With the end of a year comes the final chapter of the season that nearly was. For the second year in a row, the St. Louis Cardinals were inches away from their 12th world championship.
The arrival of 2014 means it is time to put the season fully in the past and move forward to the future of the organization.
The 2013 season brought to the forefront many new faces within the organization that made an impact on 2013 and will in all likelihood continue to do so next season.
Another exciting note that comes with a new season are the new faces and players who will become major parts of the team in 2014.
As always there is no guarantee with prospects. Some of them are typically lost due to injury, while many never become the player they have been hyped to be.
With that said, some players become more than was ever anticipated. Few predicted the rapid rise of Michael Wacha or Matt Carpenter to become the player he has developed into—even though in retrospect we likely should have expected such performance.
Following are five prospects I believe are set to break out in 2014 and make a name for themselves.