Great chat with Luhnow today at the official site of the Cardinals, I love the access the front office has given the fans this year. Hopefully there will be more of these in the future. The whole transcript is worth your time, but I wanted to share a couple of interesting bits regarding two sleepers:
Q: Thanks for the chat, Jeff! What can you tell me about the velocity/repertoire of Venezuelan southpaw sensation Moises Colorado?
Luhnow: I just saw him pitch the other day in Jupiter, and I saw him in Venezuela earlier in the year. He’s a tall pitcher with long arms. His fastball is 88-89 but he still could throw harder and he’s a left-hander. He has a curveball and a changeup, both of which are improving. I’m looking forward to seeing him in the US next year.
Q: Can you name a few hidden gems, future prospects we may not have heard much from yet?
Luhnow: Sam Freeman. Left handed pitcher up to 94 with good secondary pitches, and one of the best athletes we have in our system. Watch out for him! Good timing, too, as we certainly aren’t going to turn away any good lefties. Also, Ryde Rodriguez is really coming on. He was finally recognized as an All-Star in the GCL. He has matured as a hitter and has big league tools, as well as big league makeup.
He later says the system is lacking in the left-handed pitching department, but hopefully these two will prove to be useful down as they move up the ladder.
Sean Chone Smith released his 2008 MLE’s. David Freese had the best line I could find, with a .276/.321/.467 translation. I’m not sure how sold the Twins are on Brian Buscher; I wonder if Freese would interest them. I dunno, maybe Boof Bonser for Freese? I know Bonser has struggled with a 5.86 ERA and is now in their bullpen, but his peripheral stats haven’t really changed from year to year; his 4.21 FIP tells the real story. They have five young, cost-controlled pitchers right now and a couple of more on the cusp in Mulvey and Humber, so they could be more then willing to part with the Boofster for some offense/glove at 3B.
Speaking of the Twins, watching them come back on the White Sox last night was pretty impressive. I’ve always begrudged the Twins over ’87, and what the Northstars did to the Blues in ’91 furthered my hatred towards Minnesota sports teams. Yet somehow, I found myself pulling for them last night. It must be my appreciation for prospects, that team is packed with young, homegrown talent. They definitely know what they are doing with that farm system.’
And speaking of beefy pitchers (Boof), Goldstein starts an interesting conversation by looking at different pitcher body types in trying to determine if size matters when it comes to results and durability.
Tanner Scheppers, who the Pirates were unwilling to sign do to his shoulder issues and asking price, signed with the independent league St. Paul Saints. That makes two top draft picks in the American Assocation, with Aaron Crow playing for the Ft. Worth Cats being the other.
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Lots of names strewn about in the Luhnow chat that I, admittedly, had never heard of. This system could well be in much better shape than most of us think if some of the unheard of players pan out…
I don’t see how catcher depth — with a 25-yo Molina and a 21-yo at AAA — is remotely close to the problems with the middle infield. Geez, the MINF problem is so bad Niko Vasquez became a celebrity based on a couple of good months in the freaking Appalachian League. I don’t see how Luhnow could make that claim with a straight face.
It’s like everything I read from him has to be run through a corporate-speak filter.
Greenback, Luhnow is the minor league guy, he has 4 full season teams to keep stocked with catchers plus all the short season and instructional leagues. Good catchers are hard to come by, he wasn’t referring to the big club’s immediate needs out the system in the next year and a half, but the farm systems needs as a whole.
The farm system’s primary purpose is to fill the needs of the parent, and any other needs are dwarfed by that. As you say, they have no immediate needs at catcher, and with a 25-yo at the majors who isn’t going anywhere any time soon and a 21-yo at AAA, they don’t have needs at catcher for another five, maybe even ten, years. OTOH they are desperate for middle infield prospects.
All it takes is one hit by pitch, home plate collision, or mistep (see Erik Johnson of the Blues) and the “strength” at the catching position is gone. Look at the Rangers if you want to see the kind of catching depth Luhnow is seeking.
>>with a 25-yo at the majors who isn’t going anywhere any time soon and a 21-yo at AAA<<
The message boards are awash with B. Anderson trade proposals. Even taking it with a grain of salt, one has to recognize that Anderson could easily be gone over the winter in a trade to get a middle infielder. Take B. Anderson out of the picture, recognize that Yadi has spent time on the DL with a concussion (can you say Mike Matheny?) and it’s very plausible to see where Luhnow is coming from.
Would it be possible to move Freese to 2B? I haven’t seen him play so I am asking those that have.
I know Wallce can’t…but it might be fun to watch.
Anyone know what happened to Dennis Dove?
Shredded his shoulder, was released.
St Louis – 21 year-old OF Daryl Jones has been named the Cardinals’ minor league player of the year. Between Palm Beach and Springfield, Jones hit .316/.407/.483. He hit 13 home runs and had 24 stolen bases in 30 attempts.
St Louis – 22 year-old right-handed starting pitcher Jess Todd has been named the Cardinals’ minor league pitcher of the year. Todd advanced through three levels during the season, ending with AAA Memphis. Overall, he posted 8 wins, 6 losses with a 2.88 ERA in 153 innings.
I got my print copy of BA yesterday. They have all the top 20 lists for all the minor leagues.
With apologies if this has been posted somewhere else:
PCL:
1. Colby
12. Perez
14. Anderson
16. Garcia
17. Boggs
TL:
7. Todd
13. Jones
16. Jay
18. Salas
FSL:
18. Samuel
The others have all appeared at BA’s website.
Also, among “classification” all-stars, we have these guys:
AAA:
DH: Freese
SP: Boggs
RP: Motte
AA:
RP: Salas
Short Season:
2B: Sedbrook
RP: Reifer
I guess the good news there is that, out of 84 potential all-star slots, the Cards had 6, or 2 x what you’d from one of 30 MLB organizations. Downside: 3 are right-handed relievers, and only Reifer, Salas, and Boggs also made the top 20 prospects list for their leagues.
Bless you sir, much appreciated Lou.
I agree with the idea of trading Freese to the Twins for a starter, though I think the answer to knowing if the Twins would be interested is:
1. Is Freese an improvement to Twins infield defense; and
2. Do the Twins value greater power production at 3b (which I am not certain they do).
Maybe if the Cards throw in Brian Anderson (allowing the Twins to explore moving Mauer from behind the plate) they could get someone like Kevin Slowey.
We still control Moises Colorado? Wish there was a way to keep track of the international players.