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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 04/01

Brian Walton — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:30:35 +0000

On Sunday, the St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers had their final games of the spring. It was yet another camp day – with a twist.

With the Springfield club preparing for their Monday exhibition against St. Louis at Hammons Field in Springfield, the matchups were different. Memphis faced Palm Beach while Quad Cities matched up against the extended spring training players on the George Kissell Quad behind Roger Dean.

Memphis and Palm Beach tied, while the EST players exacted some revenge on the Quad Cities players who beat them out. The Cardinals’ spring record against external minor league competition remained at 21-16-4.

Sunday’s Pitcher of the Day: Quad Cities right-hander Sam Gaviglio is back here again. This time out, the 21-year-old right-hander from Oregon State allowed just two EST baserunners over four scoreless innings. The Cards’ fifth-rounder from last June’s draft struck out five.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Maybe outfielder Virgil Hill was disappointed about apparently not getting another shot at Quad Cities – yet. One thing is for sure – the extended spring training player put some hurt on the baseball Sunday with seven total bases on a triple and a home run. The 22-year-old also had three RBI.

Special thanks to Cardinals farm director John Vuch, who shared game stats all month long. As always, the raw numbers are his, but the comments mine.

The Cardinal Nation subscribers can check out the full minor league schedule and spring training working rosters. The entire system view by level and position is available via the Roster Matrix, right here at The Cardinal Nation Blog.

Memphis 1, Palm Beach 1

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Brian Broderick	5	7	1	0	4	Opened last season in Nationals’ pen
Chuckie Fick	2		0		3	40-man roster addition over the winter
Barrett Browning	1		0		1	47 K but 35 BB in 66.1 IP for Salt Lake in 11

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Bryan Anderson	3		2						Good to see his bat isn’t disappointed
Jermaine Curtis	2		1	1	1				May make team in place of Aaron Luna
Anthony Bryant	2		1		1
Chris Swauger	2		1						Moving up from Springfield last 1.5 seasons
Pete Kozma		1							Starting at second base for Memphis in 2011

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Richard Castillo	3	3	0	1	1	Strong Pitcher of the Day contender
Dean Kiekhefer	2	3	0		1	One unearned run allowed
Justin Wright	2		0	1	3	31 of 37 career appearances were scoreless
R.J. Swindle	1	1	0		1	Veteran free agent will open with Memphis

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Lance Berkman	3	1	3		1				What did you expect from a ringer?
Alan Ahmady	2		1						Can play all over
Geoff Klein	2		1	1	1				Catcher has been in these reports often lately
Ronny Gil	1		1
Travis Tartamella	1		1
Nick Longmire	3		1						Looking for rebound after quiet 2011

Extended spring training 4, Quad Cities 3

Quad Cities pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Sam Gaviglio	4	1	0	1	5	Highest-drafted Cards pitcher last June
Brandon Creath	1	1	1		1	11.84 K/9 IP was #2 in Appy League in 11
Willy Paulino	1	3	3		3	Seems like many runs allowed this camp
Travis Miller	1	1	0		2	28 appearances in 11 tied for 1st in NYPL

Quad Cities hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Matt Williams	3	1	1						SS continues to impress
David Medina	3	1	1						Regular in these reports to play OF mostly
Adam Lewis	2	1	1	1			1		Tryout C apparently has earned a contract
Roberto De La Cruz	3		1
Colin Walsh								2	Career .371 OBP in two pro seasons
Nick Martini								2	Drew 28 BB vs. 34 K in rookie GCL campaign

Extended spring pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Dail Villanueva	4	2	1	2	1	3.64 ERA in US debut – 2011 GCL
Shooter Hunt	1	1	1		1	Spent last 2 years at High-A
Dyllon Nuernberg	1	1	1	2		5.36 career ERA in two seasons
Kevin Jacob	1		0		2	31st-rounder in 2011 from Georgia Tech

Extended spring hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Virgil Hill	3		2	3		1	1		Clearly our Player of the Day
Gerwuins Velazco	2		1					1	20 y/o Venezuelan hit .245 in 2011 GCL
Kolby Byrd	1	1	1						C making his only AB of the day count
Adam Ehrlich	2		1						C was Cards’ 6th-rounder in 2011
Gary Apelian	3		1						OPS’ed .845 for Johnson City last season

Subscribers to the main site, TheCardinalNation.com, should continue to check out my extensive spring training content over the upcoming days. Today’s addition is an in-depth interview with outfield prospect Tommy Pham.

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/31

Brian Walton — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 02:46:11 +0000

On Saturday, the Cardinals had yet another camp day, their sixth of the spring. Memphis faced Springfield while Palm Beach and Quad Cities matched up on the George Kissell Quad behind Roger Dean.

Springfield and Palm Beach were victorious. The Cardinals’ spring record against external minor league competition remains at 21-16-4.

Saturday’s Player of the Day: Shortstop Matt Williams had two doubles in four at-bats for Quad Cities, but no one drove him home.

Saturday’s Pitcher of the Day: Springfield’s Scott Gorgen has made his second consecutive appearance in this space. On Saturday, the returnee from Tommy John surgery allowed just three hits and no runs in four scoreless innings. Gorgen fanned five.

As he has been doing the last few seasons, Cardinals farm director John Vuch is sharing game stats with this site and several others with interest in Cardinals prospects. As always, the raw numbers are his, but the comments mine.

Springfield 4, Memphis 0

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Brandon Dickson	4	9	4		3	Will open in Memphis’ rotation again
Adam Reifer	2	1	0		1	Is he getting back into form?

