Springfield 2, Arkansas 3

• Kolten Wong was 2-for-5 with an RBI from the leadoff spot.
• Xavier Scruggs was 1-for-3 with a HR, his 5th of the season.
• Greg Garcia had a double and 2 walks.
• Chris Swauger hit a triple in 4 plate appearances.
• Oscar Taveras was 1-for-4 with his 4th stolen base of the season. He was also intentionally walked in the top of the 9th inning. The opposing manager chose to face Kyle Conley with two guys in scoring position instead of Taveras with runners at the corners. The move paid off as Conley flew to LF to end the inning.
• Richard Castillo had a very fine debut at Springfield. In 7 IP, he allowed 2 R on 6 H, 0 BB, and 6 K. Of the 14 outs he recorded on balls in play, 12 were via ground balls.
• Michael Blazek tallied 4 K in 1.2 IP but lost the game by walking in a batter with the bases loaded. In all, he allowed 2 H and 2 BB.

Palm Beach 1, Jupiter 2

• Chris Edmonson was 3-for-4 with an RBI.
• Ronny Gil and Rainel Rosario each had a double.
• Starlin Rodriguez was 1-for-4.
• Vance Albitz was 1-for-2 with a walk.
• I’m sad to report Seth Maness walked his first batter of the season; his 2012 streak ended at 42 innings. He still had a strong outing that featured 7 H, 1 BB, 1 R, and 5 K,
• Dean Kiekhefer pitched 1.1 innings in relief before surrendering an 8th inning walk-off HR. He had 2 H, 1 BB, and 2 K.

Palm Beach 2, Jupiter 4

• Chris Edmonson and Alan Ahmady recorded the only two hits of the game for Palm Beach, both of which were singles. Edmonson also walked once while Ahmady stole his 3rd base of the season.
• Mike O’Neill and Vance Albitz also walked and scored the only 2 runs.
• Todd McInnis had a decent pitching performance, allowing 2 R (1 ER) on 5 H, 1 BB, and 3 K.
• Iden Nazario was saddled with the loss for allowing 2 R on 2 H and 1 BB in 1 IP.

Quad Cities 2, Beloit 4

• Juan Castillo was 2-for-4 with a 2B and run scored.
• Colin Walsh was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
• Tyler Rahmatulla had a double.
• David Medina was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
• Roberto Reyes was also 1-for-3.
• Kyle Hald was very good. He allowed only 3 H and 1 BB in 6 scoreless innings that included 5 K.
• Brandon Creath was hurt by 2 BB which came around to score on a HR that resulted in 3 ER. He did strike out 1 batter.
• Danny Miranda allowed another run on a HR in 1.1 IP; he also had 1 K.

Memphis: No Scheduled Games

Springfield @ Arkansas, 7:10pm – Richard Castillo (2012 AA debut)

Palm Beach @ Jupiter, 5:00pm – Seth Maness

Palm Beach @ Juiter, TBD – ? (Was Castillo’s spot in rotation; I’d wager on Todd McInnis fresh from QC)

Quad Cities @ Beloit, 6:30pm – Kyle Hald

Rising

Chris Stratton RHP – Mississippi State

The dominant conference in college baseball is the SEC, Chris Stratton is neck and neck with potential #1 overall pick Kevin Gausman for the SEC strikeout title (Gausman has 112 to Stratton’s 107). Coming off of two seasons of identical mediocrity, Stratton’s emergence this season from reliever to Friday starter has been one of the better stories in college ball. This change has been generally credited to the development of his slider, a wipe out pitch that he can throw for strikes. He is also lauded for his general shift in demeanor, becoming a fierce competitor on the mound. His fastball works in the low 90s and he’s got a fairly well-developed change also. There is some natural skepticism over his small sample size of success, having worked from the bullpen for the first month of the season, but Chris has caught up to the rest of the conference in a hurry and there’s no denying the quality of his competition. He’s projected to be a first round pick at this point, somewhere around the vicinity of the Cards’ first selection and he would not be a reach at all at 19 or 23.

Andrew Heaney LHP – Oklahoma State University

Another rather intriguing option for the Cardinals in the first round is lefty Andrew Heaney, who has also greatly improved his stock with his dominance in the Big 12. He is the owner of an astonishing 120-19 K/BB ratio and does it all with a screwball as his main weapon. He throws the screwball a lot, especially to righties, working off of a  89-91 fastball. He’s also got a less advanced change.

