Top Prospects in the Cardinals Organization

By Tom @CardinalsGM.com

This is a project that is being done by the United Cardinal Bloggers. You can find others similar to this article at their website.

The prospect list for the Cardinals at the top of the list has remaining mostly the same with a few names moving a spot of two during the season. Here is a list of the Top Ten prospects as to how I believe they will help the Cardinals in the near future.

  1. Oscar Taveras – He has not been to AAA ball yet but he has shown he has all the tools to play the game. His bat has been consistent as he hit .321 in Springfield and amassed 67 extra base hits of the 153 total hits. Also, he stole 10  bases and walked 42 times to show he is maturing at the plate. Taveras is on pace to make a big splash in the major leagues but probably stays in Memphis for the entire 2013 season unless injuries hit the major league club.
  2. Shelby Miller – The consensus #1 on most list, Miller went through a rough stretch at Memphis but battled out of it to finish 11-10 on the season. Miller is a control pitcher as he struck out 160 and walked only 50 during the season. The late September call-up will give Cardinal fans a glimpse of his abilities and expect Shelby to break Spring Training in 2013 as a rotation member of the major league Cardinals.
  3. Kolten Wong- Wong has vaulted through the system and has shown, since they drafted him out of the University of Hawaii, he is very close to major league ready. He batted .287 at AA Springfield and drove in 52 runs with 9 home runs and stole 21 bases. With the the flux of second basemen for the Cardinals, it is likely he may see major league time at the start of the 2013 season.
  4. Carlos Martinez- This 6’5” right-hander has the stuff to be a frontline pitcher. He split time between Palm Beach and Springfield and ended the year with a combined 6-5 record with 92 strikeouts and 32 walks. His changeup and curve are above adequate and his fastball hits the high 90’s and a few times it creeps into the triple digits. Martinez will likely begin in the rotation at Memphis (AAA) and spend another year preparing for the major leagues.
  5. Matt Adams- This big guy can hit. He has shown that at all levels and finds himself in an intriguing position. He hit 18 home runs and 2 at the major leagues and batted .329 while playing in Memphis. Question for Adams remains whether the Cardinals consider him as their regular first baseman or not. It is a possibility that he may be included in a deal the team makes in the off-season but is just as likely a different deal could be made to vault him into a starting spot on the Cardinals roster.
  6. Trevor Rosenthal- Rosenthal got the call to the bigs before any of the prospect on the list and has shown the ability to toss the ball in triple digits. One thing he has going for him is his control. At Memphis he allow 42 walks and amassed 104 strikeouts. He is a candidate to make a last rotation spot more likely to be a hard throwing right-hander out of the bullpen in 2013 or could be in demand and sent in a deal in the off-season.
  7. John Gast- The left-hander has good stuff and induces a lot of groundballs. We may see him as a reliever on the Cardinals as early as next year. He finished 9-5 for the year which was split between Springfield and Memphis. He gets twice as many strikeouts as walks with 127-55 last year. Gast may start the year in the Memphis rotation for a bit more seasoning.
  8. Tyrell Jenkins- The hard thrower has shown some issues early on but if he can harness his control he will be a top-or-the-line starter in the Major Leagues. He started 19 games for the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits and finished with a 4-4 record which included 80 strikeouts and 36 walks. Jenkins will have to work his way through the system and may see St. Louis in late 2014.
  9. Eric Fornataro- The right-hander saved 5 games and got 16 holds for AA Sprignfield. He induces a ton of ground balls while on the mound. He is not considered a strikeout pitcher but he has control and has the stuff to put out fires. Look for Fornataro to get a serious look at Spring Training and if he doesn’t make the squad at the time, he will be up by June 2013.
  10. Jordan Swagerty-  Out of commission the entire season, as he had bone spurs removed from his right elbow, he was on track to break ground with the Cardinals sooner rather than later. He will get special looks at Spring Training to see if he still has his stuff. Likely, he will start in Memphis and wait for a spot to open up.

Be sure to check out some other interesting articles at SaintLouisSports.



By: on Sep 28th, 2012
Tagged as: Minor League Noise