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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The external owners of two of the three others are or will soon be actively shopping their clubs. The highest level team, the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, is being prepared for sale. The short-season Class-A Batavia Muckdogs club has been on the market for about 18 months. The third externally-owned affiliate is the Class-A Quad Cities River Bandits.

The not-for-profit Memphis Redbirds Baseball Foundation is preparing a plan to place the team and its home, AutoZone Park, on the market, reports the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The Redbirds have been mired in a complex financial mess for several years that made it almost impossible to sell the team.

Considered one of, if not the best facility in minor league baseball, AutoZone opened in 2000. It came with a resulting heavy load, as its $80.5 million cost set a new record high for a minor league stadium. The combination of the high stadium debt, back tax liabilities and operating expenses out of line with declining revenues led to the deteriorating financial situation.

Fundamental Advisors LP, a private-equity firm, is owned more than $50 million in bond payments by the Foundation. The firm had purchased $25 million of tax-exempt bonds used to finance the ballpark after they went into default. The bonds are backed by the franchise and the stadium.

The current focus of the Foundation appears to be establishing sale parameters that would be acceptable to Fundamental Advisors, since the latter essentially has control of the team and stadium. This would provide a yardstick against which to measure prospective bids.

From the external view at least, the situation in Memphis appears to be improving somewhat. The club’s increase in attendance in 2011 of 31,000 was its first after nine straight years of decline. The business side of the team and the park have been facility-managed since 2009 by Global Spectrum, a unit of media giant Comcast.

When the Redbirds formally reach the market, it is not known if the St. Louis Cardinals will again show interest in acquiring the club. Back in September 2008, the Cardinals signed a letter of intent to purchase the team and rent AutoZone Park, but withdrew four months later due to the muddled finances.

Regarding the on-field product, the Cardinals’ current Player Development Contract with the Redbirds expires at the end of the 2012 season. The two began their relationship in the Pacific Coast League team’s first year, 1998. Agreements are typically executed in two- or four-year increments.

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With the 2011-2012 free agent period underway, it is time for another refresh of the St. Louis Cardinals system roster matrix. This version will reflect the changes made from the conclusion of the World Series until 2012 spring training. The previous matrix reflects the rosters as they evolved from the start of short-season ball through the end of 2011 play.

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

After eight major league and seven minor leaguers declared free agency following the season, the St. Louis Cardinals had 278 players under contract from top to bottom, including 33 players on the 40-man roster. The matrix places each one at his current assigned level in the system based on his placement at the end of the season as well as by position. It is kept updated daily or as 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.

At the end is a group of currently inactive and unassigned players.

Free agents are listed, but are not included in the system-wide totals. As they sign, their organization will be noted.

Full team rosters and player profiles at The Cardinal Nation

Remember that to get detailed profile information on every single one of these 278 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 2011 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:

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 there, just click on a player’s name to be taken to his individual profile page. For example, here is Shelby Miller’s 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

Transactions

11/9: New matrix. Organization total: 278 players. GCL RHR Richard Mendoza released. New total: 277 players.

11/11: Seven released: Mem RHP Bryan Augenstein, Spr OFs Jim Rapoport, D’Marcus Ingram, PB OF Edgar Lara, QC P Cale Johnson, Bat P Manuel De La Cruz, C Kevin Moscatel. New total: 270 players.

11/17: PB RHS Arquimedes Nieto released. New total: 269 players.

11/18: Three added to 40-man roster: RHS Adam Ottavino, RHR Chuckie Fick, LHR Sam Freeman.

11/27: JC 3B Hector Garcia released. New total: 268 players.

12/8: Rule 5 draft: OF Erik Komatsu (Was) onto 40-man. LHR Barret Browning (LAA), RHS Shooter Hunt (Min) to Mem. Taken were Spr C Charlie Cutler (Pit), PB SS Domnit Bolivar (Mil), Bat RHS Javier Avendano (Tor).

12/10: Free agent SS Rafael Furcal re-signs with StL. New total: 269 players.

12/12: IF Ryan Theriot non-tendered, becomes free agent. New total: 268 players.

12/15: LHR J.C. Romero signed to StL. New total: 269 players.

12/18: RHR Hector Corpas released. New total: 268 players.

12/21: LHR R.J. Swindle and 2B/OF Eugenio Velez signed to minor league deals. New total: 270 players.

12/22: Free agent OF Carlos Beltran came to terms on a two-year contract. New total: 271 players.

01/12: C Koyie Hill signed to minor league deal. New total: 272 players.

01/15: QC IF Jason Stidham retired. New total: 271 players.

01/23: PB P Justin Smith retired. Bat OF Victor Encarnacion released. RHP Cole Springer signed. C Adam Lewis invited to minors camp as a tryout player. Both assigned to Batavia on matrix.

The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 01/23/12)

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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The Cardinals’ top farm club, the Memphis Redbirds, takes on the Rangers’ Triple-A club over a dozen times each season in Pacific Coast League action.

