Future Redbirds

When I was going through the sleepers in the Cardinal system, one player I should not have overlooked is left-handed pitcher Adam Daniels. Daniels had a very nice season last year at age 23 for the Swing of the Quad Cities and is currently building upon that success for Palm Beach. At 24 he is a bit old for his level, but will push his way to AA or even AAA at some point this season if he continues to befuddle batters. Daniels currently has a 3.15 ERA in his three starts, and in 20 innings has 18 K’s to 1 walk and no homers. If that small sampling of terrific command hasn’t got your mouth watering, he also has a 4.25 ground out to strikeout ratio. That’s enough to get Dave Duncan’s heart a-pitter-pattering.

Last season for QC, Daniels posted a sterling FIP (fielding independent ERA) of 2.74. His HR/9 rate was a microscopic .2, the best in the Midwest League. His K/9 rate was 8.37, good for 7th in the league and BB/9 was 2.88 was 15th in the league. To top it off, he burned his fair share of worms with a ground ball % of 53%. Those are some tasty ingredients to a major league talent.

Daniels is from Vancouver and pitched his college ball at Eastern Oklahoma State Community College, the same JUCO that Blake King came out of. Whoever is the pitching coach at that college must really know how to teach a young man how to throw a slider, because like King, Daniels’ slider is plus. He finished his college career at Oklahoma State. Side note: how does one find his way from Vancouver to Eastern Oklahoma? I could imagine his days at that campus where like a scene out of Canadian Bacon.

Okie Juco student: Hey fellar, you ain’t from around these parts, is you?
Daniels: Excuse me, but I don’t know what you’re talking aboot, eh?
Okie Juco student: What in the hale? Aboot! It’s ABOUT! And what’s with this ‘eh’ business?
Scary other Okie Juco student: We have ways of making you pronounce the letter O, fellar!
Daniels: There’s no need to get hostile, eh. Sorry if I offended you gentleman. How aboot a Molson Dry, eh?
Scary Okie Juco students: Molson tastes like my hog’s pee! Let’s git’em!
Daniels: (runs for his life)

Sorry for the digression, but that was Michael Moore’s greatest work. Daniels also throws a fastball he can fire in the 89-92 MPH range. He was drafted by the Blue Jays, Twins, Rockies and Cubs before finally signing with the Cardinals in the 2005 draft. Everyone wants a lefty.

With 2 pitches and a K/9 of 11.6 against southpaws, he sounds like a future LOOGy in the Show. I’m sure he’ll be seen at some point in AA, how he pitches there will determine whether or not he continues down the path of starting. His age 23 season looks a lot like the age 22 season of Randy Flores, who also was a starter in the minors before switching to relief. We’ll see.