Andrew is a fairly thin guy without much in the way of projection but has a good feel for pitching with strong command, unafraid of attacking hitters inside. Mechanically, he could use some help as there is some funkiness in his stride. He seems to stop short and sacrifices leverage from his lower half. He does, however, repeat his motion well and hides his delivery effectively. Heaney is considered the best college lefty in the draft but his upside is mid-rotation-ish. His performance definitely puts him in the first round range, perhaps even before the Cardinals can pick. However, he might need more development time than desired from a mid-rotation first rounder.

Fallers

Deven Marrero SS – Arizona State

It’s hard to say how much, if any, Deven Marrero has actually fallen on draft boards for his forgettable hitting performance this season. He’s cut down on the strikeouts a touch this year (he has had a reputation for being a bit of a hacker) but his .261/.320/.404 line is still his worst yet in his college career. The guy makes his name on defense. He’s not a burner on the basepaths but has excellent range and quick reactions, with a plus arm to back it up. Naturally, for a true shortstop, there are plenty of apologists for light-hitting. They can’t completely apologize for his perceived lack of effort this season but the crop for college middle infielders is frankly terrible this year, and Marrero is still placed firmly at the top. Scarcity will probably make him go before the Cards’ turn comes up, perhaps as soon as #8 to Pittsburgh.

Patrick Wisdom 3B – St. Mary’s

Coming off a strong 2011 season, Patrick Wisdom had a fair amount of buzz for his power and his ability to stick at third. His potential issues were in his pitch recognition/approach. He has fallen prey to these concerns so far in 2012, hitting only .244/.375/.424. On the one hand, that average, along with his strikeout issues, make it easy to be skeptical of his ability to make contact with major league pitches. On the other hand, he is taking more walks than he has in the past. Wisdom is probably not a first rounder right now but if we snapped him up in a supplemental round I think we could see good value. He’s a big guy with plenty of pop to his pull side and surprising agility. It amounts to a good deal of upside if he puts it all together.

Colorado Springs 0 @ Memphis 6

Hitting:

• Adron Chambers went 0-for-4 but did have 1 RBI
• Ryan Jackson went 2-for-4 w/ 1 R
• Matt Adams went 1-for-4 w/ a three run homer
• Bryan Anderson and Zack Cox both went 1-for-4 w/ 1 R
• Pete Kozma went 1-for-4 w/ 1 2B, 1 R and 2 RBI

Pitching:

• Shelby Miller turned in a fine performance: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB and 5 K
• Barret Browning (1 K) and Sam Freeman both pitched one perfect inning apiece
• Chuckie Fick allowed 2 H in one scoreless frame

Springfield 3 @ Arkansas 1

Hitting:

• Kolten Wong led off and went 2-for-5
• Jermaine Curtis went 2-for-3 w/ 1 2B, 1 BB and 2 R
• Oscar Taveras went 0’fer in 4 AB
• Kyle Conley went 2-for-3 w/ a solo shot and 1 BB
• Xavier Scruggs went 1-for-4 w/ 1 2B
• Jake Shaffer went 1-for-4

Pitching:

• The only blemish on Trevor Rosenthal’s start was the walk total, otherwise he was great: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB and 4 K
• Jesse Simpson pitched 2.0 scoreless innings that included 1 H, 1 BB and 3 K
• Eric Fornataro gave up 1 BB while pitching a scoreless ninth to record his first save of the season

#10. Lance Lynn

I’m really ready to revise my opinion of Lance Lynn. I probably should have after his strong performance last year out of the pen but I still hedged because he was a reliever and not a starter. I’m not hedging anymore. Lynn has looked great to start the season and has to be regarded as more than a “back-end starter” at this point.

#9. Matt Carpenter

The second player on the list who just looks radically different than he did just a year ago. Matt Carpenter has traded his walks in for power. He’s halved his minor league walk rate and nearly doubled his ISO. All of his plate discipline numbers have moved toward league averages and he just looks like a different hitter than he was in the minors. Clearly, this is a new approach at the plate and while it’s working right now, I’ll always wonder what a .400 OBP would have looked like in the majors from MCarp.

#8. Zack Cox

Off to a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad start in Memphis. He’s batting under .200 with an OBP under .250.  After a rather unexciting 2011 aggregate performance, things are not trending in the right direction. It’s interesting, academically, that the two college “bat prospects”, Brett Wallace and Cox, are fairing so poorly right now.

#7. Trevor Rosenthal

Rosenthal has maintained a great strikeout rate but his walk rate has exploded. He’ll need to regain his former season command to move up the prospect list.

