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I will only post notice of the free articles here. Most are for subscribers.
The Cardinal Nation's 20th annual choices of the top players at each level of the #stlcards system follow stats leaders and season recaps by affiliate. 37 articles run daily from today into early November. Full schedule here: https://t.co/1WWBEMRcLl pic.twitter.com/3GNpsb9J0e
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) September 28, 2026
At .509 (28-27), the rookie-level #stlcards Dominican Summer League club posted their second consecutive winning season. On the young roster, the hitters performed better than the pitchers compared to the league. FREE article! https://t.co/5p0UaHWw0K pic.twitter.com/ztjD61hKtc
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 3, 2026
At .404 (21-31), the #stlcards rookie-level Florida Complex League club posted their seventh consecutive losing season. The hitters struggled more than the pitchers compared to the league. IF prospect Miguel Hernandez received FCL All-Star honors. https://t.co/FdBfnWqFyw pic.twitter.com/HKuh9H3U6P
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 4, 2026
Class-A Palm Beach finished just above .500, improving over 2025. Despite the best full-season record in the division, the #stlcards' club fell short of the playoffs for the second straight year. At 208 transactions, the roster was in constant flux. https://t.co/4tssIQEyDD pic.twitter.com/HevfGQhUHG
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 5, 2026
The Peoria Chiefs finished five games under .500 but improved over 2025. The #stlcards High-A club fell short of the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years. However, many in-season promotions upward helped fuel Springfield’s division title team. https://t.co/zNu6JeAafE pic.twitter.com/rC7cW0TFZI
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 6, 2026
I think Jesus Baez is player of the, and Mathews should be pitcher of the year. Odle should be there too, along with Molina
After a rocky start, the #stlcards Double-A Springfield improved a lot, winning the North Division in the second half despite major personnel changes. They finished with an overall record of 78-59, won the Division Championship but lost in the finals. https://t.co/9qhNxQ8zom pic.twitter.com/zs4GuXrNdx
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 7, 2026
All 18 of our team-based award winners have been disclosed. We now turn to the system-wide winners. (Subscriber article)
In a close race with Liam Doyle and others, 22-year-old right-hander Tanner Franklin is The Cardinal Nation's choice as the top rookie pitcher across the #stlcards system in 2026. Review the data here. https://t.co/AjWWjmUYRJ pic.twitter.com/GHdaGs46ao
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) October 27, 2026
Names are free and listed here along with the schedule.
It could have gone either way on Doyle vs Franklin. Stats are nearly equal with maybe the slightest edge going to Franklin. While I prefer Franklin as a prospect, I think I would have gone with Doyle here given they are the same age (just 9 days different) and Doyle pitched the whole season at AA. But Franklin is an incredible story given that he had been a relief-only guy prior to this season. I don’t think anyone could have ever expected him to be any better than he was.
One item relevant to a starter is IP per start. Doyle was 4.47 and Franklin 4.2.
Not saying anything wrong with that for first pro season as a starter, but going deep into games is an impotant box which both have yet to check.
One has to have a reasonable target. I don’t believe one starter in the entire system, first year or not, averaged five innings or more in 2026. That includes Mathews, who averaged 4.7 with Memphis before stepping into the StL rotation.
That box is important for you, but clearly not for the Cardinals.
I assume they think its fine for a .500 team going through rebuild. At some level of competttiveness, 4+ inning guys won’t get them there.
The game has changed, so expectations need to, also.
Fact: On their way to winning an MLB-high 103 games, the soon-to-be World Champion Brewers staff averaged 4.98 innings per regular season start in 2026.
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