Let’s see what tidbits I’ve got to start off the night.
In a recent chat on Baseball America, Chris Kline answered these two Cardinal related questions:
Q: The US outfield features 4 out of the 5 big HS outfielders drafted in 2005- Rasmus, Upton, Maybin, and Bruce (missing McCutchen). Midway through 2007, how would you rank them?
A: Shoot . . . we had so many outstanding OF to choose from on the U.S. side this year it was sick. I’m still a McCutchen fan–like big time–he’s going to figure it out. I’ll go weird and say Rasmus, Upton, Maybin, Bruce. I think Bruce is the best player of all of them, but he’s going to run into too many walls and spend a lot of time on the DL. He’s Darin Erstad . . . like the good version.
Q : Thanks for the chat! What do you think of Bryan Anderson? Is he the real deal?
A: My favorite catcher in the minors right now. He’s legit–more bat than defense, but he’s making adjustments quickly.
Is it just me or does that ranking make it look like Rasmus is the best of the 4? Tell me I’m reading that wrong because as much as I love Colby. . .I’m caught off guard by that ranking. And Bryan Anderson rocks. Even if his defense is sketchy right now as a 20 year old catcher putting up the numbers he is in AA — good things are to come.
Pete Kozma was part of the Second All-American HS team for BA. Ahrens, Moustakas, Dominguez and Vitters beat him out for first team honors.
I was reading this article at work earlier when SleepyCA dropped it in the comments. If you read between the lines, it makes it sound like Rasmus, Anderson, Perez and Garcia could all get AAA callups by the end of the year. This might strike you as odd but I hope Rasmus stays where he is. Anderson too. I’d be ok with the pitchers moving up but not those two hitters. There’s a logjam of OF at AAA as it is right now. No one projects to be nearly as good as Rasmus but Mather, Ankiel and Stavinoha all deserve regular at bats for the rest of the year (Schumaker should be dumped and Rodriguez should be on the major league team). I don’t think it’s good for anyone’s development to add another everyday outfielder to that mix. I’d like to see Anderson improve his defense before he makes the jump.
Here’s an article on the tandem starting in QC. I may touch on this at a later date but it’s really a fluff piece.
I have finals and two term projects due next week as well as a wedding to attend this weekend (which will incapacitate me for at least 2 days). So, fair warning, I may not be around too much for the next week.
Rick Ankiel gives azru a grand mal siezure. Joe Mather goes boom. Adam Daniels keeps throwin’ zeros. And the dead are voting in Chicago Future Redbird polls. Here come the prospects.
- Jarrett Hoffpauir got the start at 2B and went 3-for-4 with a double.
- Rick Ankiel TOOK TWO WALKS!!! O ya, he hit a league leading 25th HR too. . .whatev.
- Joe Mather went 1-for-3 with a HR and a HBP.
- Randy Kiesler pitched 7 innings allowing 9 hits, 1BB and a solo HR while striking out 6.
- Hugo Castellanos and Andy Cavazos pitched scoreless frames.
- For a team that scored 4 runs, that’s the most-yawn inducing box score I’ve seen.
- Adam Daniels was good — he is really tearing up the Texas League. It might be that the scouting report hasn’t circulated but I like to think he’s emerged as a legitimate pitching prospect this year. He went 7 innings allowing 6 hits with 2 BBs and 2 Ks. The only run can on a solo HR. He had a 11-8 GO:AO ratio.
- Chris Perez picked up his 22 save in fine fashion striking out 2 in a scoreless frame.
Both Palm Beach games were postponed.
- Daryl Jones went 0-for-4 with 3 Ks. I still like his tools but he needs to start producing in a hurry.
- C Steven Hill hit a HR in the 9th to tie the game.
- RF Luke Gorsett who went 3-for-4 singled home 1B Chris Grossman for the go ahead run in the 9th.
- Tyler Herron was awesome again. 7 innings, 4 hits, 1BB and 5Ks for 1 ER. 10 of 15 outs on balls in play were via the ground.
- Kenny Maiques records save 19 with a hit and a K in the 9th.
- DH Charlie Pelt went 1-for-2 with 2 BBs.
- C Nick Derba went 2-for-3 with a double.
- 1st round pick C Jonathan Arencibia of Toronto showed the arm off tonight cutting down 3 Batavia runners and PO a runner from 2nd. That’s 4 runners lost on the basepath — probably the difference in the game.
- Pete Parise threw 4 innings striking out 5 while allowing 1 ER.
- Thomas Eager threw 3 scoreless innings striking out 4 walking 2 and allowing 2 hits.
- Brian Broderick threw 5 innings striking out 4 while collecting 4 baserunners total with a 9:2 GO:AO ratio.
- SS Jose Garcia’s double was the only extra base hit for JC.
- 2B Mike Folli went 1-for-2 with a walk and a sac fly.
