TOWER GROVE — The St. Louis Cardinals admittedly don’t have the level of prospects out in the Arizona Fall League that they’ve had in the past. There is no Brett Wallace out there this season, for example. There are a few players auditioning for a spot on the 40-man roster — like Tyler Greene did last fall — but they aren’t expected to use that roster spot to vault into a major-league debut, as Greene did this past summer.

Two members of the Cardinals Crew out there in Arizona did rate a spot on the Rising Stars roster, the AFL’s equivalent of an All-Star Game with top prospects culled from each roster. Second baseman Daniel Descalso and outfielder Daryl Jones were added to the game, and Jones went 1-for-2 with a double in the game. Those two have already been ranking in the Bird Land Community Top 21, and a third AFL player joined then at No. 14 yesterday. Catcher Bryan Anderson, a top-10 prospect for all of his pro career, slipped this year presumably because of his shoulder injury and a drop in his production. Anderson took 33 percent of about 400 votes in the poll for No. 14.

There are still a few AFL players who are likely to appear in the rankings, and a newcomer to the poll today, Mark Hamilton, who is elsewhere playing ball this winter — both in macro and micro terms. Hamilton is hitting .191 in the Dominican Winter League. But he’s not there to focus on his swing. He’s there to learn how to play outfield, to get experience in the outfield, so that he can become more versatile in the field now that his bat has gotten him to Class AAA.

A quick update on some of the other players out there in the Fall League, and elsewhere:

• Tyler Henley continues to do well in his role as the two-day-a-week starter for the Surprise Rafters. He’s hitting .304/.377/.500.
• Anderson is .263/.341/.316 after a strong start in the AFL.
• Descalso continues a long season for him with a .232/.321/.290
• Jones has the most interesting slash line of the bunch with a .194 average, a .341 on-base percentage and a .361 slugging percentage. He has 12 walks, 20 Ks and 26 total bases because seven of his 14 hits have gone for extra bases.
• Mike Parisi, coming off Tommy John sugery, is working on a new pitch — a cutter — and he’s 2-2, 5.06 with 15 Ks, 6 walks in 21 1/3 innings. Reports are that he’s throwing the ball well.
• Gary Daley is 0-0, 7.15 with nine Ks, five walks in 11 1/3 innings. Reports are that he is what he’s always been — capable of moments that flash his talents and moments that frustrate his advocates.
• Scott Gorgen is 0-0, 6.75 with nine Ks, six walks in 9 1/3 innings.
• Adam Reifer is 0-0, 8.31 with five Ks and six strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings. The command trouble says it all. But there is something to be said about him still pitching this late in the year. Concern about his shoulder is always a subplot for the power-arm reliever, and he’s adding innings to it.

In Venezuela, two of the prospects we’ve discussed through the course of the Comm Top 21 are also competing in a winter ball league. Outfielder Jon Jay is hitting .315/.400/.435 down there with 10 walks and 12 Ks in 27 games. He has eight doubles with 21 RBIs and 23 runs scored so far. Pitcher Richard Castillo, who is still up for the vote, has also returned to the league to pitch against older players (when is he not pitching against older players?). Castillo is 1-3, 5.91 in six starts in the VWL and he has 11 strikeouts and nine walks in 21 1/3 innings. Keep in the mind the level, and maybe that will sway your clicks. Here’s the poll:

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RICHARD CASTILLO, RHP: He just turned 20 last month, and already Castillo has 35 games and more than 160 innings in High-A Palm Beach on his baseball card. The youngest of the Cardinals starters who is expected to appear at the higher levels this season, Castillo has also become, in some ways, the torchbearer for the Cardinals international scouting campaigns. Castillo (5-foot-11, 165 pounds) has good enough stuff with solid control. He throws in the low 90s mph, and it’s possible he gains some velocity as he improves his strength and if he improves his conditioning. The experience he’s getting at this age is going to be valuable if his approach catches up to the level. He’s also off playing against some pros in the Venezuelan winter league right now. AGE: 20. STATS: 6-13, 3.87 ERA, with 105 strikeouts with 66 walks in 148 2/3 innings with a .270 BA against.

