How does the Cardinals' 2026 farm system stack up against the 2013 group?

Baseball America is one of the most trusted outlets when it comes to farm system rankings in baseball. For 37 years, they've put out prospect lists that have become some of the most accurate in the country.

When Baseball America released their top farm systems in baseball for 2026, Cardinals fans were pleasantly surprised. They had the Cardinals second in farm system rankings behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cardinals group, headlined by JJ Wetherholt, Liam Doyle, Rainiel Rodriguez, Joshua Baez, and Jurrangelo Cijntje, was seen as the second-best farm system behind only the division rival Pirates.

Second is the highest ranking for the Cardinals' system by Baseball America since the club had the best farm system in 2013. That year, the Cardinals boasted a top-three prospect in the late outfielder Oscar Taveras along with five other players: Shelby Miller, Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal, Michael Wacha, and Kolten Wong.

Let's compare these two groups of top prospects.

Was the 2013 St. Louis Cardinals prospect group better than the 2026 group?

From a pure numbers perspective, the 2013 squad takes the cake. They had six top 100 prospects on Baseball America's list, while the 2013 bunch has five prospects on the list.

Both years had a third-overall prospect in the list: Oscar Taveras in 2013 and JJ Wetherholt in 2026. The real separator here is the amount of solid pitching the 2013 farm system had. Shelby Miller was the sixth-overall prospect that year according to Baseball America. The Cardinals had Carlos Martinez (#38) and Trevor Rosenthal (#39) as additional pitching depth, too. Michael Wacha (#76) and Kolten Wong (#84) rounded out the top 100 prospects for the Cardinals that year. That's a pretty solid list.

This year, Wetherholt is leading the charge with Liam Doyle (#33), Rainiel Rodriguez (#35), and Joshua Baez (#54). Jurrangelo Cijntje and Leonardo Bernal just missed out on the list. From a sheer numbers perspective, the 2013 Cardinals farm system far surpasses this 2026 group.

The 2013 Cardinals had four prospects in the top 39 overall. This year's group has four prospects in the top 54 players. Once again, the numbers don't favor the 2026 farm system.

The 2013 group was headlined by pitchers: Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal, and Shelby Miller. This year's group isn't as stable as the 2013 group was; Liam Doyle has barely logged professional time. Rainiel Rodriguez has yet to play beyond High-A. Joshua Baez reached Double-A last year for the first time as a 22-year-old this year despite being drafted nearly five years ago.

There is more volatility to the 2026 group than there was with the more advanced 2013 farm system. There's every possibility that Wetherholt, Rodriguez, and Baez are All-Stars during their careers and that Doyle receives Cy Young votes down the road. However, there's just as much of a possibility that several of these players don't find success in their careers.

There is a lot more depth to the 2026 prospect group than the 2013 one as well. Jurrangelo Cijntje, Leonardo Bernal, Quinn Mathews, Brandon Clarke, Tekoah Roby, and Ryan Mitchell are all legitimate prospects. Meanwhile, the 2013 squad had Matt Adams, Carson Kelly, and Stephen Piscotty as legitimate prospect depth.

The St. Louis Cardinals had excellent farm systems in both 2013 and 2026 according to Baseball America. The 2013 farm system could boast high ceilings and projectability while the 2026 group can boast depth and variety. The 2013 prospects helped lead the 2015 Cardinals to a 100-win season and a third consecutive National League Central title. The hope is that the 2026 prospect group can do the same down the road for the modern Cardinals.