Where Cardinals 'Tier 3' Farm System Ranks Among MLB Peers

St. Louis Cardinals fans are becoming more excited about the future than the present, but how excited should they be?

It's easier to get psyched up about a potential rebuild when it feels like there's light at the end of the tunnel. And the Cardinals undoubtedly have some good pieces close to making their major league debuts, with probably a half-dozen on the way in 2026.

But it's helpful to weigh how the experts see the Cardinals' roster of top prospects against the others around the sport, and although it's often splitting hairs in discussions like these, one expert sees this farm system as simply good, not great.

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What do Cardinals need to do to rise?

Tennessee's Liam Doyle (12) throws the ball during a NCAA Baseball Tournament Knoxville Regional game between Tennessee and Miami Ohio on May 30, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Thursday, Keith Law of The Athletic ranked the Cardinals 11th out of the 30 Major League Baseball clubs in terms of farm systems, placing them in "Tier 3" out of eight potential stratifications.

"The Cardinals brought in an all-new player development leadership group, and they saw immediate results with a large number of their prospects, including Joshua Baez and Tekoah Roby (the latter of whom unfortunately needed Tommy John surgery just as he was on the cusp of the majors)," Law wrote.

"They have the best catching depth of any team in baseball, and they’ve already shown they can help both hitters and pitchers make real mechanical and stuff changes. There were some setbacks, including injuries to Roby, Quinn Mathews and Cooper Hjerpe, but on the whole, it was a very positive year and a great sign for the future of this system."

Law only put three Cardinals prospects in his individual Top 100, but they were also all in the Top 30. Shortstop JJ Wetherholt came in at No. 7, left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle was No. 26, and catcher Rainiel Rodriguez was No. 29.

What can make or break the Cardinals' future hopes of contention is the prospects behind those three surpassing current expectations. That's especially true on the pitching side of the ball, where the Cardinals have brought in six newcomers in trades involving veteran All-Stars.

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