The Cardinals took a step back on the player development front this season while suffering several serious pitching injuries. They made some progress by adding key draft picks and trading for prospects ahead of the deadline.

The net result: They still have a middle-of-the-pack farm system in place for Chaim Bloom as he prepares to take over the baseball operation from lame duck executive John Mozeliak.

MLB.com ranked the Cardinals at No. 12 in the majors, up from its No. 20 ranking before the season.

That site placed infielder JJ Wetherholt (No. 6), pitcher Liam Doyle (No. 34), catcher Leonardo Bernal (No. 75) and catcher Rainel Rodriguez (No. 99) in its latest Top 100 prospects across baseball.

Here is MLB.com ’s assessment of this team’s prospect depth:

The Draft and Trade Deadli

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