Oscar Taveras - Ron Vesely--Getty Images
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St. Louis Cardinals Top 20 Prospects for 2013

The list and grades are a blending of present performance and long-term potential. Comments are welcome, but in the end all analysis and responsibility is mine. Full reports on all of players can be found in the 2013 Baseball Prospect Book. We are now taking pre-orders. Order early and order often!

QUICK PRIMER ON GRADE MEANINGS:

Grade A prospects are the elite. They have a reasonable chance of becoming stars or superstars. Almost all Grade A prospects develop into major league regulars, if injuries or other problems don't intervene. Note that is a major "if" in some cases.

Grade B prospects have a good chance to enjoy successful careers. Some will develop into stars, some will not. Most end up spending several years in the majors, at the very least in a marginal role.

Grade C prospects are the most common type. These are guys who have something positive going for them, but who may have a question mark or three, or who are just too far away from the majors to get an accurate feel for. A few Grade C guys, especially at the lower levels, do develop into stars. Some end up as role players or bench guys. Many don't make it at all.

Also note that there is diversity within each category. I'm a tough grader; Grade C+ is actually good praise, and some C+ prospects (especially at lower levels) turn out very well indeed.

Finally, keep in mind that all grades are shorthand. You have to read the full comment in the book for my full opinion about a player, the letter grade only tells you so much. A Grade C prospect in rookie ball could end up being very impressive, while a Grade C prospect in Triple-A is likely just a future role player.

ALL GRADES ARE PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. No grade is final until January 5th, 2013

1) Oscar Taveras, OF, Grade A: One of the easiest grades in the book. Outstanding hitter for power and average, and he improved his baserunning and defense. Next great Cardinals star? Seems like it to me.

2) Shelby Miller, RHP, Grade A: Terrific second half of the season saved his A rating from last year. Still looks like a rotation anchor to me, just needs to stay healthy.

3) Carlos Martinez, RHP, Grade A-: Borderline B+: Still has some rough edges but he made enough progress that I'm comfortable bumping him up a notch. Like Miller, he can be a top of the rotation guy if he avoids injury. He's moved very quickly and if I were the Cardinals I think I would slow things down a little and avoid bringing him to the majors in 2013 unless nobody else is available.

4) Trevor Rosenthal, RHP, Grade B+: Borderline A-: Another very live arm who could pitch at the top of the rotation eventually, or perhaps become a power closer.

5) Michael Wacha, RHP, Grade B+: Exceeded expectations in pro ball, granted the sample is small, but still. . .40/4 K/BB in 21 innings? Dang. I thought he was a future number three starter, but if he maintains the uptick in velocity he showed in pro ball, he's another guy you can build the rotation around.

6) Kolten Wong, 2B, Grade B: Solid but unspectacular season in Double-A, with his defense looking quite good and a decent hitting line. Looked good to me in Arizona Fall League. I still see him as a future regular second baseman who hits for average, gets on base, and provides a steady glove.

7) Matt Adams, 1B, Grade B: Poorly-timed injury, but he destroyed Triple-A pitching and given his track record I think he will eventually adapt to the majors. Like Wong, I don't see him as a star, but rather as a solid regular.

8) Tyrell Jenkins, RHP, Grade B-: His upside is as high as the guys above him, but injuries and command problems short-circuited him in Low-A. Disappointing, but the talent is still here.

9) Anthony Garcia, OF, Grade B-: I absolutely do not understand why this guy doesn't get more press. His power is very real, and even marginal improvements in the strike zone would result in a huge breakout. Crushed Low-A pitching.

10) Carson Kelly, 3B, Grade B-: Highest-ceiling and youngest of the third basemen drafted in 2012 by the Cards. Will also take the most time to develop. Needs more patience and defensive work. Profile is similar to Diamondbacks prospect Matt Davidson at the same stage of his career.

11) Patrick Wisdom, 3B, Grade B-: Excellent glove, and he hit better in the New York-Penn League than he did in college. Expect power and patience, we'll have to see about the batting average.

12) Stephen Piscotty, 3B, Grade B-: Nice solid line drive hitter, but he doesn't have Wisdom's glove nor Kelly's pure upside. That's a problem, since Piscotty's bat won't look as good in the outfield or at first base unless he boosts home run production.

13) Greg Garcia, 2B-SS, Grade C+: Wong's double play partner at Springfield is a strong yet overlooked prospect in his own right with very sound on-base skills. Stretched at shortstop, he's better at second base but that's Wong's position.

