The Top St. Louis Cardinals Prospects

The top St. Louis Cardinals prospects heading into the 2013 season have been announced. While Baseball America won’t be posting it on their site until January 16th, Derrick Goold has unveiled the top ten at Bird Land.
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: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
The Post-Dispatch‘s Derrick Goold has been playing a large part in ranking the Cardinals prospects for Baseball America for a few years now.

The top ten prospects are as follows:

1. Oscar Taveras, OF
2. Shelby Miller, RHP
3. Carlos Martinez, RHP
4. Trevor Rosenthal*, RHP
5. Kolten Wong, 2B
6. Michael Wacha, RHP
7. Matt Adams, 1B
8. Tyrell Jenkins, RHP
9. Carson Kelly, 3B
10. Stephen Piscotty, OF

Goold notes that the asterisk denotes that Rosenthal is still eligible for the top ten as “he did not surpass the innings or appearance limits for rookie classification.” Because of the rookie limits, Goold notes that neither Joe Kelly or Matt Carpenter are considered rookies for next season.

We already know from the start of the year that Jim Callis has said that the Cardinals have the best farm system in all of baseball.

When it comes to ranking the organizational prospects, Goold took a look at proximity, potential, production, position, and pick. I can’t complain about how he ranked them. It is interesting to see 3 of the 2012 draft picks make the top ten but I can’t say that I am surprised either.

Of the top ten listed, it’s a safe bet that both Shelby Miller and Trevor Rosenthal will be on the opening day roster. Whether Oscar Taveras makes the roster is another thing. I definitely see Taveras on the club’s roster by the All-Star Break. I would expect to see Kolten Wong in St. Louis by the end of the season.

Post-Dispatch columnist Joe Strauss notes that the Cardinals have done very little to address concerns during the offseason. My biggest concern is what to do about the middle infield. How healthy is Rafael Furcal at the moment other than being cleared to participate in spring training?

Pitching wise, the Cardinals look good this season–even if they look to their prospects for relief.