New Top 30 prospects out

[Carp4Cy]

Some notables:
Roby is still ranked 10 but won't pitch at all this year. Odd.
Big drop for Hence to #15, and it mentions they will probably want him in the pen.
Blaze Jordan is only #27. Some were led to believe he'd be one of our next sluggers when he was acquired. Looks more like another whiff.
Lo is the highest of our trade acquisitions at 5. I wish we would see more of him in ST.
RaRod at 3 is now well ahead of Crooks and Bernal, really wonder if they shouldn't be labeled expendable. (otherwise, why isn't one of them truly in the running for starting C this year over Pages?)

[Carp4Cy]

Also our 2nd pick from the 2024 draft isn't even ranked. We could have had Mike Sirota there. Yikes.

[Talkin' Baseball]

Chase Davis drops off the top 30.

[craviduce]

Also our 2nd pick from the 2024 draft isn't even ranked. We could have had Mike Sirota there. Yikes.

Brian Holiday hasn't even pitched an official game yet. Sigh. He went down late in 2025 Spring Training. Not sure when they debut him, his rehab is probably still underway. Not sure if he's allowed to throw yet or not?

[craviduce]

Chase Davis drops off the top 30.

no one hits ground balls like the power hitter Chase Davis....Blaze Jordan comes the closest, but still a distant 2nd.

[Talkin' Baseball]

Also, the Cardinals #3 pick from last year (Gurevitch) is down to #30.

[craviduce]

Also, the Cardinals #3 pick from last year (Gurevitch) is down to #30.

he was overmatched, along with the rest of the hitting draft class in Palm Beach late last year. Those 18 and 19yo wild hurlers baffled the young birds.

That being said, I think they all repeat PMB, and I think they'll hit better this time around....they can't get any worse. The K rates those kids racked up were disturbing. Moving on Flores was good, but his scouting crew needed to go with him.

[Talkin' Baseball]

Also, the Cardinals #3 pick from last year (Gurevitch) is down to #30.

he was overmatched, along with the rest of the hitting draft class in Palm Beach late last year. Those 18 and 19yo wild hurlers baffled the young birds.

That being said, I think they all repeat PMB, and I think they'll hit better this time around....they can't get any worse. The K rates those kids racked up were disturbing. Moving on Flores was good, but his scouting crew needed to go with him.

This pick was (and still is) puzzling.

[Talkin' Baseball]

Also, the Cardinals #3 pick from last year (Gurevitch) is down to #30.

he was overmatched, along with the rest of the hitting draft class in Palm Beach late last year. Those 18 and 19yo wild hurlers baffled the young birds.

That being said, I think they all repeat PMB, and I think they'll hit better this time around....they can't get any worse. The K rates those kids racked up were disturbing. Moving on Flores was good, but his scouting crew needed to go with him.

This pick was (and still is) puzzling.

Unless you get a Nick Kurtz, there is no need to select a 1B. There are catchers, right fielders, and third basemen that are just first basemen waiting to happen.

[Strummer Jones]

It's getting really difficult to not get higher than a monkey in a tree over Rodriguez.

If Bernal is as defensively stout as we're led to believe, I really want Rodriguez learning an outfield spot or third base, especially since there's no real heir apparent there in the event that Gorman doesn't make the grade. JJ could, I suppose, but I like him better at second base.

[Carp4Cy]

Also, the Cardinals #3 pick from last year (Gurevitch) is down to #30.

he was overmatched, along with the rest of the hitting draft class in Palm Beach late last year. Those 18 and 19yo wild hurlers baffled the young birds.

That being said, I think they all repeat PMB, and I think they'll hit better this time around....they can't get any worse. The K rates those kids racked up were disturbing. Moving on Flores was good, but his scouting crew needed to go with him.

Its weird how we often heard what a genius Flores was at scouting and drafting, and yet there was so relatively little successful progression into stars or even high producers for several years now.

[craviduce]

Also, the Cardinals #3 pick from last year (Gurevitch) is down to #30.

he was overmatched, along with the rest of the hitting draft class in Palm Beach late last year. Those 18 and 19yo wild hurlers baffled the young birds.

That being said, I think they all repeat PMB, and I think they'll hit better this time around....they can't get any worse. The K rates those kids racked up were disturbing. Moving on Flores was good, but his scouting crew needed to go with him.