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Chris Swauger	2		1		1				7th in Texas League with .296 average in 2011
Sam Tuivailala	2		1		1				Cards 3rd-rounder in 2010 draft
Pete Kozma	2		1		1				Still on the 40-man roster
Jermaine Curtis	2		1						Even pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings last summer

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Scott Gorgen	4	3	0	0	5	Career ERA of 2.97 over three seasons
Nick Greenwood	1	1	0			LHR was non-roster MLB camp invitee

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Jake Shaffer	4	1	1						First Cardinals hit – just signed
Xavier Scruggs	3	1	2						Yesterday’s Player of the Day keeps hitting
Niko Vasquez	3		1	2					Two-run single
Kolten Wong	2	1	1						Top-ranked second baseman in the system
Greg Garcia	3		1	1	1
Rainel Rosario	3		1	1	1				Led PB in hits, doubles and RBI in 2011
Nick Derba	2		1
Jose Garcia	1		1		1				Second in system with .320 BA last year

Palm Beach 6, Quad Cities 1

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Drew Benes	4	4	1		2	Four starts, 34 career relief appearances
Chase Reid	2	1	0		3	2.28 ERA in 19 pen G for Palm Beach
Zack Russell	2	1	0	2	1	Made 23 starts for Quad Cities in 2011
Jose Pasen	1		0	1		OBA of .252 was 5th-best for Appy SPs in 11

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Ronny Gil	4	1	2	1	1				Fifth in system with 18 stolen bases last year
Starlin Rodriguez	3	1	1						2011 Midwest League All-Star
Mike O’Neill	3	1	1	1				1
Luis De La Cruz	1	1	1					1	C was non-roster spring training camp invitee
Nick Longmire	3		1		1
Alan Ahmady	3		1	1	1				Drew 71 walks last season in 110 games
Vance Albitz	2		1					1	Signed last August 24 from independent ball
Jonathan Rodriguez	2		1	2					4th in MWL with 20 HRs, 5th in OBP at .389
Packy Elkins	0	1						1

Quad Cities pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Todd McInnis	4.2	4	1	1	3	2011 NY-Penn League All-Star
Robert Stock	1	3	4	1		There are going to be some bumps in road
Iden Nazario	0.2	1	1	2	2	Fanned 39 in 33 1/3 innings
Danny Miranda	1	2	0			15 saves led the 2011 NY-Penn League

Quad Cities hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Matt Williams	4		2		2				.845 OPS for Johnson City in rookie 2011 season
Colin Walsh			1		1			1
Anthony Garcia			1	1			1
David Medina	4		1						2011 NY-Penn League All-Star
Roberto De La Cruz	4		1						Signed for $1.1 million in Dominican in 2008

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/30

Brian Walton — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 02:28:56 +0000

On Friday, the Cardinals’ two lower-level clubs, Palm Beach and Quad Cities, traveled to the New York Mets’ home at Port St. Lucie while Memphis and Springfield remained home at the Roger Dean Stadium complex to face the Mets’ Triple-A and Double-A clubs.

It was the Cardinals first sweep of the spring as all four clubs claimed wins on the day. The Cardinals’ spring record against external minor league competition improved to 21-16-4.

Friday’s Player of the Day: Springfield’s Xavier Scruggs had seven total bases with a triple and home run in three at-bats, plated three and even added a walk. The right-handed slugger has 62 home runs in four pro seasons, but just five triples.

Friday’s Pitcher of the Day: Springfield’s Seth Maness yielded four hits and no walks in five shutout innings. The right-hander was a New York-Penn League All-Star, then pitched for Palm Beach and Quad Cities last season, his first as a professional.

On Saturday, the Cardinals have yet another camp day, their sixth of the spring. Memphis will face Springfield while Palm Beach and Quad Cities will match up on the George Kissell Quad behind Roger Dean.

Memphis 2, Buffalo 1

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Nick Additon	4.1	1	0	4	5	5th in system with 128 Ks last season
Jess Todd	2.2	3	0	0	4	One unearned run
Barrett Browning	1	0	0	1	2	LHR Rule 5 addition from Angels
R.J. Swindle	1	1			1	Former Tampa Bay lefty

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Zack Cox	3		2						Has to be happy for Matt Carpenter and himself
Pete Kozma	4		2						May be second base starter
Mark Hamilton		1	1	1			1	1	Will be playing in outfield in 2012
Chris Swauger				1	1				2-out go-ahead RBI double in the 7th
Sam Tuivailala					1			1
Steven Hill		1			1

Springfield 4, Binghamton 2

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Seth Maness	5	4	0	0	2	Moved quickly in 2011 rookie year
Kevin Thomas	2	1	0		2	One unearned run
Jorge Rondon	1	1	1	1		57:46 K:BB ratio in 11 bet. PB and Spr
Eric Fornataro	1	1	0		1	5th in system in IP last season (144.2)

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Xavier Scruggs	3	1	2	3		1	1	1	Check out his blog all about his bats
Niko Vasquez	3	1	2		2				Batted just .226 last year bet. PB and Springfield
Adam Melker	4		2		1				Then went over to MLB game and doubled again
Kenny Peoples-Walls	1	1	1		1				4th rounder in 2011 began with GCL
Audry Perez			1		1

Palm Beach 9, St. Lucie 2

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Seth Blair	5	5	2	2	3	Looking to put behind inconsistent 2011
Aidan Lucas	2	2	0		2	One of my unheralded pitchers to watch
Heath Wyatt	2	0	0	1	1	3rd in Appy League with eight saves in 11