In 2011, Round Rock, located near Austin, carried the Rangers flag after what amounted to an affiliate swap with the Houston Astros and the Oklahoma City PCL club. The Rangers had been in Oklahoma City from 1983-2010.

Though the major league Rangers reached the 2010 World Series while the Cardinals missed the playoffs, the Cards were superior at the Triple-A level. Memphis posted a stellar 12-7 regular-season record against Oklahoma City in 2010 and even more importantly, swept them out of the playoffs in three straight. The Redbirds enjoyed the regular-season edge at home (7-3) and on the road (5-4).

This season, however, Memphis lost five of eight to Round Rock both at AutoZone Park and away for an overall 6-10 record against Texas’ PCL club. Plenty of other teams struggled against the Express as well as Round Rock won 87 games, taking their division by 17. Memphis came in second, winners of 77 contests, with their division champion, Omaha, ousting Round Rock in the playoffs.

The Redbirds logged two of their biggest innings of the year against Round Rock, plating seven in the seventh inning on April 30 en route to a 10-7 win and five runs in the fourth inning on July 26 in what would be a 10-4 victory. To be fair, the Express also had two five-run innings against Memphis’ PCL ERA champion pitching staff.

In terms of individual accomplishments, Tony Cruz was an Express killer. On April 28, the catcher had a walkoff RBI single in the 10^th inning of a 6-5 Memphis win. Just two days later, Cruz victimized Round Rock pitcher Zach Phillips for a grand slam, one of six grand slams by a Redbird in 2011. Even better, the next batter up, Aaron Luna, also went deep off Phillips, making it the first of three back-to-back homer attacks for Memphis this past season. On July 26 at Round Rock, Nick Stavinoha drove in six runs, tying for the biggest RBI day by a Memphis hitter in 2011.

In 2010, the Redbirds logged four walkoff victories against Oklahoma City, including in three consecutive games in late July. The successful batters were Daniel Descalso, Mark Hamilton (twice) and Bryan Anderson. Last September 8, Joe Mather launched two home runs in Game 1 of the PCL playoffs versus the RedHawks. Two days later, Lance Lynn (see photo) spun his most masterful performance as a professional, setting the Memphis team record by striking out 16 Oklahoma City batters in the first-round playoff-clinching contest.

On a lifetime regular season basis, Memphis is 108-119 against the Rangers’ Triple-A clubs – Round Rock in 2011 (6-10) and Oklahoma City prior (102-109).

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The auctions are scheduled to run until Friday morning, August 26 with the proceeds going to the National Foundation for Transplants. Click on the links below to be taken to the various auction pages.

ebay auctions:

Adam Ottavino signed #32 jersey

#3, #21 and #46 jerseys

Other related posts:

Link to photos of jerseys being worn in game action

Link to article with background on the promotion

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The club shared these photos from the evening.

Andrew Brown

Brandon Dickson

Nick Stavinoha

Nick Derba

More details on the event can be found here and here.

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Fans can sign up to be an organ donor and there will be drawings for a keyboard organ, a team autographed jersey, and a heart-healthy food basket.

That evening, the team will wear organ-themed jerseys sponsored by the National Foundation for Transplants. A silent auction will take place during the game for fans to bid on the jerseys.

With the special night near, the club has released photos of the actual jerseys. The photos depict the number 16 jersey of catcher Bryan Anderson.

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When I received the following press release, it surely caught my eye. Minor league clubs often get creative in their promotions to try to encourage families to attend games, but this one from the St. Louis Cardinals’ Triple-A Memphis Redbirds is one of the most unique that I can ever recall.

Fireworks are great. The Beach Boys in concert were once fun, but they can’t be everywhere. Both can get old. In fact one of them already is. How many Bobblehead Nights can you have before they lose all their appeal? Last time I visited Springfield, it was Porch Mat Night, but how many front porches do any of us have?

So, let’s give the Redbirds’ promotion department an “A” for effort for their upcoming Organ Donor Night. Encouraging new sign-ups for this vital function is not only creative, but it supports a very good cause.

I admit that I chuckled out loud when I saw the grand prize for the themed drawing planned for August 13. It is a very good thing they specified that it is a “keyboard” organ.

That didn’t compare to my reaction when I spied the artist’s rendering of the commemorative jerseys the Redbirds will be wearing that evening. I just don’t think I would want to bid on one of these. It does put quite a literal spin on the tired line of playing one’s guts out for their team, though.

I suppose the Redbirds staff would say the club is already doing that each night as they have been locked in a heated battle for first place in the Pacific Coast League American North Division.

At this point, there is no confirmation that the Redbirds’ August 13 opponent, the Tucson Padres, plan to wear hospital scrubs-themed uniforms to show solidarity with the promotion.

It is an absolute crying shame that former Redbirds’ fan favorite Bo Hart has long since retired. Maybe they could transplant the gutsy and scrappy second baseman back just for this one special night. If not, perhaps they could scope out getting Bartolo Colon from the New York Yankees to appear.

