Cardinals Land 5 On ESPN's Top-100 List; One Approaching MLB

The Cardinals have a bright future...

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

With time running out on the 2025 Major League Baseball season and the St. Louis Cardinals unlikely to make the postseason, a lot of the chatter about the organization has turned to the future.

St. Louis entered play on Thursday with a 63-65 record and five games out of a National League Wild Card spot. The playoffs seem like a pipe dream right now, but crazier things have happened. The Cardinals have 34 games left and a big gap to close. No matter what happens there, the organization arguably has a bright future.

Much is going to be made about the big league roster and all of the changes that could be on the way with Chaim Bloom taking over. His job is going to be to transform the entire organization, but the farm system at least is trending in the right direction, at least. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel shared his in-season top-100 prospect ranking and the Cardinals landed five prospects on his list.

The Cardinals have one of the more intriguing farm systems in baseball

Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

No. 14: JJ Wetherholt - Infielder
No. 37: Rainiel Rodriguez - Catcher
No. 40: Liam Doyle - Pitcher
No. 84: Tink Hence - Pitcher
No. 97: Leonardo Bernal - Catcher

Of the five, the most interesting -- and talked about -- obviously is Wetherholt.

"(Jordan Lawlar) is a sure shortstop in Triple-A and has grown into plus raw power, but has had some health, contact and consistency issues over the past few years," McDaniel said. 'Wetherholt and (Jett Williams) are also Triple-A shortstops but might move off the position depending on what their big league teams need.

Over these five, Wetherholt is the closest to the big leagues. He's been tearing it up down with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds and it seems like each and every day someone else calls on the Cardinals to call him up.

The Cardinals are set at shortstop with Masyn Winn. Wetherholt has seen time down in the minors at short, second base, and third base. A middle infield featuring Winn and Wetherholt for years to come could be a game-changer.

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