With the recent addition of three minor leaguers, Shaun Garceau, Katsuhiko Maekawa and Brad Furnish, the number of non-roster invitees (NRIs) set to arrive at the St. Louis Cardinals spring training camp this weekend has grown to 23.
In terms of the primary complement of players in spring training camp, the contents of the 40-man roster, that total has now dropped to 34 players with the subtraction of just-released second baseman Adam Kennedy.
Given these changes and some further work I have done on past NRIs since last time, it seems a good time to revisit the subject for an update as well as an expansion.
I will also note a post by Derrick Goold on his blog that highlights some of the top NRIs in 2009 camp. He did stub his toe slightly on the historical references by labeling Quinton McCracken an NRI, though the outfielder wasn’t. (McCracken was on the 40-man roster in 2001 camp.) In all fairness, several of the current NRIs are Goold’s primary focus and he knows those guys well.
First up here are the updated totals for 2009 along with a longer historical view back to 2000. I will note that the past totals are not necessarily the exact numbers on day one of camp. In some seasons, players were added after spring training was underway. Instead, these numbers include all players in camp those springs.
In other words, don’t be surprised if the 2009 totals change again, but don’t worry. I’ll keep everyone updated if you are not already into this subject yourselves.
Update 2/28: Hyang-Nam Choi added (Clayton Mortensen injured). Corrected McCormick not added. (MLB.com report in error.) NRI total is 26.
Update 2/26: Mark McCormick and Trey Hearne added (Matt Scherer and Mitchell Boggs slowed). Updated NRI total is 26.
Update 2/24: Justin Fiske added. New NRI total 24.
| In camp | 2009x | Avg | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 |
| Roster | 34 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 40 | 38 | 40 | 40 |
| NRI | 26 | 23 | 29 | 19 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 26 |
| Total in camp | 60 | 62 | 69 | 59 | 61 | 58 | 62 | 63 | 58 | 62 | 66 |
| x as of 2/28/09 | |||||||||||
| 2009 | Avg | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | |
| NRI made 25-man | TBD | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
As a refresher, here are the identities of the 26 non-roster invitees so far this spring.
| Pitchers (14) | Catchers (6) | Infielders (4) | Outfielders (2) | |||
| Tyler Herron | Bryan Anderson | Allen Craig | Jon Jay | |||
| Clayton Mortensen | Tony Cruz | David Freese | Colby Rasmus | |||
| Ian Ostlund | Luis De La Cruz | Joe Thurston | ||||
| Adam Ottavino | Steven Hill | Brett Wallace | ||||
| Fernando Salas | Justin Knoedler | |||||
| Francisco Samuel | Matt Pagnozzi | |||||
| Jess Todd | ||||||
| P.J. Walters | ||||||
| Brad Furnish | added 2/10 | |||||
| Katsuhiko Maekawa | added 2/10 | |||||
| Shaun Garceau | added 2/10 | |||||
| Justin Fiske | added 2/24 | |||||
| Mark McCormick | added 2/26 | |||||
| Trey Hearne | added 2/26 | |||||
| Hyang-Nam Choi | added 2/28 |
In my earlier NRI article mentioned above, for each recent season, I had highlighted several well-known players that either made the club as an NRI or failed in their attempt. Wouldn’t you know it; a subsequent request was made to share the names of every NRI player.
Being a sucker for reader challenges on interesting topics, I took the bait and did the work.
I have broken the list from left to right into those few who made the team, including the three first-time MLBers, followed by veterans cut, split between pitchers and position players (called “hitters” to save space). Next are the youngsters that didn’t make the team, also broken out by pitchers and position players.
The final column lists the extra catchers, at least one of whom remains a genuine prospect. That is Bryan Anderson (pictured), who in 2009 is attending his fourth consecutive big league spring camp as a member of the organization.