Memphis Redbirds release:

On Saturday August 13, the Memphis Redbirds will host Organ Donor Night at AutoZone Park with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

The Redbirds will be encouraging fans to sign up to be an organ donor at the National Foundation for Transplants table located on the concourse. Those who sign up or show their driver’s license that they are already a donor will be entered to win a keyboard organ donated by AMRO Music, a team autographed jersey, or a heart healthy basket from US FoodService.

The team will sport organ themed jerseys (picture attached) sponsored by the National Foundation for Transplants. A silent auction will take place during the game on the concourse for fans to bid on the jerseys. An organ transplant recipient will be throwing out the first pitch while post-game fireworks sponsored by Thomas & Betts will round out the night.

More than 111,000 people are waiting for organ transplants, and a new name is added to the waiting list every 11 minutes. Ninety percent of Americans say they support organ donation, but only 38 percent have actually registered as donors while only 26 percent of Shelby County residents have registered. In Tennessee there are 2,504 people currently waiting for transplants.

About NFT

NFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Memphis, Tenn. that has been helping transplant patients overcome financial obstacles since 1983. NFT provides fundraising expertise and advocacy to transplant patients by organizing fundraising campaigns in the patients’ own communities. In the past 28 years, NFT’s fundraising campaigns have generated nearly $59 million to assist patients.

NFT currently assists more than 1,000 transplant candidates and recipients nationwide. For more information about NFT, please call 901.684.1697 or visit www.transplants.org. Click the Transplant Challenge logo to learn more about organ donation.

Join the Redbirds Saturday, August 13 and sign up to be an organ donor. For ticket information call 901.721.6000 or visit memphisredbirds.com.

Update

Welcome to all the readers arriving at The Cardinal Nation Blog from the homepage of Yardbarker.com as well as from the MLB front page of FOXSports.com, where this article is being featured on Friday.

Please come back here often to sample the varied St. Louis Cardinals-related topics and join in the discussions.

Also be sure to check out the main site, TheCardinalNation.com, part of the Scout network in association with FOX Sports.

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With the short-season minor league schedule now underway, it is time for another refresh of the St. Louis Cardinals system roster matrix. This version will reflect the changes made from the first week of 2011 short-season play. The previous matrix reflects the rosters as they evolved from the end of spring camp until then.

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

In the first week of 2011 short-season play, the St. Louis Cardinals had 288 players under contract from top to bottom, including a full 40-man roster. The matrix places each one at his current assigned level in the system based on his placement at the end of last season as well as by position. It is kept updated daily or as 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. The latter group is either denoted by the round drafted or FA (for free agent).

At the end is a group of currently inactive and unassigned players. The final group, 2011 unsigned draftees, is not a part of the signed total.

Full team rosters and player profiles at The Cardinal Nation

Remember that to get detailed profile information on every single one of these 288 Cardinals players, simply check out their free player profiles freshly updated now 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:

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 there, just click on a player’s name to be taken to his individual profile page. For example, here is Shelby Miller’s 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

Transactions

6/24: New matrix. Organization total: 288 players. LHR Iden Nazario from Bat to QC. LHR Justin Wright from QC to PB. RHR Francisco Samuel to PB DL. C Steven Hill from Spr to Mem. 1B Matt Adams off Spr DL.

6/25: C Nick Derba from Mem to Spr. 2B Kolten Wong (1st round) signed, assigned to QC. New total: 289 players.

6/26: LHR Justin Wright onto PB DL. RHR Arquimedes Nieto off PB DL. C Travis Tartamella onto Spr DL.

6/27: IF Nick Punto and 3B David Freese off StL DL. OF Andrew Brown and IF Pete Kozma from StL to Mem. OF Dutch Deol (17th round) signed, assigned to GCL. LHP Justin Edwards from Bat to QC. RHS Carlos Martinez and 2B Starlin Rodriguez from QC to PB. 2B Jose Garcia from Mem to Spr. IF Luis Mateo to PB DL. New total: 290 players.

6/28: RHP Richard Castillo from Spr to PB. IF Freddie Bynum to Mem DL. LHS John Gast from PB to Spr. RHR Eric Binder from JC to Bat.

6/29: RHR Aaron Terry released from PB. IF Domnit Bolivar from Spr to PB. IF Packy Elkins from PB to QC. IF Joey Bergman from QC to Bat. StL RHR Ryan Franklin released. OF Reggie Williams from Bat to GCL. New total: 288 players.

6/30: RHP Brandon Dickson added to 40-man and moved from Mem to StL. Contract of 23rd round RHP Kyle Deese voided (JC). LHR Rich Rundles re-signed to Mem.

7/1: C Cody Stanley onto QC DL. C Kleininger Teran off QC DL.

7/2: Five Latin American signees (DSL): LHPs Dewin Perez, Alirio Negrette, RHP Luis Arias (2012 contract), C Jose Godoy, SS Eliezer Alvarez. FA IF Garrett Wittels signed, assigned to Bat. New total: 294 players.

7/4: C Nick Derba onto Spr DL. C Travis Tartamella off Spr DL. FA LHP Matt Rein signed, assigned to JC. RHP Kevin Jacob (31st round) signed, assigned to Bat. New total: 296 players.

