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I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

imo...we're about 15-20. Better than the 20's some publications have us at. We don't have enough players in the Top 100's to move the needle for us.

And after Henderson and Lin, there's not much in the way of Pitching on its way. We dropped the ball with drafting pitching in 2024. Holiday is short and hurt, the Vandy Kid is still recovering. Findlay has been horrendous coming back from injury. Thompson and Davis , while they show some flashes, aren't your prototypical pitchers....come up short.

That sounds half a step better than poor.

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:20 pm That sounds half a step better than poor.

The pitching is good and deep with guys like McGreevy, Mathews, Hence, Roby, Henderson, Hjerpe, Mautz, Hansen, Lin, etc. Position players starting to come around with JJ, Baez, Crooks, Bernal, Rodriguez, Church, Davis, etc.

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

The system is fair if looking at the number of pieces who may become solid MLB contributors.
The system is poor if looking for high-ceiling prospects with the potential be become regular ASG caliber players.
Wetherholt may be the only one with that potential ceiling.

Melville wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:15 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

The system is fair if looking at the number of pieces who may become solid MLB contributors.
The system is poor if looking for high-ceiling prospects with the potential be become regular ASG caliber players.
Wetherholt may be the only one with that potential ceiling.

You never know who is going to be high ceiling. Did anyone on CT predict Alcantara and Gallen
to be future Cy Young Award winners?

Cranny wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:30 pm

Melville wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:15 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

The system is fair if looking at the number of pieces who may become solid MLB contributors.
The system is poor if looking for high-ceiling prospects with the potential be become regular ASG caliber players.
Wetherholt may be the only one with that potential ceiling.

You never know who is going to be high ceiling. Did anyone on CT predict Alcantara and Gallen
to be future Cy Young Award winners?

That is absolutely fair.
Heck - look at Pujols, who was never highly regarded - until he was.
But that was not the OP's Q.
He was asking how the system rates.
I believe I have it right.

Cranny wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:30 pm

Melville wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:15 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

The system is fair if looking at the number of pieces who may become solid MLB contributors.
The system is poor if looking for high-ceiling prospects with the potential be become regular ASG caliber players.
Wetherholt may be the only one with that potential ceiling.

You never know who is going to be high ceiling. Did anyone on CT predict Alcantara and Gallen
to be future Cy Young Award winners?

Evidently the Marlins scouts did.
Seriously though Alcantara had the stuff to win a cy young but Gallen was way undervalued by the Cardinals player development people which is why he was basically a throw in

Cranny wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:59 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:20 pm That sounds half a step better than poor.

The pitching is good and deep with guys like McGreevy, Mathews, Hence, Roby, Henderson, Hjerpe, Mautz, Hansen, Lin, etc. Position players starting to come around with JJ, Baez, Crooks, Bernal, Rodriguez, Church, Davis, etc.

Every team’s fans can rattle off a bunch of MiLB players’ names and use hope as a yardstick for future success. The “experts” use quantitative and qualitative metrics to rank these players. They mostly agree that the Cards are middle third, a little below average. I think that feels about right, for now.

Cranny wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:30 pm

Melville wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:15 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

The system is fair if looking at the number of pieces who may become solid MLB contributors.
The system is poor if looking for high-ceiling prospects with the potential be become regular ASG caliber players.
Wetherholt may be the only one with that potential ceiling.

You never know who is going to be high ceiling. Did anyone on CT predict Alcantara and Gallen
to be future Cy Young Award winners?

Cranny, you make a beautiful point about what a poor job the Cards have done at MiLB talent assessment over the past several years. I know that wasn’t your intention, but you hit the nail on the head.

kyace wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:43 pm

Cranny wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:30 pm

Melville wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:15 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

The system is fair if looking at the number of pieces who may become solid MLB contributors.
The system is poor if looking for high-ceiling prospects with the potential be become regular ASG caliber players.
Wetherholt may be the only one with that potential ceiling.

You never know who is going to be high ceiling. Did anyone on CT predict Alcantara and Gallen
to be future Cy Young Award winners?

Evidently the Marlins scouts did.
Seriously though Alcantara had the stuff to win a cy young but Gallen was way undervalued by the Cardinals player development people which is why he was basically a throw in

The highest rated player in that trade from the Cards was Magneuris Sierra, who Miami's scouts liked a lot. He was 2014's Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year. Miami tried him for a long time and he just didn't pan out. Sierra was the #6 prospect, Alcantara #9 and Gallen #13.