That is a record since 2000 at least, but being Rule 5-eligible this coming winter means that odds are very low that Anderson will have the opportunity to extend his NRI streak to five in a row in 2010. More than likely, he will finally be on the Cardinals 40-man roster or will be gone.
| 2008 | NRI made 25-man | Veteran pitcher cut | Veteran hitter cut | Rookie pitcher cut | Rookie hitter cut | Extra catchers |
| Ron Villone | Cliff Politte | Juan Gonzalez | Mitchell Boggs | David Freese | Bryan Anderson | |
| Rico Washington * | Dewan Brazelton | D’Angelo Jimenez | Hugo Castellanos | Amaury Marti | Nick Derba | |
| * 1st MLB action | Ron Flores | Josh Phelps | Jaime Garcia | Colby Rasmus | Gabe Johnson | |
| John Wasdin | Clayton Mortensen | Nick Stavinoha | Mark Johnson | |||
| Adam Ottavino | Matt Pagnozzi | |||||
| Chris Perez | Brandon Yarbrough | |||||
| P.J. Walters | David Carpenter | |||||
| Tyler Herron | ||||||
| Stuart Pomeranz | ||||||
| 2007 | NRI made 25-man | Veteran pitcher cut | Veteran hitter cut | Rookie pitcher cut | Rookie hitter cut | Extra catchers |
| none | Mike Smith | Eli Marrero | Kelvin Jimenez | Rick Ankiel | Bryan Anderson | |
| Jolbert Cabrera | Chris Lambert | Tagg Bozied | Ryan Christianson | |||
| Ryan Ludwick | Mike Parisi | Edgar Gonzalez | Brian Esposito | |||
| Mike Sillman | Miguel Negron | Michel Hernandez | ||||
| Mark Worrell | Colby Rasmus | Danilo Sanchez | ||||
| 2006 | NRI made 25-man | Veteran pitcher cut | Veteran hitter cut | Rookie pitcher cut | Rookie hitter cut | Extra catchers |
| Josh Hancock | Alan Benes | Dave Berg | Andy Cavazos | none | Bryan Anderson | |
| Scott Spiezio | Brian Falkenborg | Brian Daubach | Randy Leek | Brian Esposito | ||
| Jeff Nelson | Ramon Nivar | Rich Rundles | Iker Franco | |||
| Blaine Neal | Prentice Redman | Gabe Johnson | ||||
| John Riedling | Jason Motte | |||||
| Dennis Tankersley | Kit Pellow | |||||
| Brad Voyles | ||||||
| John Webb | ||||||
| 2005 | NRI made 25-man | Veteran pitcher cut | Veteran hitter cut | Rookie pitcher cut | Rookie hitter cut | Extra catchers |
| Bill Pulsipher | Bob File | Raul Gonzalez | Jeremy Cummings | Skip Schumaker | Brad Cresse | |
| Abraham Nunez | Toby Borland | Mike Bell | Anthony Reyes | Chris Duncan | Gabe Johnson | |
| Chris Gissell | Wilton Guerrero | Brad Thompson | Jason Motte | |||
| Nerio Rodriguez | Brandon Berger | Dan Moylan | ||||
| Hector Mercado | ||||||
| 2004 | NRI made 25-man | Veteran pitcher cut | Veteran hitter cut | Rookie pitcher cut | Rookie hitter cut | Extra catchers |
| Tony Womack | Alan Benes | Kevin Witt | Matt Duff | none | Mike Mahoney | |
| Ray Lankford | Doug Creek | Emil Brown | Tyler Johnson | Yadier Molina | ||
| Cody McKay | Randy Flores | Greg Vaughn | Spike Lundberg | Dan Moylan | ||
| Joe Horgan | Wilson Delgado | Matt Pagnozzi | ||||
| Alan Levrault | Scott Seabol | |||||
| Chad Paronto | John Mabry | |||||
| Jason Pearson | Mark Quinn | |||||
| 2003 | NRI made 25-man | Veteran pitcher cut | Veteran hitter cut | Rookie pitcher cut | Rookie hitter cut | Extra catchers |
| Cal Eldred | Todd Erdos | Kurt Abbott | Juan Pena | John Nelson | Kevin Brown | |
| Lance Painter | Nerio Rodriguez | Jose Nieves | Kevin Ohme | Mike Peeples | Alex Delgado | |
| Russ Springer | John Snyder | Ivanon Coffie | Dan Moylan | |||
| Kiko Calero * | Dan Serafini | Jon Nunnally | Luis Rodriguez | |||
| * 1st MLB action | Todd Dunwoody | Yadier Molina | ||||
| Alex Ochoa | ||||||
| 2002 | NRI made 25-man | Veteran pitcher cut | Veteran hitter cut | Rookie pitcher cut | Rookie hitter cut | Extra catchers |
