The St. Louis Cardinals have the Best Farm System

Last night, Baseball America executive editor Jim Callis tweeted that the St. Louis Cardinals have the best farm system in baseball.
July 8, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; World outfielder Oscar Taveras drives in a run with a sacrifice fly during the third inning of the 2012 All Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium. Image Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
It should not come as any surprise. While MLB.com has not updated the top prospects to reflect on the upcoming 2013 season, there are numerous Cardinals that are ranked in the top 100 or the positional top ten. Most notably, Matt Adams (3rd, First Base), Kolten Wong (1st, Second Base), Oscar Taveras (2nd, Outfield), and Shelby Miller (8th, Right-Handed Pitcher). Carlos Martinez ranks just outside the overall top 25 in 26th. Trevor Rosenthal came in at 60th in 2012.

“Outside of them maybe successfully defending their 2011 World Series title, I’d have a hard time being more impressed with the Cardinals,” Callis said in an email. “Not only do they have a distinct homegrown flavor to a very successful big league club, but they have a lot more talent on the way. Oscar Tavaras is the best hitting prospect in the minors, Shelby Miller is the best righty pitching prospect not named Dylan Bundy, Trevor Rosenthal is ready to step in and there’s a lot of depth behind those guys. And they added to an already strong system with an impressive 2012 draft.”

“It’s nice to hear that he regards our system well,” Vuch told me, responding to the comments made by Callis. “I think the positive remarks we’ve received from various media sources in the last year or so reflect well on our managers, coaches, instructors, scouts and obviously the players themselves. Honestly though, we try not to get caught up too much in what the 3rd party publications say, as the last thing we want to do is feel like we should ever be “satisfied” with where we are from a development standpoint. We need to continue to strive to improve, and keep the pipeline flowing – that takes a coordinated effort between our Scouting, International, and Player Development departments.”