Cardinals Early Season Top-30 Prospect Rankings

It has been a while since I have had time to write or even had the urge to write. A big part of that was because of Covid-19 and the lack of a minor league season. Now with the minor league season being played for over a month we have some things to talk about. So here it is, the top 30 prospects in the Cardinal’s farm system:

1. Nolan Gorman

.300/.367/.533 10 HR 25 RBI 16 BB 42 K

Nolan Gorman at second base

How do I even start with this guy? He is so incredibly talented and could probably come up to the big club and contribute right away. At Double-A this year all he has done is rake. His swing is sweet and more compact this year and is doing damage to all fields. The crazy thing is that he is doing this while learning a new position, 2B. Long term obviously he is middle of the order bat that could be a legitimate MVP candidate and perennial all star. His floor is Mike Moustakas level player, which don’t get me wrong is still great. He is a player every fan should get excited about and I think he has proven that he can face any challenge which even says more about his character. This guy is going to be a fan favorite and will soon be hitting bombs out of Busch.

2. Matthew Liberatore

4.73 ERA 5 Games 26.2 IP 25 K 8 BB 1.31 WHIP

Liberatore started the year in Triple-A, and pitched a couple games for the US national team. He has a great curveball that we have been talking about since the acquisition and has a slightly above average fastball. The slider and changeup though have become pitches he has started to throw more and since joining the cardinals he has worked to improve them and they actually have. Overall his arsenal is getting stronger in the sense of making his secondary pitches better. He is still in the process of becoming a major leaguer but I think he could be ready by the end of the season or more likely in 2022. The lack of strikeouts does sort of concern me, but I am not too worried because it most likely is the cardinals philosophy about pitching to contact, so once he becomes his own pitcher in the majors his strikeouts will rise because of his REALLY good stuff he has. I’m not sure I would say he is projected to be an Ace, but definitely a front line starter, who on a really good staff is a number 3. Maybe he’ll turn out to be this dominant ace, but for now the signs point at him being the number 2 behind Jack Flaherty.

3. Ivan Herrera

.216/.368/.328 3 HR 15 RBI 26 BB 40 K

Herrera just recently started getting the attention of being a top 100 prospect nationally, which I think is fair to see him as. This guy is very talented and most liley is the heir to the great Yadier Molina. This year in Springfield, he has struggled to slug the ball, but I am not overly concerned about that. What I am excited about is his 26 walks and him getting on base at around 37% of the time while not really being hot at the plate. He is naturally a really good hitter. The strikeouts can be misleading, but again I am not worried about that. Once he gets comfortable he will start hitting for power, but remember this is his first crack at Double-A, so it takes hitters especially catchers a little to adjust. His game calling is good and getting better along with his defense. He’s going to be a really good defender with a solid bat, that honestly will translate well to the bigs and I think we could see him making some all star appearances. The big question for me is how much power is this guy going to have as he gets older. At the moment we are talking about a catcher who is good defensively and has 20 homer potential, but I think he could add more power and maybe even be able to hit 25-30 homers. He is not a .328 slugging hitter.

4. Jordan Walker

.328/.457/.594 3 HR 11 RBI 13 BB 15 K

Lol just look at these numbers, they are ridiculous. He is 19. Let’s just say Walker will be a top 100 prospect very soon. He has an outrageous amount of talent and should be promoted soon because Low-A seems too easy for him. Not only is he hitting for authority, he’s getting on base. I get that it has only been 64 at bats but c’mon. Offensilvey, he is already above the hitters in this league and should be in peoria pretty soon. Defensively, I am not really sure, but when you can hit like him it doesn’t really matter, plus with you now Arenado in town till 2028, I don’t think we have to worry too much about him at 3rd. I would assume you’ll see him move around the diamond to play some first, third, and left field, but he’s going to hit. Once again Randy Flores did his thing. Oh and he walks. His ceiling is pretty high, but his floor is probably TBD. I guess if i had to compare his floor, it’d be Miguel Sano. Which is pretty damn good. So yeah, get excited about the 2020 first rounder.

