I can still recall when I first saw Daryl Jones at Quad Cities. He’s got an obvious athleticism and the potential was plain. Now as the tools become production, he hasn’t slowed a bit at Springfield. At age 21, he’s hitting .319/.453/.549 with peripherals that aren’t much out of line with the slash marks. He’s lacing line drives and hitting a ton of flyballs in a batted ball data set that’s reminding me of Colby Rasmus who also hits very few grounders. I like Rasmus’ power potential more as well as his defense but Jones has more potential on the basepath — it’s hard to say either one will hit for a better average or draw more walks but I’d give Rasmus the nod mainly because he’s more of a sure thing at this point.
Liam takes a look over the roster in preparation for its September expansion.
Another player that hasn’t been slowed by his promotion is Brett Wallace who is hitting over .400 in a very tiny number of at bats. I do want to quote one part of this article:
“He had a solid game defensively,” Cardinals manager Pop Warner said. “He bobbled one ball a little bit, and the runner was safe at first, but all in all, he made the plays you are supposed to.” Wallace, however, thought there was room for improvement. “There was a little excitement, and I was a little amped up to make plays,” Wallace said. “I think that’s something that will level out as time goes on.”
I’m not attempting to bash on Wallace but Warner’s comments are often what you hear when a player isn’t very good defensively. The observer (in this case the manager) says that they make the plays they should although it’s often an exaggeration. Time will tell.
Memphis 4, Omaha 5 (10 innings)
- Nick Stavinoha was 3-for-5. What’s the market for an aveage at best corner defender who hits for little power and doesn’t draw walks. He hits for average but I just don’t think that’s enough to stick int he majors.
- David Freese was 2-for-4 with a HR.
- Jess Todd was effectively wild (I hate that phrase). He walked 5 and struck out 4 over 6 innings. He only allowed 2 hits and 2 runs so things could have gone a lot worse. Oddly, it only took him 83 pitches to get that far so he must have been efficient when he wasn’t walking batters. I’ve got him queued up to review some video — we’ll see how it goes trying to differentiate between the cut fastball and a fastball with no velocity readings.
- Ron Flores failed to retire a batter while allowing 2 runs. If either of the Flores brothers or Jimenez gets the call over actual prospects in September, I’m going to be disappointed.
- Jimenez by the way blew the save in the 7th.
- Mark Worrell allowed 2 hits and one walk while striking out 2 and retiring 4.
- Matthew Scherer took the loss in the 10th.
- Daryl Jones was 3-for-5 with a HR. I have a hard time saying whether he should be a top 100 prospect since I don’t follow the entire minors that closely, but he’s had a heck of a year.
- Brett Wallace was 2-for-4 with a pair of HRs.
- Daniel Descalso was 3-for-4 with a walk.
- Brad Furnish had a great outing striking out 6 over 6 scoreless innings.
- Josh Kinney struck out 1 in a scoreless frame inducing 2 groundouts.
- Zach Zuercher is a prime candidate to be released next season (or in the offseason) as he allowed 2 runs bringing his ERA to 5.43.
- Luis Perdomo did him no favors allowing an inherited runner to score on 1 of 2 hits. Perdomo struck out 1 batter for the only out.
- Fernando Salas is having some issues as of late blowing his 8th save. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits.
- Marco Gonzalez came in and settled things down allowing the Cardinals to score in the bottom of the inning for the win as they remain in the playoff hunt.
Palm Beach 3, Brevard County 9
- Antonio DeJesus was 2-for-4 with a walk.
- Tyler Henley was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.
- Nick Derba was 2-for-4 with a double.
- Mark Diapoules was hammered for 8 runs in 3.2 innings.
- Casey Mulligan may not shoot to the majors like Motte did. He allowed 2 hits, walked 1 and K’d 1 retiring 4 batters.
- Adron Chambers was 1-for-4 with a HR.
- Domnit Bolivar was 2-for-4 with a HR.
- Nice outing for Deryk Hooker lasting 6 innings allowing just a solo HR among 5 hits, 2 walks and 6 Ks.
- Jonathan Stambaugh struggled in his 2 innings allowing 4 runs (3 earned).
- Colt Sedbrook was 3-for-4 with a double.
- Xavier Scruggs was 1-for-3 with a walk and a HR. Check back tomorrow for an interview with Scruggs.
- Zachary Pitts struck out 8 in 5 innings allowing 2 runs.
