If you are new to the blog and not familiar with the Cardinals organization roster matrix, here is quick summary:

At the time of this posting, the St. Louis Cardinals had 266 players under contract from top to bottom, including 39 players on the 40-man roster. The matrix places each one at his assigned level in the system at the conclusion of 2011 and by position. Spring training camp invitees are shown separately. This matrix is updated daily or whenever transactions occur.

Nowhere else will you find this current and comprehensive single-page view of the entire Cardinals organization.

Don’t be concerned about the order of the players’ names within a team. It doesn’t signify anything.

The players on the 40-man roster are called out in bold.

The short-season pitchers are broken out into returnees and summer 2011 signees.

Full team rosters and player profiles at The Cardinal Nation

Remember that to get detailed profile information on every single one of these 266 Cardinals players, simply check out their free player profiles updated at The Cardinal Nation.com / Scout.com. You can see bios, photos, videos, articles, news items, links to current season and career stats and much more – everything you need to know about a player in one place.

Click on the following links to be taken to one of the nine team pages at The Cardinal Nation. You can also see rosters and player profiles back to 2004:

Full-season clubs
St. Louis Cardinals
Memphis Redbirds
Springfield Cardinals
Palm Beach Cardinals
Quad Cities River Bandits

Short-season clubs
Batavia Muckdogs
Johnson City Cardinals
Gulf Coast League Cardinals
Dominican Summer League Cardinals

Once on a team page, just click on a player’s name to be taken to his individual profile page for that year. For example, here is Shelby Miller’s 2012 profile.

Looking ahead and back

Now that you’ve found this page once, remember one of three ways to get back here. Bookmark the page, type “Roster Matrix” in the dark blue search box at the upper right or use the dropdown menu at the top of the page: “Players/Staff” > “Depth Charts/Roster Matrix”.

For details behind past rosters and transactions, check out the earlier versions of the Cardinals organization roster matrix as follows.

Link to previous matrices: Jan–March 2009, April 2009, May 2009, June 2009, July 2009-February 2010, Spring camp 2010, Opening season 2010, First half 2010, Short-season 2010, 2010-11 Off-season, 2011 spring training, 2011 regular season, 2011 short-season, 2011-2012 off-season

Related resources

St. Louis Cardinals 2012 major league spring training schedule
St. Louis Cardinals 2012 minor league spring training schedule (subscriber article)

Transactions

01/24: New matrix. Organization total: 266 players.

02/06: SS Alex Cora signed to a minors deal with MLB spring camp invite. New total: 267 players.

02/08: Dominican RHP Andres Serrano signed (in October). New total: 268 players.

02/10: RHR Scott Linebrink signed to a minors deal with MLB spring camp invite. New total: 269 players.

The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 02/10/12)

Codes
(I): injured
(TI): temporary inactive list
(SL): suspended list
(RL): restricted list
(MIL): military list
(TO): tryout player not under contract
(L) left-handed pitcher
bold: on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster
(#+#) number of active players on the roster plus number of inactive/not under contract (DL+TI+SL+RL+MIL+TO) players

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Here is the link to the full spring schedule. The Cardinals will play a total of 17 of their 29 Florida games at Roger Dean this spring, including three games as the “visiting” team against their co-habitants, the Miami Marlins. The first game and home game of 2012 will be held between the two clubs on Monday, March 5.

There is nothing like seeing the major leaguers under the Florida sun and in the more intimate setting in Jupiter, Florida. While you are there, catch morning workouts and the minor leaguers on the back quad, too.

I go every spring and hope to see you there.

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Currently, the St. Louis Cardinals have 39 players in the latter group and according to a report from Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch, there will be 19 players in the former group. While the 19 have been informed of their selection, the club has not yet released their names. That could come as soon as this weekend, during Winter Warm-Up.

We already are pretty sure about 10 of the 19. They include prospects Shelby Miller, Tyrell Jenkins, Kolten Wong, Matt Adams, Jordan Swagerty, Joe Kelly and Nick Greenwood. Then, there are three veteran NRIs in Koyie Hill, R.J. Swindle and Eugenio Velez.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to guess the identities of the other nine players. Post your guess below, but only one guess per person, please. If someone ends up on the target or very close, I may come up with a prize in recognition.

For quick assistance, refer to the Roster Matrix, always kept up to date here at The Cardinal Nation Blog. There, you can see all players in the system by level and position, including the 39 players currently on the roster. Click here or you can always access current as well as past matrices from the “Players/Staff” > “Depth Charts/Roster Matrix” dropdown on the menu bar at the top of this page.

Cardinals pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Jupiter, FL on February 18 and conduct their first workout on February 19. The remainder of the Cardinals’ players will be scheduled to report February 23 with their first workout on February 24.

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If you are like me, even before the press conference, you were already looking forward to the first official pitch of spring training 2012. Though the exact timing of that moment is still unclear, more details are coming to light.

With another disclosure on Monday, that of the New York Mets’ spring training schedule by ESPN New York, about two-thirds of the tentative slate of spring games for the Cardinals can be pieced together from various non-official sources.

So far, 19 games appear on the tentative schedule, including home and away tilts against Houston, Atlanta and Minnesota. Six contests against the Mets lead the way with three against Washington. Just one Detroit game appears to date.

Finally, only two contests against the new Miami Marlins have been disclosed so far with as many as a half-dozen more that could be added when the Roger Dean Stadium schedule is released. Home season tickets can be purchased, but a date for single-game sales may not be announced until the Cardinals make their entire schedule official.

Player reporting dates to camp have not yet been made public, either, but around February 20-22 should be close.

The Cardinals are expected to host 14 home games in Jupiter this spring, with nine currently known.

St. Louis Cardinals tentative 2012 spring training schedule (as of 11/15/11)

The Springfield exhibition on April 2 will close out the spring, setting off a whirlwind travel stretch that will go something like this. The Cardinals will log over 3,400 air miles in the course of just five days as they zigzag back and forth from, to and from Florida.

Monday, April 1: Jupiter to Springfield
Wednesday, April 3: Springfield to Miami
Friday, April 5: Miami to Milwaukee

The 2012 regular-season opener will be an unusual one-game set to be played on Thursday, April 4 in celebration of the opening of the new Marlins stadium. The Cardinals’ first full series will begin against the defending National League Central Division champion Brewers on Friday, April 6 in Milwaukee. The Cards will not reach St. Louis until Thursday, April 12, following another road series in Cincinnati.

11/22 Update: The full 2012 Cardinals spring schedule has now been announced.

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Following are the highlights from the 18th and final day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Sunday, April 3. In a camp day, Memphis took on Springfield while Palm Beach opposed Quad Cities. The Redbirds and River Bandits each won.

The 2-2 result means the Cardinals system finished the spring with a combined 38-28-10 record. That includes a sharp 24-14-6 mark against external competition, the Marlins and Mets.

Today’s photo is of the Player of the Day, Memphis catcher Tony Cruz. He reached base every time, with a double, homer and walk in three plate appearances. The 40-man player scored twice and plated two. Honorable mention to Quad Cities hurlers Justin Smith, Andrew Moss and Keith Butler as they spun a shutout against Palm Beach.

The Cardinal Nation subscribers can see all four full-season rosters as camp breaks on Monday as well as players remaining behind for Extended Spring Training. They will be joined by 42 more players in EST. Again, TCN subscribers can view all the additional EST players’ names 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.

A special thanks to the Cardinals for providing game stats all spring long.

Memphis (8-5-4) 4, Springfield (6-7-4) 3

Memphis pitching

Lance Lynn fanned nine Cardinals over seven innings. The big righty yielded three runs on four hits over seven innings. Lynn walked no one.

Eduardo Sanchez fanned one during his scoreless frame. Sanchez is our fifth-ranked Cardinals prospect for 2011.

Cory Rauschenberger gave up a hit and fanned one in his run-free frame.

Memphis hitting

Andrew Brown keeps on hitting, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a run scored.

Tony Cruz doubled, homered and walked in three plate appearances. The catcher scored twice and drove in two.

Pete Kozma singled and doubled, driving in one in two PAs.

Donovan Solano singled in three at-bats and scored one run.

Ramon Vazquez singled in two at-bats and collected an RBI.

Springfield pitching

Kevin Thomas started and yielded two runs in 5 1/3 innings. He gave up five hits and walk and fanned three.

Ramon Delgado fanned two in two scoreless, hitless and walkless innings.

Brett Zawacki had a rough 1/3 inning outing, as he allowed two hits and a walk. Two of them scored.

Casey Mulligan gave up a hit and a walk without getting an out.

Springfield hitting

Aaron Luna had a home run and two RBI in three at-bats.

Nick Derba tripled in three at-bats.

Chris Swauger singled in three at-bats. He scored and drove in one.

Xavier Scruggs doubled and scored in four at-bats.

Quad Cities (8-8-2) 8, Palm Beach (11-7) 0

Palm Beach pitching

John Gast was spanked for five earned runs in four innings. The lefty allowed four hits, three walks and fanned three.

Joe Kelly, like Gast a MLB camp invitee, yielded three runs in two innings on four hits and a walk.

Jose Rada pitched a perfect inning.

Jorge Rondon walked one and fanned two in a scoreless frame.

Hector Corpas worked a quiet inning.

Palm Beach hitting

Alan Ahmady was on base twice with a single and walk in two plate appearances.

Luis Mateo, Audry Perez and Zack Cox each had one hit.

Quad Cities pitching

Justin Smith gave up just one hit and three walks in 4 2/3 scoreless. He fanned seven.

Andrew Moss followed with 3 1/3 shutout frames of his own. Moss allowed three hits and a walk and struck out three.

Keith Butler had a scoreless inning, fanning one.

Quad Cities hitting

Nick Longmire singled and doubled in four PAs. He scored one run.

Victor Sanchez doubled twice and walked in four plate appearances. He scored twice.

Jonathan Rodriguez was also on base three times in four PAs with a double and a pair of walks. He scored twice.

Cody Stanley singled and drove in one in three at-bats.

Frederick Parejo singled and walked in four PAs. The outfielder scored one run.

Yunier Castillo had a single in four at-bats and drove in two.

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The Cardinals minor leaguers had their oddest split day of the spring. Memphis and Springfield played their Florida Marlins counterparts while Palm Beach and Quad Cities #1 took on the New York Mets A-ball squads. In addition, Quad Cities #2 stepped up in competition and opposed the Marlins A-Advanced team.

The 4-0-1 result was the best day of the spring for the Cardinals and their first undefeated afternoon. Only Springfield did not win though they pitched will in their tie.

The Cardinals system is now a combined 36-26-10 this spring and has guaranteed a winning Florida record. They finished with a sharp 24-14-6 mark against external competition, the Marlins and Mets.

Today’s photo is of the Player of the Day, Palm Beach starter Eric Fornataro. The 23-year-old right-hander yielded an unearned run in five innings. Fornataro allowed just three hits, walked no one and struck out three.

