Adam Reifer was also carted off the field during Memphis’ game per The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Here’s hoping Hill & Reifer have a fast and full recoveries.

Quad Cities

4/8 – Trevor Rosenthal strikes out 11 batters over 4 innings meaning only one out was recorded on a ball in play — a groundout nonetheless.

4/9 – Jordan Swagerty tossed 6 innings of shutout ball striking out 5. He didn’t walk a batter and allowed just 4 hits.

Palm Beach

4/7 – Top propsect Shelby Miller begins his season with a 9 strikeout start over 5 innings.  He walked just 1 batter and recorded 4 of his 5 outs on balls in play via the ground.

4/9 – Maikel Cleto the prospect acquired in the Brendan Ryan trade struck out 7 in 6 innings of work. Cleto was touched up for a couple of walks and a trio of hits but again showed impressive groundball tendencies with 6-to-1 GO:AO ratio.

4/10 – Joe Kelly strikes out 5 in 5 scoreless innings of work. He allowed the most baserunners on this list (7 total) but continued his groundball ways mimicking Cleto’s ratio from the day before.

Memphis

4/9 – While you’re unlikely to see him heading up any prospect lists, Raul Valdes had a good beginning to his Cardinals’ career striking out 9 in 6.1 innings. Valdes allowed just 1 run.

4/10 – Of the starters in Memphis, Lance Lynn probably has the best shot of a protracted career in the Cardinals’ rotation. His first start was borderline for this list but we’ll give it to him anyway. Lynn went 7 innings allowing just 1 run and struck out 3 while not walking a batter. The primary caution to his line is the 10 of 15 outs in play viaflyouts.

Relief – Not to be missed among the starters, Memphis’s troika of legitimate relief prospects Fernando Salas, Eduardo Sanchez and Adam Reifer have combined for 7.1 scoreless innings over the first 4 games.  They’ve struck out 6, walked no one and allowed just 5 hits.

When thinking about prospects to highlight and research, I’m always looking for under the radar players that have been in the system for at least 3 years.  It always helps if the player is making news lately with winter leagues or player movement.  To me at least, it always seems like Adam Reifer is very under hyped.  He is ranked highly in the prospect rankings, but not a lot of pundits are talking about him.  Now that he is a member of the Cardinals 40-man roster, this ends now.

Adam Reifer was drafted in the 11^th round of the 2007 MLB draft out of UC Riverside.  He had been a relief pitcher his entire college career, but was limited to less than 10 innings his junior year due to injury.  The Cardinals took a flyer on him and he signed, but did not play the rest of the 2007 season as he rested and rehabbed his injury.

In 2008, he was assigned to rookie short season team Batavia.  He lead the Muckdogs to the NY-Penn League Championship, including closing out the Championship game.  He earned that right through a great season.  His strikeouts per 9 innings was 12.16 and his strikeout to walk was 2.73. So, he was striking out 2.73 times as many players as he was walking.  He had 22 saves in the short season.  He was absolutely dominating in Batavia and rightfully earned a leap up to Palm Beach for the 2009 season.

The rest of Adam’s career after the jump and a GIF of his mechanics.

Here’s a animated GIF in slow motion of Reifer’s throwing motion.

In Palm Beach, he was not as dominating, but still another good season in the closer’s role.  His K/9 dropped to around 9, but his K/BB was still over 2 as he was still striking out 2 times as many batters as he walked.  For another look at this stat, he was striking out 22.1% of the batters he faced.  17.1% on swinging strikeouts, which is great news for Reifer moving forward as he is able to get swinging strikes.  His BABIP was high at 3.62, which is 100 points higher than Batavia and he was still able to have a lot of success, thanks to the strikeouts.  His performance got him moved up to Springfield for 2010.

In Springfield, Reifer was the closer again and had an even more dominating year in a league that is much more hitter friendly than his year in Palm Beach.  His K/9 dropped slightly, but his walks dropped off the face of the earth and he had a K/BB ratio of 3.47.  He was still striking out around 22% of the batters he faced, but the lack of walks put him in the dominant category.  His FIP for the year in Springfield was 2.70.  Compared to Palm Beach, he forced more ground balls and less fly balls and induced more infield pop-ups. He was called up at the very end of the season to Memphis and pitched 1 inning.

He sits pretty average as far as ground ball vs. fly ball ratio is concerned and he’s above average as far as getting strikeouts.  If he can keep the walks as low as in Springfield, he will increase his projection going forward.  As AZ showed, his projection is a set up reliever and he can be slightly too hitable at times.  But, with the ability to miss bats, he is certainly a MLB-caliber reliever late in games and now that he is on the 40 man roster, he is ever more of an asset to the senior club.  If there are any injuries in the bullpen, Reifer will be on the Memphis to STL shuttle to keep fresh arms in the bullpen.  He’s solidly in the MLB bullpen in 2012, but should be an asset this season.

