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blingboy said:
I’m sure Randy and Mo are happy their 7th overall pick is TCN #1 prospect.
I am infinitely more sure they don’t care.
I do think it’s always important to consider ages when looking at our players.
Mathews is just 3 months younger than McGreevey (drafted back in ‘21). Both are a couple years older than Hence despite Hence being drafted in ‘20. Also, both are a couple years older than Jordan Walker for what that’s worth. Wetherholt is also the same age as Walker and Hence despite just being drafted.
Come on Brian, I’m sure Randy and Mo both have an alias on TCN and are avid subscribers. I doubt that Blingboy is really Mo, but maybe one of us is secretly the Cardinals head honcho. Maybe it was Shady.
All kinds of folks have subscriptions and others are comped. But there’s a difference between reading and caring.
For example, with a slight hint of disdain in his voice, Randy Flores often draws contrast between the views of “third party publications” and the team’s internal measurements.
Jnevel, you are right in that age matters to a point, but you are comparing high school draft picks to college-developed guys. So, let’s look at the pitchers you mentioned more closely in the same time frame.
Since he became a pro, Hence has thrown 236 innings.
In that same time period, since 2021, Mathews has thrown 434 innings, not counting NCAA regionals, Super Regionals and College World Series.
McGreevy has thrown 556 2/3 innings.It makes one wonder what would have happened to Hence had he gone to college.
Brian’s and Blake’s analyses of Showalter, Bedell, Graceffo, Lin, and Robbberse are also encouraging for the most part. I agree that it’s too early to give up on Rajcic based on his 2023 success. But he need’s to regain that success in 2025, or he’s going to be on is way to becoming an afterthought. One or more of the lower ranked pitchers is going to start to shine next season, but who will that be?
It makes one wonder what would have happened to Hence had he gone to college.
Roby got out of high school and started his pro career at the same time as Hence and he has even fewer innings (223), so we can wonder about him even more.
I have very few beefs with this year’s TCN list. Brian and Blake did a super job of putting all this information together. I don’t think Roby is justified at 4 and there’s a couple head scratchers at the very back end, but otherwise everything makes sense as it is laid out. Thanks for continuing to go through this exercise every year and share all your thoughts and research. As you know, this is an area I’m always keen to read more about. Both of you do a wonderful job of covering alternative areas of a player’s skills and progress and the blend works emphatically well. I will miss all of Blake’s insights, especially with pitch shapes. Where else will I learn all there is to know about inverted breaks and tunneling? Again, thanks for everything!
Blake will be very difficult to replace. He has done an exceptional job for years. His last scheduled podcast is coming on New Years Day, but his work will be featured in the 2025 Prospect Guide.
I would enjoy reading all Bling’s prospect write-ups.
Brian would rate someone number 5 and Bling would rate the same person number 147. Bling’s only prospect evaluation would say “Another sore arm guy. No chance he succeeds at anything besides a slow pitch softball game.”
It was delayed behind some more time sensitive work.
In a free report, The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2025 concludes with a SS who comes with very high expectations following his selection in the first round of the 2024 Draft. How soon will JJ Wetherholt reach #stlcards and at what position will he play?… pic.twitter.com/SAnhKxVIcW
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) January 3, 2025
Spreadsheet data aside, there is the fact that Wetherholt is a lab rat to be experimented on by the new PD regime. Will it be less good at mismanaging the development of promising hitters? We hope.
Of note, the one major area of Player Development not touched by the organizational changes to date is hitting instruction.
Subscriber article…
Recapping The Cardinal Nation’s #STLCards Top 50 prospects for 2025, with @bt_newberry's and my individual votes, how each prospect ranked in prior years and how the list’s positional mix has shifted over time toward pitching. https://t.co/kI8J9cy2i9 pic.twitter.com/ZqcNYLQWJO
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) January 10, 2025
Top debuts, fastest risers, biggest fallers, names to watch on The Cardinal Nation's Top 50 #stlcards Prospect List for 2025. https://t.co/iW4oHo5Ngl pic.twitter.com/bFHhyXnrPH
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) January 11, 2025
I remember the comments by Baez when he got drafted by the Cardinals:
“A lot of people talk about how I’m kind of like Mike Trout,” Baez said. “I want to be better than Mike Trout and want to be the face of the game one day.”
I hope he finds his way this year. Lots of confidence but hasn’t been able to produce. Maybe he can find someone to unlock the potential this spring!
Breaking down the paths taken by the 19 new members plus one prior returnee to The Cardinal Nation's #STLCards Top 50 Prospect List for 2025. https://t.co/kbmxvS1CRU pic.twitter.com/JEqmCNBRBz
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) January 12, 2025
Due to my early arrival in Florida, Winter Warm-Up, early camp, etc., I temporarily stopped posting the remainder of the articles in the Top Prospect Series.
In today's installment of The Cardinal Nation 2025 Top 50 Prospect List series, I outline the various reasons 22 players dropped off our rankings of the best and brightest #STLCards prospects from last year to this. https://t.co/wNJKJgsMVq pic.twitter.com/2XheL1z9Uy
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) February 9, 2025
In our annual self-audit, we revisit our best and worst prospect calls from The Cardinal Nation’s #STLCards Top Prospect rankings for 2024, completed last January. Join TCN today! https://t.co/NPzEc0A4Ys pic.twitter.com/SJaugQ2N7Z
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) February 16, 2025
Tink Hence is the captain of the annual The Cardinal Nation #STLCards All Prospect Team. The top prospect at each position includes eight position players plus three pitchers. FREE article. https://t.co/SLJRts7qII pic.twitter.com/htrm2u26KQ
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) March 2, 2025
Diving into the numbers behind the The Cardinal Nation #STLCards Top 50 Prospect List for 2025 in terms of sourcing, ages of players and mix by position with comparisons to recent years and implications for the future. https://t.co/OIXKKJ7Zpg pic.twitter.com/SqwodYt8JS
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) March 4, 2025
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