On Sunday, the Cardinals have their final spring action in a camp day. Memphis will against take on Springfield and Palm Beach will play Quad Cities. 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 (7-5-4) 8, New Orleans 5

Memphis pitching

Brandon Dickson yielded all five New Orleans’ runs. In 5 2/3 innings, he gave up six hits and five walks. Our system Pitcher of the Year in 2010 struck out two.

Jason Buursma allowed just one hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Lefty Rich Rundles also gave up just one hit in his inning.

Blake King was touched for a pair of hits but was unscored upon. The 40-man roster righty fanned one.

Memphis hitting

Nick Stavinoha had two singles and a double in five at-bats. He scored and collected one RBI.

Free agent signee Ramon Vazquez also singled twice and doubled but also walked in five plate appearances. The infielder scored twice.

Shane Robinson singled, doubled and scored in five ABs.

Another former free agent infielder, Freddie Bynum, had a pair of extra base hits in five at-bats. Bynum drove in three with his double and home run.

Jim Rapoport singled twice in five at-bats and came around to score once.

Donovan Solano singled and walked twice.

Despite just going 1-for-3, Andrew Brown drove in two runs and scored twice.

Pete Kozma also singled and scored twice but had just one RBI.

Springfield (6-6-4) 1, Jacksonville 1

Springfield pitching

Scott Schneider allowed just seven baserunners in six innings and only one scored.

Richard Castillo have up a hit and fanned one in his lone inning of work.

Matt Frevert gave up a hit and a walk in his one inning, but neither scored.

Cory Rauschenberger retired his only batter faced.

Casey Mulligan collected two outs, including a strikeout.

Springfield hitting

Tyler Henley doubled and scored.

Chris Swauger singled and collected the only Springfield RBI.

Niko Vasquez was the only other Cardinals runner. He drew a walk.

Palm Beach (11-6) 3, St. Lucie 1

Palm Beach pitching

Eric Fornataro gave up just an unearned run on three hits and no walks in five innings. Fornataro fanned three.

Arquimedes Nieto scattered a pair of hits over two scoreless frames.

Jared Bradford yielded two hits and a walk in his one inning, but managed to keep them off home plate.

Chase Reid gave up two hits in his scoreless frame and fanned two.

Lefty Nick Greenwood surrendered one hit and struck out one in his scoreless inning.

Palm Beach hitting

Phil Cerreto had two doubles in four at-bats. He scored one and drove in one.

Alan Ahmady singled twice in four at-bats and collected an RBI.

Luis Mateo doubled and scored.

Jarred Bogany singled in his only at-bat.

Quad Cities #1 (7-8-2) 3, Savannah 1

Quad Cities #1 pitching

Kevin Siegrist yielded one earned run in four innings on six hits and a walk. He struck out three.

Boone Whiting and Justin Wright each spun two perfect frames. Whiting fanned three and Wright two.

Chris Corrigan gave up one hit and fanned one in his scoreless inning.

Quad Cities #1 hitting

Nick Longmire and Greg Garcia each had two singles in four at-bats.

Michael Swinson singled and doubled in two at-bats and scored once.

Roberto Espinoza singled and scored in his lone at-bat.

Cody Stanley singled in his only at-bat.

Oscar Taveras doubled, walked and drove in one.

Quad Cities #2 (5-1) 8, Jupiter (A-Advanced) 4

Quad Cities #2 pitching

Carlos Martinez yielded just one earned run in four innings on two hits and a walk. Pitching against these higher-level batters, the 19-year-old fanned nine, including seven in a row.

Cale Johnson walked a pair in his lone inning, but neither scored.

Tyrell Jenkins was victimized by a two-out error as three unearned runs crossed the plate. The 2010 supplemental first rounder yielded two hits and no walks in two innings.

Pat Daugherty and Aidan Lucas each gave up a hit and fanned one in their scoreless innings.

Quad Cities #2 hitting

Romulo Ruiz singled twice and doubled in four at-bats. He drove in one and scored one.

Catcher Kevin Moscatel had two singles in four at-bats, scored twice and drove in one.

Pat Biserta and Matt Valaika each went 2-for-4. Biserta drove in two and Valaika plated one.

Cesar Valera singled and doubled in four at-bats and scored a run.

Colin Walsh was on base three times in four appearances with a single and two walks.

Adam Melker had a perfect day, with three walks and a double in four PAs.

Steven Ramos hit a solo home run.

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After the 2-2 day in which both upper-level clubs won, the Cardinals system is a combined 32-26-9 this spring. That includes a 20-14-5 mark against external competition, the Marlins and Mets.

Today’s photo is of the Player of the Day, Trevor Rosenthal (again). The 20-year-old right-hander tossed six shutout innings and fanned nine for Quad Cities. Honorable mention for the four Palm Beach pitchers, Maikel Cleto, Jesse Simpson, Aaron Terry and Jose Rada. They combined for a complete-game one-hitter.

On Saturday, the Cardinals have their final spring action against their New York Mets minor league neighbors. 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 (6-5-4) 3, Springfield (6-6-3) 2

Memphis pitching

P.J. Walters tossed six innings of two-run ball. The right-hander allowed just six baserunners, five hits and a walk. Walters fanned five.

Tyler Norrick had trouble with walks, giving out four free passes while collecting five outs, including two via the strikeout. No Springfield runs were allowed, though.

Eduardo Sanchez, one of the last players cut from St. Louis, fanned one in his inning of work.

Memphis hitting

Andrew Brown continues to have a hot week, with two singles and a double in four at-bats. He scored one.

Shane Robinson singled, doubled and scored in four at-bats.

Jim Rapoport and Tony Cruz were each on base three times in four plate appearances with a pair of singles and a walk. Cruz scored a run.

Ramon Vazquez singled and walked in four PAs and drove in one.

Pete Kozma was on base all four times, with a single and three walks. He also drove in one.

Donovan Solano walked and had a sacrifice fly.

Springfield pitching

Mike Blazek allowed all three Redbirds runs in 4 2/3 innings. Memphis had five hits and drew four walks against him. Blazek fanned three.

Five baserunners reached against Adam Reifer in just 1 1/3 innings, but none scored. Three hits and two walks occurred on his watch, same as…

Lefty Ryan Kulik who also struck out three in 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Springfield hitting

Jose Garcia was on base twice with a walk and a double. He scored one.

Jermaine Curtis stroked an RBI double.

Matt Adams had a single and RBI.

Nick Derba was on base twice in three plate appearances with a walk and a double. He scored one run.

Palm Beach (10-6) 4, Quad Cities (6-8-2) 1

Palm Beach pitching

Maikel Cleto had his strongest outing of the spring, allowing one earned run in five innings on just one hit and two walks. The 40-man roster righty struck out seven.

Jesse Simpson fanned two in a perfect inning.

Aaron Terry retired all six batters faced.

Jose Rada added a perfect inning of his own.

Palm Beach hitting

D’Marcus Ingram was on base twice in four appearances with a single and a walk. He scored one.

Curt Smith homered in three at-bats and drove in two.

Ryde Rodriguez made the most of his two plate appearances, walking and homering. The outfielder scored both times and drove in a pair.

Quad Cities pitching

Trevor Rosenthal has to be the pitcher of the camp. This time out, he allowed just one hit and no walks over six scoreless. Rosenthal fanned nine.

Ricky Martinez took the loss, yielding two runs in two innings. Though he gave up just one hit, he also walked two. Martinez struck out two.

Drew Benes scattered two hits in his scoreless inning.

Scott Bittle gave up the final pair of runs on one walk and one hit in 2/3 of an inning. He famed one.

Quad Cities hitting

Michael Swinson had his team’s only hit and RBI.

Greg Garcia walked and scored that sole run.

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After the 3-1-1 day, the Cardinals system is a combined 30-24-9 this spring. That includes a 20-14-5 mark against external competition, the Marlins and Mets.

Today’s photo is of the Player of the Day, Memphis reliever Chuckie Fick. The right-hander allowed just one baserunner in three scoreless innings and struck out four. Four starters receive honorable mention: the Redbirds’ Adam Ottavino, Palm Beach’s Shelby Miller, Quad Cities #1 starter Jordan Swagerty and QC #2 starter Hector Hernandez.

On Friday, the Cardinals have another camp day during which Memphis will take on Springfield and Palm Beach will oppose Quad Cities. 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 (5-5-4) 4, New Orleans 3

The Redbirds got to former major leaguer Sean West for all four runs in the first inning and held on for the win.

Memphis pitching

Adam Ottavino had his best outing of the spring and he works to prove his shoulder problems are behind him. The right-hander allowed one run in five innings on four hits and two walks. The former first-round pick struck out seven.

Chuckie Fick had a sterling relief stint. In three innings, he gave up just one hit and no walks. Fick fanned four.

Rich Rundles allowed a single to his only batter faced and that runner later scored.

Fernando Salas had a rare rough inning as he yielded two hits and two walks. One runner crossed the plate.

Memphis hitting

Nick Stavinoha, listed as a catcher on Memphis’ roster, singled and doubled in four at-bats. He drove in one and scored one.

Minor league free agent signee Freddie Bynum had three singles in four at-bats.

Versatile Andrew Brown was on base twice in four plate appearances on single and a walk. He plated a run and scored one.

Donovan Solano singled and drove in a pair.

Springfield (6-5-3) 8, Jacksonville 4

Springfield pitching

Deryk Hooker yielded three runs in five innings. The right-hander surrendered four hits and walked no one. Hooker fanned four.

Richard Castillo, now listed among the relievers, allowed three hits in two innings, but kept them away from home plate.

Ramon Delgado had a day of ones as he was charged with one earned run on one hit, one walk and yes, he struck out one.

Lefty Nick Greenwood allowed two baserunners and collected two outs, one via strikeout.

Casey Mulligan converted a one-out save with a strikeout.

Springfield hitting

Chris Swauger singled and hit a solo home run in five at-bats.

Third baseman Niko Vasquez singled three times in four at-bats and scored twice.

Roberto Espinoza had two doubles in four at-bats and drove in three.

Matt Adams and Jose Garcia both doubled and had an RBI.

Outfielder Aaron Luna singled and drove in one.

Jupiter 4, Palm Beach (9-6) 3

Palm Beach pitching

Shelby Miller had a nice four-inning day, as he struck out seven and allowed just one run. The system’s top prospect gave up just two hits and walked three.

Arquimedes Nieto, apparently still in the battle for a rotation spot, gave up one run in two innings on three hits. He fanned one.

Daniel Calhoun was touched for two runs in 1 2/3 frames. He yielded four hits and fanned one.

Jorge Rondon gave up just one scattered hit in 1 1/3 scoreless. He struck out one batter.

Palm Beach hitting

Curt Smith, Ryde Rodriguez and Phil Cerreto all had two singles and scored one in four at-bats.

Jarred Bogany doubled and plated two.

Quad Cities #1 (6-7-2) 1, Greensboro 1 (tie)

Quad Cities #1 pitching

Jordan Swagerty, a closer last season at Arizona State, will be starting in 2011. In five shutout innings, he allowed four hits and a walk, striking out three.