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Geoff Klein	2		2	4	1			1	Strong Player of the Day contender
Luis De La Cruz				2			1		Two-run blast
Jeremy Patton	4		2	1					38th-rounder had strong rookie year with Batavia
Neil Pritchard	1		1
David Bergin	1		1
Charlie Tilson		1						1
Starlin Rodriguez	3	2	1					1	2B is our #27-ranked Cards prospect

Quad Cities 6, Savannah 4

Quad Cities pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Tyrell Jenkins	4	7	4	1	4	Our #8 Cardinals prospect for 2012
Ricky Martinez	2	0	0	0	1	Career 3.03 ERA in two seasons
Robert Revesz	1	0	0	0	0	LHP missed entire 2011 season
Cody Springer	1	0	0	0	0	Free agent signee – Southern Arkansas
Ethan Cole	1	0	0	0	1	Only threw 10 2/3 innings in Batavia debut

Quad Cities hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Matt Williams	3		3		1	1			Did not hit into a double play the entire 2011 season
Roberto Reyes	2		1	3			1		Very productive day at the plate
Jesus Montero	3		2						C batted .276 for Johnson City last year
David Medina	3	2	2					2	7th in system with .382 OBP in 2011
Tyler Rahmatulla	3		1						Having nice spring
Colin Walsh					1
Anthony Garcia	3	1	1	1					Ranked #22 on our top 40 prospect list
Roberto De La Cruz			1						3B will see time at 1B and in OF in 2012

Subscribers to the main site, TheCardinalNation.com, should continue to check out my extensive spring training content over the upcoming days. Today’s addition is a 25-minute in-depth interview with John Vuch.

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/29

Brian Walton — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:29:23 +0000

On Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ five minor league clubs faced their Miami Marlins counterparts for the final time of the spring, just as did the major league clubs. The farm team games were held on the Marlins side of the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

Springfield and Quad Cities White claimed wins on the day, while Memphis, Palm Beach and Quad Cities Red were defeated. The Cardinals’ spring record against external minor league competition sits at 17-16-4.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Springfield infielder Greg Garcia had a perfect outing at the plate, walking twice, singling twice, scoring twice and driving in one. The 22-year-old was sixth in the entire system in OBP last season at .384. On this day, it was 1.000.

Thursday’s Pitcher of the Day: Anthony Ferrara threw five shutout innings for Palm Beach, allowing just four baserunners on three hits and a walk. The 22-year-old lefty logged 13 wins as a member of Quad Cities’ rotation in 2011.

On Friday, the Cardinals’ two lower-level clubs, Palm Beach and Quad Cities, will travel to the New York Mets’ home at Port St. Lucie while Memphis and Springfield remain home at the Roger Dean Stadium complex to face the Mets’ Triple-A and Double-A clubs.

New Orleans 4, Memphis 1

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Shelby Miller	5	6	2	0	2	Not a dominating spring for #1 prospect
Sam Freeman	1	1	0			One unearned run against lefty
Chuckie Fick	1	0	0	0	0	40-man roster reliever
Maikel Cleto	1	0	0	0	1	Conversion to reliever is permanent
Eduardo Sanchez	1	2	0	0	2	One unearned run for our #7 prospect

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Amaury Cazana					1				The legend continues
Mark Hamilton		1	1
Pete Kozma			1	1					Two-out RBI hit
Jermaine Curtis	2		1
Jeremy Patton	3		1						MO native had .825 OPS with Batavia in 2011
Adron Chambers	4		1						First appearance in this report after being w/StL
Chris Swauger	4		1

Springfield 8, Jacksonville 7

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Michael Blazek	4.1	4	3	2	5	Made 24 Double-A starts in 11 and looks to be back
Deryk Hooker	2	2	1		3	Only threw 65 1/3 IP last season due to injury
Scott Schneider	0.1	2	3	2	1	Started 20 and relieved in 15 for 2011 S-Cards

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Kolten Wong	5	1	3						A regular in this report this spring
Oscar Taveras	4	1	2						Springfield jump looks real
Greg Garcia	2	2	2	1				2	Folks had better remember his name
Jose Garcia	3	2	1	1	1			2	Also had solid Memphis trial last season
Adam Melker			1	1	1
Nick Derba			1	2	1				90 RBI in 924 career ABs over five seasons
Tommy Pham			1	1					Injury last week was just a stinger

Jupiter 2, Palm Beach 0

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Anthony Ferrara	5	3	0	1	2	PB would be his fifth level in 5 seasons – at QC in 11
Jesse Simpson	2				2	ERA four runs higher at Springfield vs. PB last year
Shooter Hunt	2	2	2	2	2	At least the line was symmetric
Willy Paulino	1	0	0	0	0

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Charlie Tilson	4		2						Could he make a full season club?
Mike O’Neill			1					2	OF moved wherever needed in 2011
Vance Albitz	2		1
Travis Tartamella	2		1
Packy Elkins	3		1

Greensboro 8, Quad Cities (Red) 2

Quad Cities Red pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Hector Hernandez	3	6	4	3	1	No one escaped unscathed on this day
Dyllon Nuernberg	2	3	1	1	2	53 Ks in 48 2/3 career innings
Bradley Watson	2	4	2	1		Our 2011 GCL Cardinals Starter of the Year
Brandon Creath	2	2	1	3	3	11.84 K/9 IP 2nd among GCL relievers in 2011

Quad Cities Red hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Roberto Reyes	4		2		1				OF has .233 career BA over four seasons
Virgil Hill	4		2						32-for-49 in steals over first three summers
Nick Martini			1
Luis Mateo	3		1	1				1
Colin Walsh	2		1	1
Garrett Wittels	2		2						College hit king for Florida International

