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With the glaring exception of Albert Pujols, nearly every key contributor to the Cardinals' five playoff appearances in the past six seasons has been imported, typically lured to St. Louis in exchange for Minor League prospects. Dan Haren and Daric Barton were traded for Mark Mulder; Jason Burch and the once highly regarded Chris Narveson brought Larry Walker. Further back, Coco Crisp was dealt for veteran Chuck Finley, who was instrumental in the Cards' 2002 postseason run; Bud Smith was part of the Scott Rolen package; Adam Kennedy got Jim Edmonds; and Braden Looper was the key ingredient in landing Edgar Renteria.

And though such deals may have left St. Louis with a dearth of top-rate Minor Leauge talent in recent years, a lack of top prospects shouldn't be confused with an unsuccessful farm system. On average, the Cardinals were rated 29th in Baseball America's talent rankings from 2002 to 2005, but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone doesn't think the organization improved by trading away those young players.

And the 2005 draft provided ample opportunity for the Cardinals to replenish their farm, as they owned four first-round picks and six of the first 78 overall. Moreover, they signed all but one of their first 22 selections (12th rounder Daniel McCutchen returned to the University of Oklahoma), which included a mixture of eight high school players and 13 collegians.

Thanks in part to the thinness of St. Louis' system, four of those picks -- first-rounders Colby Rasmus, Tyler Greene and Mark McCormick, and second-rounder Nick Webber -- jumped right into BA's list of the Cardinals' top 10 prospects. To put that in perspective, that's the same number of 2005 picks that the Angels, Dodgers, Twins and Braves -- BA's four top-ranked farm systems -- had on their lists, combined.

And the high-profile draftees weren't the only ones who did well enough to earn some recognition. Check out the extensive list of the "best of the rest" below. If early returns are any indication, St. Louis' 2005 draft may have netted the top-rate prospects it's been lacking. Whether they'll remain Cardinals is, of course, another question.

Five Faves

Five prospects whose names you should know:

Anthony Reyes, RHP
Reyes stands out from an otherwise relatively anonymous crop of Cardinals Minor Leaguers, especially after an impressive Major League debut late last year. The former USC hurler made a spot start for St. Louis in August, holding Milwaukee to two hits over 6 1/3 innings in a 5-2 win. In four games with the big club, the 6-foot-2 right-hander was 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings. After splitting his first pro season between Class A Palm Beach and Double-A Tennessee, Reyes handled the big jump to Triple-A Memphis with aplomb. He was 5-2 with a 2.51 ERA through May, when he sprained a joint in his shoulder, and from that point he was largely inconsistent. Four times in the final three months of the season, Reyes followed up a 5- or 6-run outing with a shutout performance, including his seven-inning, two-hit, 15-strikeout masterpiece on August 14 against eventual champion Nashville. Reyes looked to be in line for the Cardinals' No. 5 spot in the rotation when Matt Morris departed, but Sidney Ponson was signed shortly thereafter, so now he's got competition.
Listen to Reyes close out his one-hit gem
Audio: Reyes sets a club record with his 15th K of the game

Audio: Wainwright induced a weak swing and a miss for strikeout No. 7

2005 Organizational Leaders
Average Home Runs RBIs Stolen Bases ERA Wins Strikeouts Saves	.324 21 97 48 3.00 15 147 35	Tyler Minges Ankiel, Dryer, Duncan, Herr Travis Hanson Matt Lemanczyk Oscar Alvarez Randy Leek Adam Wainwright Mark Worrell
Complete MiLB statistics

Travis Hanson, 3B
Hanson would probably only qualify as a "Breakout" player in most organizations, but, again due to the lack of high-profile prospects in the Cardinals' system, he's one of the "Five Faves." The left-handed-swinging third baseman showed good gap power with Peoria in 2003, hitting 31 doubles, but had never shown the explosiveness he displayed with Springfield in '05. After missing most of 2004 with a broken ankle, Hanson returned in fine form, blasting five more homers (20) than he'd hit in his first three seasons combined. He hit 16 of his 20 longballs against right-handers, but batted 24 points higher (.301) against lefties. He got off to a fast start in the Arizona Fall League, going 8-for-12 in his first three games, but hit just .200 the rest of the way to finish at .261 with one homer and eight RBIs in 23 games. His glove needs some work, as attested by 36 errors last year, but his bat looks like it's there.
Audio: Travis talks at Texas League All-Star Game

