SB Nation St. Louis - MLB Prospects 2012: St. Louis Cardinals Prospects Earn High Marks In 2012

MLB Suspends Andres Serrano For One Year

2012-08-03T12:00:57Z

Major League Baseball has suspended Dominican pitcher Andres Serrano for one year after the league voided his contract with the St. Louis Cardinals due to unverified age and identification claims recently, as Ben Badler of Baseball America reports.

According to Badler, Serrano's disciplinary action from MLB should end on June 26, 2013, but the first date that he'll really be able to sign is July 2 given rules in the present collective bargaining agreement. Under the CBA, international players aren't eligible to sign during a "closed period" lasting from June 16 to July 1.

That could ultimately impact where the pitcher signs once he's no longer suspended. Unlike this year, when all teams were allotted a $2.9 million signing pool, the amount that's in each team's signing pool for next year will be determined by 2012 winning percentages.

For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, check out the Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. Stay tuned to to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports.

MLB Voids Cardinals' Contract With RHP Andres Serrano Due To Age And ID Issues

2012-07-24T17:07:42Z

Back in February, the St. Louis Cardinals signed 17-year-old pitcher Andres Serrano from the Dominican Republic to a $750,000 contract, but that deal was voided by Major League Baseball on July 23 due to unverified age and identification claims. Cardinals officials confirmed the news on Tuesday, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and that's apparently not the only issue the organization has recently encountered regarding its international signings:

The Cardinals agreed to terms with two international teens, outfielder Magneuris Sierra, 16, and righthanded pitcher Estarlin Arias, 18. Arias has a pending suspension because of a positive drug test that he started serving with the Cardinals on July 18. Sierra's deal is pending an investigation.

For more on the latest Cardinals signings, be sure to check out SB Nation St. Louis' dedicated storystream.

For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, check out the Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. Stay tuned to to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports.

Cardinals Top Prospects 2012: Keith Law Ranks 3 St. Louis Players In Top 50

2012-07-12T19:58:49Z

ESPN's Keith Law has released his latest prospect rankings, slotting three members of the St. Louis Cardinals into the Top 50, while adding a fourth to the "just missed" category.

Top among the Cardinals' young talents was RF Oscar Taveras, who comes in at No. 8:

8. Oscar Taveras, RF, St. Louis Cardinals (age 20)
Current level: Double-A (Springfield)
Preseason ranking: 53

It ain't pretty, as you know if you watched the Futures Game on Sunday, but it works, with average, power and an impressive ability to square up pitches most hitters can only foul off. He's hitting .324 AVG/.372 OBP/.593 SLG as a 20-year-old at Double-A, although I'm skeptical that he'll be able to play center field at an adequate level in the majors ...

Also getting some attention: No. 17 RHP Shelby Miller, No. 22 Carlos Martinez and "just missed" RHP Tyrell Jenkins.

Head over to the Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos for more news and analysis on the St. Louis Cardinals. And for a deeper look at the league's most intriguing prospects, check out Minor League Ball with John Sickels.

St. Louis Cardinals Prospects: Keith Law Ranks Shelby Miller And Oscar Taveras Among Top 25 Prospects In Baseball

2012-05-24T22:21:07Z

On Thursday, ESPN's Keith Law released a revised list of the top 25 prospects in Major League Baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals have two players on the list -- pitcher Shelby Miller, who checks in at No. 9, and outfielder Oscar Taveras, who is No. 21.

Here's what Law had to say about Shelby Miller:

One comment I've heard on Miller this season is that he might just be bored; he's been solid (outside of a bad outing Monday night in Tucson, another great hitters' park), but not spectacular, and his fastball is down about a full grade, sitting 90-93 mph.

And Taveras:

His swing is unorthodox -- you might even call it ugly -- but it works, well enough to see the bat profiling in an outfield corner, with an average high enough that the OBP is strong even if he draws only 40-50 walks a year.

For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, check out the Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. Stay tuned to to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports.

2012 MLB Top Prospects: Cardinals Place 6 Prospects In Baseball America Top 100

2012-02-21T19:52:08Z

The St. Louis Cardinals have placed six prospects in Baseball America's 2012 Top 100 Prospects in another impressive show from the young St. Louis hurlers and fielders. Top Cardinals prospect Shelby Miller earned another high ranking, snatching a No. 8 position in this year's list:

8	Shelby Miller	rhp, Cardinals	Age: 21.	ETA: 2013
He's looking to become the first big leaguer named Shelby, and it should happen soon.

