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The only thing that I can think of that could keep the Cardinals from racking up another #1 ranking is the lack of another prospect with true top of rotation potential, although Hence and Hjerpe get one more chance to take themselves out of the running for top of rotation, IMO.
Couldn’t figure out where else to post this, so here it is in the Oli Marmol thread.
Fan Graphs has just ranked the Cardinals farm system as the
#1 system in all of baseball. Obviously, this didn’t happen overnight. So kudos to the DeWitts, John Mozeliak, and Oli Marmol. Mo, of course, has left. But he has left us with the top farm system in the game. Thank you.It already looks like Matthews is our #3 prospect as much as mudville wants to argue the point. If Matthews doesn’t add that 3-5 mph back on his fastball that he had in 2024, he’s selling used cars in a couple of years, IMHO. But I get that undying hope and allegiance to a pitcher that looked so promising in 2024. I hope he turns out to be one of best pitchers in the years to come, fully deserving of the #3 ranking in this esteemed poll.
I was thrilled with the Crew’s win last night, also. Not only because of Pugs, not only because it was the Cubs that had it handed to them, but also because the Brewer’s fans are some of the greatest and the coolest fans anywhere. I went to a Brewers and Cardinals game in Milwaukee when it was still known as Miller Park. What a place to behold! I believe that the Dodgers can be beaten by this group of hungry marauders.
#3 Joshua Baez. He definitely had a breakout year, the kind of year that fans can only dream of. I’m feeling like I have to vote for Bernal at #4. To me is our catcher of the future. Nobody seems to know if Raniel catch or throw the ball. But based on all the relentless hype about this kid, I’m afraid to place him lower than #5. That means that my #6 is Matthews, Crooks, or for me anyway, Hence.
All of this is subject to change and is dependent on how the community votes. So, we’ll see….
Everything would be a lot easier if 1TD would just shake the junk out of his ‘quartz orb’ so that it could ‘see’ with clarity.
BTW, the Cardinals website has Jesus Baez at #7, down from #5. Who the heck is this kid? I know we got him from the Mets But why would the Cardinals rank him higher that Josh Baez?
I humbly submit that ‘Fire the manager!’ has been a rallying cry among disappointed fans since the first game that was ever played. My grandfather, my mother’s father, lived with our family when I was a kid. I distinctly remember him getting furious and even turning red in the face when then manager Red Schoendist would not take a pitcher who was getting shelled out of the game. Anecdotally, I’ll say that early in his life he was a shoemaker working for International Shoe Company (or maybe Brown shoe company) and since the shoemakers were all working piece work anyway, a group of them would occasionally take the afternoon off from work and walk west from downtown to Sportsman’s Park for a Cardinals game. According to all reports, the group was well behaved in spite of the constant cries from beer vendors within the Park.
Doyle – The potential is there for him to be top of rotation.
The only other Cardinal pitching prospect so far that still has top of rotation potential is Hence. I’m giving Hence one more year before I have to take him out of my top 10. Matthews was a major disappointment in 2025 after what he did in 2024. If he can’t recover and maintain that extra speed on his fastball, he could get passed by other pitching prospects like Roby, Hjerpe, and even Henderson and Lin, IMO.
I think Counsell liked it just fine in Milwaukee. It’s just that the Cubs made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, 5 yrs/$40M.
That made him the highest paid manager in the game. Of course, when the Dodgers found that out, they immediately chipped in an extra tenth of a million dollars to Dave Roberts. So now Dave Roberts is the highest paid manager in the game. BTW, I just noticed that Shildt is collecting $4 million from the Padres.I just want to mention that O’Brien didn’t settle in until after the age of 30, and that, so far, he looks like our 8th inning guy for 2026. Also, Gorman, Walker, Arenado (hate to see him go), possibly Gray, and possibly even Contreras (I’d like to see Herrera at first base) could be part of a trade that could bring back a starting pitcher. We also have a prospect here or there that could get us a starting pitcher if we could find a deal that made sense. The Cardinals are not without options.
My thought on Herrera has been to find some place to stash his bat whether that is DH or, maybe, the outfield until first base opens up whether that’s by trading Contreras or waiting until his contract runs out. Then, put Herrera on 1B and leave him there. I love watching Herrera take an AB. But I hate seeing him throw the ball to second base to try to stop at steal.
Speaking of 1B, I still haven’t figured out what to think about
Blaze Jordan. He’s still only 22 years old with impressive and improving stats. The Red Sox basically gave him away to the Cardinals.I’m about ready to throw in the towel on Gorman, Walker, and Pallante. Time to give somebody else a chance.
On the Cardinals website, and in reading through Arenado’s comments under ‘Headlines’, I think I see a different perspective from Arenado regarding the possibility of a trade. In short, it sounds to me like he just might accept a trade to a contender. But, for me, Arenado was such a great player when he was in his prime that I would just as soon see him finish up his career in St. Louis. If Arenado goes, then I think Donovan should take over third base. He has the glove and he hits well enough to hold the position.
I think they can find a buyer for Gorman. When he was having his hot streak, he was a formidable DH. Somebody will want to try their luck with him and he’s still young.
Maybe they’re still trying to figure out who the cuts should be. I definitely would rather see Jnevel’s list or 14Nyquis’ list than 80% of the players that were actually picked by the Cardinals. IMHO, it’s about time for Tyler Bradt, DJ Carpenter, Grayson Tarlow, Randel Clemente, and even Travis Honeyman, to go out and start looking for a real job. Actually having the courage to get busy starting a career by working for a living, rather than chasing rainbows until you’re 40 years old, is something to be proud of.
(If I had been born in ancient Greece instead of the twentieth century, somebody might have made a statue of me for being so wise.)
We’re not going to win anything in 2026 anyway, so I’d just as soon keep Arenado so we can watch one more year of his defense and so he can retire as a Cardinal. Gorman’s defense is unreliable.
I still don’t understand what has been said about Matthew’s fastball. He blasted through the system with increased fastball velocity in 2024. Then he gets to Memphis in 2025 and who knows what kind of pitcher he really is.
I agree that my comment on Matz was harsh, to say the least.
The basis of my complaint was that baseball fans gave him $44M and he gave back virtually nothing in return. I fully understand that this is the system that the industry has developed and agreed to work with. In a fair and just and sensible reality, if a player like Matz can’t work, then he should go on workman’s comp just like the rest of us. This is personal and it bothers me personally. I apologize to those who find this offensive. That’s all.Let’s not forget about Leahy for the rotation. Also, Hjerpe has had plenty of time to recover. If he keeps working hard over the offseason, he has a chance to make the rotation. Also, Hence needs to either quit or get off the pot. My point is that there is still a glimmer of hope for the rotation.
Sorry, 1964 Cardz. Mikolas already has a nickname:
