Plenty of good starting pitching performances including another excellent start from Trevor Rosenthal. Oscar Taveras continues to crush the baseball, just in time to move his name up the midseason prospect rankings. Full slate after the jump as the system goes 3-3.
- Adron Chambers was 3-5.
- Cedric Hunter had a pair of doubles.
- Eugenio Velez his a home run.
- Tyler Lyons was good in every inning but the first, giving up four runs in that inning but striking out nine in his 5.0 IP.
- Eduardo Sanchez gave up a couple hits and struck out one in the ninth.
- Oscar Taveras has been on a home run binge since he hit one at the Texas League all-star game, hitting his 17th.
- Kolten Wong was 1-3 with a walk.
- Chris Swauger was 3-4 and a double short of the cycle.
- Jose Garcia and Xavier Scruggs were 2-4 each.
- Trevor Rosenthal has an excellent outing, allowing two home runs but with 8 K and 2 BB in 6.0 IP.
- Justin Wright, Eric Fornataro and Deryk Hooker each threw a scoreless inning.
- Ronny Gil and Mike O’Neill were 2-4. O’Neill had a walk.
- Geoffrey Klein was 3-4.
- Rainel Rosario was 2-3 and hit his second home run of the year.
- After walking seven in his last outing, Anthony Ferrara had improved control, walking no one and allowing only one run on a solo shot. He had 4 K and went 7.0 IP.
- Colin Walsh was taken out in the third after being hit by a pitch.
- Stephen Piscotty had a double and a walk.
- David Medina was 2-3 with a home run.
- Dail Villanueva gave up only 1 run and 3 hits in 6.0 IP,
- The Batavia offense was blanked by ultra-high upside prospect Luis Heredia and the Pirates affiliate bullpen.
- Underrated (and somewhat buried in the depth chart) 3B Patrick Wisdom was 2-4.
- Matthew Young was 2-3 with a walk.
- Tyler Melling went 5.2 innings with no runs and just 2 hits.
- Johnson City managed only 3 hits and struck out 13 times.
- Juan Bautista walked 5 in his 3.1 innings, giving up three runs. No one else threw particularly well either.
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Thanks for pointing out that that 1-0 game featured Heredia. I thought y’all were going to do that (point out the top prospects competing against the affiliates) more often? What happened to that proposal? Not complaining, just wondering.
My day job happened to that proposal.
Does anyone know why Matt Adams didn’t play yesterday?
I would like to know that as well…
saw somewhere that Adams is Day to Day with a bum right elbow.
Here is a link to John Sickels midseason top 120 list:
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/7/2/3130761/top-120-prospect-list-for-2012-midseason-revision-update
The Cardinals are well represented, headed by OT at #9.
Shelby Miller drops from 6 to 35 on the list and is now the Cardinals four rated player on the list behind Taveras, Martinez and Wong.
7 of the top 100….wow. This is definitely a top 5 system
Off topic but….
Would you make this trade?
Zack Cox, Tyrell Jenkins, Bryan Anderson, and Fernando Salas
for
Wandy Rodriguez and Wesley Wright
Depends on the money for me. Wandy makes too much. However, I’m not ready to give up on Salas and Jenkins yet.
To me, Jenkins is the highest profile prospect that I would be ok with the Cards trading. I would hope that OT, Shelby, Rosie, and CMart are all untouchable.
Matt Adams might be of interest to the Stros as well
Oh yes, I understand what you’re saying. It’s just that I have a hard time trading such a young starting pitching prospect with that much upside. Also, with Rodriguez’ salary, I’m not sure we’d have to part with a player of Jenkins status to acquire him.
That would even be better. I think Wandy would be a good pickup. He has been very consistent for the last 5 years (25+ starts, sub 4 ERA).
Hell, no.
Wandy isn’t worth the money he makes now (or in the next two years), much less giving up top prospects for him. Wesley Wright is Sam Freeman plus one year of experience.
Wandy Rodriguez has been worse than Jake Westbrook this year. Would you give up Tyrell Jenkins/Zack Cox/Salas and Anderson for Jake Westbrook, if Jake Westbrook had a contract that would pay him for two additional years at $13mm a year?
Similar to my thoughts below. I forgot to mention that I did not think Wright was better than the LOOGIES the Cards already have.
Maybe Anderson for Wright in some kind of crapshoot move.
I don’t think anyone will want Anderson.
Wandy has a better ERA, WHIP, and K:BB than Westy this season
I think that is too much. First, without knowing the amount of money (if any) coming to the Cards, it is impossible to evaluate it. Rodriguez has a $13 million contract for 2013 (plus about $5 million for the rest of this season). However the worst part of his contract is that there is a $13 million option for 2014 (when you would hope that Miller, Martinez, and Rosenthal all need rotation slots) which becomes guaranteed on certain performance levels, BUT EVEN WORSE, it becomes a player option if he is traded. Thus, if he is traded to the Cards, the option for 2014 will be exercised if he stinks in 2013, and declined if he wins the Cy Young in 2013.
With the changes in the collective bargaining agreement and the limitations on draft choice compensation for free agents, the value of players traded in mid season has declined. As an example see how little the Red Sox got last week for Youkalis. While you would get Rodriguez for 2013, as stated above, you either lose him for 2014 with very likely no compensation, or you get stuck at $13 for a pitcher who could theoretically be injured for that 2014 season.
I think there will be pitchers available at cheaper traded player costs, and without the negatives of Rodriguez’s contract.
I’d maybe think about that trade for a healthy Bud Norris (he just went on the DL), but Wandy has a horrible contract and Wright is kinda crappy.