7/5: 1B Albert Pujols off StL DL. LHR Brian Tallet onto StL DL. LHR Ron Mahay, RHR Blaine Boyer signed to minor league contracts, assigned to Mem. SS Kenny Peoples-Walls (4th round) signed, assigned to GCL. New total: 299 players.

7/6: RHS Joe Kelly from PB to Spr. GCL rehab of PB RHR Jeff Lyman ends.

7/7: LHR Daniel Calhoun from PB to Spr. RHRs Jose Rada, Chase Reid onto Spr DL. C Gerald Laird off StL DL. RHP P. J. Walters from Mem to StL, onto 40-man. Mem RHP Bryan Augenstein DFAed. OF Daryl Jones from Mem to Spr. RHS Adam Ottavino, C Steven Hill onto Mem DL. RHP Brandon Dickson, 1B Mark Hamilton from StL to Mem. IF Freddie Bynum off Mem DL. RHP Mike Blazek, LHR Nick Greenwood from Spr to Mem. OF D’Marcus Ingram to Spr DL. C Cody Stanley off QC DL. C Kleininger Teran onto QC DL.

7/9: LHR Ron Mahay activated at PB.

7/11: RHS Blaine Boyer activated at PB. LHS Kevin Siegrist to PB DL. RHP Bryan Augenstein outrighted to Mem. RHS Mike Blazek and LHR Nick Greenwood from Mem to Spr.

7/14: LHR Ron Mahay from PB to Mem. OF Shane Robinson off Mem DL to Spr. C Travis Tartamella to PB DL. RHS Drew Benes from Bat to QC. RHP Javier Avendano to Bat DL.

7/15: RHR Hector Corpas to QC DL (retro 7/12).

7/16: RHR Scott Bittle from GCL to Bat. OF Mike O’Neill from Bat to QC, IF Jonathan Rodriguez, OF Nick Longmire to QC DL. IF Luis Mateo from PB DL to QC.

7/17: OF Kyle Conley off PB DL. OF Edgar Lara onto PB DL. C Nick Derba from Spr DL to Mem. 2B Freddie Bynum onto Mem DL.

7/18: RHS Adam Ottavino off Mem DL. LHS Nick Additon onto temp inactive list.

7/19: OF C.J. McElroy (3rd round) signed, assigned to GCL. New total: 300 players.

7/21:  Spr RHR Brett Zawacki released. RHR Francisco Samuel from PB to Spr. LHR Justin Wright off PB DL. 1B Mark Hamilton to Mem DL. LHS Nick Additon off Mem TI list. New total: 299 players.

7/22: OF Shane Robinson from Spr to Mem. OF Jim Rapoport from Mem to Spr. IF Jonathan Rodriguez off QC DL. OF Mike O’Neill onto QC DL.

7/23: IF Hector Garcia from GCL to JC.

7/25: IF Luis Mateo onto QC DL. OF Nick Longmire off QC DL.

7/26: LHS Nick Additon from Mem to Spr. LHR Daniel Calhoun from Spr to PB. RHS Blaine Boyer from PB to Mem. Bat RHR Scott Bittle released. DSL Ps Carlos Oraa and Alberth Almeida released. RHP Norge Parades signed, assigned to DSL. New total: 297 players.

7/27: LHR Manuel De La Cruz from JC to Bat. OF Colby Rasmus, LHRs Trever Miller and Brian Tallet and RHR P.J. Walters traded to Toronto. RHS Edwin Jackson, LHR Mark Rzepczynski, RHR Octavio Dotel and OF Corey Patterson from Tor to StL.

7/28: LHR Raul Valdes from StL to Mem. LHS Kevin Siegrist off PB DL. RHR Jeff Lyman from PB to Spr.

7/29: IF Nick Punto to StL DL. IF Tyler Greene from Mem to StL. IF Freddie Bynum off Mem DL. RHP Kevin Thomas to Spr DL.

7/30: LHR Rich Rundles to Mem DL. DSL Ps Delvi Rodriguez and Jean Carlos De La Cruz off RL. OF Jose Martinez and P John De Aguas released from DSL. New total: 295 players.

7/31: SS Rafael Furcal acquired from LA Dodgers. Spr OF Alex Castellanos to LA. SS Tyler Greene from StL to Mem. RHR Eduardo Sanchez from 15- to 60-day DL.

8/1: OF Aaron Luna from Mem to Spr. IF/OF Edgar Lara off PB DL. LHP Kevin Siegrist onto PB DL.

8/3: IF Breyvic Valera from GCL to JC. OF Mike O’Neill off QC DL. 1B Victor Sanchez onto QC DL.

8/4: RHP Seth Blair onto QC DL. RHP Hector Corpas off QC DL. 1B Mark Hamilton off Mem DL. IF Donovan Solano from Mem to Spr.

8/5: LHR Manuel De La Cruz to Bat DL. IF/OF Phil Cerreto from PB DL to Bat. Spr RHR Casey Mulligan retired. Spr 2B Jose Garcia to DL.

