Tonight’s DFR brought to you by Jet Li’s Hero. (We’ll see how a subtitled movie works as DFR writing background.) Barely edged out Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Curse of the Golden Flower. Have there been any quality stylised fight movies since those three?
Kevin Goldstein had some nice writeups for the Futures Game. Here’s the pertinent stuff about the Cardinals.
Brett Wallace, Cardinals (US): On-base machine with questionable power ceiling, even more questionable range at third base.
Had this same conversation at the game today and I don’t think power is ever going to be Wallace’s calling card. He’s a 20-25 guy for me with a great OBP . . . and questionable range at third base.
Daryl Jones, Cardinals (US): His tools really are only a tick below than of Jennings; he can play, too.
Daryl Jones is good. He’s hampered by his knee right now but to get an idea of how good, here’s the pertinent stuff on Jennings from the article.
Jennings is not the middle-of-the-order threat that the other two [Mike Stanton & Jason Heyward] are, but he’s a potentially game-changing leadoff hitter with a patient approach, gap power, and plenty of speed; think Carl Crawford with a little less power but 40 more walks a year.
I still love the Crawford comp for Jones. Speedy left fielder with plus defense and ok power. It’s not the typical LF skillset but it’s one that I prefer to the hulking slugger that the Cardinals have been trying to unsuccessfully employ since the departuer of Reggie Sanders.
Francisco Samuel, Cardinals (World): Nobody questions his stuff (a 93-97 mph fastball and upper-80s slider), but he has no idea where it’s going half of the time.
And that’s exactly what Samuel showcased. Great stuff and questionable command. The Cardinals do not have a good track record of correcting command problems in the minors.
[clang, clang. whip. clang clang. slice]
Memphis 8, Alberquerque 7 (10 innings)
- Jon Jay goes deep for the second time in 3 games. He was 3-for-6 with two doubles also.
- Daniel Descalso was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk.
- Donovan Solano was 4-for-5. He’s posted a .321/.361/.365 line in over 150 ABs at Memphis. Still not buying him as a major league player.
- Tyler Greene was 1-for-5 with a walk and 3 stolen bases.
- Oneli Perez got the start with 5 runs (3 earned) in 5 innings. He’s AAA filler and not someone we’ll likely see in the majors but with the incessant and unnecessary shuffling of Walters, Hawksworth, Mortensen and Boggs, the Redbirds needed some reserves to be able to step in.
- Jess Todd picked up the win with 2 scoreless frames. He walked 1 and struck 1 out. Dear GOB, do not let him be the PTBNL in the DeRosa deal.
- Pete Kozma was 0-for-5 with 2 strikeouts.
- Steve Hill was 3-for-4 with a triple.
- My boy Tyler Henley was 3-for-5 with a double. I’d like to see him called up in the near future and one of the filler’s in AAA released.
- Trey Hearne had another very good outing going 8 innings allowing just 1 ER. There were 7 hits, 2 walks and 1 strikeout. The caveat I would add to his performance is that he had fewer groundouts than airouts.
- Fernando Salas pitched a scoreless frame with one hit. I’ll be keeping a close eye on his second half to see how he rebounds from the finger injury.
- Adron Chambers was 3-for-3 with a double and a pair of walks.
- Curt Smith was 5-for-6 with 5 RBI. With an OPS around .800 (despite hitting .300), the lack of power and moderate on base skills seem to limit him as a prospect. Please don’t be mad, HL.
- Aaron Luna went yard.
- Blake Murphy, C, was 4-for-6 with a double and a HR.
- Richard Castillo had another uneven outing. He walked 4 in 6 innings allowing 4 hits and striking out 4. He was only hit for 2 ER.
- Blake King struck out 2 and walked 1 in 2 innings of work.
- Alex Castellanos was 3-for-4 with a walk.
- Jack Cawley was 2-for-4.
- Frederick Parejo was 2-for-3 with a walk.
- A rough outing for Scott McGregor who allowed 6 ER in 3 innings on 8 hits.
- Niko Vasquez was 2-for-4 with a triple.
- Beau Riportella was 2-for-4 with a HR.
- Rough outing for Michael Blazek with 7 runs (5 earned) in 3.1 IP. Whie this isn’t entirely true, the Cardinals seem to move any starter with promise fast leaving the minor league teams to deal with a lot of outings like these. You’ve still got some interesting guys like Zawacki in the low minors but I’m once again hopeful for the Shelby MIller signing to infuse some real pitching into the system.
Johnson City 4, Eliszbethton 9
- Luis Mateo and Yunier Castillo both had two hits each with a triple.
- Matt Adams was 1-for-2 with 3 walks.
- Robert Stock was 0-for-2 with 3 walks.
Entries (RSS)
Man how Henley or Jones would fly up this system if they were righties.
Given Samuel’s questionable command, does this make you think that Todd is the PTBNL in the DeRosa trade (over Samuel)? – Most everything I’ve read seems to think it’s b/w those two.