- CF Beau Riportella went 1-for-3 with a BB and a SB. He’s also had someone stuffing the ballot box in our name poll.
GCL Cardinals were postponed. Either me or erik will get destroyed one night in the next week or so when all these postponed games turn into double headers and box scores. . .
Filed under: Daily Farm Reports
erik
azruavatar
fewgoodcards
roarke49
theredbaaron
I think I may just have to take that hoffpauir guy seriously. and when tyler herron makes it to the show, i can just here chris berman calling him tyler “puts some” herron “your chest”.
I can’t believe Kleininger doesn’t have more votes. Kleininger! Let’s just refer to him as “Ninja.”
The real problem with TLR is with rookies. It took an injury for Puljos to get a shot.cards wanted to resign matheny (SF out bid us) to keep molina as back up. Now Ryan will be sent down
when eckstien comes back. good glove .303 hitter in minors. he keeps older players SO,Spezio as bench players.Why not try some younger blood with moe potenial. J-rod,stavinoha,ankeil.lets not get on the pitching mistake 3innings Wellmeyer over Reyes who’s last start 6 in 2 runs last 5 in scoreless. This has been the theme for 11 years. Hoffpauir should be up now. 2nd basmen hitting .340+ in AA should be given a chance.
bernie miklasz of the PD wrote a blog covering the same subject matter I was covering.
ck it out
http://www.stltoday.com/blogs/sports-bernies-extra-points/2007/07/just-a-song-before-i-go/
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: The boys are playing better, but I firmly believe in manager Tony La Russa’s adage: get to .500 before you worry about the standings. For now I want to peek into the future ….
Earlier this week, the Cardinals moved second-base prospect Jarrett Hoffpauir from AA Springfield, where he was batting .345, to AAA Memphis, where he homered in his first at-bat, and had four hits in his first five ABs. In late June, the Cardinals moved right fielder Joe Mather from Springfield to Memphis, and Mather continues to show power in the higher league. Memphis manager Chris Maloney told reporters that he believes several other Springfield players will be moved up. The leading candidates for promotion are CF Colby Rasmus, catcher Bryan Anderson, LH starting pitcher Jaime Garcia, and closer Chris Perez. By my count, there could be at least 10 legit major-league prospects at AAA Memphis by the end of this this season, or early in 2008. The list, in no particular order: OF Rick Ankiel, SS Brendan Ryan, OF Nick Stavinoha, starting pitcher Anthony Reyes, Mather, Rasmus, Anderson, Garcia, Hoffpauir, starting pitcher Adam Daniels, and reliever Nick Webber. And there could be others.
Here’s the question: if La Russa remains as manager beyond this season (and it’s his choice) where will these young players fit? In his career, La Russa has given chances to can’t miss prospects such as Mark McGwire, Albert Pujols, Ron Kittle, Jose Canseco, Walt Weiss, etc. And he gave a chance to Chris Duncan, who not only has real power — Dunc grew up around the team, and so the Cardinals were familiar with his competitive character and work ethic. But unless there’s been an emergency, opportunities for young players are limited in St. Louis. Look at Brendan Ryan. He dramatically won a game for the Cardinals at Shea Stadium with his bat, and made nice plays in the field in that contest, but then received only four at-bats over the next five games. La Russa didn’t start Ryan again right away even though SS David Eckstein is on the disabled list, and 2B Adam Kennedy is struggling. It’s not as if Ryan looked scared; he seems fearless out there. When you step up at Shea Stadium to put the Mets away, the ability to deal with pressure doesn’t seem to be an issue. And when Ryan finally got another start against Arizona — he hit a key home run. Through Thursday, Ryan was batting over .300 as a starter, and the team’s record is 10-3 when Ryan plays. No one is saying Ryan is Jimmy Rollins; no one is saying he warrants full-time status; no one is saying he’s ready for 400 or 500 at-bats in the bigs. Ryan is a work in progress; his onbase percentage at AAA Memphis this season is mediocre. But the point is this: if a team is hurting badly at the middle infield, and a kid comes up and does a bang-up job when given a chance, then what’s the harm in giving him more playing time?
If La Russa chooses to stay, it’s going to get really interesting at Busch Stadium. Because team chairman Bill DeWitt is committed (as he should be) to improving the franchise’s player-development system. And it has gotten better under Jeff Luhnow. For the first time in many years, the Cardinals have a variety of good prospects in the pipeline, en route to STL, and they’re not far away. But to what extent will they receive an opportunity at the big-league level? La Russa has always preferred veterans, and I can see why: it’s worked for him, and he’s been a highly successful manager. But La Russa may have to ease up in his reliance on veterans. DeWitt isn’t going to want to keep talented young players buried in the minors.
As I said, if Tony stays, it’s going to be very, very interesting.
That’s it for now. Be well … talk with you soon.
–Bernie