Here’s the list of players headed to “early camp”.  Hit the link for DGoold’s insight on each and every player on the list.

RHP Carlos Martinez
LHP Anthony Ferrara
RHP Victor DeLeon
LHP Hector Hernandez
RHP Michael Blazek
RHP Deryk Hooker
RHP Eric Fornataro
LHP Justin Wright
RHP Willy Paulino
LHP Tyler Lyons
C Geoff Klein
C Audry Perez
1B Xavier Scruggs
2B Starlin Rodriguez
INF Greg Garcia
SS/2B Breyvic Valera
SS Ronny Gil
SS Kenny Peoples-Walls
OF Kyle Conley
OF Oscar Taveras
OF Nick Longmire
OF Charlie Tilson
OF CJ McElroy
OF Lance Jeffries

MLB.com: If it’s possible to sum up in a few sentences, what general philosophies and strategies underline your view of drafting amateur players?

Kantrovitz: From a scouting standpoint, we will focus on players with a high ceiling who have a chance to make an impact in the Major Leagues…

His answer continues on to even more territory that would make even the most hard-hearted HPGF member reach for the paper bag.  Read the whole interview it is good insight to the man who will be calling the shots during the amateur draft.

Age – 25
Stats
38th Round of 2007 Draft

Adron Chambers got a whiff of the big league club this past year, which was great, but unfortunately, we all got an even better idea of his limitations and ceiling.  Chambers is a left-handed only, no power, lots of speed center-fielder who presents good defense in center and plus defense in the corners.  However, being that his bat does not play in the LF or RF, he is limited to center.

His position, CF, is filled by a similar type player in Jon Jay.  Neither are any longer blocked by Colby Rasmus, but Jon Jay has the a similar profile to Chambers.  Chambers offers more speed, but Jay offers slightly more power and both are lefties.  Jay is prone to slumps and is not in any way shape or form “blocking” center-field for any prospect.  However, Adron Chambers does not have the offensive potential to be a starting everyday center-fielder.

Chambers has dropped off the list as the Cardinals system has improved and Chambers limitations have become more clear.  His current projection is looking more like a 5th outfielder/bench/pinch runner/defensive sub role.

Jones’s OPS by year: .597 (2005), .745 (2006), .600 (2007), .889 (2008), .738 (2009), .696 (2010), .760 (2011).

One of these things is not like the others…

The full list of Cardinals minor league free agents are:
Freddie Bynum, Eric Duncan, Daryl Jones, Jeff Lyman, Rich Rundles, Donovan Solano, Nick Stavinoha

Source

The Quad Cities River Bandits did not lose a game in the postseason, sweeping Clinton in 2 games, Kane County in 2 games and Lansing in 3 games.  They were in 2^nd place for the 1^st half of the season, but won the MID Western division in the 2^nd half.

Quad Cities lead the league in OPS, lead by new official hyperventilator Oscar Taveras and 2011 first round draft pick Kolten Wong, who arrived after the June draft.  They were also 4^th in ERA and tied for 1^st in WHIP on the pitching side.

The River Bandits called on Boone Whiting to start the playoffs against Clinton and he wasn’t perfect, but he was lifted to the win by Oscar Taveras’ 3 hits and John Rodriguez’s 5 RBIs for a 9-5 win.

Anthony Ferrara was the starter in game 2 and he did his part with 6 innings and 3 runs allowed.  John Rodriguez and Colin Walsh lead the bats for a 5-3 win and the series sweep.  Awesome River Bandits TV highlights here.

At this point, the River Bandits still had pitching hyperventilator Trevor Rosenthal waiting for his first taste of MWL playoff baseball and he delivered a complete game shutout over the Kane County Cougars.  He only allowed 4 hits as the River Bandits won 7-0.

Quad Cities took the next game and punched their ticket to the Midwest League Championship after being down 5-0 in the 8^th with 2 runs in the 8^th and 4 runs in the 9^th including a walk off 3 run HR by Nick Longmire.  Bandit TV.

In the Championship series, the River Bandits won Game 1 with help from the same heroes as all season in starter Boone Whiting and Oscar Taveras.  They took the game 4-2.

Anthony Ferrara got another game 2 start and another game 2 win with 6 innings, no walks and 6 Ks.  Wong, Gil and Walsh were the heroes on the hitters side as the powered the River Bandits to a 5-3 win.

Not going out on a limb saying that the River Bandits have the best 3^rd starter in the Midwest League in Trevor Rosenthal who struck out 7 in 6 innings, giving up 3 runs.  Taveras, Wong and Klein each had 2 hits as the River Bandits clinched the championship with a 6-3 victory. Bandit TV.

Here’s the compilation video that played after the River Bandits won the league.  Very nice tribute to a very nice season.

(Ever notice how JD Davis from Bandit TV is always wearing the same outfit in every video?  I’m sure they recorded all the intros on the same day, but it is still a bit disconcerting.)

Memphis:

Tyler Greene: wOBA – .448

Andrew Brown: wOBA – .413

Matt Carpenter: wOBA – .413

Mark Hamilton: wOBA – .412 (Honorable Mention)

Springfield:

Charles Cutler: wOBA -.391

Jermaine Curtis: wOBA – .390

Alex Castellanos: wOBA – .388 (He is now property of the LA Dodgers)

Tommy Pham: wOBA – .383 (Honorable Mention)

Matt Adams: wOBA – .381 (Honorable Mention)

Palm Beach:

Greg Garcia: wOBA – .408

Starlin Rodriguez: wOBA – .392

Xaiver Scruggs: wOBA – .390

Zack Cox: wOBA – .389 (Honorable Mention)

Quad Cities:

Oscar Taveras: wOBA – .454

Kolten Wong: wOBA – .414

Jonathan Rodriguez: wOBA – .393

RHP Boone Whiting
LHP Anthony Ferrara
RHP Trevor Rosenthal
RHP Zach Russell
LHP Ryan Copeland

Game 1, Wednesday in Lansing:
LHP Sean Nolin (LAN) vs. RHP Boone Whiting (QC)
Game 2, Thursday in Lansing:
LHP Justin Nicolino (LAN) vs. LHP Anthony Ferrara (QC)
Game 3, Saturday in Davenport, Iowa:
RHP Trevor Rosenthal (QC) vs. RHP Marcus Walden (LAN)
Game 4, Sunday in Davenport, Iowa:
RHP Zach Russell (QC) vs. LHP Egan Smith (LAN)
Game 5, Monday in Davenport, Iowa:
LHP Ryan Copeland (QC) vs. RHP Aaron Sanchez (LAN)

Hit the link for dgoold’s short paragraph on each pitcher for the QC.