Ranks the Cardinals #4 among organizations and four Cardinals make his Top 100 prospects list

I can't post a link because they are ESPN Insider stories, but here's what he had to say.

4. St. Louis Cardinals

They've drafted very well in the past few years, which has to be heartening to Astros fans, as Houston just hired Jeff Luhnow, who oversaw the Cards' recent drafts, as GM. St. Louis also has done an excellent job of developing the players it's drafted. I really like how the Cards are set up to contend continuously during the next five years.


5. Shelby Miller

Age: 21 (DOB: Oct. 10, 1990)
Bats: Right    Throws: Right
Position: Pitcher

Organization: St. Louis Cardinals
Top '11 Level: AA (Springfield)
2011 ranking: 9

2011 MINORS STATS

GM 25
IP 139.2
W 11
L 6
ERA2.77
SO 170
BB 53
H 112
HR 4
BAA .219


Miller is the top right-handed pitching prospect in the minors, with the best combination of stuff, size, delivery and results of any pitcher in the minors not named Matt Moore.

He will sit in the low- to mid-90s and touch 97 mph as a starter with a sharp breaking ball in the upper-70s/low-80s with good depth that misses right-handed hitters' bats. He continued to make progress this year with his changeup, a pitch he rarely needed or used as an amateur, and the pitch has good tailing action that has helped him gets some swinging strikes against lefties. He is very receptive to coaches' suggestions and has proved a quick study so far.

He often lands on the third-base side of the rubber and comes slightly across his body, creating deception but also potentially putting stress on his shoulder. If the Cardinals can keep him more on line, and he sees more improvement in the changeup and command of the fastball, he's a potential No. 1 starter for the Cardinals in two or three years.


22. Carlos Martinez

Age: 20 (DOB: Sept. 2, 1991)
Bats: Right   Throws: Right
Position: Pitcher

Organization: St. Louis Cardinals
Top '11 Level: A (Palm Beach)
2011 ranking: 52

2011 MINORS STATS

GM 18
IP 84.2
W 6
L 5
ERA 3.93
SO 98
BB 44
H 76
HR 3
BAA .238

Martinez -- formerly known as Matias -- was originally signed as a shortstop by the Red Sox in 2009, had the deal voided due to an identity question, but started throwing hard enough to earn a seven-figure bonus from the Cardinals a few months later. He now hits 100 mph as a starter and pitches in the mid-90s, with a hard curveball that has sharp two-plane break and tilt that puts it somewhere between a curve and a slider. As good as the curveball is, however, it's so far below the fastball's velocity -- 16-18 mph -- that he's sometimes actually helping the hitter by throwing it. He'll flash a plus changeup that he turns over very well, but when he moved up to high Class A, his lack of deception caught up to him, especially against left-handed hitters.

The Cardinals already have made some adjustments with him so the ball isn't so visible all the way through his delivery, and he needs to avoid trying to be too fine with his pitches when he gets into trouble. He's not a very physical guy -- his best comparable in build might be Pedro Martinez -- but he has the three weapons to remain a starter if he can make it harder for hitters to pick up the ball so early. It's top-of-the-rotation stuff in a pitcher who would be a college junior this year if he'd been born in the U.S.


53. Oscar Taveras

Age: 19 (DOB: June 19, 1992)
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Position: Outfield

Organization: St. Louis Cardinals
Top '11 Level: A (Quad Cities)
2011 ranking: UR

2011 MINORS STATS

GM 78
AB 308
HR 8
RBI 62
SB 1
SO 52
BB 32
AVG .386
OBP .444
SLG .584

Taveras played a little over half a season in the Midwest League, and led the league in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging with a very high contact rate despite a crazy swing.

He loads his hands high and deep, keeping them steady as he starts his stride, even letting them drift higher before he starts his hands -- but his hand acceleration is explosive. He's very rotational, and likes to get his arms fully extended no matter where the ball is, which should leave him vulnerable on the inner half and will make it harder for him to make adjustments. He can end up off balance from the force of the swing, and max-effort swings like this are rare in the big leagues; however, hand-eye coordination like Taveras' is pretty rare, and the fact that he makes so much contact, most of it hard, is a huge positive. He's a potential middle-of-the-order bat with some defensive value in right.


92. Jordan Swagerty

Age: 22 (DOB: July 14, 1989)
Bats: Switch   Throws: Right
Position: Pitcher

Organization: St. Louis Cardinals
Top '11 Level: AA (Springfield)
2011 ranking: UR

2011 MINORS STATS

GM 36
IP 93.2
W 5
L 3
ERA 1.83
SO 89
BB 23
H 68
HR 4
BAA .204

Swagerty was a two-pitch reliever at Arizona State who became a scouts' favorite for his high-energy style and aggressive approach to attacking hitters. Since then, he has showed four pitches all projecting as average or better and now projects as a potential mid-rotation starter who could always return to the pen if he can't handle the workload. Swagerty sits at 90-94 mph with that same out-pitch breaking ball he showed in college, but his changeup is improving with use and he has the feel to mix up all four offerings, throwing any pitch in any count, all of them for strikes.

He's tall enough to get plane on the fastball, but his frame isn't broad like most workhorse starters', so there's still some skepticism about his ability to handle 180-plus innings, and he'll need to get left-handers out more consistently. He's strong and athletic with feel, and I hate consigning guys with all of that and at least three pitches to the bullpen, especially since that will always be there as a fallback option if starting doesn't work out.