14) Seth Maness, RHP, Grade C+: Truly outstanding command helps mediocre velocity play up. Seems like he can be a sound inning-eater to me, or at worst an attractive trade chit for another team.

15) John Gast, LHP, Grade C+: A good arm from the left side, but erratic with his command and more likely to fit in the bullpen than the rotation for St. Louis.

16) Starlin Rodriguez, 2B, Grade C+: Another overlooked prospect who would get a lot more attention if he played in a weaker farm system. Good fielder, hit for average with some pop, strong performance in High-A. Good showing in Double-A will get him on the conveyer belt towards an opportunity of Wong doesn't pan out.

17) Ryan Jackson, SS, Grade C+: Very sound defensive player and can surprise you with his hitting at times. If you really need a shortstop, you could do a lot worse than just sticking Jackson in the lineup, hit him low in the order, and enjoy his fundamental play. More value for a real team than a fantasy one.

18) Maikel Cleto, RHP, Grade C+: Gotta respect the arm strength. Will he ever throw strikes well enough for the 100 MPH fastball to matter?

19) Tyler Lyons, LHP, Grade C+: Sleeper prospect who has more talent and pitched better than his 4.00+ ERA in Triple-A indicates. Would be a sneaky rotation candidate for some teams due to strike-throwing ability, but he gets lost in the crowd here.

20) Breyvic Valera, INF, Grade C+: Another sound infielder, this one advancing to Low-A for 2013. Hits for average, defense is promising at second base, could develop more power than people expect.


OTHER GRADE C+: Tim Cooney, LHP; Victor De Leon, RHP; James Ramsey, OF; Boone Whiting, RHP

OTHERS: Steve Bean, C; Michael Blazek, RHP; Keith Butler, RHP; Adron Chambers, OF; Victor De Leon, RHP; Adam Ehrlich, C; Eric Fornataro, RHP; Sam Freeman, LHP; Silfredo Garcia, RHP; Sam Gaviglio, RHP; Pete Kozma, SS: Jake Lemmerman, INF; Dixon Llorrens, RHP; C.J. McElroy, OF; Mike O'Neill, OF; Jorge Rondon, RHP; Kevin Siegrist, LHP; Lee Stoppelman, LHP; Jordan Swagerty, RHP; Charlie Tilson, OF; Colin Walsh, OF-INF

What can you say? This is one hell of a farm system. There is impact talent. There are future stars. And there are a lot of guys who project as solid role players to back them up.

The pitching. . .you have four guys in Miller, Martinez, Rosenthal, and Wacha who could be and should be rotation anchors. Jenkins has that kind of talent too, if he can refine it. There is a ton of pitching behind them, with a good mixture of strike-throwers (Maness, Lyons, Boone Whiting) and guys with hot arms. The Cardinals should never want for good relief pitching, and if even if some of the top guys get hurt or don't pan out, one of the efficiency experts could step in.

As history shows (Oakland's Four Aces, Generation K of the Mets, the Royals a couple of years ago), having a great batch of pitching prospects is no guarantee of success. There will be injury attrition, and someone will be a disappointment. But the point is to gather as many pitchers as possible to provide depth to cover for the inevitable failures, and the Cardinals are masters at doing this.

But the Cardinals also have lots of hitting to go with the pitching. Taveras will be a star, Wong and Adams look like regulars, and there are a bunch of guys who should be role players or strong contributors at least. The 2012 draft brought in additional bats, with particular depth at third base. If those guys thrive in 2013, this list will still look strong next year even if the top guys graduate.

Overall, this is an amazing system, a prospect factory. They find guys at big colleges, they find guys at small colleges, they find guys in junior college, they find and develop high school guys, they find and develop Latin American guys. They do everything.


Pretty good read.

Excellent read, but I would probably flip-flop Jenkins & Wacha. That said, it's nit picking, love our farm system.

Maybe if you are talking solely about upside, but Jenkins has yet to prove he can consistently get the results you want (even at lower levels). He is still only 20 so the slow steady approach could prove to be just what he needed.

One guy I am looking forward to following more this coming year is Kevin Seigrist. He was virtually off the radar until last year, and finished up with a solid AFL stint. I think he might end up being a better left hand prospect in the long run than Gast. He needs to show he can stay healthy.

Excellent points on Jenkins, but Wacha has a pretty small sample size. Hopefully they both become #1s.

No matter what..... We lost Larussa, Pujols, Duncan and Carp for most of the year. We got within one win of the World Series again. With this strong young pitching getting ready to hit the big leagues we have a whole new window of opportunity to get back to the World Series.

Berkman signed with the Rangers as a DH. Good move for him, IMO.