Quad Cities (White) 5, Jamestown 3

Quad Cities White pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Kyle Hald	4	6	3	0	5	Lefty was 2011 Appy League All-Star with 1.84 ERA
Nick Gillung	2	0	0	1	1	1.73 ERA for 2011 Johnson City champs
Kevin Jacob	2	0	0	0	3	Fanned 18 but walked 20 in 17 2/3 IP for Batavia
Corey Baker	1	1	0		1

Quad Cities White hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Kolby Byrd	4		3	1			1		13th rounder in 11 began with Johnson City
Gerwuins Velazco	3	1	1		1				20 y/o Venezuelan made US debut in 11 GCL
Neil Pritchard	3		1
Adam Ehrlich	3		1
David Bergin	4	1	1	2	1				Hit .284 in 67 AB pro debut with JC last season
Gary Apelian	4		1	1	1
Anthony Bryant	4		1

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/28

Brian Walton — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:09:26 +0000

On Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ had yet another Camp Day during which their clubs faced each other on the back quad on the Roger Dean Stadium complex, named in memory of the late George Kissell.

Springfield and Palm Beach claimed wins on the day. The Cardinals’ spring record against external minor league competition remains 15-13-4.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Cuban native Amaury Cazana had another standout performance with three extra-base hits in three at-bats for Memphis.

Wednesday’s Pitcher of the Day: Left-hander Logan Billbrough, 22, fanned four in two scoreless innings for Palm Beach. The 2011 free agent signee had a 1.72 ERA in the regular season and a 2.25 playoff ERA for Johnson City last year.

On Thursday, the Cardinals’ five minor league clubs will face their Miami Marlins counterparts for the final time of the spring. The games will be held on the Marlins side of the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

Springfield 6, Memphis 4

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Joe Kelly	5	4	1	0	3	Plus one unearned run from our #18 prospect
Barrett Browning	1	0	0	0	0	LHR is Rule 5 addition from Angels
R.J. Swindle	1	1	0	0	1	Career 1.97 minors ERA is best in MiLB from 04-11
Adam Ottavino	0.1	3	3			Plus one unearned run – rough outing to say the least

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Amaury Cazana	3	1	3	3	2		1		Extra-base power demonstrated
Pete Kozma	3		3						Perfect day
Mark Hamilton		2						2	.439 OBP for Memphis in 2011
Sam Tuivailala	2		1						Improved BA 75 points over 2010, but OBP flat
Roberto Espinoza				1	1

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Chris Corrigan	2	1	0		1	Finished 15 games with two saves in 11 (QC + PB)
Nick Greenwood	1	3	1		1	Was part of Jake Westbrook – Ryan Ludwick trade
Adam Reifer	2	3	2	2	2	Back on the rollercoaster
Keith Butler	1	1	1	1	1	46 G pitched in 2011 ranked 7th in system
Jorge Rondon	1.2	1	0		1	33 walks against 30 strikeouts at Springfield in 11

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Greg Garcia	4	1	2	1		1			Candidate for breakout player of the year
Xavier Scruggs	4		2						Hot hitter has five hits in two days
Jermaine Curtis	3	1	1						Had career-best year with bat at Springfield in 11
Audry Perez	3	1	1						Catcher has promise, but has been inconsistent
Gary Apelian		1	1	2		1			7 hits tops in 2011 Appy League playoffs
Nick Derba	1		1

Palm Beach 5, Quad Cities 1

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Dean Kiekhefer	2	1	0		1	Lefty had 0.90 ERA in 25 2nd half appearances in 11
Justin Wright	1.1	4	1		1	Career ERA is 0.90 so runs against him are rare
Travis Miller	2	1	0		1	Led 2011 NY-Penn League with seven holds
Logan Billbrough	2	1	0		4	9.77 baserunners/9 IP was #2 among Appy relievers

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Starlin Rodriguez	3	1	2	1					Our #27-ranked prospect
Nick Longmire		1		1
Ronny Gil		1		1
Travis Tartamella	2	1	1	1	1				Batted just .152 in 15 G Springfield intro in 2011
Jonathan Rodriguez			1	1					OPS of 1.112 in 2011 MWL playoffs
Vance Albitz			1						Added a sacrifice bunt

Quad Cities pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Ryan Sherriff	3	2	1		2	Two unearned runs
Iden Nazario	2		0		2	54 Ks in 44 1/3 IP, but also 29 BB
Robert Stock	2	2	1	1		Every outing will be closely analyzed
Yunier Castillo	2	3	1	1	1	Only nine official pro innings pitched to date

Quad Cities hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Roberto De La Cruz	3		2						Signed for $1.1 million in 2008
Juan Castillo	3		1						Has been in system since 2006
Virgil Hill	3		1						Batted .183 in 37 G Quad Cities tryout in 2011
Roberto Reyes	3		1						.237 average for Batavia last season
Nick Martini	3	1	1
Matt Williams	2		1						.845 OPS for Johnson City champs in 2011

Subscribers to the main site, TheCardinalNation.com, should continue to check out my extensive spring training content over the upcoming days.

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/27

Brian Walton — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 03:48:22 +0000

On Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ five minor league spring training clubs entertained their Miami Marlins counterparts on the Cardinals side of the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

The home cooking was good as Memphis and both the Quad Cities clubs were victorious. Springfield took a defeat while Palm Beach held its Jupiter regular-season neighbor and opponent to a draw. The Cardinals’ spring record against external minor league competition is now 15-13-4.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Forget about his popular weekly blog at The Cardinal Nation. First baseman Xavier Scruggs can hit! After 21 home runs last season for Palm Beach, the 24-year-old launched three over the fence for Springfield on Tuesday, plating four runs.