Angel DeJesus surrendered the only Greensboro run on two hits and two walks over his three-inning outing.

Jared Bradford gave up a pair of hits in his scoreless innings.

Quad Cities #1 hitting

Juan Castillo singled twice and drove in one in three at-bats.

Frederick Parejo was on base twice in three plate appearances with a single and a walk. He scored the lone Quad Cities run.

Quad Cities #2 (4-1) 3, Marlins fifth team 2

Quad Cities #2 pitching

Hector Hernandez had a strong four-inning shutout start. He yielded just one hit and three walks while fanning four.

Wilson Matos was charged with a lone run on four hits and a walk over two frames. Matos struck out two.

Tyler Lyons gave up the other run in his two-inning stint. He allowed one hit and fanned one.

Sean Watson, who I reported yesterday had signed his first professional contract, earned his first save. The 6-foot-9 left-hander allowed one hit in his scoreless ninth inning.

Quad Cities #2 hitting

Adam Melker singled twice and scored both times in four at-bats.

Chris Edmondson pulled out his extra-base stick with a double and triple in four at-bats. He scored one run and drove in another.

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The 0-2-2 day was the Cardinals’ worst of the spring – their first winless day. The Cardinals system is a combined 27-23-8 this spring. That includes a 17-13-4 mark against external competition.

Today’s photo is of the Player of the Day, Quad Cities starting pitcher Zack Russell. The 21-year-old right-hander and former 49^th round draft pick (not a typo) tossed five scoreless innings on three hits, walked no one and punched out six. Quad Cities third baseman Jonathan Rodriguez receives an honorable mention.

On Thursday, the Cardinals minor leaguers, all five rosters worth, will have their final games with their Marlins neighbors. Florida will be the home team, so the games will be on their side of the complex. 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 (4-5-4) 6, Buffalo 6

Buffalo outfielder Jason Pridie connected for a first-inning grand slam and the Bisons’ starter, Josh Stinson, shut out the Redbirds through five on just two hits. Memphis mounted a nice comeback in the later innings to pull even.

Memphis pitching

To get work and stay in routine for his Monday start for St. Louis, major leaguer Kyle Lohse remained behind in Florida and took the mound for the Redbirds. The right-hander did not have a good day to say the least, as he was gored by 11 Bison hits and a walk. All six runs Lohse allowed were earned. He fanned four in his five-inning appearance.

Jason Buursma yielded just one hit in two scoreless frames. He fanned one.

Blake King had a King-like outing. He was touched for two hits and walked a pair in two innings, but kept the opponent off the scoreboard. The 40-man roster reliever struck out one.

Memphis hitting

Andrew Brown singled and homered in four at-bats. The versatile corner infielder-outfielder collected three RBI.

Daryl Jones tripled and drove in a pair.

Adron Chambers, Freddie Bynum and Shane Robinson were each on base twice with a single and walk. They all scored one run.

Binghamton 3, Springfield (5-5-3) 1

Binghamton left-hander Robert Carson threw five shutout innings as the Cardinals scored their lone run in the sixth against reliever Ricky Brooks.

Springfield pitching

Nick Additon went 4 2/3 innings, yielding all three Binghamton runs on six hits and a walk. He fanned two.

Brett Zawacki had a nice two-inning stint, with no baserunners and a pair of punchouts.

Lefty Sam Freeman, returning from Tommy John surgery, walked one and struck out one in his scoreless inning.

Matt Frevert also tossed a shutout frame on one hit. He collected two strikeouts.

Springfield hitting

First baseman Matt Adams, fresh from some MLB face time Tuesday, singled and doubled in four at-bats.  He is bidding to jump from Quad Cities.

Back from his own Tommy John surgery, outfielder Tyler Henley doubled. Look for our interview to be posted for The Cardinal Nation subscribers later this week.

Tommy Pham was on base twice, having drawn a walk each time. The outfielder is The Cardinal Nation’s 19th-ranked prospect for 2011.

Jermaine Curtis walked and scored the lone Springfield tally.

St. Lucie 7, Palm Beach (9-5) 3

Palm Beach pitching

Major league camp invitee Joe Kelly was touched for four runs, three earned, in his four-inning start. Kelly allowed five hits and three walks. He also struck out four.

Jesse Simpson allowed a lone hit in his two shutout innings and fanned a pair.

Justin Wright gave up a walk in his scoreless frame.

Aaron Terry had a perfect inning of relief.

Jose Rada had a rough day at the office, giving up four hits and three earned runs while collecting just one out.

Palm Beach hitting

Alan Ahmady had two singles and double in four at-bats. He scored one and drove in one.

Ryde Rodriguez had a pair of singles in four at-bats and scored.

Jarred Bogany drew a pair of walks, scored one and drove in a run via a sacrifice fly.

Quad Cities (6-7-1) 4, Savannah 4

Quad Cities pitching

Zack Russell was sharp, tossing five scoreless innings on three hits. He walked no one and punched out six.

Chris Corrigan and Keith Butler each gave up a pair of hits and a run in their respective one inning stints. Corrigan’s run was unearned.

Cale Johnson allowed a harmless walk in his scoreless frame. He struck out two.

Hector Corpas yielded the final two Savannah runs on three ninth-inning hits.

Quad Cities hitting

Jonathan Rodriguez had a double, triple and walk in four plate appearances. He scored twice.

Packy Elkins homered. The infielder had just two in 169 plate appearances with Johnson City in 2010.

Oscar Taveras was on base twice in three appearances with a single and walk. Our #11 Cardinals prospect scored one run.

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In the default 2-2 day, everything was as it should be. Both higher level clubs prevailed. Palm Beach padded its system-best 9-4 record with another win. The Cardinals system is a combined 27-21-6 this spring. That includes a 17-11-2 mark against external competition.

Today’s photo is of the Player of the Day, Memphis right-hander Lance Lynn. In 6 2/3 shutout innings, he gave up just four hits and three walks while fanning four.

On Wednesday, Memphis and Springfield are slated to play the Mets’ Triple-A and Double-A clubs at Port St. Lucie, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities take on their New York counterparts at home in Jupiter. 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 (4-5-3) 8, Springfield (5-4-3) 3

Memphis pitching

Lance Lynn showed he is ready for the season to begin as he allowed just seven baserunners in 6 2/3 innings. The big righty fanned four.

Adam Reifer struggled, yielding four hits and three earned runs in just one inning of work.

Eduardo Sanchez, fresh from major league camp, walked one and fanned one in his scoreless frame.

Memphis hitting

Pete Kozma and Shane Robinson both had two singles and a double in three plate appearances. The shortstop scored three and had an RBI while the outfielder drove in three.

Tony Cruz, Donovan Solano and Daryl Jones all had two singles in three at-bats.

Freddie Bynum singled in two at-bats, scored twice and drove in one.

Adron Chambers doubled in three at-bats.

Springfield pitching

Lefty Raul Valdes dropped down a level for the day and gave up two runs, one earned on three hits over four innings. He walked none and fanned three.

Ryan Kulik allowed three baserunners in his one inning, but none scored.

Cory Rauschenberger had a day to forget as he allowed eight baserunners in 2/3 of an inning, though just two crossed the plate.

Nick Greenwood worked a perfect inning, with all three outs on ground balls.

Casey Mulligan was spanked for four earned runs on five hits while getting just one out.

Springfield hitting

Ryan Jackson had a pair of singles in four at-bats.

Tyler Henley who later appeared in the MLB game, went 2-for-3 with an RBI

Big Matt Adams joined Henley, but before he left, he clubbed a two-run home run.

Alex Castellanos was on base twice via a double and a walk. He also scored one.

Aaron Luna and Niko Vasquez both singled and walked. Luna also scored.

Palm Beach (9-4) 4, Quad Cities (6-7) 3

Palm Beach pitching

Lefty John Gast, who received a long look in MLB camp, yielded just an unearned run over four innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out five.

Eric Fornataro was touched for a pair of runs in his three innings. He yielded four hits and walked three. Fornataro, about whom pitching coordinator Dyar Miller told me earlier in camp has “major league stuff,” struck out a pair.

Chase Reid allowed a hit and two walks in two innings, but kept Quad Cities off the board. He fanned two and picked up the win.

Palm Beach hitting

Phil Cerreto’s two-run single in the ninth was the game-winner.

Zack Cox singled, doubled and had an RBI in four plate appearances.

Luis Mateo had two singles in two tries and scored once.

Nick Longmire doubled and scored.

Mike O’Neill was on base twice in four plate appearances with a walk and a single. He drove in one.

Quad Cities pitching

Anthony Ferrara had a nice outing, scattering four baserunners over four scoreless frames. He struck out five.

Drew Benes gave up a run on three hits in his two innings of work. He fanned four. Aidan Lucas tossed a perfect inning.

Ricky Martinez gave up a run in his inning on a pair of hits.

Lefty Dean Kiekhefer took the loss as he yielded three hits and a walk in his one inning, including Cerreto’s game-winner.

Quad Cities hitting

Michael Swinson had two singles and a hit-by-pitch in his three times up.

Adam Melker drew a pair of walks.

Jonathan Rodriguez had an RBI single in his lone at-bat.

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Last week, some excitement was generated when it was announced that the Cardinals and Florida Marlins tentatively agreed to a ten-year lease extension with Palm Beach County for continued use of the Roger Dean Stadium complex for spring training and their Florida State League clubs.

First reported by the Palm Beach Post, extension of the agreement through 2027 was crucial in resolving a stalemate over holding of funds for needed maintenance to the facility and clarification on future sourcing of those moneys.

That is not the primary rub over the long haul, however. Both teams demanded and were granted contract wording that allows them to leave Jupiter early in one of two cases. They can bolt if the New York Mets, who train in Port St. Lucie, or the Washington Nationals, who are located in Viera, move from the east coast of Florida.

While the Mets are talking like they are staying put, Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner is making noise like a man soon to be on the move. He confirmed to the Washington Post that the Nationals are actively exploring options to build a new facility on the Gulf Coast of Florida. If that is not successful, Lerner also identified Arizona as a viable option.

Lerner did commit that the Nationals will remain in Viera “at least the next couple years for sure.” Their lease at off-the-beaten-path Space Coast Stadium runs through 2017, but they have an out clause in 2013. Brevard County officials seem resigned to the possibility of losing the Nats, realizing they cannot solve the root issue.

Lerner made it clear that the Nats’ primary “problem” is logistical. The distance between spring training sites has created an untenable travel schedule for them and all the east coast Florida clubs. This situation is not likely to improve, as no teams appear to be interested in moving into the area. It will certainly get worse for the Mets, Cardinals and Marlins if the Nationals relocate.

The new Cardinals-Marlins-Palm Beach County deal is not yet final. The proposal will be reviewed by the Tourist Development Council on April 14 before it appears on the agenda of the County Commission on May 3.

It may not matter over the long term. The Washington Post story also noted almost in passing that the Cardinals have reportedly already been quietly looking into options in the Orlando area. Better scheduling would be possible for their entire baseball operations there.

