The farm went 3-3 on a night when Allen Craig began his rehab assignment at AAA and Matt Adams continues to mash in AA. On to the prospect (and non-prospect) goodness.
Hitting:
- Shane Robinson went 2-for-5 w/ 1 2B and 1 R
- Tyler Greene went 2-for-5
- Allen Craig went 1-for-3 w/ 1 2B and 1 RBI, he started at second base
- Bryan Anderson went 2-for-3 w/ a 2-run homer and 1 BB, prior to this game, his slash line was .261/.350/.374 for an OPS of .724
Pitching:
- Brandon Dickson started the game and went 6.0 innings while giving up 7 H, 4 R, and 1 BB, he also struck out six
- Bryan Augenstein got lit up to the tune of 3 R on 3 H in his 0.2 IP
- Chuckie Fick pitched a scoreless inning that included 1 BB and 1 K
Hitting:
- James Rapoport went 2-for-4 w/ 1 BB and 2 R
- Ryan Jackson went 2-for-5 w/ 2 R
- Matt Adams went 3-for-5 w/ 1 HR, 2 R, and 3 RBI (and no, he did not walk)
- Jermaine Curtis went 2-for-4 w/ 1 3B, 2 R, and 2 RBI
- Jose Garcia had three singles in his 5 PA, he drove in one
Pitching:
- Scott Schneider was happy his offense scored so many runs: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, and 2 K (he got the win)
- Sam Freeman pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, included were 1 H and 1 K
- Jorge Rondon and David Kopp both pitched scoreless inning, it was Kopp’s first save of the year
Hitting:
- Starlin Rodriguez had only 1 H in 5 PA, it was a solo shot
- Niko Vasquez went 2-for-4 and played third base
- Kyle Conley also hit a solo homer
- Luis De La Cruz went 2-for-4 w/ 1 R
Pitching:
- The Magician, Arquimedes Nieto, went 7.1 innings that included 1 H, 2 R (1 ER), 4 BB, and 4 K
- Justin Wright and Jesse Simpson combined to pitch the next 1.2 in scoreless fashion
- Jordan Swagerty picked up his third save with a clean final frame
Hitting:
- Kolten Wong went 1-for-6 w/ 2 R and 1 SB
- Oscar Taveras was in the lineup for the entire game, he went 3-for-5 w/ 1 2B, 2 R, and 3 RBI
- Jonathan Rodriguez went 1-for-2 w/ 1 2B, 2 BB, and 1 R
- Chris Edmondson went 2-for-5 w/ 1 2B and 1 R
Pitching:
- Zach Russell was not very good, he allowed 7 R (4 ER) over 4.2 innings
- Dean Kiekhefer pitched 2.1 innings that included 3 H and 2 K
Hitting:
- I would say the organization has to be happy with the signing of Garrett Wittels, tonight he went 3-for-5 w/ 2 R
- Joseph Bergman went 3-for-4 w/ 1 BB, 1 R, and 1 RBI
- Romulo Ruiz and Virgil Hill each hit a 3-run homers for their only hit in 5 PA’s apiece
- Daniel Stienstra had a pinch hit RBI double
- Roberto Reyes hit a solo homer and had 1 BB in 5 PA’s
Pitching:
- Todd McInnis got the start: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, and 2 K
- Kevin Jacob (1 H, 2 BB, 1 K) and Travis Miller (1 H, 1 BB) each picked up a scoreless inning
Hitting:
- Kolby Byrd went 2-for-4
- Gary Apelian and Anthony Garcia had one single apiece to round out the offense for Johnson City
Pitching:
- Joshua Lucas was solid in his start: 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R (2 ER), 0 BB, and 6 K
- Logan Billbrough relieved and shut out the Mets for the next 1.1 innings, he had 2 K
Entries (RSS)
Batavia and Springfield games were on MILB.tv if you have a subscribtion. I believe they will be on again tomorrow. So more chances to see new draftees at Batavia.
milb.com has Quad Cities losing 7 – 8.