8/9: RHS Seth Blair off QC DL.

8/10: RHR Lance Lynn onto StL DL. IF/OF Allen Craig off StL DL.

8/11: RHS Deryk Hooker from Spr DL to PB. RHR Joel Pichardo off PB DL and released. RHS Arquimedes Nieto onto PB TI list. RHP Manuel De La Cruz off Bat DL. RHP Sam Gaviglio (5th round) signed, assigned to Bat. OF Aaron Luna to Spr DL. Total remains 295 players.

8/12: 2B Kolten Wong, OF Michael Swinson to QC DL. RHR David Kopp Spr to Mem. RHR Jordan Swagerty PB to Spr. LHR Ron Mahay released from Mem. LHR Rich Rundles off Mem DL. 2B Joey Bergman Bat to QC. OF Edgar Lara PB to QC. LHR Raul Valdes DFA off 40-man, Mem 25-man. C Tony Cruz from StL to Mem. LHR Arthur Rhodes signed to StL. RHR Chase Reid off Spr DL to PB. LHS Kevin Siegrist off PB DL. New total still 295.

8/13: RHS Seth Blair back to QC active roster. RHP Chris Costantino (43rd) signed, assigned to JC. RHR Eric Binder released from Bat. RHS Blaine Boyer released from Mem. LHS Nick Additon from Spr to Mem. RHS Arquimedes Nieto off PB TI to Spr. 2B Jose Garcia off Spr DL. New total 294 players.

8/15: OF Charlie Tilson (2nd round) signed, assigned to GCL. RHR Francisco Samuel to Spr DL. RHS Kevin Thomas off Spr DL.

8/16: Spr RHS Shelby Miller suspended. C Nick Derba onto Mem DL. LHS Ryan Sherriff from JC to Bat. Mem LHR Raul Valdes claimed by NYY off waivers. New total 293 players.

8/17: RHR Ethan Cole signed, assigned to Bat. IF/OF Phil Cerreto to Bat DL. New total: 294 players.

8/18: RHS Seth Maness from Bat to PB. RHS Deryk Hooker from PB to Spr.

8/21: C Audry Perez onto Spr DL. C Travis Tartamella off Spr DL. OF Victor Encarnacion from GCL to Bat.

8/23: RHS Shelby Miller off Spr SL. RHS Arquimedes Nieto from Spr to PB. RHS Carlos Martinez onto PB DL.

8/24: OF Reggie Williams from GCL to Bat. RHP Juan Bautista from DSL to JC. LHP Jonathan Cornelius and OF Roberto Reyes onto Bat DL. RHS Seth Blair off QC DL. RHR Hector Corpas onto QC DL. Purchased contract of SS Vance Albitz from Lincoln of American Assoc and assigned to Bat. New total: 295 players.

8/25: OF Charlie Tilson from GCL to JC. LHR Manuel De La Cruz to Bat DL.

8/27: 1B Phil Cerreto off Bat DL.

8/28: 2B Kolten Wong off QC DL. OF Mike O’Neill from QC to GCL. RHS Carlos Martinez off PB DL. RHP Seth Maness from PB to QC. Ps Brandon Creath, Tyler Melling and Willy Paulino from GCL to JC.

8/30: OF Edgar Lara from QC to PB. OF Mike O’Neill from GCL to QC. RHP Cale Johnson from QC to JC. RHS Todd McInnis onto Bat DL.

8/31: IF Greg Garcia onto PB DL.

9/1: RHS Brandon Dickson from Mem to StL. C Nick Derba off Mem DL. RHS Mike Blazek from Spr to Mem. RHR Francisco Samuel off Spr DL. LHS Jonathan Cornelius off Bat DL. RHS Jose Almarante onto Bat DL.

9/2: OF Shane Robinson to 40-man roster, from Mem to StL. RHR Lance Lynn from 15- to 60-day DL.

9/3: RHP Maikel Cleto from Mem to StL.

9/5: LHS Hector Hernandez from Bat to QC.

9/6: C Tony Cruz, SS Tyler Greene, OF Adron Chambers from Mem to StL. IF Nick Punto off StL DL. RHS Seth Blair to QC SL. C Jonathan Keener from JC to QC. OF Mike O’Neill from QC to Bat.

9/13: RHR Eduardo Sanchez off 60-day DL. Spr RHR Francisco Samuel DFAed.

9/25: Contract of DSL RHP Luis Arias voided. New total 294.

10/9: RHR Lance Lynn off 60-day DL. OF Andrew Brown DFAed.

10/12: OF Andrew Brown claimed off outright waivers by COL. New organization total: 293 players.

The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 10/19/11)

Codes
(DL): injured – on the disabled list
(I): injured and assigned to Extended Spring Training
(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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This observation comes from a guy who blogged before blogging became cool and then common, tried MySpace early on before Facebook won that battle, but was slow to hop onto the Twitter bandwagon.