Also, did you ever see Jet Li’s Fearless? I don’t know if it was as stylized as CTHD or Golden Flower, but I enjoyed the story it told.
Haven’t seen Jet Li’s Fearless — may have to check it out.
IMO, there’s no way for us to know who is on the list that speculation isn’t really worth the effort. What I will say is that Todd is the better prospect for me right now.
How serious a look will henley, jones, jay, and craig get for an OF spot with the ML club next year? How much would a promotion for the former pair help their chances? Seems like there’s two-three open OF spots (with ludwick and razzle in stone). No guarantees that mather or dunc are healthy or effective next year.
very little, very little, some, some
I don’t think henley or jones will have shown enough for a real 2010 audition. And I don’t know that jay or craig are percieved as more than complementary pieces by the big league club.
Luna and Descalso continue to hammer the ball. Nice to see that production out of a position that has been very weak for the Cardinals in the minors.
I have a feeling that because of Ankiels lack of production he wont be able to sign a contract anymore than what hes making now and just may stay in STL. I wouldnt be against Ankiel having the chance to straighten his career out in spring training. I can’t help but think that his injury is bothering him alot more than hes letting on. His stance and his swing is different this year than it was last yaer also.
1. If Jones’ power doesn’t come back he’s not even a top 5 system prospect for me
2. Of the 3 mentioned as PTBNL candidates (Todd, Samuel, Sanchez) I hope it is Samuel.
3. Why mention pitchers moving too fast when talking about Blazek? The guy is in his 3rd year of short season ball.
4. Curt Smith has been playing successfully in AA in his first full season despite coming from a non addvanced college program – I’ll wait before I say he’s not much of a prospect.
5. Salas has pitched 2 innings at AA in his comback w/o a strikeout. Not a big deal for most but for him it is. Has he lost somthing? Is he embracing pitch to contact?
1. Coming up with 5 prospects in the system better than Jones is difficult for me to do.
2. Agreed.
3. I mention it because people wonder why the low minors pitchers don’t get much mention. It’s because the good ones move up very quickly and the not so good ones linger.
4. Horrible walk rates and moderate power do not add up to a legit 1B prospect.
5. It’s 2 innings. Take a deep breath.
Has anyone seen an extended amount of Solano play? What is his best position? How is his defense. The guy is very quietly having a very nice season.
Tom S. – I personally think Jay gets a legit shot at being a 4th OF type next year. He will be 25 at the start of next season and they will need to find out if he can play in the bigs or not. He will certainly get a Sept call up. Craig and Henley will also be at advanced ages to start next year. Personally I think Craig’s best chance to play in the bigs is getting traded though. Henley is a guy on the rise and I hope he gets his chances next year. Now as far as Jones…he will get a look in ST next year but I think it is within the Cards and Jones’ best interest to continue to succeed in AA or AAA. Then if we feel he is ready come June or July we make room for him. He is another prospect when he is ready for the bigs he needs to play a majority of the time.
Solano’s glove gets good reviews.
And to comment on Wallace. I personally am higher on his power potential. I got him hitting 30-35 HR’s in his prime. I also don’t think he will flash the power his first full year in the majors…but watch out in year 2 and beyond.
Jones is a top 5 prospect in this system any way you slice it
i could have sworn stock had taken walks a ton this year, which i thought was a real positive…but according to fangraphs, last nights three walks were his first
Re: Wallace’s power – I’ve never seen him as a huge power guy either. I think people get scared hearing that but Bobby Abreu and Nick Johnson (when healthy) don’t typically put up big HR numbers but they are still terrific hitters.
I think, from an offensive perspective, the Johnson comp makes sense for Wallace – although I think Nick will end up w/ the better DL stats.
According to the stats on Baseball America’s site, Stock has walked six times. Not a lot, but double three.
Fangraphs takes awhile to load MiLB stats they don’t have the 7/12 game yet in his game log
Wallace reminds me a lot of Abreu. His swing and approach at the plate is very similar. Abreu is a great hitter but other than a season and half with Philly he never has hit for much power. If he’s that type of hitter and can stick at 3rd you’ve got a pretty darn good player. If Oquendo can make Skip a 2nd basemen in four weeks he can make Wallace a descent 3rd basement. They should send Wallace to play winter ball for Jose’s team this year so they can just work on defense all winter together.
Jones definately showed the ability to cover alot of ground and a strong arm last night with that throw from the warning track on the double.
Am I missing something or is there some reason that Descalso gets so little attention by the press, pundits and even this board? From the basic data, his age, position and the numbers he’s putting up at the highest minor levels this year I would make the case that he should be considered in the competition for our number one prospect. I know the question is asked frequently here about his defense and I’m not sure anybody’s answered that with any assurance. That may be why people are unsure of his potential but in this year of somewhat disappointing performances by our boys he’s been about the brightest spot in the system.