Mark Worrell, RHP
Much is made of Worrell's funky delivery, but after leading the Minors in saves last year, people are bound to start giving his stuff some credit, too. The 6-foot-1 right-hander is certainly not in the mold of a traditional power-pitching closer, with a fastball that clocks in around 92 mph. And although he throws an assortment of pitches -- a curveball, a slider and a changeup -- and comes from all sorts of arm angles, he's not what you'd call a finesse pitcher, either. Nevertheless, as difficult as it is to define his style, it's apparently even more difficult to identify his pitches. In 2005, Florida State League batters hit just .195 against the Cardinals closer. Worrell racked up 35 saves and posted a 2.25 ERA, striking out 53 of the 225 batters he faced. And if you subtract his one bad month -- he had a 4.97 ERA in June -- his ERA was 1.45 and his OPP AVG just .150. After his rough June, he was nearly flawless, allowing a run just once in his final 20 games. And he carried that over into the Mexican Winter League, where the 23-year-old Florida native, facing more experienced hitters, earned nine saves in 12 games, allowing just one run for a 0.77 ERA. That success should bode well for his foray into the Texas League in '06.
Audio: Worrell puts the Cardinals into the FSL Championship

Cody Haerther, OF
Haerther has hit .316 through his first three seasons since being drafted in the sixth round in 2002. He initially struggled at Springfield after a promotion from Palm Beach, where he'd hit .318 with eight homers and eight RBIs in 47 games. But Haerther improved each month, hitting .200 in June, .296 in July and .354 the rest of the way. And if he gets slated to start in the Texas League again, he may improve on those numbers even more.
Video: "This one is on top of the Cardinal clubhouse!"

Others to watch: Chris Duncan, 1B/OF; Eric Haberer, LHP; Tyler Johnson, LHP; Juan Lucena, SS; Juan Mateo, RHP; Mike Parisi, RHP; Brendan Ryan, SS; Stuart Pomeranz, RHP

Video: Pomeranz gets a strikeout with a 12-to-6 knuckle curve
Video: Duncan takes a hit away from the RedHawks
Audio: Haberer rings up his sixth strikeout in a playoff tilt

Cinderella Stories

Rick Ankiel, OF
Though Ankiel had always been impressive at the plate during his pitching days, the Cardinals' agreement to let him attempt to resuscitate his career as an outfielder struck many as a nice gesture afforded to a longtime family member by a classy organization. And a 1-for-20 start with eight strikeouts in his first week as a 25-year-old at Double-A seemed to confirm the skepticism. But just as rapidly as Ankiel's pitching career vaporized, his hitting stroke materialized. The 6-foot-1 left-handed swinger took a few weeks to recuperate an injured back, dropped down to Class A Quad Cities and hit .270/.368/.514 with 11 HR and 45 RBI in 51 games, He then returned to Springfield, where he made amends for his first go round, collecting 10 more homers and 30 RBIs to give him 21 homers and 75 RBIs in 85 games for the season. Last year, his comeback was such a long shot that no one took a shot at him on waivers. However, after last year's success, the Cardinals find themselves in a position of having to keep Ankiel on their roster, or, in all likelihood, watch another team snatch him up.

Cory Doyne, RHP
Originally taken by Houston in the eighth round of the 2000 draft, Doyne has twice been released -- once by the Astros, once by the Padres -- for off-field reasons. The Cardinals took a chance and signed him in 2004, and he went 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA and .141 opponents' average for New Jersey in the New York-Penn League. He was even better last year. At 23, Doyne started his sixth professional season with Class A Quad Cities, where he struck out five of the six hitters he faced before moving up to High A Palm Beach. There, he pitched the equivalent of a three-hit, 11-strikeout shutout over the course of six games. Then it was on to Double-A Springfield, where he stretched his scoreless streak to 20 games before finally surrendering a run on March 25, nearly two months into the season. Doyne was terrific all year, despite battling his control problems that have plagued him his entire career. In all, he was 3-1 with 19 saves and a 1.62 ERA. He held opponents to a .171 average and had 69 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings while walking 38. Doyne has tended to be unpredictable, but a trip to the Arizona Fall League after last season may have been preparation for a jump to Triple-A.

