Following are the highlights from the eighth day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Wednesday, March 23. The Cardinals had another camp day at the Jupiter complex during which Memphis played Springfield and Palm Beach opposed Quad Cities.
Springfield took their first loss of the spring while Palm Beach padded their organization-best spring record with their sixth win in eight tries. After the default 2-2 day, the Cardinals system is a combined 16-12-5 this spring.
Today’s photo is of Player of the Day, Memphis starting pitcher Brandon Dickson. Look for his spring training interview posted on Thursday morning for The Cardinal Nation subscribers.
On Thursday, the Cards and Mets face off. Memphis and Springfield rosters will take the bus ride to Port St. Lucie, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities will entertain their New York counterparts at home. For the full state of minor league spring training schedules, The Cardinal Nation subscribers can click here.
As he has been doing the last few seasons, Cardinals farm director John Vuch is sharing game highlights with this site and several others with interest in Cardinals prospects. As always, the raw data is his, with the comments mine.
Memphis (3-2-2) 8, Springfield (3-1-3) 1 (5 ½ innings)
Memphis Pitching
Brandon Dickson, fresh from major league camp, had a strong outing. He went 4 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits, no walks and one run. Dickson fanned five.
Jason Buursma took the final inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Memphis hitting
Matt Carpenter, trying to improve his versatility by starting at shortstop, singled and doubled in three at-bats and drove in two.
Shane Robinson had an identical line to Carpenter, but he played in the outfield.
Tony Cruz had two singles in two plate appearances and plated a pair.
Pete Kozma scored twice.
Aaron Luna had one of his specialties, a hit by pitch. He also doubled in two at-bats and scored two runs. I have a report that Luna has been working out at second base again, but his game action has been in the outfield.
Springfield Pitching
Scott Schneider allowed the first five Redbirds runs in 3 1/3 innings, though only three were earned. He gave up five hits and fanned four.
Daniel Calhoun allowed six baserunners in 1 2/3 innings, and three came around to score.
Springfield hitting
No Springfield players reached base more than once.
Chris Swauger’s sacrifice fly plated Tommy Pham with their only run.
Palm Beach (6-2) 5, Quad Cities (2-6) 0
Palm Beach Pitching
Richard Castillo started and allowed just two hits in three shutout innings. He fanned three. Despite repeating Palm Beach in 2010, our former #18-ranked prospect had a rough season. The right-hander from Venezuela is still just 21 years of age.
Justin Smith yielded no hits or walks in two innings and also struck out three.
Palm Beach hitting
Alan Ahmady doubled and scored in two at-bats.
Edgar Lara and Nick Longmire both doubled in two at-bats. Longmire scored a run.
Curt Smith and Joey Bergman made the best of limited time as each singled and scored in their only at-bats.
Robert Stock was one base twice with a single and a walk.
Quad Cities Pitching
Hector Hernandez allowed six baserunners in 2 2/3 innings and five of them scored. He did strike out five, however.
Hector Corpas scatted two hits over 1 1/3 scoreless.
Scott Bittle, back from shoulder surgery, tossed a scoreless inning. He issued a walk and struck out one.
Quad Cities hitting
Packy Elkins doubled in his only at-bat.
Juan Castillo singled in his lone plate appearance.
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If Broderick were to make the roster of the Nationals, as he may, what does this imply about the farm system of the Cards? Please, discuss among yourselves.
You mean like when Gregerson made the Padres straight out of Springfield?
Uggh…I got jumped all over for being ticked off about that one. I even said he might even end up their closer…and was laughed at. That one leaves a mark.
Broderick isn’t in the same league, though.
It implies nobody knew Wainy was going down with McClellan moving to the rotation creating a need for a middle/long righty to follow in Kyle’s footsteps jumping from AA to the bigs. No wonder Luhnow got downsized.
I guess then someone else gets credit for claiming Augenstein. They didn’t protect Broderick and used the roster spot on Augenstein instead. Both have pitched very well this spring.
At some point this year we could end up with Broderick back.
I will leave the question open and see what other answers appear.
How gracious of you…
Thanks. Its just the way I am.
As promised, back to the interesting case of Broderick. IIRC, he pitched junior college for a couple of years, before a junior season at Grand Canyon, a college near Phoenix. This is a Division II school. Broderick has good size, but he must be below ML average for velocity, since he did not go to a top program and he lasted to the 20th rd in the 07 draft. He’s a bit like P J Walters, in some respects.