Its weird how we often heard what a genius Flores was at scouting and drafting, and yet there was so relatively little successful progression into stars or even high producers for several years now.

the 2022 draft shows some promise. You have Church, Crooks and VS2 already with their debuts. Jury still out on all 3. Hjerpe is my biggest disappoint, but it was more with the pick at the time. #34 overall rated prospect, and we still selected 22. Mautz could be a factor, too. We'll see how AAA goes for him. Hjerpe should start his season in May or June...not sure how they'll handle him....reliever or starter?

Other than 2023....he's been huge disappointment with really bad results early in the drafts....with exception of McGreevy in 2021, and JJ/Doyle who were easy to draft at 7 and 5. His first 5 rounds record is pretty putrid...I give him a very good passing grade for 2022, but he's been responsible for 7 or 8 drafts...I believe.

[Carp4Cy]

It's getting really difficult to not get higher than a monkey in a tree over Rodriguez.

If Bernal is as defensively stout as we're led to believe, I really want Rodriguez learning an outfield spot or third base, especially since there's no real heir apparent there in the event that Gorman doesn't make the grade. JJ could, I suppose, but I like him better at second base.

The org says RaRod IS expected to be able to stick at C, so why not use the benefit of a monster bat at a non-traditional position?

Then trade the glove first Bernal (plus other pieces?) for a star/elite power hitting OF option.

[ronnie76]

It's getting really difficult to not get higher than a monkey in a tree over Rodriguez.

If Bernal is as defensively stout as we're led to believe, I really want Rodriguez learning an outfield spot or third base, especially since there's no real heir apparent there in the event that Gorman doesn't make the grade. JJ could, I suppose, but I like him better at second base.

Yup. Rodriguez has superstar potential. He absolutely needs to be moved to the outfield ASAP. Or at the very least 3B.

[ronnie76]

It's getting really difficult to not get higher than a monkey in a tree over Rodriguez.

If Bernal is as defensively stout as we're led to believe, I really want Rodriguez learning an outfield spot or third base, especially since there's no real heir apparent there in the event that Gorman doesn't make the grade. JJ could, I suppose, but I like him better at second base.

The org says RaRod IS expected to be able to stick at C, so why not use the benefit of a monster bat at a non-traditional position?

Then trade the glove first Bernal (plus other pieces?) for a star/elite power hitting OF option.

With his hitting profile, I'd rather not risk the diminished playing time that may come with him staying a catcher, but I do understand the thought.

[BigRob]

From what I can tell, Randy Flores has been in charge of scouting/drafting possibly as far back as the 2016 draft? If this is the case, some of his notable selections from each year:

2016:
Delvin Perez (1-23)
Dylan Carlson (1-33)
Zac Gallen (3rd round)
Tommy Edman (6th)
Andrew Knizner (7th)
Andrew Young (37th round - Paul Goldschmidt trade)

2017:
No draft pick until #94 overall (Scott Hurst - brief cup of coffee at MLB)
Kramer Robertson (4th round, got more run than her probably should have at the MLB level)

2018:
Nolan Gorman (1-19)
Griffin Roberts (1-43, injuries and ineffectiveness ended his career)
Luken Baker (2nd)
Brendan Donovan (7th)
Lars Nootbarr (8th)
Kyle Leahy (17th)

2019:
Zack Thompson (1-19; hated this pick at the time; mechanically, just never seemed like someone who would stay healthy enough to make an impact)
Andre Pallante (4th)
Pedro Pages (6th)

2020 (only five rounds/Covid draft):
Jordan Walker (1-21)
Masyn Winn (2nd - 54 overall)
Tink Hence (2nd - 63 overall)
Alec Burleson (2nd - 70 overall)

2021 (drafts reduced from 40 to 20 rounds):
Michael McGreevy (1-18)
Joshua Baez (2nd)
Gordon Graceffo (5th)

2022:
Cooper Hjerpe (1-22; another pick that I didn't like at the time, for the same reasons as Z. Thompson)
Jimmy Crooks (4th)
Victor Scott II (5th)
Nathan Church (11th)

2023:
Chase Davis (1-21)
Quinn Mathews (4th)
Ixan Henderson (8th)
Jacob Odle (14th)

2024:
JJ Wetherholt (1-7)
--Too early to tell on most of the others--

2025:
Liam Doyle (1-5; again, a pick I didn't really like, similar to Hjerpe and Thompson; Doyle's mechanics aren't as bad, but we'll see how he holds up as a Starting Pitcher)

To play Devil's Advocate, there are some players that were ranked very highly at one time or another in the MLB pipeline (ex. Carlson, Gorman, Walker, Winn, Hence, Baez, Mathews, Wetherholt, Doyle). Maybe, with better coaching, there would have been better results? We'll never know, but, as things stand now, results have been rather poor.