Primed for breakout in 2006

Chris Lambert, RHP
Lambert's 2005 season would have qualified as a breakout if he hadn't struggled so much after his promotion from Class A Palm Beach, where he was 7-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 10 starts. But the Texas League was another story for the 2004 first-round pick. Lambert was just 3-8 with a 6.35 ERA and opponents hit nearly .300 off him. The former high school hockey player should fare better the second time around, though, and could have a nice season for Springfield.
Audio: Lambert strikes out nine for Team USA vs. Guatemala

Dennis Dove, RHP
A third-round pick out of Georgia Southern in 2003, Dove was limited to just 50 2/3 innings in his first two seasons. But when finally healthy, he tossed nearly three times that many last year, going 7-5 with a 3.88 ERA at Quad Cities and 2-4 with a 4.85 mark at Palm Beach. He's got good size (6-foot-4, 205 pounds), a good arm and good velocity (95 mph fastball), and according to Cardinals Director of Player Development Bruce Manno, "He has taken some time to put some things together, but the physical ability is there." The Cards are trying to get him to repeat his pitches and battle the adversity part of the game, and if they succeed, Dove could break out in '06.

Mark Michael, RHP
Michael is another big (6-foot-5, 215 pound) right-hander that the Cardinals took out of college in 2003, selected out of Delaware one round after Dove. He's also another guy they think is really close to putting things together. He was 4-5 with a 4.05 ERA at Palm Beach last year despite the fact that batters hit just .224 off him, which is an indication of his lack of control. Michael walked 35 batters in 82 innings while also hitting 14 more and chalking up 10 wild pitches. He missed two months in the middle of the season due to shoulder tendonitis, but upon his return he did show signs of improved command, walking only 12 batters in his final nine outings, compared to 23 in his first nine. If he can maintain that type of command, Michael could have an impressive 2006 season.

2005 draft recap

1. (28) Colby Rasmus, OF
.296-7-27, 13 SB, .362 OBP, .514 SLG

The Cardinals are anxious to see whether their top pick from last year is ready to step into a full-season league at age 19. Rasmus was certainly up to the challenge of the Appy League in his professional debut, hitting .296/.362/.514 with impressive power for his 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. The Alabama high school product roped 16 doubles, five triples and seven home runs. He also stole 13 bases in 16 attempts, played a solid centerfield, and didn't hit into a double play in 216 at-bats. His one deficiency was a rather glaring one -- 73 strikeouts in 62 games, including nine three-strikeout games and a five-K performance that was part of eight consecutive whiffs. Rasmus was an all-or-nothing type hitter, racking up 21 multi-hit games and 20 multi-strikeout games, only once doing both in the same game. A successful sophomore season could establish him as just the fourth true top-flight outfield prospect the Cardinals have had in the past 15 years, joining Ray Lankford, Brian Jordan and J.D. Drew.

1. (30) Tyler Greene, SS
.265-3-23, 19 SB, .343 OBP, .377 SLG

Greene's percentages weren't overly impressive (.265/.343/.377), but when he got on base, he was successful in 19 of 20 stolen base attempts, contributing to his very high number of runs scored (45 in 55 games). Over a third of his debut season was spent at High A Palm Beach in the notoriously pitcher-friendly FSL. But despite that, and the fact that he'd already played a college season, he managed to hit .271 there. Defensively, he made nine errors at each level in 270 total chances for a .933 percentage. And struggled mightily in the playoffs, hitting just .162 with 14 strikeouts in 37 at-bats. But the Cardinals are eager to see what Greene can do after having the winter off to recuperate from a long season, which, Manno points out, included a lot of pressure baseball. He's slated to be the everyday shortstop in Palm Beach.
Audio: Greene smacks an RBI single in Game 3 of the FSL Finals

1s. (43) Mark McCormick, RHP
1-2, 4.81 ERA, 48.2 IP, 42 H, 31 BB, 55 K

McCormick's name and game have been well-known for several years now, since he was lighting up radar guns at Clear Creek High School in Texas -- the same school that produced longtime Mariner Jay Buhner and current Yankees prospect Steven White. The Diamondbacks wanted to take the hard-throwing right-hander with their first pick in 2002, but McCormick shunned a $1.8 million proposal. He fell all the way to the 11th round that year, but the Orioles still offered him $1.2 million, which he also rejected. After three topsy-turvy years at Baylor, which included a suspension and a fallout with his Cape Cod League team, McCormick finally ended up settling for $800,000 from the Cardinals. He breezed through his first two outings in the New York-Penn League (6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 3 BB, 10 K) and fared well in his first half dozen starts after a promotion to Quad Cities, only to falter in his final three outings, a not uncommon trend for first-year college pitchers. The one main on-field inhibitor that has offset McCormick's incredible stuff since high school -- a lack of control -- is still present. In 48 2/3 innings, he walked 31 batters, hit five others, and uncorked five wild pitches. As Spring Training began, it was unclear whether he'll start the year in Quad Cities or Palm Beach.

