Where does the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system rank in MLB?

Where does the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system rank in MLB? It’s on the doorstep of being Top 10 in baseball, according to The Athletic.

We have written about how The Athletic recently ranked four St. Louis Cardinals prospects – Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Matthew Liberatore and Ivan Herrera – in Major League Baseball’s top 100 prospects.

But where does the Cardinals’ farm system rank among all teams?

Keith Law of The Athletic ranks the Cardinals’ farm system at No. 13, down from No. 11 last year, saying: “The Cardinals’ system is surprisingly filled with high-ceiling guys, as the team has changed its approach in the draft in the past few years.” He added that after losing their first- and second round picks in 2017, that they started what appeared to be a new philosophy of “aiming high,” which has worked considering two of their four most recent first round picks, Gorman and Walker, look like future stars.

“They have a lot of depth in potential non-regulars – middle relievers, platoon guys, bench pieces – behind the seven or eight high-ceiling guys atop the system.”

That farm system ranks second in the National League Central, behind only the Pittsburgh Pirates, who rank No. 6. The other teams in the division, meanwhile, are the Chicago Cubs (No. 16), Cincinnati Reds (No. 19) and Milwaukee Brewers (No. 26).

It’s also that farm system that promises to keep the Cardinals in contention even after Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina retire after the 2022 season. The argument can be made that the team could be even better moving forward, with Gorman looking like a star second baseman, Walker a star offensive player (long-term defensive position is up in the air), Liberatore a potential top-of-the-rotation arm, and Herrera being the long-term answer at catcher.

Paired with Paul Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill, and potentially Nolan Arenado if he does not opt-out after the 2022 season, the Cardinals have what shapes up to be a dominant roster mixed with veteran and young talent. It’s exactly what president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has tried to build and he is on the doorstep of seeing the fruit of his labor.

Now, he has a manager in Oli Marmol who he believes can maximize that talent – and it could lead to another sustained run of postseason appearances for one of baseball’s most storied franchises.