Report

AB	119
AVG	.336
OBP	.380
SLG	.563
HR	6

Full name Nathan Michael Church
Born 07/12/2000 in Newport Beach, CA
Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School UC Irvine
Drafted in the 11th round (337th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022 (signed for $125,000).

View Draft Report

Church was both a pitcher and position player in high school and redshirted his freshman year at UC Irvine after having Tommy John surgery. His return in 2020 was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, so he only got to play two full seasons for the Anteaters. He made the most of that time, batting .341 in his career as UC Irvine's starting right fielder. Church is a solid all-around player who does everything well. He's an average runner, has an average arm and is an average defender in the outfield. He makes contact, draws walks and controls the strike zone. Church has shown power in the past, but a wrist injury this spring sapped his thump and led to too much soft contact. He is limited to a corner outfield spot and will need to rediscover his power in order to rise in pro ball. Though he's officially a redshirt sophomore, Church is already 22 years old. His age makes him a senior sign candidate for teams at the end of the draft's second day or early on the third day.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium

Track Record: Church won a California Interscholastic Federation D1 sectional championship with El Toro High in 2017 and committed to UC Irvine. He redshirted as a freshman and played three seasons with the Anteaters, hitting .309/.387/.438 with five home runs in 2022. The Cardinals drafted Church in the 11th round in 2022 and signed him for $125,000. Church made the jump to Double-A Springfield in 2024 and hit .268/.331/.373 with nine home runs and 24 stolen bases over 127 games. Church played in the Arizona Fall League following the season and batted .364/.397/.418.

Scouting Report: Church is one of the best defensive outfielders in the Cardinals’ system and in 2024 showed that he can keep his head above water with the bat. Church is a lefthanded hitter with a hands-driven swing that helps him to make line-drive contact to the gaps. He has plus bat-to-ball skills with a somewhat aggressive approach. He has below-average bat speed and fringe-average raw power, but he will hit lots of doubles and crush the occasional mistake. Church is a 70-grade runner who’s a threat to steal bases whenever he’s on and a plus defender in center field with excellent makeup speed and a nose to track the ball to all parts of the grass. His double-plus arm and quick trigger allow him to make every throw in the park and nab runners regularly.

The Future: Church has second-division regular potential but will likely end up as a fourth outfielder.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 70 | Field: 60 | Arm: 70.

Draft Prospects

School: UC Irvine Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 22
If Church wants to return to school, he still has two years of eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2019. With that and the coronavirus season in 2020 that doesn’t count towards eligibility, Church was technically a redshirt sophomore this year, but for draft purposes, he’s viewed as a senior sign candidate as a 22-year-old. He’s battled a wrist injury that has seemingly sapped his power. But he still managed to hit .309/.387/.438, although those numbers were a significant dip from his .369/.424/.583 slash line in 2021. Church is an average runner, an average defender in the outfield and he has an average arm. If his power comes back post-injury, he could hit enough to be a backup outfielder, but that’s an open question.

Career Transactions

Memphis Redbirds activated OF Nathan Church.
OF Nathan Church assigned to Memphis Redbirds from Springfield Cardinals.
Springfield Cardinals sent OF Nathan Church on a rehab assignment to Palm Beach Cardinals.
Springfield Cardinals placed OF Nathan Church on the 7-day injured list.
Springfield Cardinals placed OF Nathan Church on the 7-day injured list.
St. Louis Cardinals invited non-roster LF Nathan Church to spring training.
LF Nathan Church assigned to Glendale Desert Dogs.
OF Nathan Church assigned to Springfield Cardinals.
OF Nathan Church assigned to Peoria Chiefs from Palm Beach Cardinals.
Peoria Chiefs activated OF Nathan Church.
OF Nathan Church roster status changed by St. Louis Cardinals.
OF Nathan Church assigned to St. Louis Cardinals.