Tuesday’s Pitcher of the Day: Few know or remember that right-hander Sam Gaviglio was the highest-drafted pitcher by the Cardinals last June (fifth round). On this day, the Oregon State product allowed just one walk over four innings of work for Quad Cities Red.

On Wednesday, the Cardinals have yet another Camp Day during which their clubs will face each other on the back quad on the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

Memphis 4, New Orleans 3

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Jaime Garcia	6+	4	1	0	7	One unearned run – pitched to keep on schedule
Jess Todd	1		0		1
Eduardo Sanchez	1		0		2	Should be back in St. Louis very soon
Chuckie Fick	1	1	1	1		Added to 40-man roster over winter

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Steven Hill				3			2		The return of “Country Fried”!
Mark Hamilton	4	1	2		1			1	Memphis needs both to replace Stavi and Brown
Zack Cox			1		1			2
Pete Kozma				1					Sacrifice fly
Chris Swauger		1	1					1
Steven Ramos			1
Jaime Garcia	2		1						He can hit as well as pitch!

Jacksonville 10, Springfield 7

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
John Gast	5	6	4	1	3	2011 spring camp phenom cut quickly in 2012
Kevin Thomas	1.2	5	3		3	6.44 ERA with Springfield last season
Eric Fornataro	1.2	4	4		2	Ranked 10th in 2011 FSL with 3.67 ERA

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Xavier Scruggs			3	4			3		One to RF, one to LF, one to RC
Greg Garcia	4		3	3		1			Overlooked hitter was 6th in system in OBP in 11
Kolten Wong			2		2			2	2011 1st rounder continues to live up to billing
Niko Vasquez		1	1
Adam Melker			1		1
Oscar Taveras			1
Jose Garcia			1

Palm Beach 3, Jupiter 3

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Zack Russell	4	3	1		4	Also one unearned run for Zack with a “k”
Aidan Lucas	2	1	0	2	1	Check to see if others spell Aidan with two “A’s”
Chase Reid	2	0	0	1	2	2.28 PB ERA, 3.91 ERA with Springfield in 2011
Danny Miranda	2	0	0	0	2	Was 8th round pick in 2011 from Miami

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Jonathan Rodriguez	4	1	2	1			1		Missed our top 40, but keeps on hitting
Chris Edmondson	3		2		2				31 doubles last season tied for #2 in system
Packy Elkins			1	2	1				.364 career OBP
Starlin Rodriguez			1		1
Luis De La Cruz	2	1	1						More playing time due to Stanley suspension?

Quad Cities (Red) 5, Greensboro 0

Quad Cities Red pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Sam Gaviglio	4	0	0	1	2	Only threw 4 innings for Batavia in 11 after signing late
Ricky Martinez	2	1	0
Jose Pasen	2	1	0		1	4th fewest baserunners/9 IP in 2011 Appy Lg at 11.57
Ryan Copeland	1	1	0			LHP fanned 82 in 82 IP for Quad Cities last summer

Quad Cities Red hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Roberto De La Cruz	4		2	1	1				To play corner infield and some outfield, too?
Colin Walsh	4	1	2	1	1				13th rounder in 2010 from Stanford
Adam Lewis	3		2	1					Tryout catcher
Matt Williams	3	1	1						20-for-22 in steals for JC in 2011
Nick Martini	3	2	1					1
Virgil Hill				2					Productive outs – sac fly and RBI ground out

Quad Cities (White) 9, Jamestown 3

Quad Cities White pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Dail Villanueva	3.2	6	3	1	4	3.64 ERA in 47 IP in GCL last season
Ramon Ulacio	2			1	1	2.93 GCL ERA was 9th in the league in 2011
Ethan Cole	2	1			3	Free agent signed last August
Heath Wyatt	1	1			2	3rd in 2011 Appy League with eight saves

Quad Cities White hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Gary Apelian	3	1	2	4			1		.502 slugging percentage in 11 was 8th in system
Casey Rasmus	2	1	2	1	2				Big day for Colby’s little brother
David Washington	2	1	1	2			1		.992 fielding percentage lead Appy 1B last season
Cesar Valera						1		1
Jeremy Patton	5	1	2						.825 OPS for Batavia in rookie year
Anthony Bryant	2		1
David Bergin	2		1
Breyvic Valera	4	1	1						.311 BA last season was 5th-highest in system

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/26

Brian Walton — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:29:51 +0000

On Monday, the Cardinals’ two lower-level clubs, Palm Beach and Quad Cities, traveled to the New York Mets’ home at Port St. Lucie while Memphis and Springfield remained home at the Roger Dean Stadium complex to face the Mets’ Triple-A and Double-A clubs (along with their MLB counterparts).

Memphis, Springfield and Palm Beach were victorious but Quad Cities fell. The Cardinals spring record against external minor league competition is now evened up again at 12-12-3.

Monday’s Pitcher of the Day: In a day with a number of very solid pitching performances – there were eight different scoreless outings of two innings or more – this decision was my toughest all spring. The winner is Palm Beach’s Jonathan Cornelius, who spun three perfect innings while fanning two.

Monday’s Player of the Day: Memphis’ Amaury Cazana, who since being drafted in 2006 has played in the Mexican League every season from 2007-11, reminded us that he can still hit. The 33/37-year-old walked, singled and homered in five plate appearances, driving in two.