I would not make that trade just based on the two yr cost of Wandy.
First of all I would have to be convinced that Carpenter is not coming back any time soon.
Then I would have to know that my coaching staff would be able to help Rodriguez be a better pitcher. His strike outs have been declining for a fourth straight year now. Making the Westbrook comparison a good one.
Houston would have to kick in at least 10 million to get a couple of top 20 prospects. So I would think that Cox and Jenkins would be over paying. I would be willing to trade Cox but I would probably wait until he got his value up a little more.
John Sickels is being Straussian in the way he is talking about shelby in a negative light, without offering any kind of specifics
It’s time for Fun With Taveras Numbers.
Last ten games, including the T.L. All-Star performance, Taveras is batting roughly…
.370/.415/.940 with just 5 K’s in 40+ PA’s
That line represents a 14-38 stretch, with 6 taters and 4 doubles. Fun. And fun for Oscar, I imagine.
Also, I agree with those who don’t want Wandy. A couple smaller deals for *good* relief arms — the Twins have Perkins and Duensing from the left side, for instance — and I’ll be satisfied. Liriano is an interesting upside play, but I wouldn’t give up Adams, Wong, or any of the top 3 starter prospects. Jenkins, maybe…but only if Liriano would agree to a reasonable multi-year deal in advance (say, two years plus a club option, at 6-7 million per).
OT has a, unorthodox violent swing just somehow makes consistent hard contact led by incredible hand eye coordination.
I’d probably give up a legit good prospect for Perkins, though I worry a bit about whether he might cost a “closer premium” now he seems to be pitching some 9th innings for Minnesota.
Although I do worry a bit about Perkins’ long-term deal. He’s signed for 3 more years for $10m. Still, I think I might give up Zack Cox for him.
whoa! jurickson profar is 8 months younger than Oscar Taveras
Yes he is. Mr. Andrus in Texas should be looking over his shoulder.
Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez
For
Adams, Cox, and Salas
What would need to be done to make this trade work? $$$$ to the cardinals? Prospects outside of our top 10 to Astros?
No-one wants Wandy for the reasons already stated. He has a horrible contract.
Notes from Springfield 7/1
Well played game in tough conditions. It was a little cooler here than elsewhere, but 96-99 depending on who you asked at game time. HP umpire had a big strikezone and did what he could to move things along.
Taveras: Worked really good counts his first two Pas. At the beginning of the season he would wait a pitch or two and then let it rip. I believe he worked both counts full (second PA may have been 2-2) and ended up making a loud out deep into the power alley in his first at bat. He was totally hosed by the ump in his third at bat. Worked a full count and took ball four, low and outside. I’ll give the umpire a little bit of a pass, because he called a very large zone all night-both ways. However, Oscar, somewhat justifiably stood and expressed his disgust at being rung up. Frisco brought in a lefty in the eighth to face Wong, Garcia and Taveras. On the first pitch he saw Taveras absolutely destroyed a 65 mph floater. Pulled down the right field line. The wall is only 330 ft down the line in Springfield, but there is a large (think two story) building beyond the fence and this particular HR took one bounce deep off the back of the building on out of the stadium. Looked as comfortable in center as I’ve seen him so far this year (around a dozen games). One diving catch at his shoetops was spectacular.
Wong: DH’d and struck out his first two PAs on pitches a foot out of the zone. Looked all kinds of out of whack. As noted previously, the ump had a huge zone, leading to both teams being pretty aggressive, but Wong looked particularly undisciplined the first two times up against a pretty good RHP. Worked a nice walk in his third at bat. Was caught stealing and honestly it wasn’t all that close. He is an excellent baserunner, but has only slightly better than average speed. Didn’t get a great jump. Looked like a totally different player that PA, however, and in his fourth and final PA in the eighth (against the lefty) worked a deep count and fisted a single (breaking his bat) to center. Great PA.
Rosenthal: Good, not great outing. Anything close to the zone was called a strike, and he took advantage better than Frisco’s pitchers. Threw a ton of high fastballs that Frisco hitters couldn’t catch up to. Sat 96-98 mph on the Springfield gun (ordinary disclaimer). Touched 99 and 100 a couple of times. Only threw one pitch under 95 mph in the first inning. Got into some trouble in the second, occasionally he will throw two or three pitches in a row that aren’t anywhere close and then just as quickly pull it together again. Walked a batter in the second (during one of his missing command stretches) and then Scruggs made a great diving play to his right, deflecting a hard hit ball to the second baseman, jumped back up to his feet and took the throw from J. Garcia to record the out. Stopped what looked like a big inning in its tracks. Several loud outs, and due to the called zone a ton of swings at pitches shoulder high, but with the exception of 3 or 4 call them 3-pitch sequences he did a good job of putting it where he wanted to. Threw far more fastballs than the last couple of times I saw him pitch.
Garcia: Someone noted in the last few days that they’d like to see Garcia moved up in the lineup. In spite of his home/road splits (look at the dramatic differences in his walk rate-he seems to be an entirely different kind of hitter on the road), he his second (right between Wong and Taveras). Three lefties at the top of the order. Chased a number of pitches (that in all honesty could have been called strikes-but normally wouldn’t have been) resulting in a couple of strikeouts as well. People quite rightly talk about his plate discipline alot, but he hasn’t exhibited that skill playing at home this year with any regularity.
Fornataro: Really nice, clean inning. Mixed his pitches well. The 5 or 6 fastballs he threw registered 98 on the stadium gun. Was a one-run game when he pitched in the 8th.
Thanks for the update!