Thanks for the memories, Lance. :thumb:

http://espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/story/...ngers-fan-base

Shouldn't this thread be renamed The Official 2112 SF Giants World Champions Thread? Just sayin

There might be one on gayasssanfrancisco.com.

Just sayin

What r u trying to say, you lost to a bunch of homo's

no that's their fanz

And also, nobody else here gives two ****s about them, and that's not likely to change, ever.

We had you guys on the ropes and let you off the hook. But, you won fair and square.

LMAO Somebody's still bitter. GO GIANTS!!!!!!

I will find out in the next 2 weeks if we are moving my firm just a few blocks away from Pac Bell Park. That would rock!!!!! You should come out for a game. You would like the city, tons of women and half the dudes are gay. Can't get better food anywhere.

Dude, I am so stoked. The Giants had never done a damn thing and then BAM 2 out of 3 years in spectacular fasion. Very cool.

No, the point is most of us didn't jump on every local winning bandwagon after we moved.

WORLDS BIGGEST GIANTS FAN!!!
WORLDS BIGGEST LAKERS FAN!!!

LMAO

Considering I came from Southern Oregon The Giants were my team since being a kid. I became a Lakers fan because of being a Bucks fan as a young boy and the progression that took place there. I am not the worlds biggest anything fan but I do like the Giants, Lakers, Sharks and our Chiefs more than any other pro sports team. If that makes me bandwagon in your eyes so be it. Truth is none of my teams other than the Lakers ever did shit until recently. BTW, I will even pick up yur ticket if you come out Mr. Bitter.

How does being a Bucks fan as a child make one a Lakers fan later? Wouldn't you still root for the Bucks? I mean, I don't follow basketball, but I'm pretty sure the Bucks still play in Milwaukee, which is nowhere near Oregon. And I'm also pretty sure Oregon is nowhere near Kansas City, either. Or did you burn all your San Francisco stuff and come over with Montana? I guess that hasn't worked out very well for you, has it? LMAO

And I'm not bitter. It's just funny that you expect anybody else here to give a crap about the Giants. Perhaps you should start your own Giants thread. Maybe you'd be happier. You might even pick up a bandwaggoner or two.

How about "***Official 2013 STL Cardinals 2nd runner up Thread***"?

I was born in KC and being raised in Oregon we didn't have a team so I identified with that team at a young age. When Kareem went to LA as a child it was easy to follow him being that was who I tried to play like being a taller kid. YOu act like you haven't seen me on this BB for well over a decade routing for the same teams all of them except the Lakes consistently losing until recently. BTW I started my own Giants thread but nobody would post in them.

Exactly!!! LMAO

Gee, can't imagine why.

Well, not really a SF bandwagoner, but butthurt Royals fans might chime in. They're cute.

Well according to you it's because we are all a bunch of homos.

Well, I guess that doesn't help much. :shrug:

BIG DADDY-lifelong Giants fan since 2010.

It's not every day you offer up a ticket to come see the champs in an awesome ballpark and get called a bandwagon homo in return. That's about as ridiculous as me calling you the same thing. What a drama queen.

I've been a Giants fan on the BB for over a decade you 2k post clown.

Hey, I'll take the tickets! That is an amazing park. I usually stay down at the wharf and take the trolley. I haven't unfortunately seen the Cards there yet. Only been out there a couple of times, but hope to catch a game there sometime soon.

If I move my firm I should have tickets on a pretty consisent basis. PM me if you are around.

Let's see:
1. No interest in going to San Francisco.
2. No interest in going to Pac-Bell or whatever the hell the name of their stadium is now.
3. No interest in watching a game (or do anything else) with you.

Any questions?

uh huh

LMAO, not sure where all of that is coming from. I swear you are worse than depressed hormonal woman.

Frazod is like Bruce Banner: his secret is that he's always angry.

Since this is now a competition. I must represent the Cardinal fans..............

My son is a 5th generation Cardinal fan. Think about that for a second.

First you have to have 5 generations that care about baseball. Then they have to care and follow the same team. My great grandfather drove up to St. Louis from a farm in the Ozarks just to see a ball game in person. A real big deal back in 1920. My grandfather told me how happy going to that game made him and he talked about it for a long time after his return.

My son and me got to see a World series Championship won live in 2006. I'm sure there is going to be a 6th generation Cardinals fan in our family.

LMAO

The only reason we're having this dialogue is because you were trolling the thread.

I don't need to be pissed to say I don't give a **** about the Giants, San Francisco or you. Seriously. None of the above even remotely registers on the list of things I care about.