BrockFloodMaris wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:55 pm

Cranny wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:30 pm

Melville wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:15 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

The system is fair if looking at the number of pieces who may become solid MLB contributors.
The system is poor if looking for high-ceiling prospects with the potential be become regular ASG caliber players.
Wetherholt may be the only one with that potential ceiling.

You never know who is going to be high ceiling. Did anyone on CT predict Alcantara and Gallen
to be future Cy Young Award winners?

Cranny, you make a beautiful point about what a poor job the Cards have done at MiLB talent assessment over the past several years. I know that wasn’t your intention, but you hit the nail on the head.

Mo made the statement “we need to reassess how we judge talent”. But it didn’t seem to change as long a Gary LaRocque was in charge.

ClassicO wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 14:39 pm

kyace wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:43 pm

Cranny wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:30 pm

Melville wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:15 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

The system is fair if looking at the number of pieces who may become solid MLB contributors.
The system is poor if looking for high-ceiling prospects with the potential be become regular ASG caliber players.
Wetherholt may be the only one with that potential ceiling.

You never know who is going to be high ceiling. Did anyone on CT predict Alcantara and Gallen
to be future Cy Young Award winners?

Evidently the Marlins scouts did.
Seriously though Alcantara had the stuff to win a cy young but Gallen was way undervalued by the Cardinals player development people which is why he was basically a throw in

The highest rated player in that trade from the Cards was Magneuris Sierra, who Miami's scouts liked a lot. He was 2014's Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year. Miami tried him for a long time and he just didn't pan out. Sierra was the #6 prospect, Alcantara #9 and Gallen #13.

forgot about him! man, did he fizzle out

and the Alcantara thing.. he's had one season of an over 500 record, and maybe 3 seasons with a good era
throw in the injuries and you have the one kid we had with a golden arm that couldn't stay on the mound (totally spacing his name)

moose-and-squirrel wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 14:49 pm

ClassicO wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 14:39 pm

kyace wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:43 pm

Cranny wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:30 pm

Melville wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:15 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

The system is fair if looking at the number of pieces who may become solid MLB contributors.
The system is poor if looking for high-ceiling prospects with the potential be become regular ASG caliber players.
Wetherholt may be the only one with that potential ceiling.

You never know who is going to be high ceiling. Did anyone on CT predict Alcantara and Gallen
to be future Cy Young Award winners?

Evidently the Marlins scouts did.
Seriously though Alcantara had the stuff to win a cy young but Gallen was way undervalued by the Cardinals player development people which is why he was basically a throw in

The highest rated player in that trade from the Cards was Magneuris Sierra, who Miami's scouts liked a lot. He was 2014's Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year. Miami tried him for a long time and he just didn't pan out. Sierra was the #6 prospect, Alcantara #9 and Gallen #13.

forgot about him! man, did he fizzle out

and the Alcantara thing.. he's had one season of an over 500 record, and maybe 3 seasons with a good era
throw in the injuries and you have the one kid we had with a golden arm that couldn't stay on the mound (totally spacing his name)

Alex Reyes is who I'd guess you were thinking of.

ClassicO wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 14:55 pm

moose-and-squirrel wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 14:49 pm

ClassicO wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 14:39 pm

kyace wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:43 pm

Cranny wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:30 pm

Melville wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 13:15 pm

Talkin' Baseball wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025 12:10 pm I read a couple of different articles today where the Cardinals farm system was referred to as poor. I thought this was inaccurate, but wondered if it was just the fan in me coming out. If someone wanted to say that the system was fair, I think they could find support for that. Do you think the Cardinals farm system is good, fair, or poor?

The system is fair if looking at the number of pieces who may become solid MLB contributors.
The system is poor if looking for high-ceiling prospects with the potential be become regular ASG caliber players.
Wetherholt may be the only one with that potential ceiling.

You never know who is going to be high ceiling. Did anyone on CT predict Alcantara and Gallen
to be future Cy Young Award winners?

Evidently the Marlins scouts did.
Seriously though Alcantara had the stuff to win a cy young but Gallen was way undervalued by the Cardinals player development people which is why he was basically a throw in

The highest rated player in that trade from the Cards was Magneuris Sierra, who Miami's scouts liked a lot. He was 2014's Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year. Miami tried him for a long time and he just didn't pan out. Sierra was the #6 prospect, Alcantara #9 and Gallen #13.

forgot about him! man, did he fizzle out

and the Alcantara thing.. he's had one season of an over 500 record, and maybe 3 seasons with a good era
throw in the injuries and you have the one kid we had with a golden arm that couldn't stay on the mound (totally spacing his name)

Alex Reyes is who I'd guess you were thinking of.

bingo.. thx!