St. Louis Cardinals: Carson Kelly and Harrison Bader Named to AFL Top Prospects Team

Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com has reported that St. Louis Cardinals prospects C Carson Kelly (ranked the Cardinals’ #11 prospect by MLB.com), and OF Harrison Bader (#3) have been named to the Arizona Fall League’s Top Prospects Team.

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to find success developing players in their minor league system. The late season promotions of starting pitchers Alex Reyes and Luke Weaver continued to add to that narrative, and now with two position players putting up big numbers in the Arizona Fall League, the Cardinals have proven that they’re not the only team in the NL-Central prepared for the future.

At just 22 years old, and with a minor league Gold Glove award already under his belt, C Carson Kelly continues to impress. Kelly had an offensive resurgence in 2016, hitting .289 with a .343 OBP in ninety-six games split between AA Springfield and AAA Memphis.

Kelly continued to hit well in the AFL, batting .286 with three HRs and eighteen RBI in twenty-one games with the Glendale Desert Dogs. He continued to show great patience and discipline at the plate as he drew thirteen walks and struck out only four times.

Kelly looks to be the eventual heir to Yadier Molina, so he is essentially untouchable in possible trade talks. Kelly seems to be better suited to start the season at Memphis, mainly so he can get more playing time, but if Mozeliak can’t find a suitable backup on the market at a reasonable price, look for Kelly to be Molina’s primary backup for 2017.

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Outfielder Harrison Bader, who is also just 22 years old, was voted onto the team as a DH, posting a .304 average and stealing four bases in twenty-one games, which was a vast improvement over his forty-nine games at AAA Memphis in 2016, where he hit just .231, and only drew eleven walks, which factors into his lowly .298 OBP.

Bader’s eighty-two games at AA Springfield were particularly impressive, as he hit .283 with a .351 OBP to go along with thirty-two extra base hits (sixteen of them HRs), and forty-one RBI, which ultimately led to his promotion to Memphis.

Bader will most likely start the season at Memphis, but if Randal Grichuk and Tommy Pham can’t prove that they can consistently produce or stay healthy, look for Bader to make his MLB debut sometime in early-to-mid-season 2017.

With two 22-year-old position players waiting eagerly for their chances to contribute to the big league club, the Cardinals have proved that they have the depth to be successful in the near future.

Next: Cain/Eaton Rumors

If John Mozeliak and company can’t make a big deal for a CF during the offseason, Cardinal executives, coaches, and fans should have a lot of confidence in Harrison Bader in case either Randal Grichuk or Tommy Pham regress, or are injured, as well as Carson Kelly in case Molina is seriously injured or starts to regress offensively.