The current travel distances aren’t just an issue for the major leaguers. Because of the long bus rides, Cardinals minor leaguers are forced to play themselves every third day all spring long when the Mets and Marlins minor leaguers face off – a suboptimal arrangement to say the least.

Despite Cardinals ownership reaffirming their satisfaction with their Florida home since 1998, a Washington shift could also pull St. Louis out of their Jupiter orbit. If the Nationals relocate, St. Louis may have no choice but to get serious about a corresponding move to an area with more conveniently-located competitors.

Time will tell if the proposed ten-year Jupiter extension ends up being anything more than window dressing.

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Originally, the games were scheduled to have been played at the opposite locations. It is not confirmed but I suspect getting convenient at-bats for rehabbing major leaguer Carlos Beltran was the motivation behind the site changes. Home cooking wins out.

After the 2-2 day, the Cardinals system is a combined 25-19-6 this spring. That includes a 17-11-2 mark against external competition.

Today’s photo is of the Player of the Day, Palm Beach’s Alan Ahmady, who had three hits, including a home run, scored three and drove in four in his team’s victory. Teammate D’Marcus Ingram is a most honorable mention.

On Monday, the five Cardinals squads, including both Quad Cities clubs, will welcome the Marlins to their side of the Jupiter complex. The Springfield club will then head north for their Tuesday night home exhibition against St. Louis, weather permitting, before returning to Jupiter for Wednesday action. 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.

Buffalo 11, Memphis (3-5-3) 3

Memphis pitching

P.J. Walters had a tough day as eight runs, five earned, crossed the plate during his five frames. The right-hander yielded five hits, walked four and struck out five.

Chuckie Fick was hit hard, giving up five hits and two earned runs while collecting just one out.

Blake King allowed two baserunners in his two innings, with one scoring. King fanned four.

Memphis hitting

Buffalo’s Dillon Gee fanned five Redbirds in five shutout innings as Memphis scored its runs in the latter frames. The Mets right-handed prospect is expected in New York sometime during the 2011 season.

Free agent middle infield signee Freddie Bynum had three singles in four at-bats. The 31-year-old ex-Cub played in Japan last season.

Luis Mateo had two hits and an RBI in four at-bats.

Catcher Bryan Anderson was on base twice in four plate appearances with a single and a walk. He scored once.

Like Anderson, shortstop Pete Kozma singled, walked and scored.

Mark Hamilton singled and drove in two. Last season, the big first baseman plated 60 in 72 games for the Redbirds.

Binghamton 1, Springfield (5-3-3) 0

Springfield pitching

Mike Blazek yielded the game’s lone run in four innings on just three hits. He fanned three and took the hard-luck loss.

Lefty Sam Freeman and righty Casey Mulligan allowed just one hit each in their scoreless innings.

Matt Frevert walked two and fanned two over two shutout frames.

Brett Zawacki spun a perfect inning, striking out two of three batters faced.

Springfield hitting

Charles Cutler had two singles in two at-bats.

Ryde Rodriguez had only one at-bat and he singled.

Jarred Bogany doubled and walked.

Alex Castellanos and Steven Hill doubled, so the Cardinals had at least three runs in scoring position, but couldn’t chase any home.

Palm Beach (8-4) 10, St. Lucie 4

Palm Beach pitching

Arquimedes Nieto yielded two runs on four hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three.

Jorge Rondon was charged with the other two runs during a tough inning in which he allowed two hits and a walk. Two of his three outs collected were via strikeouts.

Jesse Simpson walked one batter and allowed no hits in two scoreless innings. He fanned three.

Aaron Terry yielded three hits and a run in his inning of work.

Palm Beach hitting

D’Marcus Ingram had a perfect day, with three singles and a triple in four at-bats. He scored twice and drove in one.

Alan Ahmady collected a pair of singles and a home run in his four at-bats. He crossed the plate all three times and plated four.

Mike O’Neill singled, walked and had an RBI.

Zack Cox was also on base twice as he singled, walked and scored.

Edgar Lara doubled, scored twice and drove in a run.

Greg Garcia singled, walked, scored and had an RBI.

Phil Cerreto doubled and had a sacrifice fly in two plate appearances. Both Garcia and Cerreto are bidding to make the leap from Johnson City.

Quad Cities (6-6) 3, Savannah 2

Quad Cities pitching

Carlos Martinez was scored upon again! The closely-watched Dominican yielded two runs, one earned over four innings. The 19-year-old gave up two hits, walked two and struck out three.

Chris Corrigan led the way as the pen tossed five scoreless innings. He started with one hit and one strikeout in his lone inning.

Justin Edwards was next, yielding a hit and a walk, but keeping them off home plate. Edwards fanned one in his one inning.

Cale Johnson had a nice two inning stint, giving up just one hit. He fanned one.

Tyler Lyons struck out two of the three batters he faced in the club’s final inning.

Quad Cities hitting

Outfielder Kyle Conley, coming back after a lost 2010, hit a solo home run. He had just 28 plate appearances with the River Bandits last season due to a wrist injury.

Catcher Cody Stanley drove in two of the three runs on a double.

Romulo Ruiz singled and scored.

Jonathan Rodriguez walked twice and scored a run.

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After the inherent 2-2 day in which both the lower level teams prevailed, the Cardinals system is a combined 23-17-6 this spring. That includes a 15-9-2 mark against external competition.

Today’s photo is of the Player of the Day, Quad Cities pitcher Trevor Rosenthal. The right-hander spun four shutout innings against Palm Beach. The Cardinal Nation subscribers should look for my interview with Rosenthal coming up next week.

On Sunday, Memphis and Springfield will welcome their Mets counterparts to the Jupiter complex while Palm Beach and Quad Cities players hop the bus to Port St. Lucie. For the full state of minor league spring training schedules, The Cardinal Nation subscribers can click here. Update: On Sunday morning, the Redbirds official Twitter account noted the Memphis and Springfield games have been moved to Port St. Lucie, with Palm Beach and Quad Cities staying home.

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.

Springfield (5-2-3) 4, Memphis (3-4-3) 0 (five innings)

Memphis pitching

Cory Rauschenberger was given the start and yielded a pair of runs in two innings. He gave up four hits and two walks and struck out two.

Adam Reifer was charged with a run on one hit in 2/3 of an inning.

Veteran lefty Rich Rundles gave up one hit and collected one out.

Memphis hitting

Adron Chambers’ double was the only hit for the Redbirds. The outfielder hit .273 with a .385 OBP in 18 spring games with St. Louis.

Springfield pitching

Richard Castillo allowed two baserunners in two innings. He fanned one.

Daniel Calhoun fanned two in a pair of perfect frames.

Springfield hitting

Shortstop and solid glove man Ryan Jackson had a good day at the plate with two singles in three at-bats and he scored once.

Chris Swauger singled and walked in two plate appearances. The outfielder scored one and collected an RBI.

Alex Castellanos homered, walked and scored twice. (Update: The Springfield News-Leader’s Kary Booher noted the home run came off a curveball thrown by Cuban tryout pitcher Rigoberto Arrebato.  More information on Arrebato can be found at The Cardinal Nation – subscriber article.)

Jarred Bogany doubled and drove in two.

Quad Cities (5-6) 4, Palm Beach (7-4) 1 (seven innings)

Palm Beach pitching

Maikel Cleto allowed five baserunners and fanned five in 3 2/3 innings. The 40-man roster righty was charged with two earned runs.

Andrew Moss gave up the other two runs during his 2 1/3 inning outing. He yielded three hits, walked one and fanned one.

Keith Butler fanned one in his perfect inning.

Palm Beach hitting

Infielder Luis Mateo muscled up with a solo home run in two at-bats. He has only 10 long balls in 741 career regular season plate appearances over three seasons.

Quad Cities pitching

Trevor Rosenthal started and scattered two hits and three walks over four innings, keeping Palm Beach off the scoreboard. Looking to make the leap from Johnson City, he struck out two.

Hector Corpas relieved, allowing one run in two innings on two hits. The 2010 Appalachian League All-Star fanned three.

Recovering right-hander Scott Bittle walked one in his lone inning of work. The Cardinal Nation subscribers should check out our interview, posted on Friday.

Quad Cities hitting

Virgil Hill doubled twice in three at-bats. The outfielder scored and collected an RBI.

Still a teenager, Dominican third baseman Roberto De La Cruz singled and scored in three at-bats.

Catcher Robert Stock singled twice in two at-bats.

Juan Castillo singled, scored and drove in one in two at-bats.

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After the 3-2 day, the Cardinals system is a combined 21-15-6 this spring, including a 15-9-2 mark against external competition.

Today’s photo is of Player of the Day, Springfield outfielder Aaron Luna, who knocked two home runs and drove in four.

Palm Beach starting pitcher Shelby Miller receives a very honorable mention, with considerable detail on his outing, courtesy of Kary Booher of the Springfield News-Leader.

Miller struck out “six of the 13 batters he faced,” Booher reported from the game. Miller gave up a walk and a double leading off the fourth inning before settling down to finish with four innings total.

“Miller threw 54 pitches but relied heavily on his fastball, which sat between 91 and 92 mph,” Booher reported. “While Miller’s fastball was on, his off-speed pitchers were here and there. He threw eight curveballs, but only (one) for a strike, as the pitch tended not to bend as sharply as usual. Miller also mixed in only five change-ups.”

Saturday will be a camp day. Memphis will take on Springfield while Palm Beach and Quad Cities will face off at the Jupiter complex. 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.

New Orleans 5, Memphis (3-3-3) 4

Memphis pitching

Adam Ottavino started but allowed three earned runs in three innings. The right-hander gave up six hits and walked three. He fanned three also.

Tyler Norrick three 1 2/3 spotless innings. The lefty struck out one.

Chuckie Fick also had a nice two-inning outing. He allowed just one walk and struck out four.

Rich Rundles allowed two baserunners in his inning, but neither scored. The veteran lefty fanned one.

Jason Buursma took the tough loss as New Orleans scored two unearned runs with two out in the bottom of the ninth. He allowed two hits and a walk.

Memphis hitting

Pete Kozma had three singles in four at-bats and scored once.

Daryl Jones had a hit in three at-bats, stole a base and scored twice.

Jermaine Curtis was on base twice in three plate appearances with a double, a walk. He also swiped a base and scored a run.

Tony Cruz had an RBI single in two appearances.

Ramon Vazquez was on base three times in four plate appearances with a single and a pair of walks.

Springfield (4-2-3) 13, Jacksonville 9

Springfield pitching

Deryk Hooker, who received positive reviews from pitching coordinator Dyar Miller early in camp, had a rough outing. He allowed four earned runs on five hits and walk in 2 2/3 frames. Hooker fanned four.

Nick Additon yielded just one earned run on three hits in 3 1/3 frames. He struck out three.

Ryan Kulik tossed a scoreless inning, working around an error.

Ramon Delgado gave up a couple of hits and fanned one in his scoreless frame.

