15. St. Louis Cardinals
Last Year's Ranking: 27
Why They're Up: Colby Rasmus emerged as one of the top power/speed prospects in the game; 2006 draftees Chris Perez and Adam Ottavino shone in their full-season debuts; catcher Bryan Anderson raked at Double-A as a 20-year-old; older prospects like Joe Mather and Jarrett Hoffpauir took big steps forward.
Strengths: More up-the-middle prospects than most, with Rasmus, Anderson, and middle infielders like Jose Martinez and '07 first-round pick Peter Kozma; a good number of quality arms at Double-A or higher.
Weaknesses: Their pitching has depth but lacks a high-ceiling starter; not much speed and athleticism after Rasmus.
Outlook for 2009 Ranking: It depends. If Rasmus gets enough big-league playing time to lose eligibility, their ranking will go down because there's no other elite prospect in the system, nor a player capable of making a step forward into the Top 10.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7204
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