Fascinating Cardinals Statistic Paints Promising Picture For Future Amid Rebuild Woes

St. Louis is ahead of the game in one specific area

Jul 31, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) is doused with water by pitcher Miles Mikolas (left) and pitcher Kyle Gibson (right) after winning his first MLB game in his Major League Debut against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals' lackluster player development system has left them behind the rest of the league, forcing the club to initiate an unfavorable rebuild.

For dedicated Cardinals fans, a rebuilding phase is foreign and many are concerned about the club's future direction. St. Louis legend Adam Wainwright is optimistic that a total teardown of the big-league roster won't happen but it remains unknown what the next few years will look like.

Despite having a mediocre farm system and neglecting player development for the last decade, the Cardinals found an area to improve in their farm system to get ahead of the rest of the league.

"Entering the season, the organization set an internal goal of leading the minors in starter innings, retiring farm director Gary LaRocque told the Post-Dispatch," St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold wrote Friday.

The idea was that if Cardinals pitching prospects are used to staying in games where they might not be performing their best, it forces them to figure things out and work through the discomfort. The hope is that pitchers will be better equipped to handle high-pressure situations when they reach the major leagues.

"The Cardinals met that goal," Goold continued. "They led all clubs with starter innings at the top four minor-league levels, Class A through Class AAA. The rotations at Memphis (AAA), Springfield (AA), Peoria (A+), and Palm Beach combined to throw 2,630 1/3 innings, edging Arizona (Diamondbacks) for the overall minor-league lead, based on research by the Post-Dispatch. The Cardinals had more than 300 innings from their starters than any other National League Central team at the top four levels."

Considering all the recent adverse reporting surrounding the Cardinals' weakened player development system, it's encouraging to hear they're making strides with their pitching prospects.

St. Louis still has ways to go before their farm system is a star-producing powerhouse as it used to be but fortunately, the club's future is in good hands with Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak's replacement, Chaim Bloom.

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