5. Masyn Winn

.259/.374/.392 2 HR 19 RBI 25 BB 26 K

Lol the other 2020 first rounder is pretty good as well. He does everything on the field, including being the hardest throwing shortstop in baseball. Hahah he is so freaking talented. The Cardinals got lucky he was still on the board, because he was considered to be “pound for pound the most talented player in the draft.” Oh and we haven't even seen him pitch yet. He is extremely fast, a good hitter who will add power as he goes on because he is so damn athletic and probably is your future SS. You will definitely be remembering his name. Seriously the 2020 draft was amazing because of him, Walker, and other(s?) on this list.

6. Zack Thompson

9.55 ERA 6 Games 27.1 IP 23 K 20 BB 2.23 WHIP

I would not say Zack has had the best start to his Triple-A career. He has given up his fair share of runs, has not struck out more batters than innings, and his walking a good amount of batters. But I was listening to Kyle Reis (@kyler416 on twitter) and he was saying that Thompson has been very unlucky with the strike zone especially the inner part of the plate to righties causing walks and him then throwing fastballs more in the middle of the plate, so that could be an explanation to the high whip, ERA, walks, and lack of strikeouts. Thompson has a very good fastball that sits at 93-95 and a pretty good curve. I think he will eventually settle in and we could potentially see him out of the bullpen later in the season, but I am not sure where he sits long term. I am not sure he is a long term starter for the Saint Louis Cardinals, whether that makes him a reliever for the team or if he is traded. We will see.

7. Alec Burleson

.290/.354/.510 9 HR 25 RBI 15 BB 42 K

What a start to this guy’s career. He started off in Single-A but quickly got promoted after 11 games. All he has done is hit and for power. He quickly has become one of the most intriguing players in the system and is making his way to be a known name. He hits man.I think we could see him in the bigs as soon as next year. Oh and he was drafted in the 2020 draft. Defensively I’d say he is average to below average but if you hit you will find a place in the majors. He mostly is a LF/RF but could see him get at bats in DH role or maybe even trying out 1B. Before we call for him to be a top 100 prospect, let’s wait for him to get a full year under his belt. But he is defeinly a name to watch.

8. Jhon Torres

.289/.340/.400 1 HR 11 RBI 9 BB 32 K

The headliner in the Oscar Mercado trade, Torres has made a name for himself in the cardinals system and is projected to be an everyday major league outfielder with above average power and very athletic. He is a prospect I am very high about and this year has took the challenge of being a lead off hitter pretty well. In his minor league career he has been very good at getting on base and has slugged well so while playing his first season in High-A and after not playing last year, he has done really well and expect him to hit for more power and get on base more as the season goes on. He is probably two years away from the big leagues, but he is someone to get excited about. He has 25-30 HR potential while playing very good defense with an elite arm.

9. Tink Hence

No stats for the 2021 season

Another 2020 draft pick, Hence has a big arm while only being 18. He recently has been clocked at triple digits and projects to be a solid reliever and maybe even a starter. His floor is pretty high, but his ceiling is TBD. His ranking will definitely change after he starts his minor league career.

10. Angel Rondon

4.78 ERA 6 G 26.1 IP 21 K 7 BB 1.41 WHIP

After making his major league debut, he was given more appearances before being sent back down to Triple-A. Rondon has solid stuff that will have him be in the majors for as long as the league lets him. He has a fastball that sits at 94 and can get up to 96-97. He also has a solid change-up and curve. He projects to be a reliever or a fifth starter. He is one of those classic cardinal relievers and I expect him to be with the ball club more this year.

11. Malcolm Nunez

12. Edwin Nunez

13. Luken Baker

14. Tre Fletcher

15. Julio Rodriguez

16. Brendan Donovan

17. Ian Bedell

18. Andre Pallante

19. Juan Yepez

20. Levi Prater

21. Delvin Perez

22. Lars Nootbar

23. Patrick Romeri

24. Nick Plummer

25. Edgar Escobar

26. Zade Richardson

27. Brady Whalen

28. Todd Lott

29. LJ Jones

30. Evan Mendoza

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- Jeff Wells (@mlb_trades on twitter)