Future Redbirds

#15 - Joe Mather

The question is whether he had a breakout year or a career year. In Springfield he posted a .304 ISO with a 12% walk rate. He cut his strikeouts by a third and actually was walking more than whiffing. At Memphis, all his peripherals returned to norms. His walk rate was back around 8%, he was striking out 17% of the time and his ISO was at .200. The power is for real. The walk rate isn’t bad. I’m not sure he can handle the more advanced breaking pitches though. There’s still a chance that he can be a regular corner outfielder. Defensively he’s capable of handling RF and he has the power to play the position. More likely he’ll be a part-timer against lefties and bat off the bench. . . or he won’t make the majors at all. Still, he had a tremendous year to reach this high on the list.

#14 - Mark Hamilton

At one point I had mark Hamilton as low as 2o on my list. Another point he was as high as 6. He’s a defensively challenged first baseman with moderate power. I’m not a fan of his. I don’t expect him to make the majors but I recognize that, for some reason, I’m in the minority with regard to his prospect status. For St. Louis, he’s a trading chip that they’re waiting to ripen. There isn’t a place for him at the big league level since he has no defensive versatility and a switch to the OF would probably be worse than Duncan’s.

#13 - Kenny Maiques

I hope they keep him in the pen. I haven’t seen him as a starter but he often began games before the draft. In an effort to prevent injuries, Maiques was sent to the pen at Quad Cities where he was excellent. He’s got a fastball that sits in the low-90s with late movement and a good slider. The slider isn’t necessarily an out pitch but he has sufficient command of both his pitches that he can locate both of them. He’s likely destined for a set-up role but watching him pitch, I thought he had the stuff to be a decent closer.

#12 - Mitchell Boggs

Why does Mitchell Boggs make my list when other starting pitchers didn’t? 1) He’s always healthy. 2) We know that he can add a few mph in the pen. Those are two very important qualities, especially the second. He’s a groundball pitcher who also misses some bats which is a good combination for success. He doesn’t have a discernible platoon split yet, which is something else that bodes well. I’m not enamored with reports of his pure stuff although the velocity is there but he could see time in the STL rotation in 2009.

#11 - Jarrett Hoffpauir

Another prospect that floated up and down my list from as high as number 5 to as low as number 20. There isn’t a ton of upside with Hoffpauir but he’s very close to being major league ready. He had a breakout season at Springfield much like Mather. That was contributed to by a lucky BABIP to a certain degree. The difference between what Hoffpauir has done in the past and what he’s done this year is pretty striking though. His line drives went up, which would lead to a higher BABIP, and helps him maintain his high batting average. His walk rates haven’t changed and they are the key to his success. Walking around 12% of the time pushes his OBP north of .380 and makes him an above average offensive player (relative to position he’s even better). His numbers at Memphis didn’t take the same hit that Mather’s did and he’s currently playing in the AFL. In the end, I expect him to be an everyday 2B with a .290/.370/.420 line with around 10 HRs. Basically, he’s a monumental step forward from what we’ve been subjected to at the keystone for the last few years.