#6. Kolten Wong

Wong has shown a slight dip in power at Springfield compared to Quad Cities, which I would speculate is related to some minor nagging injuries, but nothing that should really concern anyone. The contact and walk rates remain healthy. The transition to AA looks successful thus far.

#5. Matt Adams

Adams isn’t on pace for quite the gaudy homerun totals he racked up in 2011 but his overall production continues to be consistent. Plus, he’s already matched his stolen base total from last year.

#4. Oscar Taveras

If there’s one player that looks poised to rocket up prospect lists, it’s Taveras. With more homeruns than 2011, a high OBP coupled with a sustainable BABIP and the continued playing of centerfield, Taveras has gone a long way toward showing he wasn’t just a one year wonder.

#3. Tyrell Jenkins

Strikeouts are steady. The problem with Jenkins is efficiency. With an increasing walk rate, he’s not quite managing 6 innings per start. He remains very raw and I haven’t heard anything this year to cause me to alter my opinion of him.

#2. Carlos Martinez

Stealthily having a good season. Walks are down. Like Jenkins, he’s still missing that magic 6 IP per start mark but things are pointed in the right direction. It looks like he’ll need more time in the minors than might have first been anticipated.

#1. Shelby Miller

He’s struggling with command in Memphis which has led to more walks and more homeruns. The strikeout rate is surprisingly high with Miller in the top 10 of AAA for strikeouts.  I’d hesitate to call him up right now but he doesn’t seem far off from the majors.  I’d be shocked not to see him in the major league rotation in 2013.

Memphis vs. Colorado Springs, 7:05pm – Shelby Miller

Springfield @ Arkansas, 11:00am – Trevor Rosenthal

Palm Beach @ Jupiter, 6:35pm – Seth Maness

Quad Cities vs. Cedar Rapids, 7:00pm – Kyle Hald

Colorado Springs 5 @ Memphis 3

Hitting:

• Adron Chambers went 2-for-4 w/ 1 BB and 1 SB
• Matt Adams went 1-for-4 w/ 1 2B
• Mark Hamilton hit a solo homer in 4 PA
• Shane Robinson went 3-for-4 w/ 1 3B and 2 R
• Bryan Anderson went 2-for-2 w/ 1 BB and 1 RBI

Pitching:

• Joe Kelly got the start for Memphis: 6.1 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 1 BB and 5 K
• Maikel Cleto pitched 1.2 innings that included 1 H and 2 K
• Adam Reifer pitched the final inning and allowed 1 R despite only giving up 1 BB

Springfield 3 @ Arkansas 2 (11 innings)

Hitting:

• Kolten Wong went 2-for-5 w/ 2 RBI
• Oscar Taveras hit a double in 5 PA
• Chris Swauger went 2-for-5
• Greg Garcia went 0-for-1 w/ 4 BB, 2 R and 1 SB
• Xavier Scruggs went 2-for-5 w/ 1 R and 1 RBI

Pitching:

• John Gast was stellar for the Cardinals: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB and 4 K
• Eric Fornataro gave up only 1 H over the next 2.0 scoreless innings
• Keith Butler was credited with the win, he pitched 2.0 scoreless innings that included 3 H, 2 BB and 1 K

Palm Beach 0 @ Jupiter 7

Hitting:

• Mike O’Neill went 2-for-5 from the leadoff spot
• Alan Ahmady went 2-for-4 w/ 1 2B
• Geoffrey Klein went 2-for-3 w/ 1 BB
• Ronny Gil, Christopher Edmondson and Rainel Rosario all went 1-for-4

Pitching:

• Carlos Martinez’s start was an abbreviated one: 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 BB and 4 K
• Logan Billbrough (1 K) and Chase Reid (1 H, 1 K) both pitched scoreless innings

Cedar Rapids 5 @ Quad Cities 3

Hitting:

• Tyler Rahmatulla went 2-for-4 w/ 1 R
• Colin Walsh went 2-for-4 w/ 1 2B and 1 R
• Juan Castillo went 2-for-3 w/ 1 R and 1 RBI
• Anthony Garcia and Roberto De La Cruz both went 1-for-4 w/ 1 RBI apiece
• Luis Mateo went 1-for-3 w/ 1 2B, 1 BB and 1 RBI
• Garrett Wittels recorded a single in 3 PA

Pitching:

• Jonathan Cornelius put up a box score worthy of a top prospect: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB and 7 K
• Ethan Cole gave up 1 R in 2.0 innings on 2 H, he recorded 1 K
• Heath Wyatt let the lead slip away in the ninth as he gave up 4 R; none of them were earned as the River Bandits imploded defensively

#20. Boone Whiting

Whiting’s been on the disabled list to start the season and has yet to throw this year.