Miller pitched over 130 innings in the minors in 2011, earning a 2.77 ERA in time split between High-A and Double-A. The analysts at Baseball America anticipate Miller, who will 21 throughout the 2012 season, could reach the majors as soon as 2013.

Here is a quick look at the other top Cardinals prospects and their Baseball America ranking:

24) RHP Carlos Martinez
74) OF Oscar Taveras
88) 3B Zack Cox
93) 2B Kolten Wong
94) RHP Tyrell Jenkins

For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, check out the Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. Stay tuned to to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports.

St. Louis Cardinals Top Prospects 2012: Shelby Miller Once Again Ranked Atop System

2012-02-13T15:41:28Z

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has released his 2012 Top 101 Prospects, and, like most prospect lists this year, it's dominated by St. Louis Cardinals farmhands. There are five prospective Cardinals on the list, headlined by RHP Shelby Miller, who is the consensus top prospect in the team's system. Some prospect analysts rate Miller as the top RHP in the minors, but Goldstein has him behind three other right handed pitching prospects, though No. 10 overall is nothing to sneeze at.

At No. 23 comes OF Oscar Tavares, who is rated by Goldstein as the system's top position player. He's followed at No. 31 by Carlos Martinez, who is considered by most to be the system's second overall prospect, but is rated here as just the second best pitching prospect. First basemen Matt Adams and second basemen Kolten Wong round it out, at numbers 69 and 88, respectively.

Here is Goldstein's full Cardinals Top 10, with overall rankings in parenthesis:

RHP Shelby Miller (10)
OF Oscar Tavares (23)
RHP Carlos Martinez (31)
1B Matt Adams (69)
2B Kolten Wong (88)
RHP Tyrell Jenkins
3B Zack Cox
RHP Trevor Rosenthal
RHP Jordan Swagerty
3B Matt Carpenter

For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, check out the Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. Stay tuned to to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports.

MLB Prospects 2012: St. Louis Cardinals Sign Dominican RHP Andres Serrano

2012-02-10T18:28:00Z

According to Ben Badler of Baseball America, the St. Louis Cardinals have signed 17-year-old pitcher Andres Serrano for $750,000. The deal marks the Cardinals' continued foray in Dominican Republic pitchers, as two of their top prospects -- RHP Carlos Martinez and RF Oscar Taveras -- also hail of Hispaniola's Spanish-speaking half. According to Badler, both Taveras and Martinez were also recruited out of the same region as the recently-signed Serrano.

The deal is pending the MLB's review of the player's age and identity -- a problem that has plagued many Latin American signings -- but should be finalized soon. The 2012 off-season has been somewhat unusual in many respects as the newest collective bargaining agreement will soon kick in penalties for excessive international signings, resulting in somewhat of a price war among certain teams and prospects to collect as much talent before the new rules take effect.

Badler reports Serrano's $750,000 is the most yet-spent on a Dominican Republic free agent (though that may technically change when Cuban-defector Yoenis Cespedes signs), but there have been four other Latin American free agents signed to deals of $800,000 or more this offseason.

For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, check out the Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. Stay tuned to to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports.

St. Louis Cardinals Top Prospects 2012: Shelby Miller Headlines Impressive Cardinals System

2012-02-09T19:21:44Z

Keith Law of ESPN.com has released his latest list of top 10 prospects by organization. For a rich St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, the majority of the top 10 are among the top 100 in all of baseball:

St. Louis Cardinals
1. Shelby Miller, RHP (5)
2. Carlos Martinez, RHP (22)
3. Oscar Taveras, RF (53)
4. Zack Cox, 3B (66)
5. Tyrell Jenkins, RHP (74)
6. Jordan Swagerty, RHP (92)
7. Trevor Rosenthal, RHP
8. Kolten Wong, 2B
9. Matt Adams, 1B
10. Joe Kelly, RHP

The former No. 19 draft pick, Shelby Miller, has been surging through the Cardinals' minor league system. He finished the 2011 season at Double-A, pitching in the Texas League -- a league in which the average pitcher was over three years older than Miller. In three minor league seasons, Miller has a 3.17 ERA through 247 innings.

Meanwhile, righty starter Carlos Martinez, whom MLB.com ranked the No. 30 prospect in the MLB, earns a No. 2 ranking within the Cardinals' system. Law also gave Martinez a No. 22 ranking on a national level to Martinez, who finished the season in High-A.

The combined excellence of the Cardinals minors has earned -- in Law's eyes -- their organization a No. 4 ranking among systems.

For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, check out the Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. Stay tuned to to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports.