So, tomorrow is July 1st and that means the next day is July 2nd, the international signing day. So, with rumors flying like hotcakes, here’s the next player connected to the Cards as of late.
His name is Jacob Beltre and according to Jorge Arangure of ESPN Deportes’ Twitter page:
Source: C Jacob Beltre won’t likely sign until after July 2. He was 2nd option for several teams, and his market is just now developing.
Jacob Beltre wants to play C, not 1B, and the teams that have shown most interest in him as C are #Cardinals, #Cubs, #Brewers, and #Giants
The guy is massive. Don’t think he’ll ever be a great or even good C,but teams might just sign him as C and let him play out of it
And the response from Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus and ex of Saber Scouting (on twitter natch):
no club i talked to thinks beltre is a catcher & he apparently is now 6’4-6’5
beltre is polarizing talent-wise (see BP report) but seems like 400-700k range. ogando in the same range too
So, that’s kind of how it goes with these 16 year old Latin American prospects, but the Cards are certainly interested.
There will be plenty more of that coverage on July 2nd, as for the DFR. Let’s Rock!
UPDATE: “Old Man Muscles” Jarrett Hoffpauir is up to STL today and Mortensen is back to AAA. WE shall destroy the opposition with middle infielders!
- Oneli “12 Fingers” Perez, freshly signed from the Indy Leagues started the game for the Redbirds. It would be interesting to see the list of pitchers who started for Memphis this year with the likes of Perez and Kat Maekawa on there. He got the win with 1 run allowed over 5 innings. He left the bases loaded in the 6th without getting any outs.
- And fireman extraordinaire, Matt Scherer allowed only 1 run to score from that situation. He allowed a total of 2 runs in 2 innings.
- Royce Ring struck out 2 in his 1 inning of work.
- Jess Todd struck out the side for the save.
- Brett Wallace went 3-4 with 3 RBIs and a HR.
- Jarrett Hoffpauir has reinvented himself as a slugger somehow, as he hit his 10th HR of the year. He went 2-5 with 2 RBIs on the day.
- Jon Jay, asrise! He went 2-4 with a walk and a RBI. He also swiped a bag.
Palm Beach, Clearwater (Postponed)
Quad Cities 9, Burlington 4
- Brett Zawaki started and gave up 4 runs on 5.1 innings. He did strike out 3 to 1 walk.
- Ramon Delgado took the win with 2.2 shutout innings. He struck out 4 and didn’t walk any.
- Scott McGregor finished off the game.
- Alex Castellanos was 2-4 with a HR and 3 RBIs and a walk. He tacked on a stolen base to make a well rounded game.
- Jared Bogany went 2-4 as well with a walk and an RBI.
- Roberto Espinoza had a huge 1 in the 1-4 with 3 RBIs.
- Osvaldo Morales hit his 10th HR of the year.
- Tyler Leach threw up a bit of an egg allowing 7 runs over 2 innings. You can check the box for the guts and gore.
- Chris Corrigan decided to go 3 for 3, but sadly he wasn’t a hitter, he was a pitcher allowing 3 runs in 3 innings.
- Daniel Richardson walked 2 in 2 shutout innings.
- Scott Schneider pitched a shutout 8th.
- D’Marcus Ingram went 2-4 with a walk and 2 runs. He also stole a base and got caught stealing.
- Luis De La Cruz went 2-4 with a triple.
- X-man Scruggs went 2-4 with 2 RBIs.
- B-Ripper was 1-4 with a solo HR.
Johnson City 8, Pulaski Bank Softball Team 1
- Chris Notti was a Hotti today with 1 run on 4 hits over 5 innings. He struck out 3, walking 0.
- Justin Smith was rocking over his 3 perfect innings, striking out 7 of his 9 batters.
- Travis Lawler – skates struck out 2 in his 1 inning.
- Matt Adams, holy moley, went 4-5 with his 3rd HR of the short season and also had a double. He’s OPS’ing almost 1.400 on the year so far.
- Luis Mateo also went yard on the way to 2-5. He added a double.
- Michael Swinson, Edgar Lara (OPS 1.400 so far as well), Richard Racobaldo, and Hector Alvarez all had two hits a piece.
Entries (RSS)
Great start by Justin Smith so far, could be an interesting sleeper.
I’m getting pretty pumped for Thursday. I know we’re talking about kids who are years away, but this international signing stuff is pretty darn entertaining.
I tell you what Draft day and July 2nd seem to be the only two high points this year for the Cardinals. Because it has been nauseating to watch the major league team play since April. An signing season that brings us Mateo and Miller may be the ultimate highlight for the season.
Back to the minors:
That Walrus is heating up isn’t he. I hope that the lack of offense with the big league club and the rumored injury to DeRosa’s wrist doesn’t make the team panic and make two mistakes within a week. Wallace needs to stay downstairs for a little while.
I’m wondering if Edgar Lara is finally starting to figure things out. I know its only a short season league but I guess one can hope.
Luis Mateo would excite me a lot more if he could actually take a walk every once in a while by the way. It is always a sight for sore eyes when you see a middle infielder hitting for power and average, but I doubt he keeps it up if doesn’t start showing a little disciprine.
Two things:
Jeff, I think “Let’s Rock”, works better with a period than an exclamation point. The period imparts an air of seriousness, of purpose; we have been instructed to rock, and will shortly do so. The exclamation point, on the other hand, turns it into a hollow exclamation, fit for utterance by any yahoo with access to face paint and a Gibson knockoff. As Chuck Klostermann once lamented, so much is said about wanting to rock, preparing to rock, and thinking about rocking that very little rocking ever actually happens.
And as for Hoffpauir, that’s just his old man strength kicking in. Unfortunately, his old man strength comes along with old man range and old man arm as well.
With all due respect, Mr. Baron – I am going to stick with the exclamation point. Because I will not apologize for my enthusiasm for rocking. With me, it is not hollow, it is oh so real. And it is spectacular.
Anyone know how long Wallace’s hit streak is?
I know he didn’t pitch tonight, but I think he’s scheduled to pitch tomorrow night … can we release Daley already? I would rather read a DFR that did not have his name in it. Can we refer to him like they do in that M. Night Shyamalyajanana movie (The Village) and just call him “The One We Do Not Speak Of”?
Wallace is at 14 games and is the longest active HS in the PCL, the league best this year is 29 by Matt Murton with Colorado Springs.
Off topic just a tad.
Does anyone have any idea whatsoever of the whereabouts of Smokin Joe Kelly? Are he Jimmy Hoffa, and Tupac in Chile somewhere on a beach drinking dacaries?
Is he hurt, is he even signed?
For those interested, a bunch of roster moves for QC.
Alex Castellanos DL -> QC
Guillermo Toribio QC -> Batavia
Andres Rosales QC -> Batavia
Matt Carpenter Batavia -> QC
Kyle Conley Batavia -> QC
Brett Lilley -> Released
Paul Cruz -> Released
http://www.qctimes.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/midwest-league/article_87d0eb3a-65f5-11de-a80b-001cc4c03286.html
Justin Smith… what the…
I love seeing how the small college guys like Matt Adams and Mark Shorey do in pro ball, and how those obscene numbers they put up in college translate. I’m hoping Adams has a decent enough glove and can stick behind the plate.
Wallace now hitting .291 after a tough start. Any doubters about his bat? Anyone care to put odds on Wallace being the starting 3rd baseman for the Cards in 2010?
I am getting more and more excited about Wallace having an impact for the big league club.
Wallace doesn’t seem like the typical clean up hitter but with Albert’s power in the 3 hole would Wallace’s potential for a high average make him a good candidate to hit behind Albert?
wallace is a #3 type hitter, but he won’t hit there of course. i think it would be best if ludwick got it figured out and hit clean-up and wallace could hit 5th or 6th.
Weren’t we just talking about Wallace’s “premature” promotion a couple weeks ago?
I don’t know why he’s so much better relative to one month ago – it could just be random streaks that any hitter goes through. But if it’s because more advanced pitchers exploited weaknesses that he is now adjusting to, I would say that promotion to Memphis was perfectly timed.
I’m with the Baron on the “let’s rock” debate.
A period connotes that we mean business.
What image seems cooler? A stone cold cat like Morpheus saying “Let’s rock.” and proceeding to kick all ? Or David Lee Roth jump-kicking onstage while shouting a heliated “Let’s rock!” while cutting into “I Ain’t Got Nobody”?
The latter kinda sorta rocks. But the former definitely rocks in an oh-so-awesome way.
I think anytime a hitter struggles with a promotion there is a reaction that the promotion occurred to quickly. It happened with Rasmus, Wallace, and Kozma. Each took time and figured it out and are playing much better lately. Kozma even made the Texas League All-Star team as a reserve. Patience is not something practicved frequently on the internet. These guys are young, but appear to be developing into a solid core for future development with the Cards. Those guys keep improving and you have a great group to go with Pujols, just when he needs a big raise.
Wallace actually had a very hot start for Memphis, then cooled off dramatically, and is now hot again. He seems to be a very streaky hitter who is still figuring things out.
Off topic:
Check the link below for info on a Symposium on Statistics and Operations Research in Baseball. It’s free, at UMSL, and on July 15th. Should be interesting.
http://www.umsl.edu/divisions/business/baseball.html
Kinda surprised by the release of Lilley and Cruz. I thought they had done a good job for QC, but I guess you have to make room for the new draftees.
Nick McCully and Kyle Conley recent draftees were also assigned to QC
Regarding QC moves: Why was Castellanos on the DL? I’m guessing a wrist or hand injury; his legs were fine the last time QC played in Peoria. Second, it’s interesting to see how the Cardinals brass assesses talent. Paul Cruz is released, though he was a decent class A player. Guillermo Toribio, on the other hand, contributed exactly nothing to the QC cause the four times I saw him play, but he is demoted, not released. He must have some tools that might develop in the future. (And he may be younger than Cruz.)
Goldstein:
Brett Wallace, 3B, Cardinals (Triple-A Memphis)
Tuesday’s stats: 3-for-4, 2B, HR (5), R, 3 RBIs
While the recent trade for DeRosa temporarily shores up the third base mess in St. Louis, Wallace is certainly not letting this sudden road block get him down. After a disappointingly slow start following a promotion to Triple-A, last year’s first-round pick is now batting .291/.337/.443 in 44 games, thanks to a 10-game run in which he’s gone 17-for-38 with six doubles and a pair of bombs. Now if DeRosa’s wrist injury in last night’s game ends up being serious . . .
Wallace’s splits between home and road are very pronounced. Have they had a long home-stand recently?
RedC-out of the last 10 games Memphis has played only 4 have been at home. Wallace has gone 2-4 two times and 3-4 two times in those 6 road games. The other games he went 1-3 and 1-5. I remember maybe 2 weeks ago seeing his road/home splits and he wasn’t faring so well away from Memphis, some thought it was due to a comfort problem, but now he seems to be turning it up on the road and putting on a hitting clinic no matter where the game’s being played. Hope he keeps it up and I hope the Cards don’t call him up too soon.
Good to hear he’s hitting everywhere now. I think it’s his defense that worries the F.O., not his bat. As a lefty, he would sure sit nice between Pujols and Ludwick.
over-under on the percentage of the memphis roster getting a call-up this year: 75%?
We’ll see if Hoffpauir’s suddenly booming bat translates to the bigs; he got The Call today, and Mort is back down.
Oops. Didn’t see that that same tidbit had been added to the lead. Sorry about that.
July 2nd here already. I wanna see the Cardinals pull in a LHP or 2 in addition to Matea. The Cuban guy was comped to Liriano by somebody (prolly his aagent).
12.01 AM, July 2nd here in the Lou. Let’s rock…
Re: Hoffpauir. While wrongly predicting that the Skip to 2b experiment would be a disaster before the season started, I also predicted that Hoff would end up being the starting 2b by default. I recognize Hoff’s limitations but I still think this may become the case. If he can initially give us some help against left handers and show that a real, if limited, second baseman has some defensive advantage over a converted one I think his playing time might increase. Correspondingly, if Ankiel and Duncan continue to stink the joint up Skip may see more time in left field. Hoff’s promotion might end up being bigger news than it seems right now.