- Arquimedes Nieto struck out 1 over 3 perfect frames.
- Adam Reifer got his 19th save allowing 1 run in the process. I have to say that it seems like he’s getting some rocky saves far more often than clean ones. That could be my own misperception since he’s struck out 36 in 27 innings and hitters are only hitting .161 against him but that’s what it seems like.
- Joey Hage was 2-for-4 with a double. Hage is hitting .273 in rookie ball though with little in the way of secondary skills. At age 19, I’m pleased although not wowed by what he’s done so far.
- Johnson City scraped together just 7 hits and 1 walk but were helped by 5 errors by Bluefield.
- Jose Mateo struck out 3 over 5 innings allowing 2 runs (1 earned).
Entries (RSS)
Following Jones throughout this year, he has really made a strong impression on me. I don’t think it’s crazy in any way to label him a top 5 Cardinal prospect. They have other players to use as trade bait (Mather, Schumaker) and that will allow the organization to let Jones mature. I hope Rasmus lives up to his hype but it’s also great to see organizational depth beyond him
After today’s dominating performance, Wallace has an OPS over 1500 in AA! Yes, I know it is only after 20 at bats…but WOW!
Also on fire is Daryl Jones who in nearly 100 AA at bats has an OPS over 1000. What a breakout year. I remember reading the good interview done here last year with him when he was struggling. I was quite impressed with him after reading it. Is it possible to re-run that interview?
Watching Jones on television when they played the Houston affiliate, he looks like a guy that is ‘bored’ in the OF. By that, I mean, he’s so damn good and he knows it that everything is just like “Diving catch, sure..why not”. “Phenomenal jump with an over the shoulder grab, ok..I’ve got a free schedule.”
He’s such a fantastic athlete. He’s not your Hunter Pence ‘crazy legs’ falling all over himself type player.
Now that his slash lines are catching up to his ‘body’, it’s going to be amazing to see who has the better career: Jones or Rasmus. Kinda reminds me when the Braves had both Andruw and Dye come up, only to quickly trade away Jermaine.
AZ,
What do you mean about Motte shooting to the majors?
Motte’s only been pitching for 3 years and in any organization that didn’t have irrational favorites like Kelvin Jimenez, he would have already been in the majors. He likely would have been in the majors to start the year if the Cardinals had left him exposed in the Rule V draft.
Wallace had a HBP and one of his HR’s was a walk off.
I’m so incredibly excited about Wallace and Daryl Jones. They could be a fun pair to watch with Rasmus on the Cardinals in 2010 or so. Jones’ BB:K ratio at Springfield is very encouraging.
Agreed,
Jut wasn’t sure if I missed something.
Wow, I was just looking at Jess Todd’s numbers on the season. They are very very good. 2 questions:
1. Did anyone think highly of Todd prior to this season? I don’t know that I ever heard any hype about him
2. He is still very young but can anyone who has seen him pitch tell me if the organization views him as a future starter or reliever?
With Rasmus, Jones and Wallace as the top three prospects how can any other organization be ranked above ours. This was a HUGE year for out minor league system.
The jurys still out over todd being a starter or a reliever. id imagine hell start for another season, the cards tend to wait a while to convert pitchers to the pen. However id bet most around here see him in the bullpen. Hes only been in the organization a short while so im not surprised you didnt hear much about him but out of his draft he was probably the second best pitcher in there.
Interesting problem we have developing with our outfield situation. In the majors, we currently have Schu, Mather, Ludwick, and Ankiel who are all good enough to be starting. Mather and Schu may just be 4th OF types in the long run but Schu is having a heck of a year and Mather has impressed me in his short stint in the majors. Brian Barton also has potential to be a starter. Then we have Rasmus and Jones now who are top outfield prospects close to being ready for the majors and have a chance to be stars. And also, we shouldn’t forget Jon Jay who is a decent OF prospect. If Chris Duncan’s surgery and rehab gets him back to good, he’s another one to add to the equation.
It should be interesting to see what happens. I would doubt that Ankiel would end up going anywhere. Ludwick’s season may be a fluke but he’s turned me into a believer and I wouldn’t want to see him going anywhere. What do you guys foresee happening the next couple years?
It’s well worth noting that Josh Kinney pitched a scoreless and hitless inning for Springfield with a strikeout.
PCG – I agree. I don’t follow the rest of the minors that closely, but the Cards seem to have an abundance of hitting prospects right now. Rasmus, Wallace, and Jones are the big ones right now, but don’t forget about Jay, Anderson, Craig, Freese, Kozma and Vazquez.
Tommy Pham could still break out also, seeing as he’s only 20 years old and has 18 homers and 18 SB’s this season. I’d love to see a Daryl Jones – like improvement from him next year.
I think the one thing holding the cards system out of the top 3 would be the lack of a surefire dominant starting pitcher, like a kershaw…or porcello (sorry, had to bring him up)
Wow, I know your not a Kelvin Jimenez fan and he has been pitching struggling since his return to Memphis but you gave him a “Jimenez by the way blew the save in the 7th.” for his performance today!
Thats a tough one, He came in with 2nd and 3rd and nobody out, and gave up a SF with one out, its hard to expect him to work out of a jam like that when coming in to face the meat of the lineup.
Memphis — a touch harsh true. Still that’s his job, no? I take issue with the team’s (read: Cardinals) usage of him more than he as a pitcher. He’s just not a major league reliever although they don’t seem to get that.
Don’t forget Shane Robinson when discussing outfield prospects. He did great in AA but has kind of struggled since getting injured in AAA. He probably doesn’t profile above Rasmus, Jones or even Jay, but he is in the overall mix too. The outfield for Memphis next year is going to be stacked too.
The outfield will get even more crowded if Wallace ends up moving to left.
I think next year’s outfield will be the same as this year’s, plus Rasmus.
But starting in 2010, the Cards have to figure out which combination of players gives us the best chance to win in the final two years of Albert’s contract.
If Wallace is one of the four or five best hitters, but a liability at third, he gets one of the corner OF spots. If Craig or someone else is one of the top 5 or 6 hitters and a plus defender at third, that guy gets the job and a whole bunch of outfielders have to scramble for jobs in center and right.
Not a bad problem to have!
If next year’s outfield is the same as this year’s plus Rasmus, that means Duncan will still be around. He needs to be traded to an AL team where he can be DH.
I doubt Duncan will be playing in the majors next year and maybe never again. His neck injury is of the chronic kind.
Has anyone actually seen Wallace’s play at third? I mean, besides the scouts. If memory serves correct, Eric you live in Iowa and get Quad City games broadcasted. What do you think? Can he pick it or is unrealistic to see him staying there long term. Just curious that’s all
Re: scrambling for positions in center and right
If, like you said, wallace goes to left, then rasmus is in center. In 2010 you’ve got a choice of (if they’re still around) ludwig, ankiel, and about thirty current prospects. It’s going to be sad to see some of these guys go.
That OF issue is interesting.
I think Ankiel and Ludwick have to be large components of our OF in the years to come. I *believe* this is Ludwick’s first year of arbitration coming up, so he shouldn’t break the bank no matter how well he’s doing…and given last years stats on half a season of ABs, I’d say he is establishing himself and should be beyond flukish (crosses fingers…grimaces). Ankiel will be expensive in arbitration (Boras) and then getting that first deal after the arbitration years will be painful…but after Pujols, I’d venture to say he is the next biggest fan favorite and that the organization would have a riot on their hands if they dealt him (or God forbid let him walk in 2010).
That leaves Schu, who is having a tremendous year, fills a role the other OFs don’t (lead off, above avg. speed, OBP), is defensively above average across the board, and I personally like him. His only real weakness are his lefty splits. All of that said, trade him in the off season. His value is sky high right now…in his prime. You have to free up room for Rasmus. If Colby bottoms out, you have Jones and Jay coming up who can also fill that lead off role…and Barton could pull it off, although that kid has some consistency issues.
Reserve OFs…Duncan (when healthy) and Mather are nice power weapons off the bench or spot starting. Mo likewise needs to trade one of them soon, though, and not convinced Mather has too much value (although I like his power potential and athleticism in the OF) and Duncan needs to (healthwise) re-estalish himself before you can even talk about trade value. If Dunc can’t come back from the injury, keep Mather. And you always have the AAAA toilers like Stavinoha, Heather, and company who are little more then emergency filler (just IMO).
The $10,000 question is, come 2010 (maybe even late 2009) do you want Ludwick in our OF or do you want Wallace in LF stumbling around. I personally hope Wallace sticks at 3B, we let Glaus walk (in 2010) and that we trade one of Craig/Freese while value is high (relatively speaking) and keep the other as Wallace’s insurance policy at third.
it’s nice having options. It’s amazing how much this situation has changed in the last 3 years.
I’ve seen Wallace a couple of times on tv, but never in person. i only saw him make a few plays, but there was a time i saw him run down a bunt and make an excellent throw to get a runner.
Look at the way Hooker’s strikeouts have progressed since he was called up to Quad Cities. 2…4…6…He seems to be making the adjustment quite well. I predict that Hooker will be next year’s Jess Todd.
After getting to see the last few weeks worth of Springfield games, I’m going to throw in my two cents on the new guys:
Brett Wallace: I’m a believer in his bat but not yet on his defense. Watching him hit is something special. Over the weekend, he had as many hits to left as he did pulling them to right. There are no questions about his bat, at least not yet. His defense, however, will take some time. As of right now, I’d say his future is on the other side of the infield or in left field. His arm isn’t all that strong (about like Allen Craig) and his range was a tad disappointing. Given this is still a small sample size, it’s hard to ignore.
Daryl Jones: Now I know what the rest of you were talking about. I couldn’t wait to see him after hearing he got called up. Now after seeing him here for a couple weeks I know you guys were right. He is something to behold. Good speed, good power, awesome contact hitter, good glove, and a good enough arm. I would say the only knock I have on him is it looks sometimes like he doesn’t hussle all that hard in left. On the basepaths I doubt anyone could catch him but in the outfield he looks bored. Of course he did just rob a guy of a homerun last night so I may be picking on a couple of instances. Nonetheless, I believe in Daryl Jones.
Daniel Descalso: Who is this guy? I had read some about him on this site for about the past year but didn’t think much of him. In two games so far for Springfield I’ve been 100% impressed. His defence has looked great (he made what was probably the defensive play of the year in Springfield – groundball up the middle, he dove for the ball even though it was well passed him, came up with it initialy saving a run but was able to hose the guy at the plate to end the inning). Has quick feet, gets the ball out quick, and has a decent arm. His bat has looked really good in the 8 – 10 at bats I’ve seen. Once again, small sample size but he is exciting to watch. He and Donavon Salano make me forget all about that Jose guy we used to like so much.
Azru, I wouldn’t jump to conclusions on his defense just yet. I was listening to :cough:homer:cough: John Hadley interview Lunhow and Lunhow talked about how defense is stressed/evaluated big-time in the lower minors. He said that there was no way that Wallace would’ve been allowed to make the jump to AA if his defense was below average (especially fundamentally). Now, obviously, Wallace is going to DH most of the games down the stretch…but the guy can rake. He can’t be worse than Ryan Braun defensively, right?
JP I agree. Descalso has been nothing short of a tremendous athlete since joining the club last week. I heard critics of the pick and saw his less than impressive line in palm beach, but have forgotten about them all very quickly watching what a hard nosed athlete he is.
Palm Beach is where hitters go to die
How about moving Schumaker to 2B next year with an outfield rotation of:
St. Louis:
Rick Ankiel
Ryan Ludwick
Colby Rasmus
Reserves– Joe Mather and Nick Stavinoha
Memphis:
Brett Wallace
Daryl Jones
Brian Barton
Reserves– Shane Robinson and Jon Jay
Just was reading and saw DJ and Wallace are getting some love today at the monday 10 pack. Looks like all the hand wringing about DJ not being in the top 100 may be premature.
Shumaker is NOT moving to 2nd. I thought we had discussed that a million times. It seems like every forum in Cardinal nation has had that discussion.
Jay should not be sitting on the bench in Memphis, he is too good. I see DJ starting the year in AA again and getting called up if he proves successful in his first two months. I also see Wallace starting at AA and moving slowly. If he mashes at AA I think the only thing holding him from the Bigs will be his glove. Wallace might see AAA for a month or two but I think we can expect him in the show in 2010 barring injuries.
I think we will see a trade of the OFs this winter for some thing, maybe a closer, maybe a SS who knows.
SilentBob — I can’t make a firm statement on his defense since I’ve not seen him in person but that has to be the most unenthusiastic (it almost sounds back-handed) compliment I’ve read in a while. Imagine your boss saying, “well he helps the people he’s supposed to help.” It’s just so blah — it reminds me of what Aaron Miles supporters always say.
And he’ll need to be better than Braun since Braun couldn’t stick at third ;o)