| Eduardo Perez | Rich Loiselle | Al Martin | Kevin Sheredy | Ryan Balfe | Matt Garrick | |
| Gabe Molina | Mike Coolbaugh | Clint Weibl | Stubby Clapp | B.J. Wasgis | ||
| Travis Smith | Wilson Delgado | Chris Duncan | Jamie Pogue | |||
| Chris Snopek | Chris Haas | |||||
| Ernie Young | Tony Mota | |||||
| Luis Saturria | ||||||
| 2001 | NRI made 25-man | Veteran pitcher cut | Veteran hitter cut | Rookie pitcher cut | Rookie hitter cut | Extra catchers |
| John Mabry | Dan Carlson | Shane Andrews | Bud Smith | Stubby Clapp | David Benham | |
| Jeff Tabaka | Mike Cather | Bernard Gilkey | Blake Williams | Luis Garcia | Mike Figga | |
| Albert Pujols* | Jim Corsi | Kevin Polcovich | Lou Lucca | Matt Garrick | ||
| * 1st MLB action | Rick Krivda | Kerry Robinson | Mike Stefanski | |||
| Rafael Medina | ||||||
| Heathcliff Slocumb | ||||||
| 2000 | NRI made 25-man | Veteran pitcher cut | Veteran hitter cut | Rookie pitcher cut | Rookie hitter cut | Extra catchers |
| Shawon Dunston | Jim Dougherty | Brian McRae | John Ambrose | Lou Lucca | David Benham | |
| Dave Wainhouse | Rick Heiserman | Ernie Young | Justin Brunette | Chris Haas | Steve Bieser | |
| John Hudek | Glenn Murray | Chad Hutchinson | Chris Richard | Keith McDonald | ||
| Mike James | Casey Candaele | Jason Woolf | Henry Mercedes | |||
| Luis Garcia | Luis Saturria | Marc Ronan | ||||
| Eduardo Perez | ||||||
| Rick Wilkins |
It is worth noting that I perhaps should have split the rookies out even further. Their common thread is lack of significant MLB experience. Yet among the legitimate farmhands trying to work their way to the top is a hybrid, former pitcher turned rookie hitter Rick Ankiel (2007) as well as career minor league journeymen such as Tagg Bozied, who was also in camp that same spring.
Another interesting name for trivia lovers is that of Matt Pagnozzi, nephew of beloved former Cardinals catcher Tom Pagnozzi (in St. Louis from 1987 through 1998). The younger catcher may have set a record of his own when he was passed over for three seasons between his initial invite in 2004 and his next chance in 2008.
With his current invite, Pags the junior has snagged his second in a row and third overall. That must have excited Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch who mentioned him as one of three catching candidates to make the big league roster should Yadier Molina or Jason LaRue require time on the DL. That seems overly-optimistic for a career .208 hitter over six minor league seasons.
One NRI name jumps out: Luis de la Cruz. The Cards must really like his long-term potential for him to rate inclusion, after struggling last spring in Quad Cities (because he had been aggressively promoted).
Deivi Cruz may be overlooked as an NRI cut in a recent year. This is the class of guy missing this year: the post-prime ML vet, like Jeff Nelson or Brian Daubach. Luhnow will not want guys like that claiming a roster slot and dimishing opportunities for the upwardly mobile.
It was a big jump, but I wonder if De La Cruz may have struggled last year as much because he tried to play with a wrist injury that ended his season after just 34 games. Of course, dipping down as far as A-ball for extra spring catchers is business-as-usual behavior. David Carpenter comes immediately to mind last year, before they converted him to a pitcher, that is…
Deivi Cruz was not missed. He was signed to a one-year contract on 12/6/2005 and was on the 40-man roster during 2006 camp before being given his unconditional release on 3/29/06. It was much like the McCracken situation in 2001 that Goold misremembered.