Along with non-insiders stepping up to report on their favorite organizations, the many voices in cyberspace have been joined by teams themselves. Savvy clubs are using multiple forms of social media to present their stories to the fans directly.

A poster at The Cardinal Nation message board recently noted that the Quad Cities River Bandits have established their own YouTube channel. Professionally presented highlights are being added daily during homestands. Josh Jones mentioned similar initiatives from Springfield and Palm Beach and Memphis has a channel that was used more extensively in 2010.

Needless to say, YouTube is an excellent vehicle for fans to actually get a look at the younger players written about here and elsewhere.

As a side point, MiLB.TV has been a disappointment in this area. It really should be called Triple-A TV instead as telecasts of lower level games available on the web are rare. That isn’t the fault of the MiLB folks as they pick up whatever is available and most minor league contests are not being filmed in broadcast quality.

At any rate, recent examples of the YouTube content from Palm Beach and Quad Cities follows. Clips vary from game highlights to interviews, bloopers, upcoming promotions and more. Memphis’ and Springfield’s channels aren’t updated as frequently, but are still worth monitoring.

Links are also provided below so you can subscribe to the channels and have the option of being informed when new content is posted. You can use either your YouTube or Google account.

The clubs are still in their infancy in deploying these channels, with the three lower level clubs currently having only about a dozen subscribers with Memphis at about three dozen. As more people are made aware, however, the use of these YouTube channels could skyrocket.

Memphis

Springfield

Palm Beach

Quad Cities

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With the full-season minor league schedule underway, it is time for another refresh of the St. Louis Cardinals system roster matrix. This version will reflect all changes made from the start of the 2011 regular season. The previous matrix reflects the rosters at the conclusion of the spring camp.

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

As the 2011 regular season opened, the St. Louis Cardinals had 276 players under contract from top to bottom, including a full 40-man roster. The matrix places each one by position at his current assigned level in the system or his placement at the end of last season whichever is most recent. It is kept updated daily or as 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.

Full team rosters and player profiles at The Cardinal Nation

Remember that to get detailed profile information on every single one of these 276 Cardinals players, simply check out their free player profiles freshly updated now 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:

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 there, just click on a player’s name to be taken to his individual profile page. For example, here is Shelby Miller’s 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

Transactions

4/7: New matrix. Organization total: 276 players.

4/7: Memphis LHR Tyler Norrick released. New total: 275 players.

4/10: OF Adam Melker from EST to PB.

4/11: OF D’Marcus Ingram onto PB suspended list. LHP Daniel Calhoun off PB DL. RHP Arquimedes Nieto onto PB DL. OF Oscar Taveras onto QC DL. OF Virgil Hill from EST to QC.

4/13: STL RPs Brian Tallet and Bryan Augenstein onto 15-day DL. RHRs Eduardo Sanchez and Fernando Salas from Mem to StL. RHR Cory Rauschenberger from Spr to Mem. RHR Victor Marte acquired from Kansas City (Omaha). LHR Nick Greenwood and RHR Jose Rada from PB to Spr. RHR Ricky Martinez from EST to PB. New total: 276 players.

4/14: LHR Samuel Freeman from Spr DL to PB. RHR Jared Bradford off PB DL. RHR Ricky Martinez from PB to EST.

4/15: Spr C Steven Hill onto DL. Spr C Charles Cutler off DL.

4/17: Mem OFs Shane Robinson and Andrew Brown onto DL. OF Jim Rapoport and IF Freddie Bynum off DL. PB RHR Jared Bradford released. RHP Cale Johnson from EST to PB. New total: 275 players.

4/18: RHP Cale Johnson from PB to EST. 1B Xavier Scruggs off Spr DL to PB.

4/19: OF Aaron Luna from Spr to Mem. IF/OF Eric Duncan signed to minor league contract and assigned to Spr. 2B Skip Schumaker and OF Allen Craig onto StL DL. 1B Mark Hamilton from Mem to StL. IF Nick Punto off StL DL. RHR Adam Reifer onto Mem DL. RHR Pete Parise off Mem DL. OF Jarred Bogany to PB DL. OF Ryde Rodriguez off PB DL. New total: 276 players.

4/22: RHR Brett Zawacki to Spr DL. RHR Jesse Simpson from PB to Spr. LHR Tyler Lyons from EST to PB.

4/24: Six players released from EST: IFs Luis Pimentel, Wader Perez, Wilfred Vivas, RHPs Deimer Bier and Amaury Castillo and LHP Adriano Uribe. New total: 270 players.

4/25: OF Andrew Brown off Mem DL. OF Daryl Jones onto Mem DL.

4/28: 1B Phil Cerreto to PB DL. LHP Hector Hernandez from EST to PB. RHP Chris Corrigan from QC to PB. RHP Cale Johnson from EST to QC. 1B Victor Sanchez from QC to EST. IF Romulo Ruiz from EST to QC.

4/29: LHP Hector Hernandez returned to EST from PB.

4/30: OF Oscar Taveras off QC DL. OF Michael Swinson placed on QC DL. RHR Casey Mulligan onto Spr DL. RHR Brett Zawacki off Spr DL.

