Prospect Pipeline

If you love prospects, then it doesn’t get any better than the Arizona Fall League.

With six teams comprised of baseball’s top prospects from all 30 organizations, the AFL provides an opportunity to witness the future of the game on one field.

With four World Series appearances in the last 10 years, the St. Louis Cardinals are baseball’s closest thing to a dynasty. 

However, rather than procure talent during the offseason like most large-market franchises, the Cardinals continue to produce winning teams the old-fashioned way: by developing players.

22-year-old Michael Wacha became the 17th-youngest pitcher to win a World Series game when he defeated the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 on Thursday night.

The rookie was still highly effective, despite lacking the outstanding command he demonstrated in his previous three postseason starts; he ultimately allowed two runs on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts over seven impressive innings.

If you love prospects, then it doesn’t get any better than the Arizona Fall League.

With six teams comprised of baseball’s top prospects from all 30 organizations, the AFL provides an opportunity to witness the future of the game on one field.

On Friday night, Michael Wacha became part of baseball history.

It’s difficult to imagine where the St. Louis Cardinals would be without their rookie pitchers.

Between Carlos Martinez, Seth Maness, Trevor Rosenthal, Kevin Siegrist and Michael Wacha, the Cardinals' young hurlers have individually and collectively played a crucial role in the team's success this October.

However, one very important name has been absent from the mix: Shelby Miller.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle faced a difficult decision following his team’s 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the National League Division Series: Trust a struggling veteran to start Wednesday’s deciding Game 5, or play the hot hand of a rookie.

What Gerrit Cole did Friday afternoon in Game 2 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals is what every organization dreams of from a No. 1 overall draft pick.

It's that magical time of year again where we look back at the recently completed minor league season and examine the state of the farm for Major League Baseball teams. 

Even though all of the focus is, rightly so, on the pennant races going on across MLB, we should not forget about the youngsters who represent the future of the game. In due time, a lot of them will be playing key roles in the postseason chase. 

Before we dive head first into ranking the top 10 systems, I first want to explain the process that is used.

Boston’s dismal 2012 season at the major league level overshadowed the organization’s enormous progress made on the farm.

This year, many of the prospects that took a step forward last season have played a role in the team’s overwhelming success, as they enter Tuesday’s game with an MLB-best 92-59 record and are on the verge of clinching a postseason berth.