I would like to see Rosenthal and Taveras pushed to Palm Beach to see how they both respond, but with Quad Cities in the hunt for a playoff birth (and PB w/ no chance), maybe the best thing for both players would be to stay and complete the season at low A.
Thanks for the correction
I’d leave Taveras in QC not only for the postseason, but also until his defense catches up with the league.
What’s the report on his defense?
I think you overstate his D being bad. He’s inconsistent on D. He can make a great sliding play but then make a bad read or take a bad flight. He’s 19 remember. I think they are leaving Rosenthal and Taveras in QC so they can play in the playoffs.
Agreed, young players make mistakes, I don’t think that should be much of a deterrent to moving a player through the system, especially one not destined for a premium position. He’ll learn to be more consistent on his routes in time; Derek Jeter made 56 errors as a 19 year old in low-A…he turned out okay.
Not throwing any stones at his defense that his manager hasn’t. I’ve seen some great defense in QC. Some of those kids have great arms and get the ball to the right base. Oscar isn’t one of them just yet. We hurried Colby along too soon, IMO, and he’s paid the price for that.
No sense in sending OT to a league where he might have to vie for time when he can play every night in QC and get the requisite work. He’s doing fine in QC. At 19, we don’t have to hurry him along.
I doubt the Cardinals are going to make Taveras vie for time anywhere he goes. He’s the type of guy what when you want them to move up someone else is cut benched.
ARQUIMEDES NIETO
Has Nieto been injured this season? He was pretty good at High A last year. Has anyone seen enough of him to give an opinion of whether he can eventually be a #5 candidate in the majors or even a middle relief candidate?
DJ Tools has enjoyed a nice bounce back year (OPSing 1.013 over his last 10 at Sprinfield w/ an 0-4 tonight). Even though a lot of his luster is gone, he’ll see the show eventually, probably not in St. Louis though.
I think Jones has Rule-5 written all over him.
Doubt he’ll see the show anywhere. He’s played at Springfield 3 years and 10 games doesn’t mean a thing as far as he’s concerned. He also stunk it up at AAA so IMO he’ s done in this org.
the p-d has a very interesting piece by – who else – derrick goold, about zack cox and the transition he’s made on his approach to inside pitches. should be mandatory reading for insights into cox’s progress.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_367802b9-7620-5e1f-8237-39f2c665a329.html
Thanks, good stuff. Goold is excellent at his job.
One thing that is consistently said about Zack Cox is how hard he works. Regardless of what opinions are of his tools, he has and will continue to work hard for what he has. Cox’s work ethic will be a major factor in his success, imo.
I think the quotes about Tyler Greene are very interesting. Not the first time I’ve heard that said about him.
Same here – I still think he has a future in the big leagues…just depends on if that is with the Cards or not.
Here is an interesting Matt Adams stat in relation to extreme HR parks. He has hit 21 of 23 HR this year in the three most HR friendly parks in the Texas League.
Top 3 HR yards based on 2010 Minor League Park Multipliers:
1.24 for Springfield and he has 11 HR or 1 per 13.09 AB
1.22 for NW Arkansas and he has 6 HR or 1 per 7 AB
1.11 for Tulsa and he has 4 HR or 1 per 9.75 AB
Leaving just 2 HR or 1 per 41.5 AB for the less HR friendly parks of the Texas league and also of note with this is the Texas League is just 32 HR from topping its 2010 HR total with 32% of the season left to play!
Interesting. Some of the eyewitness reports here at FR have described individual Adams HRs as true bombs, but as the scientists say, the plural of “anecdote” isn’t “data.”
I figure Vuch and company know what they’re doing and will move the guys who’re ready to move and who need the challenge. But in Adams’ case, I’m more curious every week about how he would do against more advanced competition in the PCL. The western half of the league has some real hitters’ parks, but AutoZone and the other PCL parks in the Central time zone seem to play more like MLB venues.
Would those homers be doubles or flyouts in bigger parks? Or would most of them still be homers? Only one way to find out.