Don’t read too much into which rosters on which players are appearing as spring assignments are especially fluid.

On Tuesday, the Cardinals’ five clubs entertain the Miami Marlins on the Cardinals side of the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

Memphis 7, Buffalo 5

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Brandon Dickson	4	3	0	0	3	Had a quiet spring until now but will be ready
Sam Freeman	2	0	0	1	1	Has a chance to become the 1st lefty called up
Adam Ottavino	1	0	1	2	1	Control seems to be an issue lately
R.J. Swindle	1	1	2	1	2	Veteran-ness is good; results better
Maikel Cleto	1	3	2	1	1	Hasn’t thrown a lot of zeroes this spring

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Amaury Cazana	4	1	2	2			1	1	Our Player of the Day
Zack Cox	5		2		1				Pulling for Matt Carpenter to stick in St. Louis
Ryan Jackson		1	2						Ready to start at SS every day
Steven Ramos		1	1	1					Nice opportunity to play up for 2011 JC OF
Jonathan Rodriguez		1			1				Proven hitter
Pete Kozma		1			1				Will he start at second or be utility man?
Chris Swauger		1			1				Outfielder quietly keeps on hitting

Springfield 3, Binghamton 0

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Scott Gorgen	4	1	0	1	3	Fantastic spring so far for the TJS returnee
Deryk Hooker	2	2	0	0	3	Often overlooked SP was TL Pitcher of Week 2x in 11
Scott Schneider	2	0	0	0	0	Had a 5.98 ERA for Springfield last year
Adam Reifer	1	0	0	0	1	Maybe he’s getting the kinks worked out

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Kolten Wong	4		2		1				Has hit all spring long and seems ready for AA
Niko Vasquez	4		2		1				3B looking for career resurgence
Jermaine Curtis	4	1	2	1	1				Career bests in BA (.315) and HR (5) in 2011
Adam Melker	2		1
Xavier Scruggs		1			1			1	Blog entry delayed this week at TCN.com
Oscar Taveras			1						“Minor League Guy” poised to make AA leap
Audry Perez			1

Palm Beach 2, St. Lucie 1

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Carlos Martinez	5	3	1	4	4	Delivery a concern, so may start back in Palm Beach
Boone Whiting	2	1	0	0	1	0.89 WHIP last season was best in all of MiLB
Jonathan Cornelius	3	0	0	0	2	24th rounder in 2011 fanned 9.6/9 IP for Batavia

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Alan Ahmady	1	1	1				1	2	Perfect day at plate for guy who plays all over
Ronny Gil		1			1				Can the SS keep hitting enough?
Rainel Rosario			1
Starlin Rodriguez			1

Savannah 5, Quad Cities 2

Quad Cities pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Drew Benes	3	0	0	2	3	St. Louisan had 5.40 ERA at Quad Cities last season
Brandon Creath	2	0	0	1	3	11.84 K/9 IP was 2nd-best for RPs in the 2011 GCL
Stalyn Lopez	1.2	4	2	1	1	K:BB ratio in 11 GCL was 31:24 in 47 2/3 IP
Willy Paulino	1	2	3	2	2	Led GCL with 12 saves and was all-star in 11

Quad Cities hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Luis Mateo	3	2	2		2				Struggled in PB trial in 11, but may be ready now
Geoff Klein	1		1	1	1				Big catcher had one very productive AB
Anthony Garcia	1		1		1				.407 OBP in 11 was 2nd-best in Cards system
Matt Williams	2		1	1					Coaches seem impressed wth 15th-rdr in 2011
Nick Martini	3		1						Needs to show 7th-round pedigree
Roberto Reyes			1
Virgil Hill			1

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/25

Brian Walton — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 03:23:46 +0000

On Sunday, the Cardinals once again had a camp day, during which their top two and next two teams played each other. In addition, the Quad Cities White squad had a 4 ½ inning scrimmage against themselves.

Springfield defeated Memphis while Palm Beach and Quad Cities Red tied. The Cardinals spring record against external minor league competition remains 9-11-3.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Quad Cities Red’s Roberto Reyes made the most of his two at-bats, with a triple and a home run. The outfielder drove in a pair and scored both times.

Sunday’s Pitcher of the Day: Springfield’s Tyler Lyons spun five shutout innings against Memphis on just two hits and a walk. The lefty from Oklahoma State University fanned five on the day.

Don’t read too much into which rosters on which players are appearing as spring assignments are especially fluid.

On Monday, the Cardinals’ two lower-level clubs, Palm Beach and Quad Cities, will bus over to the Mets home at Port St. Lucie while Memphis and Springfield remain home at the Roger Dean Stadium complex to face the Mets’ Triple-A and Double-A clubs.

Springfield 3, Memphis 0

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Nick Additon	5	5	2	2	2	5th in organization last year with 128 strikeouts
Brian Broderick	5	1	0	2		Made Washington opening day roster in 2011
Barrett Browning	1	1	1	2	1

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Xavier Scruggs	4		2						Look for new blog entry on Tuesday
Chris Swauger			1						All-star in Panama winter ball
Amaury Cazana			1						World traveler
Ryan Jackson			1						Our 13th-ranked Cardinals prospect

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Tyler Lyons	5	2	0	1	5	Threw a no-hitter for Palm Beach on 8/8
Jorge Rondon	2	0	0	0	2	Logged a 9.16 ERA in 37 G for Springfield in 11
Keith Butler	2	2	0			2nd in system with 17 saves last season
Chris Corrigan	2	1	0		2	Fanned 29, walked 21 in 41 1/3 IP for PB in 11