1s. (46) Tyler Herron, RHP
0-3, 5.62 ERA, 49.2 IP, 47 H, 27 BB, 49 K

Similar to McCormick, Herron came from a high school program -- Wellington Community HS (Fla.) -- that had turned out some top prospects before him: Pirates first-round picks Bobby Bradley (1999) and Sean Burnett (2000) and Cardinals 2001 first-rounder Justin Pope. At just 18, Herron began his pro career in the Appy League, where he didn't necessarily get hit a lot (.245 opponents average and 49 K in 49 2/3 IP), but he did get hit hard (11 HR in 13 starts). It should be noted that he pitched much better away from Howard Johnson Park, where balls flew out at a nearly 2-to-1 ratio compared to games the Cardinals played on the road. The 6-foot-3 right-hander had a 2.91 ERA and .192 OPP AVG on the road, compared to 7.71 and .281 at home. His performance in Spring Training will determine whether he goes to Quad Cities or sticks around in extended.

2. (70) Josh Wilson, RHP
2-2, 4.22 ERA, 53.1 IP, 49 H, 23 BB, 32 K

Wilson is like Herron in that he's another high school right-hander who started in Johnson City last year and will stay in extended or go to Quad Cities for 2006, depending on how he looks in Spring Training. Just 5-foot-11, Wilson doesn't appear to have as high of a ceiling as Herron, but he did have more success in the Appalachian League, anyway. The 19-year-old Texan allowed one or zero earned runs in seven of his first nine starts and was 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA before faltering in his final three outings. Another similarity to Herron -- and to the entire JC staff, for that matter -- was that Wilson was much better away from Howard Johnson Field, posting a 3.21 ERA on the road, compared to 5.95 at home. That alone should be motivation to earn a ticket to the Midwest League.

Best of the rest: RHP Nick Webber (second round) used his 90+ fastball to fan 63 in 53 1/3 innings while posting a 3.71 ERA at Hudson Valley ... C Bryan Anderson (4) tore up the Appy League, hitting .331/.383/.513 with a half dozen homers and steals and 36 RBIs in 51 games for Johnson City ... OF John Stavinoha (7) somehow largely flew under the radar despite jumping straight to the MWL, where he hit .344/.398/.564 with 14 HR and 53 RBI in just 65 games ... RHP Matt Falk (8) posted a 2.43 ERA in 37 IP, mostly at Quad Cities, saving eight games for the Swing while holding MWL hitters to a .231 average ... 1B A.J. Van Slyke (23) hit .380 in 50 ABs at JC and was hitting .343 through nine games at NJ when he tore his labrum after charging the mound ... OF Chuck Carter (27) hit .294/.394/.472 with five HR and 12 SB in 59 games at JC ... RHP Trey Hearne (28), Carter's teammate at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, also fared well, going 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA, 42 K and a .181 OPP AVG in 38.2 IP at NJ ... RHP Matthew Trent (30) allowed only one run in 14 games at NJ and ended up with nine saves, a 2.51 ERA and .214 OPP AVG between the NYPL and MWL ... RHP Scott Vander Weg went 2-2 with four saves, a 2.45 ERA and 29 K in 25.2 IP at NJ..

Predictions

Organizational MVP: Rasmus. Though there's a very small sample by which to judge, early signs point to the 19-year-old becoming a legitimate five-tool outfield prospect. He's one of the very few hitters in St. Louis' stable that has the capability of being a 20-20 type player, and if he's quick to put some muscle on his 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame, he could start putting up big numbers this year.

Cy on the Farm: Pomeranz. With Reyes in St. Louis and Wainwright potentially there, too, Pomeranz could prove to be the Cardinals' top Minor League pitcher in 2006. He'll likely be doing a return engagement in Springfield, where he'll have the opportunity to improve on less-than-stellar numbers from a year ago, when he pitched as a 20-year-old in the Texas League.

Class of '05 Rules!: The Cardinals' 2005 draft class will restore some legitimacy to their farm system in terms of talented young prospects. Not only will high picks like Rasmus, Herron, Webber, Anderson, Stavinoha, Josh Wilson (2nd round) and Daryl Jones (3rd) follow up successful rookie seasons, but some late-round selections such as Van Slyke, Jaime Garcia (22nd) and Kenny Maiques (37th) will prove to be steals.

Quotable

"Obviously he's doing something that's very difficult to do. And having the success he had at the Double-A level, that's an illustration that he's making adjustments and doing it at a higher level, getting better. Unfortunately with his injury, right now we're not able to see what we want to see." -- Bruce Manno, Director of Player Development, on Rick Ankiel's bid to make the big league team out of Spring Training

Jason Ratliff is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

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