I actually think it’s pretty easy for Daryl Jones to fall out of the top five.
I assume Wallace and maybe one or two of the bullpen arms (Todd, Samuel, etc) will be top-five prospects. There are other bats, too. Even if you’re conservative with older players with great numbers like Henley, what about Shane Peterson? He’ll probably finish with better Springfield numbers than Jones and is actually younger than DJ Tools. Descalso is only a half-year older than Jones and has been a better producer at a more valuable position. And then there is the next generation of toolsy younger guys to consider, including Mateo and that shortstop who is tearing up rookie ball.
Not trying to be mean, but you all are nuts, saying Daryl Jones is just going to fall off the map. He’s an easy #3 for me, assuming they sign Miller. He’s playing hurt, not 100%. Just relax.
Jones is the type of guy that is good now but you can tell that one morning he’s going to wake up and all the talent is going to finally click and he’ll suddenly be an uber-prospect.
Carl Crawford was the same way. He didn’t have much power early on in his minor league career and even in the majors, he struggled with XBH. But right around age 22, he started becoming a gap power machine. That, to go along with his great defense.
What’s the latest on Glaus? When is his next game?
tonight. In the DFR that’s up now!
Jones with no power numbers is merely a .780 -.800 OPS guy ( a la Curt Smith :) ). His walk rate has also dropped considerably this year. Do people realize how bad he has been the last month – .449 OPS !!!! 1 xbh in his last 50 ab’s. Last 10 games: .097/.097/.129 Hopefully it is the injury but do hamstring change your swing that much? Do they change your batting eye?
Yes he has good D but a questionable arm. If he can only play LF then he is limited because most teams use that position for a really strong bat who can’t play D – in our case that may be Wallace. I hope the power comes back but if not he could easily be below Wallace, Miler, Mateo, Todd, Descalso, Mortensen and I’d even have to question if he’s going to be better than Henley or even Luna.
Do hamstrings change your swing that much?
Ask Ryan Ludwick the month before this one.
TLR said in the pregame show before the first game yesterday that Hawk is back to being a MLB Prospect after how well he did the previous day. That it was his best big league performance yet
i agree on wallace and his power. i always hear that he’s going to protect pujols by having big power numbers behind him. i think colby will be the big power guy hitting behind albert and wallace will be a high average, on base machine hitting in front of albert (preferably third)
In reply to Easy, Kevin Goldstein (@kingclip) had this to say via Twitter about Descalso this morning: “Cardinals 3B Daniel Descalso with three more hits at Triple-A; taking him off the sleeper list, upgrading to legit.” So, he’s getting some press.
Special Edition of the UCB Radio Hour at 1:30 PM CST. Kick off All-Star weekend with a possible future Cardinal. Pete Parise has put himself on the short list of Sept. (or earlier) call-ups by tearing up every level of play so far. Oh, and his roommate is Brett Wallace so i’m sure to poke him for some info there too. Enjoy and Go Cards!
Does anyone know where I can find a full replay of the Futures Game online? I went to it yesterday but I’d like to get a better look at the nasty breaking balls that were on display as well as the MPH readings. The stadium gun only worked for a few pitches when Tillman was pitching. I heard Feliz hit 101 against Wallace. Not bad.
I would like to know also…..ESPN 2 showed it not sure if its online. I hope.
ESPN 360 apparently has it on replay.
Also, more from Goldstein on Descalso:
Daniel Descalso, 2B, Cardinals (Triple-A Memphis)
Sunday’s stats: 3-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, SB
A third-round pick in 2007 out of Cal-Davis, Descalso hit .243/.313/.372 last year at High-A, and didn’t come close to sniffing any prospect lists coming into the year. A .323/.396/.531 start at Double-A was backed up by scouts who saw a much quicker bat, significantly improved plate recognition, as well as a willingness to use all fields. Now batting .324 in his first nine Triple-A games, he’s on a lot of radars as a guy to talk about when the Cardinals look for trade deadline reinforcements.
count me as one who sees Wallace with annual 20-25 power with a great season being 30-35 … and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Not bad at all considering Rasmus 20-25, Pujols 45+, Ludwick 30-35, Wallace 20-25 as your 2-5 batters, I would be pleased with that anytime.
I don’t think you can count on Pujols for 45+ every year. He’s more of a 30-35 HR hitter.
More realistically is:
Rasmus 20-25
Pujols 30-35
Ludwick 25-30
Wallace 20-25
Wallace would probably bat in front of Pujols with Rasmus batting further down. The problem for a prospect like Jones in this scenerio is that he, Wallace and Rasmus are all Left handed. Jones as leadoff hitter is ideal, and as long as LaRussa is ok with Skip and Colby at the top, he will hopefully be ok with Jones-Rasmus at the top.
Anyways, the low end of the lineup would be 95 HRs from 2-5. I’ll take it.