Batavia was the only team scheduled to play a game tonight. That game was postponed. Here is a couple discussion topics in its place.
- Now that Shelby Miller is seemingly right and has been called up, what role would you use him in if you were Cardinals manager and the team was in the situation it is currently in?
- If you had to pick a 2013 breakout player in the Cardinals system, who would it be and why?
Entries (RSS)
1. I would start Miller in low leverage situations and let his pitching determine whether he gets to pitch in more vital roles.
2. I think that Valera and Garcia will get more national attention next year, but they are already getting attention on this site. Not sure if they count. Other than that I’d like to see Tilson and Swagerty to bounce back from injury. Jeffries will be interesting to see in full season ball.
That’s Miller’s role right now is in low leverage situations in the bullpen. It will be interesting to see how Molina calls Millers pitches.
“Forget about the curve ball Ricky, give him the heater.”
nuff said.
1. Long man in blowouts
2. Is Wacha too obvious? Think he moves all the way to a mid to late season St Louis appearance.
I don’t see Wacha bounding over Rosenthal, Miller or Kelly. That pretty much precludes a meaningful STL appearance for Wacha before 2014 unless someone gets traded which is starting to look more and more likely.
I think one of our 3b draftees this year will have a huge year. If I had to name one, Kelly?
I don’t see them giving miller a start unless we get a 5 game lead in the wildcard. The problem projecting where they’ll use him is now we have 3 guys suitable for long relief/mop up with Rosenthal, Lynn, and now Miller. Marte could be in the same position.
My breakout candidate is kind of an obvious choice. Im going with Wacha to start the year in Springfield and ending in Memphis. By the end of the year he will have established himself as one of the best starting pitching prospects
I think Victor De Leon will have a breakout season in 2013. De Leon’s command was a question coming into this season he’s certainly showed signs of refinement (though it was inconsistent at times walked 20 batters in 44 IP) and he’s still harness that mid 90s fastball, solid slider, and progressing curve. It will be interesting to see what level he starts out at next season maybe full season squad?
1. The Cardinals won’t do it this way, but here’s what I would do: Get him into his first relief appearance as soon as there’s a low-leverage opportunity (say, a 6-run lead going into the 8th), to get the jitters dealt with and out of the way. Then have him available as a long man shadowing Garcia and Kelly. Finally, give him one start in the last ten days of the season, if necessary, to help set up the rotation for the post season.
2. I don’t consider Wacha a breakout candidate, simply because everyone already expects that he’s going to be good. Mine would be one Garcia or another, with Cody Stanley as a dark horse.
1. I’d use him liberally in relief situations; I wouldn’t restrict him to mop up duty.
2. Tough question, since most of our talent is at the high end of the system and well known or at the very low end and too far off to project reliably. I’ll guess Stephen Piscotty moves off third and makes up for his defensive liabilities by absolutely crushing the competition at his next level.
Some other intriuging prospects that could breakout in 2013. Starlin Rodriguez has that plus bat speed that could develop more power potential as he matures also has lightning quick speed. Rodriguez was OPSing an impressive .815 in the pitcher friendly FSL also posted a .360 BABIP. The southpaw in Tim Cooney has excellent mechanics that he repeats well also showed excellent command in Batavia. Ben O’Shea 6-foot-5 lefty labeled to own a high 80s FB . Sam Tuivailala in his 2nd season on the mound. Maybe the raw Kenny Peoples Walls?
Rodriguez in the TL will be interesting. Too bad he’s blocked by Wong at 2B.
1. Low pressure spots…Just not many of those in a pennant race.
2. Steve Bean and Gavligio.
maness for breakout player of the yr. no one knew anything about him before the yr. now people are really talking about him and excited by what he can offer, but in his every start this yr, and for 2013 and beyond.
looking at his 2011 stats now (drafted in 2011 too), we should have known he could do what he did this yr but he got zero recognition for it. for a point of reference, on the scout.com community 50 list last yr, not even in top 50. now, he’ll be 10-15 or so.
if thats not a breakout, i dont know what is
i read the question wrong. i thought it was breakout player for this yr. well, that can maybe be a topic for another time?
i hope its ramsey but i’m gonna go with something a little less obvious. gaviglio. good stuff, good control and gets groundballs.
I guess I will contribute to my own discussion question.
1. If I was the manager, I would use Shelby pretty much exactly like Lynn was used last year. If he shows early he is up to the task, work him up to high leverage situations slowly. I think the bullpen is the perfect place for a young pitcher to learn how to get an out when he really needs one. I think this could benefit the Cards in the playoffs as well a lot Lynn and Wainwright in the past. I am of the opinion that the best performers should make the playoff roster (if they make it that far), so if he is one of them, he needs to be prepared to deal with the pressure.
2. I will go with Silfredo Garcia as my sleeper for 2013. He has improved his BB/9 and K/9 each of the three years in the system and may get a change to pitch in Quad Cities next year. He he put up the following numbers in Johnson City, 43.0 IP, 38 H, 4 BB and 45 K. He put up the following ratios of K/9 = 9.4, BB/9 = 0.84 and HR/9 = 0.39. Finally, his FIP and ERA were right in line and his BABIP was a very normal 0.292. I think this guy is pitching at a true talent level and can continue improving.
I’m going to believe that the Cardinal’s scouts actually know what they are doing and that James Ramsey will break out next year.
Then way further down in the system I believe that David Washington has finally figured out how to use his big frame to hit for power and that he will hit enough hrs to move onto our radar screens next year.