I have seen him, there is nothing to make me beleive he will not play on the ML field. There may be flaws in his approach but no pitcher has figured that out, he’s fast for such a big guy but needs work on defensive skills. I would assume that his HR would translate into doubles or flyouts at some PCL parks, but at this point, does that matter? You got something here, why rush him. He’s not working for a promo to AAA, he’s working for an invite to spring training at this point.
Interesting point about Colby, it’s just teh way it is, you don’t want to push but you don’t want to hold back. You don’t want to keep sending them up and down either. I notice a big change in handling Descalso, Lynn and Cruz than previous players they shuttle back and forth.
The article was interesting. Cox works hard, he gives back everything the Cards have given to him, he needs work and I don’t see him remaining until he reaches ML, sort of like a Brett Wallace type pick, eventually he will be used in trade.
DJ, another example of what happens when you rush prospects. And another good example of why some need the nuturing longer in high A or AA than struggling in AAA. Interesting, last year they pushed Nieto up to AA waaaaaayyyy before they should have. Not sure if he was injured. Schneider and a few others really don’t belong in AA…. yet.
How is Jones an example of “rushing prospects”? He had success in High A and AA and then basically regressed three years running in Springfield. You could hardly say moving up to AAA this year was “rushing” him after three years at the same level where he was apparently stagnating. It was last-chance saloon. I think, if anything, he’s just an example of a guy who for various reasons (including some whispers about his attitude) didn’t put it together.
This is a misleading stat. Springfield only plays 3 games each half at the 4 south division parks. They play more games against NW Arkansas then Tulsa then Arkansas. Only 12 total games against each team in the South Division.
What does that have to do with the # of HR per AB? That ratio already adjusts for the difference in games played.
Darned if you guys didn’t find a statistic you could hang your hat on. Not much sample size but, hey, whatever turns you on.
I’m not one of “you guys” — when have you seen me defend Adams (I have been particularly critical of his low walk rate). but bad logic is bad logic (no matter which side of the debate you are on). Sorry to know that you cant realize/accept that.
If you’re saying there’s only 12 games in those parks, then how do we account for 83 at bats? That’s almost 7 per game. Somebody’s numbers are off.
The homerun he hit last night would be out anywhere – He Crushed It! I don’t know why anyone questions this guy’s abilities with a bat – high average and power every stop in our system. Until he quits hitting, I am a believer!
The fact that Craig played at 2b is hopefully a good sign that his knee is ok.
Does anyone have a scouting report on the defense of Catcher Luis de la Cruz?
Nobody mentioned that Tavares is now hitting above .400 now at QC
Oscar Taveras is now hitting above .400 at QC. ;)
And he played CF last night & gunned down a runner at third base.
I’m pretty sure most of Matt Adams’ power is real; he’s a real big guy, he’s always hit bunches of doubles and now more of them are clearing the wall. (Plus he homered *twice* off Rockies pitcher Nicasio (sp?) in one game…right before the guy was called up to the majors. Gotta like that.)
Players shouldn’t move so quick to the next level, there is no room in AAA or the big leagues, all players are all prospects until they get to AA, then they need to produce, if you move them to quick they get stalled in AA. Let the young kids dominate at the lower levels and work on there tools. Pitchers need 400 innings in the minors before you ever think about putting them in the show, and hitters need 1200 to 1500 at bats to figure out the wood. That has been a rule in player development for a hundred and eleven years.
Goog stuff !
Glad you realize Dave’s not ready yet for the show! :)
I meant good stuff with a D and what are you talking about?
I have never advocated rushing anyone, ever, especially the young kids out of HS.
just some friendly razzing and pointing out Dave doesn’t have 400 innings yet.
That’s why kids go to college, play summer ball to get at bats and innings in so that they don’t have to sit in complex ball. I wasn’t necessarily refering to older drafted players.
I heard it was much more like 3000 AB.
umm, the modern farm system hasn’t been around for 111 years.
How accurate is the radar gun at Arvest Ballpark? I don’t know much about Springfield’s Rondon but the radar showed him hitting 102mph.
If its 102 it’s not accurate because Rondon doesn’t throw that hard.