5/1: OF Virgil Hill from QC to EST. OF Chris Edmondson from EST to QC.

5/2: StL 3B David Freese onto 15-day DL. OF Allen Craig off DL.

5/4: OF Kyle Conley from QC to PB. RHP Andrew Moss released from QC. IF Starlin Rodriguez and LHP Ryan Copeland from EST to QC. New total: 269 players.

5/5-7: RHS Carlos Martinez from EST to QC. RHS Jordan Swagerty from QC to PB. RHS Maikel Cleto, LHR Samuel Freeman, IF Alan Ahmady from PB to Spr. OF Tyler Henley, LHR Ryan Kulik released from Spr. RHR Jose Rada onto Spr DL. IF Matt Valaika released from EST. OF Ryde Rodriguez released from PB. IF Phil Cerreto off PB DL. OF D’Marcus Ingram off PB SL. New total: 265 players.

5/10: LHR Rich Rundles onto Mem DL.

5/11: LHP Nick Additon from Spr to Mem. C Robert Stock off QC DL. C Juan Castillo from QC to PB. C Audry Perez from PB to Spr. OF Oscar Taveras onto QC DL. OF Michael Swinson off QC DL. IF Phil Cerreto onto PB DL. C Kleininger Teran from EST to QC DL.

5/12: OF Virgil Hill from EST to QC. QC OF Frederick Parejo released. OF Jarred Bogany off PB DL. OF Adam Melker onto PB DL. C Charles Cutler onto Spr TI list. RHR Jose Rada off Spr DL. RHR Brett Zawacki from Spr to PB. RHS David Kopp off Spr DL. New total: 264 players.

5/13: IF Freddie Bynum onto Mem DL. OF Daryl Jones off Mem DL.

5/14: OF Tommy Pham onto Spr DL. C Charles Cutler off Spr TI list.

5/16: RHR Jess Todd claimed off waivers from NYY and optioned to Mem. RHR Bryan Augenstein moved from 15-day to 60-day DL. New total: 265 players.

5/18: IF Nick Punto to StL DL. SS Pete Kozma from Mem to StL. RHR Blake King from Mem to Spr. Spr RHR Matt Frevert released. New total: 264 players.

5/19: RHR Chase Reid from PB to Spr. RHR Keith Butler from QC to PB. RHS Deryk Hooker into Spr DL. 1B Mark Hamilton from StL to Mem. LHR Brian Tallet off StL DL.

5/20: RHR Aidan Lucas from EST to QC.

5/21: IF Packy Elkins from QC to PB. IFs Romulo Ruiz, Yunier Castillo from QC to EST. IFs Colin Walsh, Victor Sanchez, Ronny Gil from EST to QC. PB IF Ronald Ramirez released. C Luis De La Cruz off PB DL. RHP Aaron Terry onto PB DL. New total: 263 players.

5/22: RHP Chris Corrigan onto PB DL.

5/23: C Gerald Laird to StL DL. 2B Skip Schumaker off StL DL. C Tony Cruz from Mem to StL. RHR Mitchell Boggs from StL to Mem. RHP Brian Broderick returned from Washington (Rule 5) and assigned to Mem. C Nick Derba from Spr to Mem. OF Tommy Pham off Spr DL. LHR Ryan Copeland to QC DL. LHR Dean Kiekhefer from EST to QC. New total: 264 players.

5/24: 3B Zack Cox from PB to Spr. 3B Niko Vasquez from Spr to PB. RHP Wilson Matos released. New total: 263 players.

5/25: Mem RHR Jason Buursma released. C Steven Hill off Spr DL. C Charles Cutler onto Spr DL. New total: 262 players.

5/26: RHR Francisco Guzman released from EST. Spr RHR Blake King claimed off outright waivers by Houston. Mem OF Aaron Luna to TI list. RHP Angel Tapia from DSL to EST. IF Leandro Mateo signed, sent to EST. Three old RL players off DSL roster: Pedro Pena, Rosalin Rudecindo, Braulio Hiraldo. Ariel Gonzalez to DSL RL. Carlos Oraa to DSL DL. RHP Jackson Solarte released from DSL.  New total: 257 players.

5/27: RHR Aaron Terry off PB DL. Mem RHS P.J. Walters outrighted off 40-man. DSL RHP Jefferson Segundo released. Four DSL signings: RHP Hector Salazar, C Luis Cruz, CIF Alejandro Mejia, OF Carlos Torres. New total: 260 players.

5/29: Mem LHR Rich Rundles released. Mem RHR Pete Parise onto DL. Mem OF Aaron Luna off TI list. New total: 259 players.

5/30: QC OF Nick Longmire onto DL. QC C Kleininger Teran off DL.

6/1: PB IF Packy Elkins to DL. IF Ted Obregon from EST to PB. PB OF Jarred Bogany released. PB OF Adam Melker off DL. RHS Shelby Miller from PB to Spr. LHS Kevin Siegrist from QC to PB. Mem IF Ramon Vazquez released. Mem IF Freddie Bynum off DL. New total: 257 players.