So what happens? I am not going to look up stats, but Broderick did not excel, like Gregerson, during his first few pro seasons. He helped the Cards out at the A level by serving in rotation, but the ERA was blah. I doubt many fans voted him onto their top prospect lists.
So what happens? Broderick must have learned a new pitch or learned something, because the Cards promoted him out of Palm Beach (with an ERA above 5 IIRC) and he excels in the offensively oriented Texas League, going 11-2 with an ERA under 3. He goes to the AFL, does ok, gets seen by more scouts, so the Nationals decide to give him a look. This spring, he has been effective.
Here is one implication. Broderick is a development success. The Cards taught him something and gave him a chance. He is not a power arm, but the system has cultivated him into a ML candidate. This is a good sign, for the approach the Cards are following and the system they have created. A guy with an unamazing, non-Nolan Ryan arm has developed into a pitcher who can get some ML hitters out.
This suggests the Cards minor league holdings are under-rated, because there are some low profile talents who can develop into useful ML players.
Development success is no use if you don’t recognize the success.
Bling, truish, but ….The Cards appreciate Broderick, why they sent him to the AFL, but they gave priority to Augenstein, among others. Augenstein is another tall RHP, one who went in the 7th rd of the same draft, 07. Augenstein’s stats were crummy in 2010, because at AAA, whereas Broderick began the year at A+ level. I can see how the Cards might protect Augenstein, with more AAA experience over Broderick. We have sufficient players, they cannot all be protected, so the Nats picked one off, so be it. Its good to have upward mobile depth.
Feels like another Lake Wobegon post to me, Jumbo. I bet every system has a few guys that slipped through the cracks but could contribute elsewhere, given a chance. In fact, that is what the Rule 5 draft is all about. Its recent history shows the Cards are more likely to be buyers rather than suppliers.
I do not recall when the Cards last got raided in Rule 5 and the player actually helped another team. If Broderick can help the Strasburg-denied Nationals, its not a bad sign.
Agree, but one data point does not constitute a trend, either.
Also from the 07 draft, there are Cruz the catcher and Chambers the outfielder. Both unheralded, from jucos. The Cards were able to give them playing time and they have been able to improve to fringy ML candidates, not unlike Broderick.
By the way, if you get MLB Network, Broderick is now pitching for Washington against Detroit. Saw a 91 reading on the gun.
I don’t get MLB Network. Keep your eyes peeled for Todd Coffey. I would like to know if he sprints to the mound in ST.
Coffey is indeed pitching the ninth, but I did not see him take the mound. He yielded a couple of runs, though…
I bet if he was on our team, he’d be encouraged to knock it off.
With Carpenter at short where did Kozma play? Did he replace Carpenter later in the game? How was Carpenter’s defense and how many inning did he play at short?
Vazquez started at third with Solano at second. Carpenter reportedly handled several routine plays. I don’t know much more than that as I wasn’t there.
Brain, thanks for the info. Will be interesting to see if Carpenter can play SS, also got to think he’ll get some time at second.
With a 3rd baseman trying to move to SS, the best to be hoped for is he could make routine plays reliably. But, IIRC, that’s all the Cards expect from Theriot. Hmmmm.
Kary Booher of the Springfield paper notes that Carpenter made five of six possible plays yesterday and that he played short in college in 2008. Of course it is a versatility thing, not a permanent move.
Hey here’s a fun baseball video. Our Russell County Baseball team swept a cross town rival with over 1000 in attendance and this is how we finished off the night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8kCbD9DxMY
Nice! Congrats. By the way, who is #17?
17 was the guy who dropped the BOMB!!!.
Speaking of bombs, I see Colby has fewer Ks than Albert so far, and more ABs.
Also, does anyone know if Skip maybe has distanced himself a bit from Big Mac, after last years offensive fiasco? He looks pretty good.
Those strange Earth male bonding rituals.
Glad to see you post RC, I’ve missed you. Busy with the baseball team no doubt.
Six minor leaguers released this morning, including Jose Martinez. Details at The Cardinal Nation.
Beatty was a good draft pick, circa rd 25, because a switch-hitter from a small school. He might have been a sleeper. And he probably could still develop into a AAA player. He has some hitting talent. I hope he gets a chance with another organization. But the Cards need to thin out some of their minor league depth, to provide more playing time for the best prospects. In this way, it makes sense to give Beatty his freedom to look for another opportunity.
I used to dislike the draft selection of McCully in the 9th rd, because a small RHP. But his college stats were really good, so I can see how the Cards hoped he contribute as a pro. It turned out, however, my intuition was right and McCully did not do well in the minors, so good to make roster space for someone else.