In the lower rungs of Minor League Baseball, it is a widely accepted practice for teams to stock their “lesser affiliates” with so-so talent.
Historically, the St. Louis Cardinals buck that trend...to a degree. In recent years, the club has usually planted one or two Top 30-esque prospects among their Happy Valley charges.
Over the past few years, that meant seeing talents such as infielders Tommy Edman (currently number 21 according to MLB Pipeline) and Evan Mendoza (number 28) step into a Spikes uniform. Both did not enter their pro careers in anyone’s top XX lists, but took the advantage inherent in playing every day more or less immediately after the draft.