ROBERTO DE LA CRUZ, 3B: By voiding their deal with outfielder Wagner Mateo, the Cardinals kept De La Cruz in place as their highest-bonus bonus into the international market. De La Cruz is a strapping young man who the Cardinals landed for $1.1 million. His frame and size and look impressed in spring training, but there was some concern about how he looked at the plate. The plan to push him to Johnson City was abandoned, and he found a place with the GCL Cardinals. Word from coaches is he improved, and he did hit .298 in August with seven of his nine doubles coming in the final 94 at-bats he had. At his age, just the exposure — even GCL — is what matters here. AGE: About to turn 18. STATS: .224 BA, .267 OBP, .279 SLG, with nine extra-base hits (all doubles) and 37 hits total. Had 59 Ks and 10 walks.

SAM FREEMAN, LHP: Coming out of Kansas as a 32nd-round pick, Freeman has earned a rep around the system as one of the finer athletes. He also is being billed (by some scouts, too) as a sleeper prospect. He projects as a lefty specialist, but he hasn’t been used exclusively as that in the minors. Against lefties he held them to a .155 average with 15 strikeouts and only five walks in 63 batters faced. Not the kind of strikeout rate that a dominate lefty has against lefties, but it compares well with another lefty specialist to watch: Tyler Norrick. Converted from starter to reliever, Norrick held lefties to a .174 average with 30 strikeouts and 20 walks (too many) in 89 batters faced this past season. Freeman had his season slowed by elbow trouble. There are officials in the system who think he could move quickly through the levels. AGE: 22 STATS: 2-2, 2.41 ERA in 56 innings with a .191 batting average against, 47 strikeouts, 27 walks.

MARK HAMILTON, 1B: Often a favorite of the analytical set, Hamilton is one of the pure hitters, arguably a cousin of Daric Barton and Brett Wallace who, like them, is a bat first and a position player second — or third. Coming out of Tulane, a neighbor of one of the best bookshops in the world (Fight The Stupids at Maple Street Book Shop), Hamilton was a highly decorated college player and has the second-round pick to show for it. He has good power, a good feel at the plate for the strike zone and has traits of a three-true-outcome hitters (one who either gets a homer, a walk or a strikeout). A difference: Hamilton hits for average, annually. The catch is he doesn’t really have a position. First base is where he stands, but he’s not going to advance there. So he’s off this winter competing in the Dominican Winter League and playing outfield for the first time. AGE: 25 STATS: .307 BA, .401 OBP, .526 SLG, 14 home runs, 47 RBIs and 48 runs scored with 80 strikeouts and 41 walks in 96 games split between Double-A and Triple-A.

TYLER HENLEY, OF: The former Rice University standout, taken in the eighth round of the 2007 draft, was probably lost in the traffic jam of outfielders the Cardinals had last season, but he emerged in Class AA this season with a solid line, especially for a leadoff hitter/high-lineup hitter who can also all three positions in the field. He’s listed as a RF in the Arizona Fall League, but has also shown the ability to handle center field. In Springfield, he had 60 strikeouts and 40 walks to go with his other numbers (below). He doesn’t have one stat or one tool that sings out, but the chorus of thins that he does makes him worthy of a spot in the rankings this season, perhaps a top-half spot. AGE: 24. STATS: .303 BA, .367 OBP, .482 SLG, 13 HR, 63 RBI, 62 runs.

STEVEN HILL, C/1B/OF: He’s listed at catcher. He came into the system as a first baseman. And he’ll do fine in the outfield when given a chance there. Hill hits, and what he has that others in that category don’t is a verified versatility. Word is that he plays catcher well enough to handle the position as a backup or No. 3 catcher. He’s working on his play in the outfield so he could mix in there, and he’s fine at first base, though (say it with me now) the Cardinals don’t have a lot of playing time at first base. There are a handful of hitters in the system like Hill — from the high-end Allen Craig to Hill and Mark Hamilton. If being able to play a position is part of what you look for in a prospect who has done well as a hitter, then Hill has to rate well because he can play a position of specific demands, catcher. AGE: 24 STATS: .282/.333/.470 with 26 doubles, 19 home runs, 64 RBIs and 62 runs in 120 games for Class AA.

