With the 2019 Minor League Baseball season getting underway, here's a look at where the Cardinals' Top 30 prospects are starting the year. We also identify the prospect who just missed the Top 30 list, a player who didn't make the big league Opening Day roster but should make an impact this year, a prospect who is ready to break out in 2019 and the team's best defensive prospect.

1. Nolan Gorman (MLB No. 60), 3B -- Peoria Chiefs (A)
2. Andrew Knizner, C -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
3. Dakota Hudson, RHP -- St. Louis Cardinals (MLB)
4. Elehuris Montero, 3B -- Springfield Cardinals (AA)
5. Jhon Torres, OF -- Extended spring training
6. Malcom Nunez, 3B -- Extended spring training
7. Dylan Carlson, OF -- Springfield Cardinals (AA)
8. Lane Thomas, OF -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
9. Genesis Cabrera, LHP -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
10. Ryan Helsley, RHP -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
11. Edmundo Sosa, SS -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
12. Tommy Edman, SS -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
13. Griffin Roberts, RHP -- Suspended
14. Justin Williams, OF -- St. Louis Cardinals (MLB) -- IL
15. Randy Arozarena, OF -- Extended spring training -- rehab
16. Daniel Poncedeleon, RHP -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
17. Connor Jones, RHP -- Springfield Cardinals (AA)
18. Conner Capel , OF -- Springfield Cardinals (AA)
19. Ivan Herrera, C -- Peoria Chiefs (A)
20. Johan Oviedo, RHP -- Palm Beach Cardinals (A Adv)
21. Junior Fernandez, RHP -- Palm Beach Cardinals (A Adv)
22. Steven Gingery, LHP -- Extended spring training -- rehab
23. Luken Baker, 1B -- Palm Beach Cardinals (A Adv)
24. Wadye Ynfante, OF -- Peoria Chiefs (A)
25. Jake Woodford, RHP -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
26. Ramon Urias, INF -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
27. Max Schrock, 2B -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
28. Evan Kruczynski, LHP -- Springfield Cardinals (AA)
29. Seth Elledge, RHP -- Springfield Cardinals (AA)
30. Evan Mendoza, 3B -- Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
    Complete list »

Just missed Top 30: Scott Hurst
The Cardinals used their first overall pick in the 2017 Draft on Hurst, taking him in the third round after his strong junior campaign at Cal State Fullerton. A hamstring injury cost him over a month during his first full season and limited him to just 68 games, but he still reached the Class A Advanced Florida State League and produced a .312/.389/.447 overall line for the season. Hurst has a hit-over-power profile with a good approach and some extra-base pop from the left side of the plate, and he also offers value with his above-average speed and his ability to play a solid center field (and therefore all three outfield positions).

On the shelf
Williams was placed on the Cardinals’ 10-day IL as he continues to recover from fractured second metacarpal in his right hand that he suffered during the offseason when he punched a television. Arozarena will be out indefinitely after he was hit by a pitch and suffered a fractured hand in mid-March. Gingery underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2018 and will open the season in extended spring training.

Impact prospect: Tommy Edman
The 2016 sixth-rounder hit .301 with 30 steals between Double- and Triple-A last year and tied a bow on his season with a strong turn in the Arizona Fall League. He improved his stock even more this spring as he hit .333 and tied for the team lead with 15 hits, all while bouncing between shortstop, second and third base. He has all the ingredients needed to become a productive utility player, or perhaps more, for the Cardinals in 2019.

Breakout prospect: Jhon Torres
Torres slashed .397/.493/.683 over 17 games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League last year after the Cardinals acquired him from Cleveland in July in the Oscar Mercado deal. He won’t turn 19 until March 29, but he's already a physical specimen with remaining projection to his listed 6-foot-4, 199-pound frame. That should lead to more power that Torres could start tapping into in 2019.

Best defensive prospect: Delvin Perez
The Cardinals' first-round pick in 2016 has had trouble finding any traction offensively, but there are no concerns about his defensive chops. He gets plus grades on his arm and his overall fielding, thanks to a plus arm when he needs it, above-average hands and plus speed that helps him cover a lot of ground.