Jose Rada took it on the chin, allowing five hits and four earned runs in his lone, long inning.

Springfield hitting

Aaron Luna had a big day with two home runs in four at-bats. He scored three times and drove in four.

Steven Hill was on base four times in five appearances and scored every time. The catcher walked, singled, doubled, homered and drove in two.

Matt Adams had two singles in five at-bats. The big first baseman scored once and drove in one.

Ryan Jackson had two singles and homered in four at-bats. He also walked, scored twice and plated a pair of runs.

Tyler Henley, coming off an injury-plagued 2010, was on base three times in five PAs. He singled, doubled, walked and collected two RBI.

Chris Swauger doubled, walked and scored.

Ronald Ramirez, a winter free agent middle infield signee, doubled and scored twice.

Jupiter 6, Palm Beach (7-3) 5

Palm Beach pitching

Shelby Miller allowed just two baserunners and one earned run in four innings. He fanned six.

Joe Kelly was touched for a pair of earned runs in 2 2/3 innings on three hits and a walk. He struck out one.

Justin Wright allowed four baserunners in 1 1/3 frames, but none scored.

Chase Reid took the loss as he yielded three runs in the final inning, giving Jupiter the victory. He allowed three hits and fanned one.

Palm Beach hitting

ShortstopYunier Castillo had a pair of singles in four at-bats and scored once.

Zack Cox singled and homered in three at-bats and collected a pair of RBI.

Edgar Lara singled twice in four at-bats and drove in one.

Rainel Rosario had two singles in three at-bats.

Curt Smith singled and doubled in three plate appearances.

Alan Ahmady and Nick Longmire made their one at-bats valuable as they had RBI singles. Ahmady also came around to score.

Quad Cities #1 (4-6) 1, Greensboro 4

Quad Cities #1 pitching

Seth Blair yielded two runs, one earned in 2 1/3 innings. He gave up three hits, three walks and fanned three.

Jordan Swagerty was stretched out to a four-inning outing. The 2010 draft pick was charged with one earned run on three hits. He did walk three as well, and fanned one.

Justin Edwards fanned one in his scoreless inning.

Ricky Martinez had four baserunners on during his one inning and one crossed the plate.

Quad Cites #1 hitting

Ted Obregon had a pair of singles in four at-bats.

Matt Valaika had a two-run double and came around to score.

Joey Bergman and Romulo Ruiz both doubled and scored

Kyle Conley, another outfielder coming off an injury-ruined season, walked twice and scored both times.

Chris Edmondson singled, walked and scored a run.

Adam Melker singled, walked and collected an RBI.

Quad Cities #2 (3-1) 6, Marlins 5^th club 3

Quad Cities #2 pitching

Wilson Matos tossed three scoreless frames on just two hits. He fanned three.

Cale Johnson allowed just one baserunner in two innings on a walk. He had one strikeout. Lefty Dean Kiekhefer had a rough day. He yielded three runs, two earned in 1 1/3 innings. The Fish had five hits and drew a walk. Kiekhefer had one strikeout.

Drew Benes surrendered just one hit in 1 2/3 innings. He fanned one.

Aidan Lucas gave up just one walk in his lone frame.

Quad Cities #2 hitting

Colin Walsh had two singles and a double in four at-bats. He scored once.

Roberto DeLaCruz did even better with a pair of singles and a triple in four ABs. He scored one run and drove in another.

Note: The Cardinal Nation subscribers can read all about two Cuban tryout pitchers who have joined minor league camp.

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After the 2-1-1 day, the Cardinals system is a combined 18-13-6 this spring, including a 12-7-2 mark against external competition.

Today’s photo is of Player of the Day, Nick Longmire. The outfielder struck a bases-loaded double for three RBI with Palm Beach.

On Friday, the players on the Cardinals’ five rosters will walk over to the Florida Marlins side of the Jupiter complex. 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 (3-2-3) 2, Buffalo 2 (tie)

Memphis pitching

Lance Lynn, fresh from an extended look in major league camp, allowed eight baserunners and two earned runs over 4 1/3 innings. He fanned one.

Veteran lefty Raul Valdes, who spent part of 2010 with Buffalo, was dealing. He punched out six in 2 1/3 innings. Valdes allowed one hit and one walk.

Blake King, also down from St. Louis, had a typical outing. The right-hander struck out two while allowing a pair of baserunners as well in his lone inning.

Adam Reifer walked one and fanned one to finish up and protect the tie.

Memphis hitting

Donovan Solano, who would later appear in the MLB game, had two singles in two at-bats.

Nick Stavinoha also suited up for St. Louis, but in this game had two hits in three at-bats. He also scored once.

Mark Hamilton was on base three times in five plate appearances on a single, walk and hit by pitch.

Andrew Brown, the day after starting for St. Louis, showed a good eye. He drew three walks and singled in five plate appearances.

Adron Chambers walked and had a tying two-out RBI single in the final inning. He would have also plated the lead run, but the runner was thrown out at the plate.

Binghamton 6, Springfield (3-2-3) 5

Springfield pitching

Brett Zawacki yielded two runs, one earned in 1 2/3 innings. He game up two hits and struck out one.

Lefty Nick Greenwood scattered three hits over two scoreless innings. He fanned one.

Matt Frevert allowed four baserunners in his two innings, but kept them off home plate.

Sam Freeman was the victim of three errors, as two unearned runs crossed the plate in his 2/3 of an inning. The lefty, who missed 2010, yielded just one hit.

Twos were not kind to Casey Mulligan as he was touched for two runs in 2/3 inning on two hits and two walks.

Springfield hitting

Niko Vasquez (RBI) and minor league free agent signee Ronald Ramirez (2 RBI) each went 3-for-4.

Aaron Luna singled and tripled in four at-bats.

Alex Castellanos doubled and scored twice.

Steven Hill smacked a solo home run, just like in his brief MLB debut last season.

Palm Beach (7-2) 7, St. Lucie 3

Palm Beach pitching

John Gast pitched well, striking out seven in three innings and picked off another runner. Unfortunately, Jaime Garcia tried that move in the major league game and was called for a balk.

Palm Beach hitting

Edgar Lara singled twice in four at-bats and scored.

Nick Longmire stroked a bases-loaded double good for three RBI.

Curt Smith singled and doubled in four at-bats. He drove in one and scored.

Ivan Castro had two singles in two chances.

Luis Mateo tripled in three at-bats.

Quad Cities (3-6) 7, Savannah 5

Quad Cities pitching

Zach Russell yielded two runs in three innings on three hits and three walks. He fanned two.

Anthony Ferrara allowed a pair of runs in four innings. He allowed five baserunners. Tryout lefty Sean Watson gave up one run in one frame.

Aaron Terry kept the Mets club off the board on one hit in his inning of work.

Quad Cities hitting

Jonathan Rodriguez had three singles and an RBI in four at-bats.

Victor Sanchez singled and doubled in four at-bats. He drove in two and scored.

Frederick Parejo and Ronny Gil both scored twice and went 1-for-3 at the plate.

Virgil Hill was on base via a triple and walk and scored both times. He also collected an RBI.

Cody Stanley singled and walked.

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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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Today’s photo is of Player of the Day, Springfield first baseman Matt Adams. Note: The latest working rosters by level have been posted for The Cardinal Nation subscribers here.

On Wednesday, the Cardinals have another camp day at the Jupiter complex during which Memphis will play Springfield and Palm Beach will oppose Quad Cities. 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.

New Orleans 12, Memphis (2-2-2) 5

Memphis pitching

Kevin Thomas had the start for the Redbirds, but struggled. He allowed six baserunners in two innings and they all scored.

Ramon Delgado, a Florida State League All-Star and participant in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Showcase last year, yielded four men on base in 1 2/3 innings and two of them crossed the plate.

Tyler Norrick struggled to find the strike zone. The lefty walked four, but only one scored during his inning of work.

Cory Rauschenberger gave up three hits in his two innings, but was the only Memphis hurler to not yield a run.

Veteran lefty Rich Rundles was touched for four hits, a walk and three runs in the final inning.

Memphis hitting

Donovan Solano singled and doubled twice in four at-bats and drove in two.

Adron Chambers tripled and scored twice.

Amaury Cazana doubled and plated two.

Tyler Henley was on base twice via a single and walk.

Springfield (3-0-3) 7, Jacksonville 6

Springfield pitching

Mike Blazek had a very effective four-inning scoreless outing, allowing just two hits while fanning four.

Arquimedes Nieto was touched for three runs, two earned in three frames. He allowed four hits and a walk and struck out one.

Jose Rada almost lost the lead, yielding three runs in one inning, though two of his three outs were via strikeouts.

Adam Reifer, on loan from Memphis, picked up the save with a perfect inning.

Springfield hitting

Matt Adams went 4-for-5 including a home run and two RBI. The big first baseman also made what was called a “great diving play down the line to save a run.”

Alex Castellanos singled, doubled and drove in two.

Nick Derba singled and walked in three plate appearances.

Palm Beach (5-2) 14, Jupiter 4

Palm Beach pitching

Andrew Moss yielded a run on three hits over two innings. He also struck out three.

Lefty Nick Greenwood was touched for two runs in two innings, but both were unearned. He allowed three hits and fanned one.

Justin Edwards and Keith Butler each spun two shutout innings.

Aaron Terry was charged with one run in his inning.

Palm Beach hitting

Adam Melker had three singles in five at-bats and scored twice.

Rainel Rosario singled and homered in three at-bats. He scored twice and drove in two.

Zack Cox, just dropped down from Springfield, had two singles in three at-bats, scored twice and plated one. Jermaine Curtis and Niko Vazquez are currently immediately ahead of Cox.

Catcher Ivan Castro singled and doubled in two at-bats, scored and had an RBI.

Nick Longmire went deep.

Curt Smith doubled.

Greensboro 4, Quad Cities (2-5) 2

Quad Cities #1 Pitching

Supplemental first rounder Tyrell Jenkins showed his limited pro experience as he gave up three earned runs in 1 2/3 innings on four hits and a walk.

Kevin Siegrist put four runners on base in 2 1/3 innings, but only one scored.

Tyler Lyons had a good news, bad news day. Three of his four outs were collected by strikeout, but he also yielded two hits and three walks. Amazingly none of them crossed the plate.

Lefty Dean Kiekhefer scattered a pair of harmless walks over two innings. He fanned one.

Quad Cities #1 hitting

Catcher Audry Perez singled and homered in three at-bats.

Multi-tooled outfielder Oscar Taveras singled twice in three at-bats and swiped two bases.

Coming back after having missed most of 2010, outfielder Kyle Conley doubled and scored a run.

Packy Elkins singled and drove in one.

Quad Cities #2 (2-1) 6, Marlins 5^th team 3

Quad Cities #2 Pitching

Angel DeJesus gave up all three Marlins runs in 2 1/3 innings in four hits and two walks. He fanned two.

Boone Whiting scattered just three hits over 3 2/3 scoreless. He fanned four.

Charllan Jimenez allowed just one baserunner over two shutout frames.