Because it took a fair amount of time to reconstruct this, I have the supporting data close at hand. If there are any other questions, let me know…
Inclusion of De la Cruz reminds me of Anderson in 06. He was one year past high school and de la Cruz must now be young too. In 06, the Cards could have included Yarbrough, signed in 03. Anderson was chosen instead and confidence in Anderson has been borne out by subsequent events. Yarbrough’s exclusion this spring may not be a postive.
Carpenter turned pro after a college junior season and then, IIRC, missed time due to injury. Matheny was in camp as a tutor in 2008. Carpenter might have been included in 08 to give maximum training opportunities to guys of enough maturity. de la Cruz was perhaps too young to make last year’s invite list, yet despite a tough 08 season, has been included in 09, possibly a positive sign.
Or maybe no sign.
As for De la Cruz, I wouldn’t read anything into a catcher being invited as an NRI. There are too many examples of career minor leaguers on Brian’s list above to think it’s a reward for being a prospect.
They just need people to squat behind home plate so the huge number of pitchers in camp can get plenty of work.
I agree we cannot reliably conclude something about De La Cruz. However there are circumstantial clues…
1. In 2007, Gulf Coast League managers saluted De La Cruz as an up and comer, compared to Pudge Rodrguez (though this should be taken with a healthy grain of salt).
2. In 2008, the Cards chose to vault De La Cruz 3 levels, unusual. You want to force feed upscale prospects into full season ball, if they can survive it.
3. At least three older catchers were available: Derba, Vasquez, and from AA Yarbrough.
brian, please correct me if i’m wrong. a NRI does not burn an option by being cut from ST (sent down), and a roster invitee does, if down for more than a 20 day span.
so when i look at an article like this, it helps me to see when thompson, schumaker and duncan were starting to lose options by being roster invitees who were sent down from ST.
the hardest cardinal information for me to access from a reliable source, is who has option years remaining and how many years. would you please consider this as a thread topic before ST is over, as a thread that could be updated. if there already is one, my bad, i couldn’t find it in the archives.
bip, you are correct. Once an NRI loses the “N”, by being added to the 40-man roster though, then the normal option rules apply.
Each spring I generally go through the options status as well as those who have not been outrighted as an important factor in my ultimate predictions as to who makes the club. Unlike yourself, many folks don’t appreciate the importance of this when they develop their fantasy 25-man rosters.
If you are a Scout.com subscriber, here is the link to my article from last year: The St. Louis Cardinals 2008 Roster “Options”
Off the top of my head, I think Ryan is the main one who could be in trouble this spring. Schumaker is also out of options, but TLR has already told him he is on the team. Thompson has enough time such that even though he has an option remaining, he would still have to clear waivers first.
As far as options are concerned, I don’t think it matters whether or not a player is invited to Spring Training if he’s on the 40 man roster. He is using one of his three options if he is sent out to the minors.* I doubt, however, that there are players on the 40 man roster that are NOT invited to Spring Training.
There are exceptions of course. Anthony Reyes earned a fourth option by virtue of having less than five years in pro ball at the time he was sent out the fourth time. Players can be sent down and recalled several times during a single season and it only counts as one option.
Ryan didn’t use an option last season after all so he has one remaining.
Overnight, I posted my opening day roster predictions on Scout (sorry, subscriber content). I have two NRIs making the team, Freese and Thurston, and one very prominent miss, Rasmus.
Hoffpauir might have a chance to earn play at 2B. He has a foundation of sufficient AAA at bats (in contrast to T. Greene, who needs to spend 09 at AAA). Hoffpauir is not flashy, so easy to overlook. His drawback is lack of SS and 3B experience. Ryan and Barden will likely be ahead of Hoffpauir, but Ryan plays hard and tends to suffer injuries. If Hoffpauir plays well at Memphis, he could get a callup.
Thurston played SS his first couple of pro seasons. He may be able to provide backup at SS, another reason he has a good shot to make the team.
As I mentioned in the article, I see Thurston’s biggest advantage to be that he is the only middle infielder who hits from the left side, likely on a bench with no switch-hitters. That is, if he hits this spring…
I don’t know his capability level at short, but I did notice that it has been some number of years since he played there regularly. Barden or Ryan if not starting at second should be the primary shortstop reserve, in my estimation.