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, Statcorner and Fangraphs.

There is not currently a player in the pen that I can definitively and unquestionably point to and say, “What is he doing in the majors?!?!?”.  Generally, that statement is followed by an expletive but we’re a family friendly blog.  Part of what brought this post to fruition was a comment from the Cardinals broadcasting pair last night with regards to Kyle McClellan’s future. There seems to be some continued curiosity about his repretoire and converting to starting pitching.  It’s understandable considering that he has a full complement of pitches (FB, CH, CU, SL) but I’ve long had trepidation about Kyle McClellan.

In any event, the Cardinals continue to produce some interesting relief options in the minors. What follows is an admittedly incomplete list of players that may be ready in 2011 or 2012 for a shot at the bigs.

Sanchez remains the player with the best combination of upside and likelihood to reach it in my opinion. He’s undersized for a reliever but threw 70 innings in the minors last season and seems slated for 60+ again this year. His fastball sits mid-90s touching 97 and he has a plus slider that he’ll throw for strikes.  His command is above average as is his control.  He’s combining superb strikeouts with groundballs — the best recipe for dominance.

If you recall, Salas is someone we’ve had on the radar here for a couple seasons now. His 2009 efforts were derailed by a finger injury but he’s been tremendous in Memphis thus far this year. He’s more of a control pitcher than the others on this list featuring a low-90s fastball and a breaking ball that he’ll locate around the zone. His stuff is still above average but it’s not on par with Sanchez; Salas’s command and feel for pitching is more advanced though. He’s a solid middle reliever though I wouldn’t bill him as more than a setup man in part because of his predilection for flyballs.

Reifer seems to have taken a significant step forward.  The perplexing stat in years past has been H/9 for Reifer who got touched up far more often than his stuff suggested he should. This year he’s show the same stuff but hitters aren’t making as much contact. A mid-90s fastball and a plus slider, it’s too early to tell if he’s turned the corner for good but he’s not far removed from the majors if he has.

King has improved but the command and control still isn’t up to par for me.  He’s lingered at the tail end of prospect lists for years based on the promise in pure stuff. He started out 2010 fantastically but the control has deteriorated as the season went on. Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: He’s a fastball, slider guy. He’ll work up in the zone with his fastball, which can get him in trouble. Outside of Samuel, he’s the least polished pitcher on this list.

Mulligan is an ex-catcher with a sinking fastball, a plus changeup and a questionable breaking pitch. The changeup makes him particularly effective against lefthanders. His career split (in FIP) between lefties and righties in the minors is negligible.  Mulligan struggled briefly after his promotion to Springfield but he’s settled in nicely and continues to rack up big strikeouts.

Samuel makes this list out of name recognition more than anything else.  With a fastball in the high 90s, he’s been troubled by shoulder injuries this season, which has impacted his already poor control. The pure stuff is the best of anyone on the list but the command is easily the worst.

The Cardinals will have some mid-level relievers transition to arbitration in the next few years and some veterans leave.  Ryan Franklin likely departs after 2011. Kyle McClellan and Jason Motte will both become arbitration eligible in 2012.  If you’re looking for a trade trip for the Cardinals — and it’s HIGHLY unlikely they’ll do something like this — look in the major league pen.  While these are all major league caliber relievers, they aren’t irreplaceable. Fernando Salas is ready right now and Sanchez could be called up in a pinch though he’s more like a 2011 ETA.  Still if the Cardinals want to make a move and retain a cheap pen, they can do it.  They’ve done quite well at finding right handed relievers in their farm system.

Drafted in 2006, Jeff Luhnow called Adam Reifer the “sleeper of the draft”. No one is sleeping on him any longer, as Baseball America rated him the top pitcher of the NY Penn League. Armed with a 95-99 MPH fastball, a nasty hard slider and an abundance of confidence, he helped steer Batavia to their league’s championship. I was fortunate enough to catch up with Reifer for a little Q and A.

Congrats on winning the NYPL championship. Can you describe the experience of winning it all?

Winning the NY-Penn was an awesome experience. It was the first championship that I have ever won, so this will forever stick out in my mind, especially being out there to close out the game. And to do it with the guys we had on our team just made that much more special. We had one of the best group of guys that I have ever been a part of.

How would you describe Adam Reifer, the ballplayer?

Adam Reifer the ballplayer is intense and wants no one to get an edge on his game. He wants to be the best and will stop at nothing to try an get there.

And Adam Reifer the person?

