Beyond its normal power rankings, Kiley McDaniel his "annual ranking of the core talent of all 30 MLB teams" and it's not ESPN+ paywalled this year.
This judges teams based on which players they have under contract through the next two full seasons — and you'll find many clubs at the top of this list are in the thick of the playoff races over the final month.
For this exercise, salaries don't matter and age isn't a factor — but I'll round up on projecting young players (and down on older players) because I'm projecting/ranking teams for a two-plus-year period. Very few players in either level of A-Ball are listed because they likely will contribute only at the end of 2027, if at all, even if they're a top prospect.
So, that's the background.
Where's he rank the Cards?
No. 24. (One spot below last year.)
Elite: None
Plus: Masyn Winn/SS, Sonny Gray/RHS
Solid: JJ Wetherholt/SS, Brendan Donovan/2B, Willson Contreras/1B, Ivan Herrera/C, Lars Nootbaar/LF, Liam Doyle/LHS, Tink Hence/RHS, Victor Scott/CF, Leonardo Bernal/C, Alec Burleson/RF, Matthew Liberatore/LHS, Michael McGreevy/RHS, Nolan Gorman/3B, Jesus Baez/3B, Quinn Mathews/LHS, Nolan Arenado/3B, Joshua Baez/RF, Blaze Jordan/3B, Pedro Pages/C, Jimmy Crooks/C, Cooper Hjerpe/LHS, Matt Svanson/RHR
All of the key players are eligible for this exercise, thanks, in large part, to the deadline trades that helped to beef up the farm system. There are a few catchers (not including the top prospect in the system, Rainiel Rodriguez, who is in Low-A) and starting pitchers (including some who just missed), though there isn't a ton of frontline potential.
Gray's mutual option for 2027 is priced just right to get him on here, but it was a close call. Wetherholt and Doyle clicking would be huge for the organization because there's a ton of upper-minors prospects and somewhat unproven young big leaguers, to the point where the Cardinals could run out of room for all of them to play — but they also need some stars to emerge to build around.
As for where that stands in the division? Brewers 13, Reds 16, Cubs 17, Pirates 21. At least we're not way behind others.
2 comments
Doesn’t seem like this list accounts for potential development which I think we would be a bit higher if it did.
I can’t disagree too vehemently with our placing though.
>– but they also need some stars to emerge to build around.
And that’s been the problem for the last decade. We havent drafted or developed any young guys to build around since…. Taveras?
Look at OP. No Elite players, two Plus players, and a shit ton of Solid players. The Cardinals have been great at developing solid players who are contributors to the roster and lineup. (Few teams are not good at developing solid contributing players) But we are always missing the Elite stars. Mo built his entire career on grabbing Elite/Plus players as their star begins to dim and makes a run with them (Berkman, Beltran, Holliday, Goldschmidt, Arenado, many others). It worked until about 2015. And it worked because we won the Pujols lottery to build around. But now what?
Tell us the plan, Chaim. Eager to hear the expectation and plan for this organization for the next five years. Fans are tired of being kept in obscurity as they beg for transparency and change. I hope this offseason will include communication, and radical trade/signings to revamp the farm system.
This year was see what you have. Next year is “Can you get Libby, Burleson, and Herrera to the next level?” If not, we’re so far away from not being a bottom ten team.