No Games, No Problem: A Closer Look at the Cardinals’ Top 10 Prospects

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
No Games, No Problem: A Closer Look at the Cardinals’ Top 10 Prospects
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

With no minor league games on the schedule Monday, this is a good time to step back from the daily box scores and take a broader look at where the Cardinals’ farm system stands.

And right now, the top of the system is not short on production.

The Cardinals’ Top 10 prospects are not just names on a list. Several of them are putting together seasons that deserve a longer look, from Rainiel Rodriguez continuing to produce at Double-A, to Joshua Báez reaching 34 home runs and 90 RBIs, and getting called up to Leo Bernal giving Memphis steady offense at a premium position.

There are arms here, too.

Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin, Quinn Mathews and Jurrangelo Cijntje all bring different looks, different development paths and different questions, but all four remain important pieces of the Cardinals’ pitching picture.

So with the farm quiet for a day, let’s talk through the Top 10.

Rainiel Rodriguez remains the top prospect in the system, and the case is not hard to understand.

Rodriguez is a catcher at Double-A, and he is hitting .304 with a .922 OPS, 18 home runs and 63 RBIs. That combination of age-to-level performance, position and offensive production keeps him at the front of the line.

There are prospects who put up numbers. There are catchers who can hit a little. Rodriguez is doing both at a level where the game usually starts separating real prospects from good lower-level performers.

That matters.

A catcher with legitimate offensive impact changes the way a system looks. Rodriguez has power, run production and enough offensive consistency to keep the spotlight on him. For now, he remains the best blend of upside, value and production in the Cardinals’ system.

Liam Doyle sits at No. 2, and while the ERA at 4.28 does not scream dominance on its own, the strikeouts tell a bigger part of the story.

Doyle has 106 strikeouts in 82 innings at Double-A. That is the carrying tool. The swing-and-miss remains real, and left-handed starters with that kind of strikeout ability do not stay hidden for long.

The next step is sharpening the command, working deeper into games and finding more consistency from start to start. But Doyle is still one of the most important arms in the system because the stuff gives him a chance to impact games even when the final line is not perfect.

Joshua Báez at No. 3 has had one of the loudest offensive seasons in the organization before being called up to St. Louis.

The numbers speak for themselves: .256 average, .901 OPS, 34 home runs and 90 RBIs. That is middle-of-the-order production that the Cardinals are now looking for down the stretch in pursuit of a Wild Card ticket.

Báez has always had the raw power, but this season has turned that power into a full-season headline. Thirty-four home runs and 90 RBIs is not projection. That is production. The strikeouts will always be part of the evaluation, but the impact was impossible to ignore.

Alexander Frias is the new name at No. 4, and his season has been hard to miss.

Frias is hitting .333 with a .959 OPS, nine home runs and 65 RBIs. That is a strong offensive profile, especially from an outfielder who brings athleticism and a growing track record of production.

He has moved quickly into the upper tier of this list because he is not just flashing tools. He is performing.

Frias still has development ahead of him, but the bat has made a strong first impression. When a player comes into the system and immediately produces like this, the ranking has to reflect it.

Tanner Franklin at No. 5 gives the Cardinals another Double-A arm worth tracking.

Franklin’s line — 4.30 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 103 strikeouts in 81.2 innings — shows both the work still ahead and the reason he remains firmly in the Top 10.

He misses bats. He has already topped 100 strikeouts. And he has done it at Double-A, where hitters are better prepared to punish mistakes.

Like Doyle, Franklin’s next step is consistency. But the strikeout total keeps him near the top of the pitching group.

Leo Bernal at No. 6 may not get the same level of attention as some of the louder names, but he keeps producing.

Bernal is hitting .285 with an .850 OPS, 15 home runs and 73 RBIs at Triple-A Memphis.

For a catcher, that is a serious offensive season.

Bernal has long carried value because of the defensive profile, but the bat has continued to come along. When a catcher is producing at Triple-A, driving in runs and showing double-digit home run power, he becomes more than organizational depth.

He becomes part of the future roster conversation.

Brandon Clarke remains at No. 7, and his ranking is still tied more to what he can become than what the current stat line says.

Clarke has worked only 15.1 innings, with a 4.70 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 20 strikeouts at High-A. The sample is small, but the strikeout rate and quality of stuff keep him in the Top 10.

This is not a finished product. It is a development profile.

The Cardinals will be patient here, because arms like Clarke do not come along every day. The next step is health, innings and refinement.

Quinn Mathews checks in at No. 8, though his value inside the organization may be greater than the ranking suggests.

Mathews has thrown 99 innings with a 3.27 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 120 strikeouts at Triple-A.

That is a strong season.

He has already shown he can handle upper-level hitters, miss bats and provide rotation depth. With Mathews getting the call to start Game 1 of the doubleheader in Cincinnati, the timing of this spotlight is fitting.

He has done the work at Memphis. Now comes another chance to show how that translates at the big-league level.

Jurrangelo Cijntje at No. 9 remains one of the most interesting arms in the system.

The season line — 5.33 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 132 strikeouts in 104.2 innings — reflects both the upside and the turbulence. The ERA is higher than you would like, but the strikeout total is loud.

And his last start was a reminder of why he remains so intriguing.

Cijntje struck out 11 over 6.1 innings for Memphis before leaving with a hamstring injury. The injury concern is real, but so was the performance. When he is right, the swing-and-miss is not hard to see.

The Cardinals will hope the hamstring issue is not serious, because Cijntje still has the kind of arm that can change a pitching staff’s outlook.

Josiah Ragsdale rounds out the Top 10, and his production makes him more than just a new name on the board.

Ragsdale is hitting .307 with a .990 OPS, 21 home runs and 55 RBIs. Those are loud numbers, and they are the kind that force a player into the spotlight quickly.

There is always an adjustment period when a player changes organizations or moves into a new setting, but production travels. Ragsdale has shown power, run production and the ability to impact the ball.

That is why he is here.

What stands out most about this Top 10 is the balance.

There are catchers. There are outfielders. There are left-handed arms. There are power bats. There are strikeout pitchers. There are players already knocking on the door and players still building their case in the lower levels.

The system is not perfect. No farm system is.

But this group has real production behind it.

Rodriguez looks like a legitimate top prospect. Báez has turned power into a season-long statement. Frias has pushed his way into the upper tier. Bernal is producing at Triple-A. Mathews is getting another big-league opportunity. Cijntje just flashed dominance before the injury. Ragsdale has added another power bat to the mix.

That is a good place to be.

On a night without minor league games, the daily box score is quiet.

The bigger picture is not.

The Cardinals’ Top 10 prospects are giving the organization plenty to talk about.