The St. Louis Cardinals had a successful draft back in June. They were awarded the fifth overall pick and selected University of Tennessee flamethrower Liam Doyle, who had one of the most unhittable fastballs in college baseball this past season. They also selected Houston high school product Ryan Mitchell in the second round with the 55th overall pick.
Those are not the only high-level prospects St. Louis has added over the last few months. They were also busy during the trade deadline, dealing players like Phil Maton, Steven Matz, and Ryan Helsley. They were able to get some good prospects in return, further deepening their farm system.
Headliners in the Cardinals' return include shortstop Jesus Baez, outfielder Blaze Jordan, and RHPs Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt. Adding those prospects and already having guys like JJ Wetherholt, Leonardo Bernal, Rainel Rodriguez, and Quinn Mathews, this team has a deep farm system.
Ahead of the season, St. Louis was ranked as having the 20th-best farm system in MLB. Now, with the midseason updated rankings, the Cardinals have jumped to the No. 12 spot.
"The draft and trade deadline certainly helped St. Louis deepen its farm system with nine members of its Top 30 arriving since the start of July, headlined by fifth overall pick Doyle, who brings a ton of fire to the pitching corps."
Fans should have a lot to look forward to with many of these prospects banging on the door to get their first taste of MLB experience. Watch for some of these names to continue developing this season and make their big-league debuts next year.