Cardinals Future Looks Dim In Latest Farm System Rating By Baseball America

Should St. Louis be concerned with the way they're developing talent?

St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak speaks at a press conference announcing that the Springfield Cardinals have been sold by the St. Louis Cardinals to Diamond Baseball Holdings on Monday, May 1, 2023. Tcards Presser00088 / Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

The St. Louis Cardinals are well-respected around the league after years of dominance and consistently developing impactful players in their farm system.

Over the last couple of seasons, however, the Cardinals have been on a steady decline and the latest farm system rankings by a credible source entail a troubling future for the organization.

The Cardinals placed No. 21 in Baseball America's most recent list of the top farm systems in Major League Baseball. This list was updated on Aug. 7 to account for the losses and gains teams made from trading prospects at the deadline.

Before this season started, the Cardinals farm system ranked No. 20 on Baseball America's list. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak successfully rejuvenated the roster at the deadline without sacrificing any prospects, so it's not surprising that St. Louis' rating didn't change much.

However, the Cardinals farm system has significantly declined since before the start of 2023, when the franchise ranked at No. 9. It's troubling that St. Louis went from supposedly having one of the best arsenals of minor league players to the worst in just two seasons.

Although Baseball America's list prompts concern, it should be noted that St. Louis had five prospects land on an esteemed list of the top 100 prospects in the league before this season started.

Also, the Cardinals' active roster is filled with young players and even rookies, who are thriving as they get acclimated to the show. On the surface, it'd be easy to say that St. Louis is in trouble for the future but a deeper analysis will prove otherwise as there's plenty of impactful talent in their farm system.

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