Home › The Cardinal Nation Forums › Open Forum › 50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 Cardinals Prospects: 2018
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December 13, 2017 at 2:27 pm #39506
One beauty of prospect ranking is that it is not absolute and is fluid. I enjoy monthly rankings during the season, though I try not to get too wrapped up in short-term results. Definitely one game is not meaningful in the big picture.
Martinez left my monthly top 50 plus honorable mentions list in May. This fall, he did not place among my 65 used to come up with the overall site top 50, but there is no reason he could not rebound in a big way in 2018.
As per the schedule in the main Top 50 article, Derek’s “Best of the Rest” is scheduled to run on January 4. Look for more on Martinez then.
December 14, 2017 at 8:32 am #39639Ranked at #19 in The Cardinal Nation’s annual top 50 prospect countdown is a former shortstop now at home in center field and at the plate at Double-A, Oscar Mercado. ($)
https://thecardinalnation.com/tcn-2018-st-louis-cardinals-prospect-19-oscar-mercado/
December 14, 2017 at 9:06 am #3964614NyquisTParticipantOscar is now our #16 prospect.
Brian and Derek can now take some time off for the Holidays as the top-10 will fall in that time frame.
December 15, 2017 at 9:09 am #39778The #18 prospect in The Cardinal Nation’s annual top 50 countdown is a likely-underrated starting pitcher who ranks among our top 20 prospects for the third consecutive year, Jake Woodford. ($)
https://thecardinalnation.com/tcn-2018-st-louis-cardinals-prospect-18-jake-woodford/
December 16, 2017 at 9:57 am #39879Checking in at #17 in The Cardinal Nation’s annual top 50 countdown is a hard-throwing right-hander whose progress slowed in 2017, but had some peaks and is still just 20 years of age, Junior Fernandez ($).
https://thecardinalnation.com/tcn-2018-st-louis-cardinals-prospect-17-junior-fernandez/
December 16, 2017 at 11:50 am #3989914NyquisTParticipantBefore any discussion of abilities, stats or comparisons regarding Fernandez are brought up, the thing to realize is that he is 20 y.o and pitching at Adv-A. That to me spells the organization’s willingness to continue pushing this kid. He not only made the Palm Beach roster, but he was the opening day starter.
I wasn’t looking at his K stats and BB stats or his velocity, I looked at some stats that he actually lowered while he was progressing and learning. His ERA, WHIP and BA #s in ’17 were lower than his career averages. That’s significant for a young prospect that is advancing through the system. So I don’t see ’17 as a downturn year for him.
I discount the concerns about his late season injury, he is still a very young commodity and able to heal faster than most. He’ll be ready when the bell sounds. I am more inclined to go with Brian’s assessment of Jr., he just a step behind Hicks. I had Hick’s #12 and Fernandez #13, and that order is negotiable. If you want a third opinion, MLB currently has Fernandez #8 and Hicks #13. (JF was #10 in August of ’17) At #8, Jr. is ahead of a lot of talent, and maybe MLB has something there. They recently updated their Card’s top-30 list during the addition and subtraction period and there is Fernandez holding is own weight. That’s a pretty optimist place for Fernandez to show up, I hope he sees that and fulfills their confidence in him.
December 17, 2017 at 9:22 am #39931The Cardinal Nation’s annual top 50 prospect countdown arrives at #16 with 18-year old shortstop Delvin Perez. Some are impatient for the former first-rounder’s offense to develop, but one voter senses the Force in him. ($)
https://thecardinalnation.com/tcn-2018-st-louis-cardinals-prospect-16-delvin-perez/
December 18, 2017 at 9:35 am #39978Happy Holidays! All 3 new articles today are free. Latest: At #15 in The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown for 2018 is a newly-acquired second baseman known for his offensive prowess, Max Schrock.
https://thecardinalnation.com/tcn-2018-st-louis-cardinals-prospect-15-max-schrock/
December 18, 2017 at 3:16 pm #3999214NyquisTParticipantBW and DS did a great job getting some info on Schrock. I think the Cards made a good move here. No one knows if the A’s will be getting Piscotty ’16 or Piscotty ’17…. big difference. Schrock and Munoz might be worth it, in either case.
At the present, our projected AAA and AA rosters combined have 16 infielders, if you would keep the line moving. Meaning promoting the players from Palm Beach to Springfield. There are also some on the St. Louis roster that will be placed at AAA or AA. There will undoubtedly need to be a few releases which is normally the case. There are some options to be considered.
Most would say that the FO hasn’t done enough to put this team on a par with CHC. While there are still some that believe that the players from ’17 will get back on track, and that increased production could be enough. We’ll just have to wait to see what transpires until opening day.
December 18, 2017 at 4:17 pm #39994Schrock stands at 5’8″. Just want to mention that Jose Altuve is only 5’6″ tall.
December 18, 2017 at 4:53 pm #39997Speaking of Altuve, as a prospect, BA labeled him a “utility player”. Even John Sickels pegged Altuve a Grade C talent, ranked 13th in the Astros system in the off-season before he came up that July.
To quote John, “A few Grade C guys, especially at the lower levels, do develop into stars. Many end up as role players or bench guys. Some don’t make it at all.”
Noting against John, who I respect, but here are some of the other Astros prospects ahead of Altuve at that point: Austin Wates, Tanner Bushue, Aneury Rodriguez, Mike Kvasnicka and Jiovanni Mier.
Another good reminder that prospect ranking is never even close to absolute.
December 18, 2017 at 11:40 pm #40022I think someone is going to get flipped. May not be long for our prospect list.
December 19, 2017 at 9:22 am #40027A new name joins The Cardinal Nation’s annual top 50 prospect countdown at #14 – a very promising shortstop who just joined the St. Louis Cardinals by way of the Oakland A’s – Yairo Muñoz. ($)
https://thecardinalnation.com/tcn-2018-st-louis-cardinals-prospect-14-yairo-munoz/
December 19, 2017 at 9:35 am #40029PadsFSParticipant14Ny – Who do you have in Springfield and Memphis? I count 13 infielders:
1B – Voit, Ravelo
2B – Valera, Tovar
SS – Munoz, Edman
3B – Wisdom, Mejia1B – Nogowski
2B – Schrock, Seferina
SS – Sosa
3B – CaldwellDecember 19, 2017 at 9:51 am #40033Don’t forget our #45 prospect Andy Young, who finished 2017 at Springfield. He makes 14.
As a point of reference, Memphis opened last season with five infielders and Springfield had six.
December 20, 2017 at 9:21 am #4006914NyquisTParticipantTo add to the bottleneck, there are at least four solid infielders at Peoria (Mendoza #26-Robertson #30-Trosclair #52-Yepes #44) that will be looking to move up to at least Palm Beach. Where do you put the additional ’17 PB infielders Ascanio, Chinea, Dykstra, JoMartinez and Pina? The dominoes have to fall somewhere whether it is in the Card organization or not.
December 20, 2017 at 9:27 am #40072The Cardinal Nation’s annual top 50 prospect countdown arrives at #13 with a Cuban outfielder who performed very well at high-A and Double-A in his first professional season in the USA and in winter ball, all at the inexperienced age of 22 – Randy Arozarena. ($)
https://thecardinalnation.com/tcn-2018-st-louis-cardinals-prospect-13-randy-arozarena/
December 20, 2017 at 9:40 am #4007414NyquisTParticipantMunoz offers an immediate upgrade for the organization’s infielders and an impact on the STL roster depth. BW wrote “Even if starting talk is premature (Munoz), I suspect we have seen the end of Valera and Mejia as injury replacement call-ups for St. Louis.” These are prophetic words that could lead to several roster adjustments.
This is a subtle move in the depth chart that will effect who we’ll be seeing in Busch during the course of the season as injuries, MLs and other situations crop up. Munoz offers better two-way skills than the two already noted, especially if Munoz’ ranking is “conservative”. ST will decide who backs up the back-up.
December 20, 2017 at 9:41 am #40076Forgot to note that two of my crusades with Baseball Reference have been successful. They finally put the space between “La” and “Russa” and recently took out the extra “r” in Arozarena’s last name. Small victories!
December 21, 2017 at 8:33 am #40200At #12 in The Cardinal Nation’s annual top 50 prospect countdown is another Cuban outfielder who stepped right in and impressed at both Double-A and Triple-A in his first summer in the US, Adolis Garcia ($).
https://thecardinalnation.com/tcn-2018-st-louis-cardinals-prospect-12-adolis-garcia/
December 22, 2017 at 2:58 pm #4038214NyquisTParticipantNo one could argue that JAGarcia could be considered a top-10 prospect right now. His progress has been well above average and by July he could show up at Busch. I watched the AAA championship game and his throw from RF to third was a thing of grandeur. OMG, I could watch that replay over and over… very impressive.
His Aug/Sept was a little bumpy but it was his first season in the US. Something we should remember about him is that he hit lefties at a .378 clip. Something we could use in St.Louis. I’d hate to see this guy blocked in any way shape or form. He’ll just have to muscle his way.December 22, 2017 at 3:13 pm #40386But what about Dexter Fowler?
December 22, 2017 at 3:34 pm #4039314NyquisTParticipantPush will come to shove shortly.
December 23, 2017 at 10:44 am #40435At #10 in The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown for 2018 is a left-hander who turned around a potentially disappointing season with a very strong finish and is now on the 40-man roster, Austin Gomber. FREE article!
https://thecardinalnation.com/tcn-2018-st-louis-cardinals-prospect-10-austin-gomber/
December 23, 2017 at 12:17 pm #4044714NyquisTParticipantAlthough I don’t necessarily agree with BW’s ranking, his comments on Gomber are accurate and revealing. Sure, Gomber had a disappointing season and it would be hard to overlook his Apr-July. Is the Aug Gomber what we have here? His earlier ’17 start is non-Gomberesque if his prior seasons are analyzed. He is a 4th-rounder from ’14 so he has some pedigree. As BW has explained he needs to come out of the gate early and return to that AFL form last season and then gain momentum.
I also have thought of Austin as a left-handed Lance Lynn.(Lynn also had a few slides). I wouldn’t like to see Gomber start out in the bullpen ala Lynn, I felt that Lynn was a starter, period and that’s how I look at Gomber. Does he qualify as a top-10 prospect? With 3 top-10 guys sent to TB he slides in.
As the best LH prospect there is a lot of people in the organization praying for him to be at his best in ’18. There is little reason to believe he will not be. Amen
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