Wilson Matos fanned two in a perfect inning.

Quad Cities #2 hitting

Kleininger Teran had two singles in three at-bats, added a sacrifice fly and ended with three RBI.

Steven Ramos singled, walked, scored twice and drove in one.

Colin Walsh was on base three times with a single and two walks in four plate appearances. He scored twice and drove in one.

Virgil Hill tripled and scored in two at-bats.

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In addition, the Cardinals Quad Cities #2 squad played their annual game against the Gildea’s Raiders traveling team, defeating them on a five-inning no hitter for the 20^th time in 21 years, avenging a 2010 loss. After the 4-1 day, the Cardinals system is a combined 11-8-5 this spring.

Today’s photo is of Player of the Day Trevor Rosenthal. The right-hander struck out nine of his 12 batters retired over four perfect innings. If there is an emerging prospect I missed last winter, it is Rosenthal. Look for our interview coming for The Cardinal Nation subscribers.

On Tuesday, the Cardinals face the Marlins in five games on the home side of the Jupiter complex. 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 (2-1-2) 2, Buffalo 0

Memphis pitching

Pitching was the name of the game. Shaking off the likely disappointment of getting just one “A” game appearance in spring camp, P.J. Walters tossed six scoreless innings. He allowed five baserunners and fanned five.

Nick Additon fanned one in two scoreless.

Jason Buursma allowed one hit in one inning, but he was erased on a double-play grounder.

Memphis hitting

Yesterday’s Player of the Day Andrew Brown doubled twice and scored in three at-bats.

Bryan Anderson stroked a bases-empty home run.

Tommy Pham and Ramon Vazquez each doubled.

Springfield (2-0-3) 3, Binghamton 2

Springfield Pitching

Deryk Hooker fanned one in two scoreless innings. Pitching coordinator Dyar Miller told me that Hooker was throwing especially well in early camp.

Brett Zawacki yielded a pair of runs in two innings, though only one was earned. He allowed three hits and fanned two.

Ryan Kulik allowed two hits and fanned one in two clean frames.

Jesse Simpson, Samuel Freeman and Casey Mulligan finished up with a scoreless inning each.

Springfield hitting

D’Marcus Ingram singled, doubled, stole a base, scored twice, including the winning run on a wild pitch in four at-bats.

Ryan Jackson singled, tripled, scored, and drove in one in four at-bats.

Palm Beach (4-2) 6, St. Lucie 3

Palm Beach pitching

Maikel Cleto went 2 2/3 on just one hit and two walks. The 40-man roster hurler allowed one run and fanned four.

Jorge Rondon yielded just one run on two hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out three.

Chris Corrigan gave up one run in 1 1/3 innings despite giving up just one hit. He fanned one.

Justin Wright (1 K), Chase Reid (2 K’s) and Matt Frevert (1 K) covered the final 2 2/3 shutout innings.

Palm Beach hitting

Edgar Lara singled and homered with two RBIs in two at-bats.

C.J. Beatty was on base all four times with two singles and two walks. He scored and drove in two. It was a good enough performance to earn Player of the Day honors most days.

Travis Tartamella singled, doubled and scored twice.

Devin Goodwin singled and drove in two.

Frederick Parejo tripled.

Francisco Rivera doubled.

Savannah 14, Quad Cities (2-4) 5

Quad Cities #1 pitching

Heralded prospect Carlos Martinez is human. He allowed one run in 2 1/3 innings on four hits and a walk. The 19-year-old struck out two.

Two runs scored against Nick McCully over two innings, but only one was earned. He struck out three.

Ricky Martinez allowed five baserunners and two runs in 1 2/3 innings. Palm Beach pitching coach Dennis Martinez’ son fanned one.

Drew Benes had a very rough day at the office, allowing five runs in just 1/3 inning as the close game got away.

Cale Johnson also struggled, getting touched for four runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Quad Cities #1 hitting

Jonathan Rodriguez doubled, homered and scored twice in four at-bats.

Cody Stanley singled, doubled, and drove in two in three at-bats.

Victor Sanchez and Chris Edmondson doubled.

Quad Cities #2 (1-1) 4, Gildea’s Raiders 0 (5 innings)

Quad Cities #2 pitching

Trevor Rosenthal fanned nine in four perfect innings.

Aidan Lucas walked a batter during his inning and fanned two.

Quad Cities #2 hitting

Roberto DeLaCruz singled twice in three at-bats.

Starlin Rodriguez singled, walked, was hit by a pitch and scored three runs.

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Today’s photo is of Player of the Day Andrew Brown.

On Monday, the Cardinals face the Mets. The top two teams will play in Jupiter while Palm Beach and Quad Cities board the buses to travel to Port St. Lucie. 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, but the comments mine.

Memphis (1-1-2) 5, Springfield (1-0-3) 5 (5 inning game)

Memphis pitching

Adam Ottavino had a rough day as he was touched for all five Springfield runs in two innings. He yielded five hits and two walks, but fanned four.

Chuckie Fick and Rich Rundles combined for 2 2/3 shutout innings on a total of three hits and three strikeouts.

Memphis hitting

Andrew Brown had a single and two doubles in three at-bats, scored twice, and starred with the glove, too. He made a diving play at first base to save a run. The versatile Brown can also play third base and the outfield.

Freddie Bynum, a shortstop signed to a minor league deal in the off-season, had a pair of singles in three at-bats.

Ramon Vazquez, also signed from the outside and is down from MLB camp, walked twice and doubled in three plate appearances. He scored and collected an RBI.

Daryl Jones, a former system player of the year, but an almost forgotten man, singled in two at-bats and plated two.

Tyler Henley singled and had an RBI.

Springfield pitching

Shelby Miller, the top prospect in the system, was far from perfect. He allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Miller fanned three.

Eric Fornataro yielded three hits and a run in 1 2/3 frames.

Aaron Terry was the only Springfield pitcher to keep Memphis off the board, striking out one in his inning of work.

Jose Rada yielded a run on three baserunners allowed in just 2/3 inning.

Springfield hitting

Jarred Bogany singled and tripled in two at-bats and drove in two.

Matt Adams singled and doubled in three at-bats. He scored and collected an RBI.

Chris Swauger (RBI) and Zack Cox (run) each went 2-for-3.

D’Marcus Ingram walked, stole a base and scored.

Quad Cities (2-3) 3, Palm Beach (3-2) 2 (6 innings)

Palm Beach pitching

Seth Blair yielded two runs, one earned in 1 2/3 innings on one hit, but three walks. The 2010 supplemental first-rounder fanned four.

Keith Butler allowed just one hit and no runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Sean Watson, tryout player, allowed one earned run in two innings.

Palm Beach hitting

Edgar Lara doubled and scored.

Yunier Castillo singled and scored in two at-bats.

Michael Swinson collected a two-out RBI single.

Quad Cities pitching

Jordan Swagerty is getting stretched out, allowing one earned run in three innings. The former Arizona State closer and college teammate of his mound opponent Blair yielded three hits and a walk and fanned three.

Daniel Calhoun gave up one run in two innings despite yielding just one hit. He struck out three.

Josh Squatrito walked two and struck out one in 2/3 inning.

Quad Cities hitting

Starlin Rodriguez, who spent most of 2010 in the Gulf Coast League, doubled and scored. So did Matt Valaika.

Jonathan Rodriguez doubled.

Mike O’Neill walked and scored

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Today’s photo is of Player of the Day Zach Russell.

On Sunday, the Cardinals have another camp day. The top two teams will play each other as will Palm Beach and Quad Cities. 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, but the comments mine.

Palm Beach 6, Jupiter 5

Palm Beach pitching

Apparently to get some work, Memphis reliever Adam Reifer was given the start. He fanned one in his inning of work.

Richard Castillo, who pitched for Palm Beach last year, went two innings and fanned one and yielded just one hit.

Andrew Moss yielded two runs in two innings and Justin Smth fared even worse, giving up three earned runs in 1 1/3 frames.

Nick Greenwood fanned four in 1 2/3 innings and Matt Frevert bookended Reifer with an identical outing, but also earned the save.

Palm Beach hitting

Nick Longmire had a pair of singles and scored once in four at-bats.

Francisco Rivera was on base twice with a single and a base on balls.

Alan Ahmady doubled, walked and scored.

Edgar Lara, a young man that has the physical appearance of a player, hit a long two-run home run.

Quad Cities #1 6, Greensboro 5

Quad Cities #1 pitching

Anthony Ferrera started and yielded all five Greensboro runs on eight hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. He did fan two.

Zach Russell came in next and collected seven outs without allowing a baserunner. He collected five groundouts and two strikeouts.

Justin Edwards had a pair of scoreless frames and Cale Johnson, Chase Reid and Dean Kiekhefer (two strikeouts) each spun a shutout inning.

Quad Cities #1 hitting

Romulo Ruiz and Jonathan Rodriguez singled, doubled and walked. Ruiz crossed the plate twice and Rodriguez scored the game-winner on a passed ball.

Matt Valaika singled, doubled and drove in one.

Adam Melker singled and walked twice.

Victor Sanchez doubled, walked, scored and had an RBI.

Chrisr Edmondson singled and plated two.

Virgil Hill singled, walked and scored.

Jamestown 9, Quad Cities #2 5

Quad Cities #2 pitching

Hector Hernandez started and fanned two in his two innings.

Boone Whiting yielded five runs in his 1 2/3 frames on five hits and a walk.

Scott Bittle, coming off shoulder surgery, allowed four baserunners, three of whom scored in just 2/3 of an inning.

Wilson Matos gave up six hits and two runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Drew Benes finished with a one-hit inning.

Quad Cities #2 hitting

Steven Ramos had three singles, a double, and an RBI on a sacrifice fly in five plate appearances.

Roberto DeLaCruz doubled and collected a pair of RBI

Ross Smith had a pair of singles in four at-bats.

German Medina singled, walked, scored and plated two.

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Today’s photo is of Player of the Day Tyler Henley, who was on base four times.

On Saturday, the Cardinals’ top two teams will not play due to the major league split squad games. Quad Cities is being divided into two squads. Those clubs plus Palm Beach remain at home in Jupiter but move to the Marlins’ side of the complex to take on their Florida counterparts. 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, but the comments mine.

Memphis 7, Buffalo 3

Memphis Pitching

After Nick Additon opened with two scoreless innings with just two baserunners, Deryk Hooker struggled. He allowed all three earned runs in 1 2/3 frames.

Cory Rauschenberger (1 1/3 IP), Sam Freeman (1 IP), Ryan Kulik (2 IP) and Tyler Norrick (1 IP) held Buffalo scoreless the remainder of the way on just two hits, while fanning five.

Memphis Hitting

Tyler Henley was the hitting star, reaching base four times with three singles, a walk and two runs batted in. Henley missed much of the 2010 season due to Tommy John surgery. Look for an upcoming interview at The Cardinal Nation.