I’m not predicting anything, but I’m curious about Adam Ehrlich, a catcher who finished strong at JC after starting off in the GCL. He had a combined OBP of .404 in 42 games, and his SLG jumped almost 100 points when he moved up.
I haven’t seen any scouting reports since he turned pro, and don’t know anything about his defense. If he makes it to a full-season team next year at 20, and holds his own, he could be an interesting guy.
DT-What will they do with a rookie closer like Shaban? I was really impressed with his tournament game save when they brought him in with the bases loaded, no outs in the eight. One run scored on a drop at first in a 5-2-3 DP and then it was lights out. He seems to thrive on pressure. Probably not right for this discussion but I was curious.
Shaban was one of those draft picks who slipped through to the 34th round in the draft labeled as a “ceiling pick” Shaban sits 91-93 consistently on his FB touches 94 he’s got a fresh arm for a reliever. Shaban coverted 16 saves walked only 7 batters while striking out 31 that’s 13.50 K per 9 innings in a small sample size of 20.2 IP in Johnson City. Shaban could find himself pitching for a full season club next season depends on how he pitches in ST.
Daryl Jones?
I literally laughed out loud. Awesome.
Interesting write-up on Ronard Castillo, a guy I admit I’d never heard of. (The guy also promises later scouting reports on Carson Kelly and Victor De Leon.
http://mlbdirt.com/2012/09/04/like-prospect-sleepers-i-have-a-good-one-for-you/
Castillo is a 6-foot-5 1B with some raw power potential in JC intriguing prospect to watch.
1. Think they will use Miller as long relief/mopup mainly so he can work with the major league pitching coaches and get used to pitching in major leagues for the future, and maybe a spot start somewhere in there as well depending on the need for that.
2. Am going with 2012 3rd Rd. pick LHP Tim Cooney. Love the fact that he has shown the ability to not walk virtually nobody, and of late is starting to pickup more K’s per start as well. He has the frame to be a major league innings eater, but also has the stuff to be a mid-rotation type imho. With his makeup, wouldnt be surprised if he ended the year at Springfield since he seems like a good candidate to be a fast riser.
1. Most posters have already said it.
2. My pick is C Adam Ehrlich. I always liked that pick and was surprised he signed given the scouting reports at the time. Hopefully, he starts in Quad Cities next season, and we’ll see if the offense is for real. Apparently, the defense and handling of pitchers is already there.
Nice predicted potential breakout prospect. Ehrlich is a very underrated catching prospect labeled as having above average catch and throw abilities making it look eay behind the plate, but the question was will he be able to hit in pro ball he’s shown some small sample size of progression this season in JC .373/.424/.453/.877 .435 BABIP 1 HR 8 RBI still intriguing will be interesting to see what level he starts out at next season.
Probably a bit early, but thanks guys for the great work you did this year. I really appreciate you putting together a free daily read. As for the Qs:
1. Same as Lynn last year is a great answer. Use him early and let him determine whether he is used often. Maybe 6th inning situations with leverage or close but behind situations in the beginning and let it go from there.
2. Breakout of ’12 – Swaggerty is obvious, but I’ll still take him…
Miller has closed very well. But before jumping on the Miller bandwagon for being a key player in the bullpen down the stretch, I want to see how that fly ball rate works in the majors. I hope it happens, but if he dominates MLB from the start, I will be surprised.
Miller in a couple relief spots to get him used to the show, then as #5 starter
I really like Carlos Martinez to have a monster season next year
I’ll say Patrick Wisdom. Prototypical 3B, still under 21. Should rake next year at QC. Nobody standing between him Memphis at 3B.
what I love is that there are so many candidates for a breakout season. obvious high end pitching (Wacha, Martinez), developing power arms (DeLeon, Tuivailala, Stock, Rondon and others), control guys (Whiting, Maness), catchers (Erlich, Stanley,Bean), 2nd baseman galore, 3rd baseman with high ceilings (kelly, Wisdom), outfielders (Garcia, Jeffries, Mcelroy), recovering players (Swagerty, Tilson), and I’m sure I missed several. everything except shortstops. really, there could easily be 3 or 4 breakout seasons next year. makes being a fan a lot of fun. BTW, I foresee a trade for a real shortstop this year, package some of this talent and fill the gap. there aren’t a lot of them out there, but I’m all for going after Andrus, Simmons, or others. if it takes an overwhelming offer, so be it.
1. I’d just echo the others who’ve advocated a “Lance Lynn, 2011″ role for Shelby.
2. I wanna go with someone who hasn’t been mentioned… how about just-turned-17-year-old Juan Perez, from the DSL Cards? In that 35-team league, only a handful of 16-year-olds made at least one start this year (actually 8 kids total), and the 6′ 2″, 195 righty had the highest K rate, at 9.5 per 9 IP.
Now, his control is a work in progress to be sure, with 34 walks and 13 wild pitches in just 52 innings — but his manager did trust him enough to give him a dozen starts, which is high praise for a 16-year-old in and of itself.
I know little else about him, other than (a)he took the ball every 7 days, never missing a start, and (b)he was much more effective over the second half than the first. Specifically:
1st 6 starts, 23 IP, 21/19 K/BB, two gopherballs, 5.96 ERA
next 6 starts, 29 IP, 34/15 K/BB, zero taters, and a 3.07 ERA
The strikeout rate increased from 8 to 11, while the walks simultaneously dropped from 7 to 5. So mebbe there’s something there?
Too many players to name at this point and that is a really great for the system. I can’t recall a more stocked farm.
1) Long relief for S. Miller.
2) Breakout candidate: OF Charlie Tilson.