That's just a deception, his real secret is hormonal. He always feels the need to bleed. He's just good at making it look like something else. Truth is he is an old, fat, short, angry man with no legacy that is angry at the world for being that way.

Yet you're the one who's all butthurt because I don't want to be your friend and fly out to gayferville for a visit. I'm sorry you don't have any friends who want to go to the game with you, sweetie. Maybe I'll send you a cardboard cutout to prop up in the seat next to you. You can even put a Giants hat on it. LMAO

That's what you got out of offering up a ticket if you came out? Amazing. Truth must really hurt.

Holtz about to throw out the dentures during his speech.

I can actually duplicate the experience of going to a Giants game with you without leaving Chicago. I'll just go down to the south side, find some semi-literate, blustering goon White Sox fan, then invite him to come watch a game at Wrigley. The only difference is, he'll probably drink beer instead of vitamin-enhanced fufu bottled water.

It's over Tim, just walk away. There's a whole forum out there for you to bleed on. It's hard watching a bitter ol bitch for going on 13 years now but for the grace of god who knows there I could be and if I had to be you I might be just as bitter. Hope your life gets better, dude.

On another note you are about the last person I want representing the NRA. Being that I care about that subject so much I would appreciate it if you would replace your avatar. You do about as much for the movement as meme does for the Democratic party.

This is a thread for Cardinals fans, you stupid ****. Don't troll the thread, and we won't have any reason to talk - ever. It's frankly amazing watching you get bitchier, nastier and dumber by the post, all because I called you out for trolling a thread and don't stroke your bloated ego by telling you how great you are. You're not great - you're a ****ing moron. My life is fine, and I don't need validation for it from some window-licking goon on the internet. I don't care about you, the bi-sexual whore you married, the brat she shat out, or your slavoring ****ing hellhound. I don't care what you think of me, the NRA, or anything else. And if you go start another Giants thread, I promise, I won't care about that, either.

And to fellow Cardinal fans, my apologies for this. I just can't seem to flick this booger off my finger.

You can't just go after people's family members because you lack the IQ to address an issue anymore. Your unwarranted personal attacks are off the charts but when you go after family members that's not going to continue to happen. That is a bannable offense.

The way you treated Jim when he just was a dying man just wanting to make peace with you was far and away the most pathetic act in this BB's history. How you have been allowed to remain here is still a mystery to me.

It was good drama to read on a boring morning, no worries.

I have been to "Insert Current Name Here" Field in SF and it is a very nice stadium with pretty knowledgeable baseball fans (at least the folks right around me). With that said, I wouldn't shed a tear if the state of California slid into the ocean tomorrow.

I CAN DISH IT OUT BUT I CAN'T TAKE IT :deevee: Same old Bitch Daddy. The only issue here is you being a ****ing troll and me calling you on it. The nastiness was all started by you - I just responded in kind. Nice fantasy about Jim, too. It's a bald-faced lie, but don't let that stop you. ****ing clown.

And if you want to get me banned, by all means, go cry to mods about it like the whiny bitch that you are and always have been. Let me know how that works out for you. LMAO

Only you would see attacking other people’s family members as dishing it out. Truth is it’s something a pathetic little bitch bellied coward resorts to from behind the safety of his keyboard because of a lack of an ability to dish it out. You’re pathetic.

You know what happened with Jim, that's all that's important.

Maybe you shouldn't have bragged about you and your wife having bisexual threesomes on the board, champ (unlike your baseless allegations about Jim, that actually happened). I mean, chicks like that certainly serve a purpose (they ran about $10 a night when I was in Rio back in '84 IIRC), but most people pay them to go away - they don't marry them. But hey, whatever flips your switch. I realize it was the best you could do.

And BTW, how's that banning thing working out for you?

I just saw where the Rangers signed Berkman to a 1 year $11MM contract. I love what Berkman did for the Cards in 2011 but holy Jesus $11MM?

That is ridiculous, even if he hits 20 HR and drives in 80 which I bet he won't he is worth half that $.

$1.1 million seems like a better number, maybe they accidentally misplaced a decimal point in the contract. Nothing against Berkman, but he is a broken baseball player at this point.

The article I linked (buried now beneath all the BD bullshit) said $10 million. Seems like a lot to me as well, but I don't care. Much like Albert, he's getting paid by somebody else for what he already did for us.

Not too surprising, but definitely good to see some recognition for the talent nearly available.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseb...836de8b3a.html

Not too surprising that Chris Carpenter probably out for the season.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...08552&c_id=mlb