RBIs: Jose Garcia, Andrew Brown, Xavier Scruggs, Steven Hill (two)

Runs scored: Garcia, Brown (twice), Jim Rapoport, Freddie Bynum, Daryl Jones

Doubles: Garcia, Brown, Rapoport, Jones

Two hits: Garcia

Springfield 5, Binghamton 5

Springfield Pitching

Ten hits were allowed

Arquimedes Nieto, Jorge Rondon and Chris Corrigan each went two innings, yielding one run each.

George Brown followed, giving up two earned runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Jesse Simpson finished up with 1 1/3 shutout innings.

Springfield Hitting

Curt Smith and Jermaine Curtis each hit solo home runs.

Ryde Rodriguez singled and doubled in two plate appearances.

Zack Cox had two singles in two at-bats.

Antonio DeJesus tripled.

St. Lucie 7, Palm Beach 6

Palm Beach Pitching

Justin Wright and Keith Butler split the first four innings. Each allowed one earned run, Wright fanned four.

Ryan Copeland followed and was charged with three earned runs in 2 IP.

Kevin Siegrist and Ricky Martinez each registered scoreless innings.

Charllan Jimenez had a rocky inning, giving up the final two St. Lucie runs.

Palm Beach Hitting

Rainel Rosario singled and had a 3-run home run in four at-bats.

Edgar Lara had two singles and an RBI in two appearances.

Travis Tartamella also went 2-for-2.

Alan Ahmady singled, walked and scored twice.

Francisco Rivera doubled and walked in his two appearances.

Nick Longmire doubled.

Savannah 4, Quad Cities 2

Quad Cities Pitching

Houston Summers allowed five baserunners in two innings, but only one scored.

Angel DeJesus and Bob Revesz each tossed two scoreless.

Tyler Lyons fanned three in his pair of innings, though one unearned run scored.

Nick McCully pitched the final inning with the two winning runs scoring on a 2-out, 2-run double.

Quad Cities Hitting

Adam Melker had three hits in four at-bats and scored once.

Mike O’Neill singled and walked twice in four PAs. He also scored.

Victor Sanchez had two singles in four at-bats.

Oscar Taveras doubled.

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In support of 30 Clubs, former Cleveland general manager Hart and ex-major league second baseman Reynolds were kind enough to answer a series of my questions, providing their view of a number of Cardinals-related subjects. The details follow.

Q&A with Harold Reynolds

Brian Walton: As a former middle infielder, how do you rank the Cardinals starting pair of Skip Schumaker and Ryan Theriot offensively and defensively in comparison to the other teams in the NL Central?

Harold Reynolds: Skip Schumaker and Ryan Theriot do not make for one of the top middle infield combinations in the NL Central. They both will make the routine play, but you won’t get anything spectacular out of them. Offensively, it depends on where they hit in the lineup. If Theriot hits in the one or two hole, he should have no problem scoring over 100 runs, with Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols hitting in the middle. But think about the middle infields in the NL Central. Every team has at least one middle infielder that is a star or can be a star. Brandon Phillips and Rickie Weeks are All-Stars. Neil Walker and Starlin Castro can potentially be All-Stars. I don’t think you can say the same for St. Louis. But Schumaker and Theriot will not make or break the Cardinals’ season.

BW: Do you agree with the Cardinals not running ahead of Albert Pujols, knowing an open first base could mean an intentional walk with Matt Holliday next? Why or why not?

HR: I think your personnel dictates whether or not you’re going to run with Albert at the plate. If it’s Vince Coleman or Ozzie Smith standing on first base, trust me, they’re running, no matter what. I don’t know if it’s as much by design as it is the personnel on the team.

BW: With a catcher like Yadier Molina behind the plate, how did you change your baserunning strategy?

HR: When you got a great catcher like Yadier Molina, your biggest fear as a base runner is getting picked off by the catcher, and not necessarily being thrown out trying to steal a base. As a result, your secondary lead changes. When the pitch is thrown, the base runner won’t have a big lead because if he gets too far off the base, the catcher is going to throw behind the runner.  Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez and Benito Santiago were great at throwing behind the runner. Molina is the same way because he puts fear in runners.

BW: Compared to other catchers you have seen, how do you rank Molina in terms of throwing and game calling?

HR: He’s one of the best catchers in the game. How many catchers can both hit and play solid defense? You can count them on one hand. Runners are just flat out not going to run on Yadier Molina. The combination of intelligence, ability and durability makes him one of the top defensive catchers in baseball. He also can hold his own at the plate. He’s a positive for St. Louis, and I don’t think he’s going to stop winning Gold Glove Awards anytime soon.

BW: What does Colby Rasmus need to do to become an elite centerfielder?

HR: He’s on the right track. He’s got the right swing and approach. It may sound silly, but a kid with his ability just needs to keep playing every day. You learn more and more playing every day. There aren’t too many good centerfielders in the National League right now. Colby has the chance to be right up there at the top soon.

Q&A with John Hart

BW: What are some of the considerations in being a seller at the deadline and how do you weigh them? (fan support, player support, etc.)

John Hart: The contract status of the player you might be moving is important when you’re thinking about dealing him. You also have to think about if the player fits on your club next year. If you don’t think so, you ultimately try to maximize his value by getting the type of players he’s worth. You also have to think of the circumstances around the club. If the team has been bogged down with injuries, then you may want to stick with the core of the club for another year.

BW: With Adam Wainwright out, if the Cardinals stumble this season, would you consider trading Chris Carpenter at the deadline? Why or why not?

JH: I think the Cardinals, who are perennial contenders, will be more inclined to stick with Carpenter in 2011. If the team struggles out of the gate, St. Louis will most likely explore the trade possibilities. But just because Wainwright is out, I don’t think St. Louis feels they’re out of this division. If Jaime Garcia improves and Kyle McClellan can step in, St. Louis should still be right there. Milwaukee and Cincinnati aren’t powerhouse clubs. Look, if St. Louis falters, you can consider dealing him, but what about 2012? If Pujols comes back, aren’t you going to have championship aspirations? With Wainwright’s health still unknown, you’re going to need an ace-type pitcher in the rotation. I think Wainwright’s health is an important key to Chris Carpenter’s place on the team.

BW: Do you think Lance Berkman was wise to sign with an NL club and were the Cardinals wise to sign him?

JH: I think St. Louis wanted to thicken the lineup when they signed Berkman. He knows the NL Central and St. Louis didn’t have to go out on a limb to get this guy. If he gets enough plate appearances, he should have a pretty good offensive year. The big question is how he’ll do defensively, and will his body be able to take the rigors of playing the outfield. Lance obviously thinks he can handle it. He’s going to need some time off and I think St. Louis knows that. For a short term fix, and the fact that St. Louis didn’t tie up a lot of years and money, it wasn’t a bad move for a club looking to win a Championship.

BW: Do you think the Cardinals could have locked Albert Pujols up contractually before the 2010 season had they pushed harder or do you think Pujols’ demands may have been too high? What would be the max in years and AAV you would give Pujols and why?

JH: That’s a smart baseball group over there. These contract negotiations didn’t take them by surprise. It just gets more difficult to sign a player when they get closer to free agency. Look, you’re talking about a dominating player who has been with St. Louis since day one. My instincts tell me that he’s going to stay in St. Louis. I think the key, more so than dollars, will be how many years St. Louis is willing to invest in Pujols.

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Today’s photo is of Player of the Day Carlos Martinez, who excelled for Group #3. The Cardinal Nation subscribers should look for my exclusive interview with Martinez to be posted on Friday morning.

On Friday, the Mets’ top two teams will host Groups 1 and 2 in Port St. Lucie, while Groups 3 and 4 remain at home in Jupiter to take on their Mets counterparts. 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, but the comments mine.

Working Group #1 1, Working Group #2 1 (tie)

Group 1 pitchers

Adam Ottavino started and yielded the one run on three hits. He fanned a pair.

Scott Schneider followed and posted an impressive two frames on just one hit. He struck out four.

Chuckie Fick and Ramon Delgado each tossed a perfect inning

Jason Buursma followed with a feast or famine frame, albeit scoreless. He allowed three baserunners on two hits and a walk and also striking out two.

Casey Mulligan finished up with a hit and a strikeout in his scoreless inning.

Group 1 hitters

Jarred Bogany picked up the only RBI on a single.

Two-base hits were collected by Pete Kozma, Aaron Luna, Nick Derba and Charles Cutler.

Xavier Scruggs was on base twice with a single and a walk plus he scored the lone run.

Group 2 pitchers

Mike Blazek and Daniel Calhoun each went two innings, allowing a pair of baserunners each, but none crossed the plate.

40-man roster righty Maikel Cleto fanned three in two perfect innings.

Eric Fornataro also went two innings, yielding a run, but also fanning three.

Brett Zawacki struck out the side in his lone inning.

Group 2 hitters

D’Marcus Ingram singled and tripled in three plate appearances.

Rainel Rosario’s sacrifice fly scored Ingram with the only run.

Working Group #3 1, Working Group #4 0 (seven innings)

Group #4 has yet to cross the plate in 17 spring innings while facing their more advanced pitching counterparts. Group #3 pitchers tossed five 1-2-3 innings in an impressive showing that included just two hits and a walk allowed.

Group 3 pitchers

Ho hum. Carlos Martinez threw a pair of perfect innings, with four of his six outs coming on strikeouts and the other two being grounders. In other words, the ball didn’t get out of the infield. Oh yeah, he struck out the side to end his day.

Cale Johnson fanned three in his pair of scoreless frames. He allowed three baserunners.

Nick Greenwood (two) and Hector Corpas (one) finished the game with a total of three perfect innings, making a nice bookend to Martinez.

Group 3 hitters

Jonathan Rodriguez tripled in two at-bats.

Alan Ahmady’s sacrifice fly plated Rodriguez for the game’s only run.

Kyle Conley and Nick Longmire each doubled in two plate appearances, but didn’t reach home.

Group 4 Pitchers

Trevor Rosenthal took the hard-luck loss, having yielded just two baserunners in two innings. He fanned three. Look for an upcoming Rosenthal interview at The Cardinal Nation.

Jose Rada (two innings), Aaron Terry and Drew Benes combined for four shutout frames.

Tryout player, 6-foot-9 Sean Watson struck out the side in his one inning.

Group 4 hitters

Packy Elkins and Pat Biserta doubled.

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While there is less apparent action within minor league camp compared to the reassignment of players there from major league camp, there is plenty of churn still. Rosters are purposely written in pencil and players are shuttled between minor league games as needed. Some are even called back to help fill in during major league games.

Still, there are a couple of inflection points each spring when groups of minor league player releases occurred previously. With roughly half the camp games of the major leaguers, the minor league instructors and coaches have to make their decisions relatively quickly.

For example, in 2010, the Cardinals had 30 spring games, while the minor leaguers had 18 days of games in camp, including intrasquad contests every third day. This is due to the schedule imbalance created by the fact that only the Mets and Marlins are within a two hour drive of Cardinals camp in Jupiter, Fla.

