ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals have not been wary of using young talent this season. They have called up more than a dozen players, two of which have found starting roles in St. Louis (Tommy Pham and Paul DeJong).
The future looks like it will be continue to be bright, as four Cardinals were named to MLBPipeline.com's midseason Top 100 Prospects list.
The list for St. Louis is led by right-hander Alex Reyes, who is 17th after ranking sixth overall in the preseason poll. The right-hander has been unable to make a case for himself, however, having spent the entire season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
"It's a true honor," Reyes said of being on the list. "But at the end of the day, my goal is to be healthy and up here in the big leagues."
• Cardinals' top 30 prospects
Reyes has been making process in his recovery and threw for the first time at 60 feet on Monday. He has spent the season in St. Louis around the team after being projected as one of its potential starters before the start of the year.
He appeared in 12 games (five starts) for St. Louis in 2016, posting a 1.57 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 46 innings, becoming a regular part of the starting rotation in mid-September. The hope is that Reyes will be able to participate in at least part of Spring Training next year.
Of the Cardinals' three pitchers on the list, Jack Flaherty was the only one not ranked in the preseason, but the right-hander now finds himself at 53. Flaherty has had a stellar season, including participating in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. He has a 9-3 record and 2.14 ERA this year across Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis.
The two other Cardinals representatives on the list have made appearances in St. Louis this year. Catcher Carson Kelly, up three spots to 36, was promoted to the Majors on July 21 after spending the season at Triple-A. In six plate appearances, Kelly has one double.
With Memphis, he was batting .283 with 10 home runs and is widely regarded as the player who will eventually replace veteran Yadier Molina.
Luke Weaver, ranked No. 65, also moved up three spots. He has made appearances in two games with the Cardinals during a limited stint, giving up three hits and no runs over three innings. He is 9-1 with a .203 ERA in 13 starts in Memphis.
A notable Cardinal not on the list is outfielder Tyler O'Neill, who was acquired on July 21 in a trade from the Mariners for lefty Marco Gonzales. O'Neill is batting .242 with 19 home runs in the Minors this year.
The ranking of baseball's top prospects is done by MLBPipeline.com Draft and prospect experts Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Mike Rosenbaum, who compile input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. Only players with rookie status are eligible for the list. Players who were at least 23 years old when they signed and played in leagues deemed to be professional (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba) are not eligible.