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St. Louis Cardinals Top 10 Prospects For 2017

By Benjamin Chase

Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

The St. Louis Cardinals uncharacteristically missed the playoffs in 2016. Do they have pieces from the farm that can help them get back to the postseason in 2017?

An Introduction

Our minor league top 10 series is coordinated by Benjamin Chase, one of our contributors at Call To The Pen.

He has poured over thousands of minor league games over the course of the year via milb.tv along with speaking with a number of team and independent scouts. These lists are based out of those conversations.

Each system will have prospects from 10 to 1, and then finish with one newcomer to the system that is worth keeping an eye on that is not in the top 10 at this time.

Conversations are certainly encouraged in the comments section on each system as we go along!

The team consistently has a farm system that produces useful pieces for the major league club as well as trade chips to help fill holes as needed.

Cardinals System Review

It’s hard to say much negative about how the St. Louis Cardinals have built and run their overall system over the last number of years (outside of their computer usage!).

The team consistently has a farm system that produces useful pieces for the major league club as well as trade chips to help fill holes as needed.

In the last few years, the Cardinals have seen the seeming stranglehold they had on the NL Central begin to fade away as the Pittsburgh Pirates built themselves up into perennial contenders, and then the Chicago Cubs built up to the point of winning the 2016 World Series.

With the Milwaukee Brewers having one of the elite farm systems in the entire game and looking poised to make a leap forward in 2017, the Cardinals will need to use their system well to stay on top.

While there is one elite guy in the system right now, that’s not the true shining grade in this system overall. The outstanding mark the Cardinals get is in their development history and their substantial depth.

The Cardinals tend to draft and develop a certain type of player that will contribute well to their major league model, and while that doesn’t always produce elite prospects, it has shown to be a successful model for them.

Let’s take a look at their top 10!

Next: #10

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