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I was going to let you get in the last word, but I can’t let another invalid assertion pass without challenge. You overly simplify a process that varies by rater and that none of us fully understands.
If it was as you say, one could easily add up the individual prospect ranking scores and order the organizations by their totals.
The trade deadline has passed. Might be worth pursuing in the off-season. But they’d have to move fast before the lockout.
The deck is stacked against an infielder who has no 40-man spot and is at least fourth in line at Memphis behind Saggese, Prieto and Gorman, all of whom are on the roster.
Urias might leave, but they still have Torres and Fermin as MLB reserves, neither of whom have reached arbitration, so remain cheap. (Then there’s Jordan who is technically a starter now, but might become a reserve if Urias is re-signed.)
As at least no. 6 in the infield reserve pecking order, Mendoza isn’t likely going to stay.
Allow me to summarize.
This whole dialogue began with concern that the Cardinals have/had Fernandez and Hjerpe as perhaps the best pitchers available in Memphis right now. We all agree the Cardinals have more potential help down the line. There doesn’t seem to be any disagreement about that.
It morphed into an abstract treatise on the shortcomings of farm system rankings because of one poster’s expectations that said rankings should equate to the ability to satisfy immediate MLB needs.
bling closed with:
The objective of the system ranking should be to gage how well that system will feed the ML roster with what it needs, and I have no confidence that is current reality.
That sounds all well and good, but again, the only for sure needs are about TODAY.
Teams will also have needs next year and the year after, but no one knows now what they will be. One can only look ahead at the chances of players in the system becoming difference makers later.
I look forward to seeing the details of your new ranking system. There aren’t many people in the world who can assess (and then compare) the detailed needs of all 30 teams (now and in the future) as well as all the players who might fill them (now and in the future).
As a result, here in the imperfect real world, folks look at the latter – quantity and quality of talent in the pipeline.
That is all valid and was already understood. I don’t see where anyone has a “reality detachment” though.
You apparently want a new, different, narrowed kind of ranking system that only reflects MLB readiness RIGHT NOW. That is only a part of what today’s farm system rankings entail.
For those who aren’t subscribers, this article is an example of what you get when you join.
ICYMI, I list #stlcards farm system rankings by major raters back to 2009, comparing to the current no. 2 system in MLB. 2013 is the gold standard, a group that included 12 future MLB standouts, six of whom were national Top 100 prospects. https://t.co/xqVN4Dkj8D pic.twitter.com/1mvqfdqVKs
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) August 23, 2026
They’ve gone hard for strikeout guys with the hope they can fix the walks eventually. Some will work out, others won’t.
In the specific case of Hjerpe, he has less than 40 innings post-Tommy John. It takes time for almost everyone who went through it to get back to peak performance.
Here’s the “reality”, my ever-negative friend. Building a system takes time and most of the players in the pipeline are not yet MLB-ready. You know this, yet you act like you don’t understand this basic fact.
The #stlcards system was 1-2 on a rainy Saturday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis catcher Leo Bernal, walked, homered and plated four. Other standouts: Pete Hansen, Cooper Hjerpe, Colton Ledbetter, Ryan Mitchell, Ian Petrutz, Cade McGee. https://t.co/EEXFC2cZr6 pic.twitter.com/ecwU4eSb3S
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) August 23, 2026
Good to see you stop by, Carioca. I can’t speak to BA and the others, but Miguel Hernandez is 27th on our August list and Brandt Thompson is in our honorable mention group currently. Hard to see how the latter could crack the StL rotation, but I felt the same way about Kyle Leahy not too long ago.
As bling reminds me, players can and do get better! 😉
So far, Hjerpe is still starting for Memphis tonight. It would be a stretch to bring him up now, but he is pitching better than any of the remaining Triple-A starters. New guy Fleming starts tomorrow and is a wild card.
Inspired by a discussion on the other forum…
Comparing the #stlcards current no. 2 farm system in MLB to the last 18 years and specifically, their no. 1 system in 2013. The ultimate measure is still ahead – MLB success. https://t.co/xqVN4Dkj8D pic.twitter.com/plEfEJuUjE
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) August 22, 2026
Similar to Randel Clemente in the Springfield pen. No balls in play is usually a good thing – until you walk the bases loaded, that is.
The #stlcards system was 4-0 on Friday. TCN’s Player of the Day, Peoria 2B Anyelo Encarnacion, went 4-for-4 including two doubles, a triple and three runs scored. Other standouts: Daniel Eagen, Andrew Williamson, Alexander Frias and Sebastian Dos Santos. https://t.co/vGLqGvWTA3 pic.twitter.com/YzIVWYCaAr
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) August 22, 2026
To file away…
LH Cooper Hjerpe, who is on the #stlcards' 40-man roster, is scheduled to make his fourth start for Memphis tomorrow (Saturday) night. He's thrown just 34.1 innings at four levels since returning in June from TJ surgery. Except for walks, his results have been good. pic.twitter.com/DN63jEHhDC
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) August 22, 2026
In a lockout, expense gets managed especially tightly. Not including scouting costs, each team can save $6-8 million in cash for signing bonuses right away in 2027. It is sad but not surprising.
A problem with more than two catchers is the limitation of the four-man bench. Ideally, you have a reserve corner infielder and outfielder and a middle infielder and centerfielder on the bench, too.
Also, most managers would prefer to not tie up the DH position full-time as they want to use the position to rotate the other starters through DH to give them a partial day off.
gscottar said:
I just hope Rainiel doesn’t continue the recent Cardinal trend of catchers who had to be moved off of the position (Contreras, Herrera).
It isn’t a recent trend only. Joe Torre and Todd Zeile come to mind from decades past. As long as the bat plays, they’ll make it work.
Pallante to IL (elbow), Fernandez up. Thus ends the season long stretch with no starters on the IL. Mathews had better strap in.