PETE KOZMA, SS: One can wonder where Kozma would be in these rankings if he didn’t have the first-round pick label drawing people’s eyes. That is a fair question. Taken with the Cardinals first pick in the 2007 draft, it will be awhile before Kozma shakes the stigma of that pick, through no fault of his own. The truth is he’s a strong defensive player who opposing managers in his league said was the best with the glove in the Texas League despite the load of errors. He has all of the qualities of a reliable shortstop, though he doesn’t have the high-wire athleticism that, say, Brendan Ryan had at the same level. Kozma’s bat remains a riddle. Coaches, and even some scouts, believe there is gap power there — if only there was more contact there. The Cardinals can cling to Kozma’s trend. He usually struggles in his first taste/half season at a level and then gets traction and excels in a second half season there. He’ll return to Class AA Springfield, and he could spend the whole season there. AGE: 21 STATS: .231/.302/.323 overall with 20 doubles and 60 runs scored, 25 errors, but … .315/.381/.384 at High-A Palm Beach, his second half season at the level.

CASEY MULLIGAN, RHP. The people’s choice for the poll, and it has to be for more than his dancing skills. Mulligan is one of the converted catchers around the Cardinals system, though he doesn’t bring the blazing heat of, say, a Jason Motte. Mulligan’s fastball has late bite to it, and he frustrates hitters by dropping his arm every so often to throw off the view of his pitches. Mulligan’s curve improved through the season, and he scaled the system swiftly. Lot to like for his age and for his level of experience in the role, but it’s not clear if he’s going to be a late-inning prospect. AGE: 22. STATS: 6-2, 1.45 ERA, 97 Ks and 29 walks in 68 1/3 innings, 16 saves; finished at Class AA Springfield and had a 2.21 ERA in 20 innings there.

ADAM REIFER, RHP: Sometimes the relievers that burn the hottest, also burn out the fastest. Mark McCormick, for example, has superb velocity, but cannot stay healthy and cannot keep his delivery together long enough to be consistent. Hard to rank him on velocity alone. Reifer will fight that trend, and seems to have the ability to stay on track. His command stats aren’t great in the AFL, but it’s early and he’s had a full season, so you want context and not just raw numbers. There are scouts who like Reifer’s potential, and they see enough in his late-inning/closer appearances with High-A Palm Beach this past season to think he can continue improving while maintaining that role. He’ll have to be in more command to stay at closer as he climbs the organizational ladder. AGE: 23. STATS: 4-7, 21 saves, 4.47 ERA, 54 Ks, 24 BBs, 48 1/3 innings in 54 games.

ROBERT STOCK, C: He graduated from high school early, played college ball at Southern Cal as a youngster and has already finished his first half season of pro ball before he turns 20. That comes in a few weeks. Stock attracted scouts as a pitcher, but the Cardinals — who took him in the second round of the recent draft — were willing to grant his wish of playing catcher. He’s got the arm strength. He’s raw, but ready to improve with his footwork. Can he hit? He struggled as a young player in the Pac-10, but did OK in his pro debut at what is probably a lower level than his college conference. Candidly, he could fit anywhere in the top 30 for me, from No. 5 to No. 30. There just doesn’t seem to be enough information to hang on. Premium position? Check. Tools? Check. Concerns about his bat? Sure. If he handles full-season ball well in 2010, he’ll be a top 10 prospect in this system? Easy. AGE: 19. STATS: .294/.363/.494 overall with 18 extra-base hits, seven home runs and a .550 slugging percentage in Johnson City. Up to Quad Cities for a cameo and he went .095/.208/.095.

P.J. WALTERS, RHP: The righthander did have a few sips of coffee at the major-league level, including a start at Wrigley Field. Some hard lessons were offered. He probably has the best changeup in the system and he thrwos harder than his reputation — but not much harder. Control is his game. And in the majors he learned that being able to control pitches that veer out of the strike zone is swell, but not effective at the top level. Pitches he puts on the edge of the strike zone that get swings in the minors result in walks in the majors. He’s got a workmanlike assortment of pitches, pairing that good changeup with a two-seam fastball that does move and a breaking ball that he can throw for a strike. In a poll that has rewarded proximity to the majors, Walters offers a guy on the doorstep, though his role could be starter, it could also be as Brad Thompson’s replacement. AGE: 24. STATS: In Memphis, he went 8-10, 4.54 ERA with 113 strikeouts, 44 walks in 121 innings pitched. He allowed 128 hits there.

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