Adam Reifer the person is laid back and takes life as it comes. He tries not to take life to seriously because life is short and stress could make it shorter.

What was the key to your success this past season?

The key to my success would be my dedication to let nothing get the best of me, because I did start this year on a sour note by not coming out of the gates healthy. But I knew I was better than that, and knew what kind of pitcher I was. I knew I would get through that bump in the road.

Baseball America ranked you the best pitcher in the NY Penn League. What does that mean to you?

Being ranked by BA as the best pitcher lets me know all the hard work I have done to be best has paid off. It also means a whole lot that I have been recognized by my peers and higher end guys that I was the top pitcher in the league.

How would you define a “closer’s mentality”?

I define a “closers mentality” as a cocky mentality. A closer tries and lets nothing get the best of them. They go out there for an inning or maybe more and they give it their all. You go out there giving your best every pitch and want no one to beat you because you really know there is no one better than you out there on the mound.

What is going through your mind when your called to record the last three outs?

When I get called to record the last three outs I am not thinking a whole lot, actually. A lot of my thought process comes before I’m called out there. I start preparing myself in about the 7th inning when I kind of separate myself from the the rest of the bullpen. A lot of my thought process is that I tell myself I am the best, and the other team has no chance. I begin to grow a hatred for the other team as well. I do a lot of things basically to build myself up. So when I actually get the call to go out there, everything now is just how I react than actually think.

What would you say was the most important thing you learned this past season?

Most important thing I learned would probably don’t get to ahead of myself. Take each day and outing as it comes because they are all different.

Is there a closer in the big leagues that you particularly enjoy watching?

Jonathan Papelbon is my favorite pitcher and favorite closer. I just love his intensity, the way he goes after every hitter with authority and he has electric stuff. He’s a pitcher I try to model myself after, but I want to better and just want to be me.

Give me your quick prediction – Who do you think wins the league championship series, who do you think will win it all, and why?

I think the Dodgers have a real good chance to win even though they are down 2-0 now, but I just think they have some firepower and have a lot of momentum still that can take them to the World Series. The Rays would be my pick in the ALCS because they are just a complete team and I just really want them to go. To win the whole thing…I will say the Dodgers will win even though I really want the Rays to win it all.

Thanks to Adam for taking the time to talk with us. I would say he has a very good shot at rocketing through the system given his stuff and demeanor.

“Basically every player I play, I grow a hatred toward them. I just hate them. No one’s going to take me down, I have to go out there and destroy them.”

If you’re looking for a definition of a “closer mentality”, I think that would be it. Just a great look at Adam Reifer by BA.

Peoria 10, Scottsdale 7

• Adam Ottavino packed his struggles and took them with him to Arizona. He lasted two innings, allowing three runs on five hits.
• His teammate Brad Furnish followed and wasn’t a whole lot better, allowing two runs on a pair of hits and a pair of walks. He struck out one. Obviously, it would be nice to see these two get on track.
• Brett Wallace didn’t have the debut he had hoped for, going 0-4.
• Steve Hill doubled, then jumped back in his taxi and drove off into the mountain ranges of Arizona.
• Tyler Greene, playing second base in deference to Gordon Beckham, went 1-4.

Honolulu 3, Waikiki 1

• Arnoldi Cruz doubled. Four of his seven base hits have been doubles so far.

What is shocking to me is there was no love shown for Lance Lynn. I mean, Danny Farquhar? How is someone who profiles as a middle reliever better than Lynn? The only thing I could think of is the piggyback system was Lynn’s doom in the rankings; maybe he didn’t qualify due to a lack of innings. If that’s the reason, then no big deal.

Just a note: I hate to be a wet blanket because personally think info is meant to be shared and I’m not really a fan of pay-per content, but BA does have copyrights on their chat and all their other subscriber content. I would ask that content would please not be retransmitted on the site in the comments.

UPDATE: I guess the chat isn’t subscriber only, so I don’t feel bad cutting and pasting this question from some weird Cardinal fan upset about Lynn being snubbed.

Q: Erik from Cedar Rapids, IA asks:
Thanks for the chats, this is one of my favorite times of the year to be a subscriber to BA. I was wondering however: Why no Lance Lynn? Seems like he’d be a shoe-in to me for this list.
A: Aaron Fitt: Lynn did not pitch enough to qualify for the list, but I’ve always been a fan of his at Ole Miss. Kind of like Brad Holt, his strength his is ability to command his heavy fastball, but his secondary stuff is fringy.

So I think he would have ranked if he had thrown more. For what it’s worth, KLaw gave his curve a 50 but future grade a 60. One thing I like about Law is, he does his own evaluating and you can decide. BA quotes these mystery scouts, so you can’t really evaluate the evaluator.