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Rainel Rosario	5		3	1					Led Palm Beach with 123 hits in 2011
Cody Stanley	4		2					1	Starting C in 2011 MWL All-Star Game
Oscar Taveras		1	1	1	1				Now and forever known as “Minor League Guy”
Ronny Gil		1	1

Palm Beach 4, Quad Cities Red 4

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Seth Blair	4	1	0	3	3	46th overall pick in 2010 improving each time out
Todd McInnis	2	4	1		1	New York-Penn League all-star in 2011
Ryan Sherriff	1.2	2	1	1
Robert Stock	1.1	3	2		1	Still has some kinks to work out

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Breyvic Valera	4		2	1	1				Batted .397 in 19 games with Johnson City
Casey Rasmus	3	1	2						Younger brother of ex-Cardinals outfielder
David Bergin		1	1		1
Cesar Valera		1	1
Gary Apelian	2		1						.502 SLG last season was 8th in system
Virgil Hill		1	1			1			Father was boxing champion
Garrett Wittels			1	1	1

Quad Cities Red pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Seth Maness	4	3	1	0	5	Just missed Pitcher of the Day honors
Iden Nazario	1.2	2	1	1	1
Shooter Hunt	1.2	4	2	2	1	One unearned run – Rule 5′s tough spring continues
Jesse Simpson	2	0	0	0	2	Strong with PB last year, but struggled in Double-A

Quad Cities Red hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Roberto Reyes		2		2		1	1		Seven total bases on the day
Romulo Ruiz			2		1
Chris Edmondson	4		2		1				22 doubles tied for 2nd-most in system in 11
Packy Elkins	3		1					1	5th in system with 59 walks in 2011
Vance Albitz					1

Quad Cities White intersquad 3-1

Quad Cities White winners pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Dean Kiekhefer	2	3	1		1	Should be ready to move up from Quad Cities
Yunior Castillo	2	1			4	Very nice outing for ex-SS in 1st camp as pitcher

Quad Cities White winners hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Gary Apelian		1	1	1					Also played in Palm Beach game
Kenny Peoples-Walls	3	1	1						4th round pick in 2011 draft is 18 years old
Jonathan Keener					1				Batted .250 in 92 ABs for JC in rookie year
Nick Martini	2		1						Former Kansas State star
Luis Mateo	2		1

Quad Cities White losers pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Victor DeLeon	3	1	1	3	2	One unearned run
Corey Baker	2	4	1			Five wins led 2011 Batavia Muckdogs

Quad Cities White losers hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Matt Williams	2		1		1				20-for-22 in stolen bases for JC last year
Reggie Williams						1			Six triples in 2010 tied for 2nd in system
Neal Pritchard	2		1
Charlie Tilson	2	1	1						19-year-old was 2nd round draft pick in 11

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/24

Brian Walton — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 03:16:23 +0000

On Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals had four minor league clubs in action, two at home and two away. Memphis and Springfield traveled to Port St. Lucie (as did the major leaguers) while the Mets’ two Class-A clubs bused to Jupiter.

The top two clubs won while the lower level clubs absorbed losses. The Cardinals spring record against external minor league competition is now 9-11-3.

Saturday’s Player of the Day: Springfield’s Alan Ahmady went 2-for-4, both doubles, and drove in three runs.

Saturday’s Pitcher of the Day: After impressing in major league camp, Springfield right-hander Trevor Rosenthal is continuing strongly. He had a perfect trip through the Mets lineup, retiring all nine batters he faced, six via the strikeout.

Don’t read too much into which rosters on which players are appearing as spring assignments are especially fluid.

On Sunday, the Cardinals once again have a camp day, during which their teams play each other. This is due to the odd number of total teams in the vicinity (three).

Memphis 7, Buffalo 5

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Michael Blazek	4	4	0	2	2	Three unearned runs tainted solid outing
Chuckie Fick	0.2	1	1	2		Added to 40-man roster last fall
Logan Billbrough	1.2	2	1	2	2
Maikel Cleto	1	0	0	1	1	Much better outing than two days ago
Tyler Melling	1	2

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Allen Craig							1	1	Rehab continues to include long balls
Mike O’Neill	3		2	2
Jermaine Curtis	3	2	2	1					Batted .370 in the second half of 2011
Chris Swauger	3	1	2	1					.296 BA last season was 7th-best in Texas Lg.
Xavier Scruggs			1
Ryan Jackson	2		1	1					Just down from MLB camp a few days ago
Pete Kozma			1
Jose Garcia			1

Springfield 13, Binghamton 6

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Trevor Rosenthal	3	0	0	0	6	Best line of the spring, let alone the day
Brad Watson	1.1	6	4	2	1	One unearned run
Justin Wright	2	1	1	2	1	Career regular season ERA is 0.90 over 2 years
Heath Wyatt	2	0	0	0	1	A very solid outing as well

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Alan Ahmady	4		2	3	2				His just .117 in 20 game Springfield trial in 11
Nick Longmire			2	2	1
Rainel Rosario	5	2	2	2		1			70 RBI led Palm Beach last season
Greg Garcia	2		2		1		1		Nice extra-base power
Jonathan Rodriguez					1
Ronny Gil					1				Suited up for two spring MLB games
Kolten Wong		2	1					1
Niko Vasquez		1	1	1				1
Cody Stanley	2		1	2			1		2nd in MWL with 38.6% caught stealing in 11

St. Lucie 4, Palm Beach 3

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Anthony Ferrara	4	5	1	0	7	13 wins last season was 2nd most in system
Zach Russell	2	2	1		1	May be moving into relief role this season
Nick Gillung	2	1	0	1		Sparkling 1.73 ERA for Johnson City in 2011
Travis Miller	1	2	1	2	1