Last spring, the Cardinals announced their big groups of player releases on March 23 and 26, at spring games seven and ten, respectively. A total of 17 players were given their release. After at least a week of games, the coaches can determine which players are not competitive enough to either make one of the four full-season rosters or remain behind for extended spring training camp.

In 2009, the organization also released two waves of players on the 23^rd and 26^th, but added a third group on March 31, as well. 21 players became ex-Cardinals through those moves.

These spring releases have been especially focused on clearing out the pitching ranks. 28 of these 38 releases during the last two camps were hurlers.

Even so, a large quantity of pitchers remain. In recent seasons, the Cardinals have begun the regular season at Palm Beach and Quad Cities using the tandem or piggy-back rotation. In that arrangement, instead of five starters, two pairs of four starting pitchers take turns starting and relieving every fourth day. That allows the use of eight starters rather than the traditional five. Often by Memorial Day, a combination of performance results and injuries thin the ranks and regular five-man rotations are implemented.

St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training transactions – 2009-10

Reminder: To track all the signings, releases and other major roster moves across the entire Cardinals system, check out the Roster Matrix right here at The Cardinal Nation Blog.

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It got me thinking about the sequence of these moves by the St. Louis Cardinals in a typical spring. While last year’s transactions are not a guarantee of this year’s, it seems an interesting effort to take a look back.

Since game dates are different each spring, I will list the Cardinals 2010 spring moves both by the game number they occurred as well as the calendar date.

With minor League pitchers and catchers reporting this year tomorrow, Monday, March 7, one might anticipate the first round of 2011 cuts as soon as later today, Sunday. Last year, the Cardinals had played only three official games prior to that date, but with an earlier start this year, heading into Sunday, St. Louis has already completed seven of its 32 scheduled spring training games.

Note the predominance of 2010 cuts that occurred on Sundays and Mondays. In three consecutive weeks, first catching and pitching NRIs were sent to minor league camp, then around the middle of the month, a group of youngsters were optioned out and by the 20^th or thereabouts, the third major trim occurred.

Also note that even after players are officially assigned to minor league camp, they can and will be called back to the major league club to help out in games as needed.

The following table lists the day/date, spring game number of 30, number of 40-man players still in camp, number non-roster invitees in camp and the detailed transactions themselves from last spring as the Cardinals went from 58 players down to their opening day 25.

St. Louis Cardinals major league spring training transactions – 2010

40-man roster players are optioned out while non-roster invitees are assigned to the minor leagues. Note that in 2010, an unusual situation occurred in that no NRIs made the team out of camp. That may not be the case in 2011 as non-roster players including veterans Miguel Batista and Ramon Vazquez and youngsters Lance Lynn and Brandon Dickson are among those making their bids to come north with the Cardinals.

The Cardinal Nation subscribers should be sure to check out my recent four-part series looking at the NRI situation in depth.

”Cardinals Veteran NRI Spring History: 2005-10”
”Handicapping the 2011 Cards NRIs: Veterans”
”Handicapping the 2011 Cards NRIs: Prospects”
“Making Room for the Cards NRIs: Outrighting”

Reminder: To track all the 2011 signings, releases and other major roster moves across the entire Cardinals system, check out the Roster Matrix right here at The Cardinal Nation Blog.

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Not all broadcasts will have familiar announcers, but after all, isn’t it better to listen to or watch the opposing team’s crew than to miss the game entirely?

The 2011 spring radio and television schedule opens with the Cardinals-Marlins on Tuesday, March 1. The radio broadcast will originate via St. Louis’ flagship KMOX and will also be picked by XM satellite radio.

Further, all radio games should be available as part of the MLB Gameday audio subscription service. (Note that MLB rules prohibit local stations from live streaming games. For example, though KMOX offers audio streaming through their website, the games will not be available in that manner.)

In the schedule below, some radio games will be broadcast on both the Cardinals network and by the opposition club’s station. I listed KMOX if available and if not, the other team’s station is noted as it should be available via Gameday and perhaps also XM. XM releases their subset of games covered on a weekly basis throughout the month, so I will be updating that part of the schedule as announced.

In terms of television, all networks covering ten Cardinals spring games to be shown are listed. The first TV game is this Thursday, carried live on SportsNet New York and that evening on a delayed basis by MLB Network (as part of their 83-game MLB spring schedule). Among the other ways the following nine games can be viewed is via the internet through the MLB.TV subscription service (offering 150+ spring games across baseball with no spring blackouts).

Keep this page bookmarked as I will be updating it throughout the month as appropriate.

March 3 update: FOX Sports Tennessee announced they will be carrying the same five games as FOX Midwest. The table below is updated to reflect this. More details here.

March 4 update: XM games through March 11 added.

March 12 update: XM games through March 20 added.

St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Spring Training Broadcast Schedule

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The first day’s example is also included here so you can see the wealth of information available daily. Also, check their site regularly for up-to-the minute news from beat writer B.J. Rains and the rest of the FOX Sports Midwest crew.

Monday, Feb. 14 Cardinals Spring Training Updates on FOXSportsMidwest.com

Today’s news at http://www.foxsportsmidwest.com/pages/cardinals_spring_training/0 (http://bit.ly/efnUvB)

• Cardinals unsure of Edmonds‘ availability
• Pujols deadline set for noon eastern time on Wednesday
• Backup catcher Laird excited to be with Cardinals

Video

News

• John Mozeliak talks to the media about the new deadline for Pujols contract talks: http://bit.ly/dIklLv
• FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal on the Pujols negotiations: http://bit.ly/fLocV5

Fun stuff

• Jim Hayes talks to Jason Motte about Motte’s recent wedding and mildly offends Motte in the process: http://bit.ly/hpNsw3
• How Ryan Franklin’s goatee informed his decision to continue pitching: http://bit.ly/fKBG8b
• Kyle Lohse talks about dealing with the perceived distractions of the Pujols negotiations: http://bit.ly/ie986q

Photo gallery

• Monday, Feb. 14: http://bit.ly/gFUTKR

Web: http://FOXSportsMidwest.com
Twitter: @FOX_Sports_MW
Facebook: Facebook.com/FOXSportsMidwest

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Update 2/25: MLB.TV has now published their 150+ game spring schedule that includes nine Cardinals contests. The information is added below. The fee of $119.95 for HD and $99.95 for standard def includes spring and the regular season. Boxes supported include PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and more.

Update 2/17: MLB Network has announced their spring slate of 83 games, four of which include the Cardinals. This does not increase the previous total of ten games as all were previously scheduled on regional networks. However with MLB Network’s national reach, more Cardinals fans have a better chance of seeing these contests now. See the updates in the table below.

Update 2/9: The official slate of games, spring and regular season, has been announced by the Cardinals and FOX Sports Midwest. This includes five spring games, two more than I had previously reported. The March 16 game, already announced on FOX Detroit will also be on FOX Midwest. The March 19 split-squad game at Kissimmee against Houston is new. The table below reflects these updates with the total of spring games televised on any network now up to ten.

My original 2/5 post follows…

Though there has been no announcement, official or otherwise, from the St. Louis Cardinals or FOX Sports Midwest regarding their spring training television schedule, I have learned from other sources there are tentative plans to telecast three games from Florida. This includes the March 26 game against Florida which will be simulcast on FOX Sports Midwest and FOX Sports Florida, brought to viewers via a shared booth of Rick Horton (Cardinals play-by-play) and Tommy Hutton (Marlins analyst).

In addition, while not all of St. Louis’ Florida opponents have divulged their spring television plans, most have. Specifically, the Cardinals’ nearest residents, the Marlins and the Mets, against whom the Cardinals play most often each spring, have announced their March broadcast schedules.

The New Yorkers have picked up three games against St. Louis, two of which will run on SportsNet New York and the other on over-the-air WPIX. This includes an opportunity for early viewing as SNY will be showing the Cardinals’ third game of the spring, on Thursday, March 3.

The schedule includes a game against Detroit on FOX Sports Detroit on the 16th, a Boston contest picked up by New England Sports Network (NESN) on the 20^th and a national ESPN match versus the Mets on March 23.

In fact, during the final week of camp, that ESPN telecast kicks off a run of four consecutive St. Louis games being televised. That includes the Cardinals’ only night contest in Florida this spring, from Viera against the Nationals on Friday, March 25, on FOX Sports Midwest.

All in all, the tentative Cardinals spring training television docket currently sits at nine games.

Which games you will be able see in your area is dependent on a number of factors. Though their schedules have not yet been divulged, it is expected that both the home and away telecasts should be available via MLB.com’s subscription service (with appropriate blackout rules) and perhaps via your satellite provider (depending on your service packages). More details will be provided as they become available.

Cardinals spring radio broadcasts on KMOX, previously announced, are included in the table below.

Tentative Cardinals 2011 Spring Training Broadcast Schedule

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One game will be broadcast on delay due to a conflict with a Blues hockey game and three others are on Cardinals split squad days, March 3, 19 and 29. The basic schedule posted on KMOX’ site does not specify which of the split squad games will be covered, so in the schedule below, I assumed they will be the home contests in Jupiter. The radio games are not yet reflected at MLB.com, but will likely be added soon.

The usual spring Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday-Sunday schedule is generally followed, but there are several deviations. The details are below, with the opponents listed, not included in the KMOX announcement.

It is likely that all these games will be also available via subscription at MLB.com and some will likely be picked up Sirius/XM satellite radio, but those schedules are not yet available. Some opposing team’s broadcasts will also be included in these pay packages, and I will share that information when announced.

In addition, there is one television game announced so far with more coming. The March 23 home game against the New York Mets will be on ESPN as well as KMOX.

Update: The games with the Detroit Tigers on March 16, Boston Red Sox on March 20 and Florida Marlins on March 26 have been added to those clubs’ spring television schedules and are noted below. Though FOX Sports Midwest has yet to announce their slate of games, the 26th game will be among them.

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Back on October 4, when I highlighted the tentative 2011 Spring Training Schedule for the St. Louis Cardinals, I noted the following:

“There may be several end of spring exhibitions added later as the Cardinals travel north, perhaps with minor league clubs. As of now, however, the Cards are off between their final Florida contest on Monday, March 28 and the regular season opener against San Diego at Busch Stadium on Thursday, March 31.”

The first update to that initial plan has been announced by the Springfield Cardinals. St. Louis will return to the southwest Missouri city to take on their Double-A affiliate on Tuesday, March 29 at 7:07 P.M, the minor league club announced in a Tuesday press release.

The “07” start time will be standard for Springfield in 2010 as they celebrate their seventh season of existence in the Texas League. The team is owned by their St. Louis parent.

St. Louis previously visited Springfield for pairs of end-of-spring exhibitions in 2005 and 2008, seasons one and four, however the 2011 match-up will be a single game only.

The only way to guarantee a seat to the March 29 game is by purchasing 2011 Springfield Cardinals season tickets, now on sale by contacting (417) 863-0395. Single-game tickets, including ones for the exhibition game, are expected to go on sale in late February or early March, reports the Springfield News-Leader. The Cardinals’ complete regular-season schedule can be viewed here.

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