2026 MLB top 100 prospects list shines bright light on Cardinals' young talent

While many storylines have followed the St. Louis Cardinals over this past calendar year, one of the biggest and most positive developments has been the steps forward their farm system has made in such short order.

After Chaim Bloom spent the 2024 season auditing the Cardinals organization, he began to put into motion changes to their player development system, starting with the hire of assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio to oversee player development and performance, and then the subsequent hires of a new director of player development (Larry Day), director of performance (Carl Kochan), and director of pitching (Matt Pierpont). Those men, combined with even more staffing additions over the last 12 months, helped the Cardinals' farm system grow by seemingly leaps and bounds in just one season.

Now, as Baseball America posted its preseason top 100 prospects for the 2026 season, the Cardinals are heavily featured on that list and have three prospects following in the top 35, and four total on the list and in the top 55 prospects in the game.

Baseball America's top 100 prospects features four premier Cardinals prospects.

Headlining Baseball America's list, to no one's surprise, is the seventh overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft, JJ Wetherholt. Wetherholt checked in as the third-best prospect in all of baseball, and on Baseball America's podcast recap of their top 100 update, they were clear to point out that Wetherholt is a star in the making and a special talent.

Wetherholt figures to be on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster this year and is one of the early favorites to win National League Rookie of the Year. It's easy to see why the organization is so excited about him after Wetherholt spoke to the media this past weekend at Winter Warm-Up. Not only has his performance been off the charts thus far, but his makeup and intangibles are elite as well.

Joining Wetherholt in the top 35 prospects in baseball were LHP Liam Doyle (#33) and C Rainiel Rodriguez (#35). Doyle was the fifth overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee and has one of the best fastballs in all of minor league baseball. Doyle ranked as the ninth-best pitching prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America. Rodriguez, who just turned 19 years old this month, broke out in a major way in 2025 and pairs a plus bat with near plus-plus power. He looks to be a slugger in the making.

OF Joshua Baez checked in at 54th overall on Baseball America's list, coming off of major praise from the outlet for being the most improved prospect in all of baseball last season. Coming into 2025, Baseball America did not even have Baez on their Cardinals top 30 prospects due to the frustrating first four years he had in the organization. Now the former second-round pick looks to have 30-30 upside.

Five additional prospects in the Cardinals organization received votes from Baseball America's staff to make their top 150 prospects, showing just how strong this system has become. Doyle and RHP Tanner Franklin were added in the 2025 MLB Draft, while LHP Brandon Clarke was recently acquired in the Sonny Gray trade.

The Cardinals have a lot of positive momentum in their farm system right now, and the hope is that this wave of talent, along with key members of their current big league roster, can help set a strong foundation for the next era of Cardinals baseball. Ultimately, that will be up to the Cardinals' new player development and performance staff, alongside the coaches in uniform and, most importantly, these prospects, to make good on the promise that others see in them.