The Cardinals have MLB-leading seven Top 100 Prospects

Even with the graduation of Nolan Gorman, the St. Louis Cardinals boast an MLB leading seven Top 100 prospects in Baseball America’s most recent rankings.

Great news for the St. Louis Cardinals farm system, as even with the graduation of Nolan Gorman, the club has an MLB leading 7 Top 100 Prospects in Baseball America’s most recent rankings.

Leading the way is slugger Jordan Walker, who Baseball America has ranked as the No. 8 prospect in all of baseball. The rest of the list comprised of LHP Matthew Liberatore (No. 36), SS Masyn Winn (No. 67), OF Alec Burleson (No. 75), RHP Gordon Graceffo (No. 76), C Iván Herrera (No. 90), and RHP Tink Hence (No. 95).

It is exciting to see the Cardinals farm system not only pumping out unsung heroes like Brendan Donovan, but now the club is anticipating the arrival of many more impact bats and arms over the next 1-3 seasons.

Jordan Walker and Maysn Winn are currently in AA Springfield, and were both selected in the 2022 MLB Draft. Walker and Winn came into the organization as high risk, high reward prospects, and both have done nothing but impress in their young careers. Walker boasts an .888 OPS in 2022 and is the best prospect the club has had since Oscar Taveras, and has the potential to be one of the next young stars in the game. Winn has shown he already is an elite defender and base runner thus far, and now also has a massive OPS sitting at .848 this year.

Matthew Liberatore made his MLB debut this year and will gradate from the rankings soon. Although his beginning to his MLB career has not been easy, sporting a 4.74 ERA, his most recent start against the Atlanta Braves shows that Liberatore is beginning to find his footing in St. Louis.

DH/OF Alec Burleson has done nothing but mash at AAA this season, cranking 16 HR with 64 RBI on his way to a .937 OPS as the 23 year old knocks on the door of a promotion. The biggest obstacle facing Burleson’s MLB debut is the logjam at DH and the OF in St. Louis. Burleson projects to be mainly a DH at the next level, and that spot is already crowded. But similar to Gorman earlier this year, his production at AAA may force the club’s hand soon.

C Ivan Herrera has been up and down from St. Louis and Memphis, slashing .111/.191/.302 in 11 games for St. Louis, but finding much more success in AAA with an OPS of .791. It is a bit disappointing that the catcher has been unable to take hold of the opening at catcher while Yadier Molina is on the IL, but still remains an exciting prospect.

RHPs Gordon Graceffo and Tink Hence may be unfamiliar to some Cardinals fans, but both are becoming very promising arms for the club. Graceffo has an ERA of 2.25 in 16 starts across High A and AA this season, and could even be seen as a reliever during the stretch run for the club if he continues to pitch at a high level. The 22 year old’s long term trajectory remains as a starter though.

Hence is 19-year-old in Single-A Palm Beach with a 1.16 ERA and 40 SO in 23.1 innings of work. There is still so much development to go, but the right hander is already showing ace like potential and could be a major part of the rotation in future seasons, or a trade piece for the club as they approach the deadline.

St. Louis has already seen a youth movement in reason seasons with the promotions of Tommy Edman, Dylan Carlson, Brendan Donovan, Juan Yepez, and Nolan Gorman, but the club will surely see more and even higher ceiling players make their way to the club in the near and not too distant future.