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JUPITER, Fla. — “Too rushed.� “Too nervous.� “Too excited.�

Those are the emotions that come to mind for Cardinals prospect Won-Bin Cho when reflecting on his start to last season with Class Low-A Palm Beach.

Entering his first full minor league season as a 19-year-old at the time, Cho batted .148 with a .270 on-base percentage in his first 16 games. His batting average sat below .200 on May 12, and he had a weighted runs created plus (wRC+) of 83 through 24 games. (A wRC+ of 100 is considered league average.)

The Korean-born outfielder thought it was a time when he couldn’t play his style of baseball. The results “shocked� him.

“It was pretty difficult, but my teammates, my coaching staff, they helped me a lot,� Cho said in English during a recent interview. “They just helped me focus on baseball. I just worked hard. Kept working hard, getting better.�

After overcoming what he described as “mental� struggles, the left-handed-hitting prospect batted .284 and posted a .387 on-base percentage over his final 84 games of the year. The offensive bounce back aided Cho in ending the regular season with a .270 average, a .376 OBP and a 114 wRC+. He stole 32 bases on 43 attempts and maintained a 14.2% walk rate in a career-high 105 games.

At just over two years younger than the average hitter in the Florida State League, Cho finished in the top 10 among qualified batters in hits (102), on-base percentage, stolen bases and walk rate.

“He’s a very physical hitter,� Class Low-A Palm Beach manager Gary Kendall said in a phone interview. “He puts a good swing on the ball; he drives the ball. For a young age, his exit velocities were incredible of balls he put in play. But he just brought so much to the table.�

As a part of an outfield mix that at one point rotated through five outfielders, Cho totaled seven outfield assists, was credited for two double plays and maintained a .984 fielding percentage in 99 games — 56 of which came in right field and 24 in left. Though he projects to settle into a corner outfield spot, Cho didn’t commit an error in 171 innings in center field.

“He was a hard guy not to write in the lineup every day because he didn’t like that,� said Kendall, who noted that the crowded outfield mix was a factor to Cho’s limited playing time to begin the year. “He took that as an insult when you gave him a day (off).�

Cardinals farm director Gary LaRocque described Cho’s development across 2023 as showing “natural physical maturity gains� along with the ability to play all three outfield spots and make the needed adjustments at the plate to catch up to the level of the league.

There were also the off-the-field adjustments.

While seated inside a dugout on the backfields of the Cardinals’ complex for an interview in early March, Cho spoke in English without needing help from James Bae, a team interpreter and the club’s Jupiter complex coordinator. Cho, who signed as an international free agent at 18 years old and became the Cardinals’ first amateur signing from Asia, sees his comfort with picking up the language as another area where he is better positioned than a year ago.

The strides give him more comfort in understanding all that’s being said around him. That extends from conversations with teammates, coaches and player development staff to songs in English like those by Future, an artist he mentioned he listens to regularly.

“I think my English is not perfect yet,� said Cho, who signed with the Cardinals in January 2022. “I think it’s like 60% to 70%, but I can communicate with my teammates. There’s no problem. ... Sometimes it’s difficult in meetings, but my teammates help me a lot. The coaching staff helps me a lot. James helps me a lot. Everyone helps me a lot. It’s really comfortable being here.�

Heading into this season, Cho sees his next step in his development on the field is improving his power numbers.

Cho has a career .377 slugging percentage in 454 at-bats. He slugged .389 in 2023 and had seven home runs, 14 doubles and five triples. He has “above-average raw power,� per Baseball America’s scouting report. He regularly made hard contact when suiting up for Palm Beach and registered a maximum exit velocity of 111.1 mph, per MLB Pipeline. But he produced a 50% ground-ball rate as well as fly-ball and line-drive rates below 26%, per FanGraphs.

Cho, who doesn’t turn 21 until August, feels improved timing can help him accomplish his goal of unlocking his power potential.

“I hit a lot of ground balls last year. I’m trying to hit more line drives,� he said.

The foundation to do so is there.

“He was a tough out. He competes well at the plate,� LaRocque said. “He’s got the ability to do a little bit of damage, and if they make mistakes, he’s right there, he’s ready.