#19. Brandon Dickson

In 8 starts spanning 47.1 innings, Dickson has struck out just 31 batters — a decreased rate from 2011 — but maintains a nearly 3:1 K:BB ratio by limiting his walks. Dickson looks like a player good enough to get the occasional call up but unlikely to stick in the majors. He continues to be a solid workhorse for Memphis’ rotation this season.  Interestingly, Dickson is the only minor league starting pitcher on the 40-man roster.

#18. Tommy Pham

Pham struggled badly to start the season and found his way back to the disabled list where he’s been for almost a month.

#17. Charlie Tilson

It will be another month before we see Tilson start his season with one of the Cardinals short-season clubs.

#16. Adam Reifer

Reifer is on the Cardinals 40-man roster and is in Memphis working to regain his familiarity with live action after missing 2011 due to a knee injury.  Reifer walked two batters in his first appearance of the season and has walked 2 batters in the 16 innings that have followed.  Recapturing his strikeout rate (currently below 7K per 9IP) will be key moving forward.

#15. Maikel Cleto

Converted from starting to relieving at the beginning of the season in a perplexing personnel decision, Cleto is currently sporting the best FIP of his career.  He’s doing it by striking out more batters.  So far so good in the conversion. What continues to make this a strange move is that Cleto displayed considerable upside as a starter with good walk rates (basically unchanged in relief) and a healthy strikeout rate. Time will tell whether the move to the pen works for Cleto in the long term.

#14. Jordan Swagerty

One of the most talked about prospects in Spring Training found himself undergoing Tommy John surgery to start the season. He’ll look to make a return in 2013.

#13. Joe Kelly

Kelly has steadily progressed through the system as a starter. His start at Memphis has been good but not great with dip in his walk rate and groundball rate. Kelly’s strong suit remains his ability to get hitters to roll over on his heavy fastball but triple A hitters have proven more resistant to Kelly’s repertoire.

#12. Ryan Jackson

Jackson continues to hit just enough to look like he might not be a complete black hole in the majors. Combine that with above average defense and you have someone that could be a good utility player or stop gap should Rafael Furcal hit the disabled list. The power mirage of Springfield is dissipating in Memphis where Jackon’s ISO is down by 33%.

#11. Eduardo Sanchez

Promoted to the big leagues. Good luck, Eduardo! Despite the promotion, however, Sanchez was off to his worst season thus far with a crazy high walk rate. Mark me down as unsure about the integrity of his arm.

Memphis vs. Colorado Springs, 7:05pm – Joe Kelly

Springfield @ Arkansas, 7:10pm – John Gast

Palm Beach @ Jupiter, 10:35am – Carlos Martinez (Game is in progress)

Quad Cities vs. Cedar Rapids, 7:00pm – Jonathan Cornelius

Memphis 0, Colorado Springs 3

• Memphis got shut down by quality lefty prospect Drew Pomeranz, who pitched 6 innings of scoreless baseball.
• Adam Ottavino also put up a zero.
• Ryan Jackson had some serious troubles in the field, committing three errors, bringing his total to eight on the young season.
• Zack Cox also had an error.
• Brian Broderick had an adequate start, giving up 7 hits  and 1 ER over six innings with only a couple strikeouts but most of his outs on the ground
• He also had the only notable batting line of the night, going 2-2 with a double.

Springfield 5, Northwest Arkansas 6

• Scott Gorgen‘s start was interrupted by rain, so he only went 1.2 innings, although that was enough time for him to give up 4 earned runs.
• Jose Garcia was 2-3 with a pair of walks.
• Greg Garcia was 1-3 with a walk.
• Oscar Taveras was 1-5.
• The man of the day was Wil Myers, who was 3-3 with a pair of doubles and a walk.
• Sam Freeman gave up a solo shot in the eighth and took the loss.

Quad Cities 1, Cedar Rapids 2

• Tyrell Jenkins lasted a full six innings with only three hits and two earned runs, striking out six with an 8-2 GO/FO. That’s good! But he also walked four with four wild pitches. That’s bad…
• Robert Stock had an excellent outing, pitching three scoreless innings with one hit and five strikeouts.
• The effective wildness extended to both sides, as the QC offense only managed two hits and struck out nine times but walked ten(!) times.
• Colin Walsh had one of the two hits with a double and walked twice.
• Other players with two walks: Anthony Garcia, Juan Castillo, Roberto Reyes.