6/2: RHS Lance Lynn from Mem to StL (added to 40-man). RHP Maikel Cleto from Spr to StL. RHS Kyle McClellan and OF Matt Holliday onto StL DL. Released LHP Hector Cardenas from EST. New total: 256 players.

6/3: RHP Maikel Cleto from StL to Spr. SS Pete Kozma from StL to Mem. 1B Mark Hamilton from Mem to StL. 3B Matt Carpenter from Mem to StL (added to 40-man). RHR Pete Parise off Mem DL.

6/4: IF Greg Garcia from QC to PB. IF Joey Bergman from EST to QC. IF Jose Garcia from Spr to Mem. From PB to Spr: RHR Jorge Rondon, C Travis Tartamella, IF Domnit Bolivar. From Spr to PB: UT Alan Ahmady, RHR Jesse Simpson.

6/5: C Charles Cutler off Spr DL. 1B Matt Adams onto Spr DL.

6/6: OF Tommy Pham onto Spr DL. OF D’Marcus Ingram from PB to Spr. RHR Chris Corrigan off PB DL.

6/9: RHP Ryan Copeland, OF Nick Longmire off QC DL. C Kleininger Teran onto QC DL. OF Lance Jeffries (10th round) signed. OF Pat Biserta released from EST.

6/10: RHP Mitchell Boggs from Mem to StL. RHS Lance Lynn from StL to Mem. Mem RHR Jess Todd outrighted.

6/12: OF Andrew Brown from Mem to StL and added to 40-man. OF Allen Craig to StL DL. OF Oscar Taveras off QC DL. OF Virgil Hill from QC to BAT (EST). C Jesus Montero to PB from EST. C Juan Castillo from PB to BAT (EST).

6/13: C Robert Stock from QC to PB. C Geoff Klein from EST to QC. C Jesus Montero from PB to JC (EST). OF Kyle Conley to PB DL. IF Packy Elkins onto PB DL.

26 drafted players signed.New total: 282 players.

OF Nick Martini (7th rd.) to BAT. LHP Danny Miranda (8) to BAT. RHP Tyler Mills (9) to JC. RHP Seth Maness (11) to BAT. 1B Danny Stienstra (12) to Bat. C Kolby Byrd (13) to JC. SS Matt Williams (15) to JC. RHP Travis Miller (16) to BAT. LHP Kyle Held (18) to JC. LHP Nick Gillung (19) to JC. RHP Kyle Deese (23) to JC. LHP Jonathan Cornelius (24) to BAT. RHP Todd McInnis (25) to BAT. OF Gary Apelian (27) to JC. LHP Ryan Sherriff (28) to JC. RHP David Bergin (30) t0 JC. C Jonathan Keener (32) to JC. RHP Heath Wyatt (33) to JC. RHP Drew Madrigal (35) to BAT. C Casey Rasmus (36) to BAT. RHP Brad Watson (37) to JC. 3B Jeremy Patton (38) t0 BAT. LHP Tyler Melling (39) to GCL. 1B Michael Knox (41) to JC. RHP Brandon Creath (44) to GCL. RHP Casey Baker (49) to BAT.

6/15: RHS Kyle McClellan off StL DL. 3B Matt Carpenter from StL to Mem. FA SS Neal Pritchard signed, assigned to JC. New total: 283 players.

6/16: RHR Eduardo Sanchez onto StL DL. OF Matt Holliday off StL DL.

6/17: Signed FA LHP Adam Bileckyj to BAT. New total: 284 players.

6/18: IF Pete Kozma from Mem to StL. RHP Maikel Cleto from Spr to StL. IF Tyler Greene and 1B Mark Hamilton from StL to Mem.

6/20: RHR Brett Zawacki from PB to Spr. RHR Francisco Samuel off Mem DL to PB.

6/21: 1B Albert Pujols to StL DL. 1B Mark Hamilton from Mem to StL.

6/22: StL RHR Miguel Batista released. RHP Lance Lynn from Mem to StL. New total 283.

6/23: RHS David Kopp off 40-man. LHR Raul Valdes onto 40-man, from Mem to StL. RHP Maikel Cleto from StL to Mem. RHP Bryan Augenstein off StL DL, optioned to Mem.

Signed player update: New total 288 players.

P Drew Madrigal (35th- BAT) retired. C Adam Ehrlich (6th) signed, to GCL. 2B Tyler Rahmatulla (34th) signed, to JC. FA RHPs Eric Binder, Logan Billbrough signed, to JC.

The players in Extended Spring Training are listed in two groups. The first, called “old,” are the holdovers from regular camp. The “new” players arrived in early April.

At the end is a group of currently inactive and unassigned players.

There will be a new roster matrix once the June draft has passed and short season ball begins.

The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 06/22/11)

Codes

(DL): injured – on the disabled list
(I): injured and assigned to Extended Spring Training
(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+I+TI+SL+RL+MIL+TO) players

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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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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 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.