Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

Instead of trying to be taken in the 2021 KBO Draft back home in South Korea, Cho moved to Atlanta one month after his 18th birthday and signed with the Cardinals in January 2022. He had a limited run in the Florida Complex League that first summer before taking to full-season ball last year with Single-A Palm Beach, where he was a solid performer. Cho slashed .270/.376/.389 with seven homers and 32 stolen bases over 105 games, finishing with an above-average 114 wRC+ in the pitcher-friendly FSL.  

Don’t be overly alarmed by Cho’s slugging percentage just yet. The left-handed slugger topped out with an 111.1 mph exit velocity – equal to the 2023 max EV of Adley Rutschman, Mac Muncy and Eugenio Suárez – and considering the 6-foot-1 outfielder is barely in his 20s, there could be more in the tank as he matures. Getting to that raw pop might take a slight change in mechanics and approach as Cho too often showed a willingness to spray the ball around, leading to a ground-ball rate of 50 percent. With a 14.2 percent walk rate, he also figured to be fairly selective, aiding the belief that he’ll be an average overall bat at each stop up the ladder. 

Cho is likely to settle in as an average runner, and the Cardinals have already moved the majority of his starts from center field to right. With his previous experience as a pitcher, he has the arm to work out there, and if he can turn more of his raw pop into in-game slugging ability, he’ll have the overall profile as well. A rough go at High-A Peoria in 2024 has dulled Cho's profile, but the Cardinals caution he was still only the age of an American college sophomore this summer.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

Cho could have been selected in the 2021 KBO Draft in his native South Korea. Instead, he moved to Atlanta one month after his 18th birthday that fall in search of showing off for Major League scouts and a stateside deal. That came when the Cardinals signed Cho at the start of the 2022 international period on Jan. 15. The outfielder was limited by injuries to 26 games in the Florida Complex League during his rookie summer and hit .211/.400/.316 with five extra-base hits during his time there.

Cho’s simple left-handed swing is part of the reason why the Cardinals were excited to add him to their mix. He flashed good power with it during a November 2020 showcase event at Globe Life Field in which he homered 15 times. It’s still mostly pop to the gaps in games now, however, but given his 6-foot-3 size as a teenager, there’s a belief that above-average power could come in time. He showed a willingness to walk early in his career, bordering on passivity, which helped fuel his OBP but may change if he gets more aggressive on pitches to drive.

A solid runner early in his career, Cho is likely to slow down enough to move him out of center for good. Indeed, the majority of his defensive Minor League starts have come in the corners. A former pitcher, he has the arm for the corners, and while it’ll take some to develop, he could have the bat to fit there too.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

Cho exhibited power for MLB scouts with 15 homers at a showcase event at the Rangers’ Globe Life Field in November 2020. He was eligible for the most recent KBO Draft in his native South Korea but instead chose to chase his dream of playing in the U.S. by moving to Atlanta last September, just one month after his 18th birthday. He spent the fall bopping around games across Georgia, and the Cardinals saw enough in those looks to sign Cho when the most recent international period opened on January 15.

Batting from the left side, the teenager shows plenty of bat speed from a sweet and simple swing that should help ease his transition to pro ball. Despite Cho’s previous showcase success, Cardinals evaluators say right now his power is still playing best to the gaps, but most expect him to add plenty of pop as he matures and fills out his 6-foot-3 frame. He’s a solid runner for now but could slow down a tick if that physical maturation does occur. That could move him out of center field, but as a former pitcher, he has the arm to play in right as needed.

For all his raw, physical tools, Cho has impressed St. Louis officials most with his drive and initiative, the same traits that moved him stateside this early in the first place. He is the same age as many 2022 Draft-eligible high-schoolers and will already be a half-step ahead of that group with one Spring Training in the books, though much time for development remains.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	04/03/2024	OF Won-Bin Cho assigned to Peoria Chiefs.
	03/07/2024	St. Louis Cardinals Prospects activated OF Won-Bin Cho.
	02/24/2024	OF Won-Bin Cho assigned to St. Louis Cardinals.
	08/22/2023	Palm Beach Cardinals activated OF Won-Bin Cho from the 7-day injured list.
	08/22/2023	Palm Beach Cardinals activated OF Won-Bin Cho from the 7-day injured list.
	03/11/2023	OF Won-Bin Cho and assigned to St. Louis Cardinals.
	09/12/2022	OF Won-Bin Cho assigned to Palm Beach Cardinals from FCL Cardinals.
	09/12/2022	Palm Beach Cardinals placed OF Won-Bin Cho on the 7-day injured list.
	01/15/2022	St. Louis Cardinals signed free agent OF Won-Bin Cho to a minor league contract.
	01/15/2022	OF Won-Bin Cho assigned to FCL Cardinals.