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Vance Albitz	3		2						.746 OPS in first/only 12 games with Batavia in 11
Chris Edmondson				2			1		22 doubles last year tied for #2 in system
Juan Castillo	2		1
Starlin Rodriguez	3		1
David Medina	3		1
Joey Bergman	3		1
Luis Mateo	3		1

Savannah 3, Quad Cities 2

Quad Cities pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Tyrell Jenkins	4	7	3	1	2	Was on both Johnson City title teams, 2010-2011
Hector Hernandez	4	1	0	3	4	One baserunner and one strikeout per inning
Kyle Hald	2	2			2	Cards Pitcher of Month last August

Quad Cities hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Gerwuins Velazco	3		2						Just 2 errors in 30 games catching in 11
Anthony Garcia				2	1				.407 OBP last season 5th-best in Appy Lg.
Jeremy Patton	2	1	1						30 walks against just 28 strikeouts last year
Roberto DeLaCruz	2	1	1						5th in Appy League in total bases in 2011
Kleininger Teran			1
Steven Ramos			1

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/23

Brian Walton — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:15:08 +0000

On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals players and coaches for their five spring clubs, including both Quad Cities teams, walked over to the Miami Marlins’ side of Roger Dean Stadium complex for 1:00 P.M. games.

Quad Cities White won, Springfield tied and the other three clubs absorbed a loss. The Cardinals spring record against external minor league competition is now 7-9-3. I posted camp information from Friday and thoughts on the main site for subscribers.

Friday’s Player of the Day: Quad Cities Red’s David Bergin was on base four times in five plate appearances with a walk, single and a pair of home runs. The outfielder plated three. (The photo is of a Bergin starting his home run swing, but it was off Drew Benes on Thursday, giving him three long balls in two days.)

Friday’s Pitcher of the Day: Memphis’ Jess Todd fanned six in 3 2/3 innings of shutout baseball. The right-hander has had some ups and downs in his career and perhaps 2012 will be another peak.

Don’t read too much into which rosters on which players are appearing as spring assignments are especially fluid.

On Saturday, Memphis and Springfield travel to Port St. Lucie while the Mets’ two Class-A clubs will bus to Jupiter.

New Orleans 3, Memphis 1

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Jess Todd	3.2	2	0	3	6	Was once a very successful SP – 2008 P of Year
Nick Greenwood	2	2	2	1	1	Lefty stretched out a bit
R.J. Swindle	1	0	0	0	0	Good insurance policy but that may be it
Adam Reifer	2	1	0	0	1	One unearned run – his best outing of the spring

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Steven Hill	2		2		1				Interesting to see if StL keeps all catchers
Ryan Jackson			1						Was batting second in Pop Warner’s order
Jose Garcia			1						Was second in system with .320 BA in 11

Springfield 2, Jacksonville 2

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Joe Kelly	4	5	2	1	6	Our 18th-ranked Cardinals prospect for 2012
Kevin Thomas	4	2	0	0	4	His 18 wild pitches led the system in 2011
Scott Schneider	1	1	0	0	3	Has fanned 279 in 325 2/3 career innings

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Kolten Wong	2		2		1				Continues a strong spring
Nick Longmire			1					1
Jonathan Rodriguez			1					2	.389 OBP last season was #5 in MWL
Cody Stanley			1	1
Ronny Gil			1						Rewarded by suiting up for Thu MLB game
Ted Obregon		2	1					1

Jupiter 8, Palm Beach 7

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Shelby Miller	4	4	2	1	3	He should be dominating A-ball hitters
Justin Edwards	2	1	0	0	1	Lefty has career 3.21 ERA
Ricky Martinez	2	6	4	1	0	Rough outing
Aidan Lucas	1	1	0	0	1

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Luis Mateo	4		3						Wants to put behind .179 with PB last year
Roberto Reyes	4	2	2						Hit just .237 with Batavia in 2011
Cesar Valera	4	1	1
Jonathan Keener	1	1	1						Catcher battling for playing time
Packy Elkins								2	11th in the system in walks in 11 (59)
David Medina	2		1						A spring regular here
Phil Cerreto	1		1					1
Romulo Ruiz		1	1	1	1				Struggled in brief Quad Cities trial in 2011

Quad Cities (Red) 7, Greensboro 5

Quad Cities Red pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Adam Ottavino	1.2	2	2	1	1	One unearned run, too – in MLB camp not long ago
Danny Miranda	2.1	1	0	0	1	Also one unearned run for Batavia’s 2011 closer
Kevin Jacob	1.2	2	0	2	3	One unearned run – noticing a trend?
Willy Paulino	2	2	0	0	1

Quad Cities Red hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Vance Albitz	4	1	3					1
David Bergin	4		3	3			2	1	Had just 1 HR in 67 Johnson City ABs in 11
Nick Martini	5		2	1
Colin Walsh	3	1	2	1	1				Batted just .239 at Quad Cities in 2011
Garrett Wittels	3		1
Jeremy Patton	2		2						.825 OPS 2nd among Batavia regulars in 11
Steven Ramos	2		1
Casey Rasmus	2	1	1
Breyvic Valera	4		1	1					Our #39 Cardinals prospect for 2011

Jamestown 5, Quad Cities (White) 0

Quad Cities White pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Sam Freeman	2	2	0	0	1	May be lead lefty in Memphis bullpen
Chase Reid	2	3	1	0	4	Fanned 51 in 54 2/3 IP in 2011
Dyllon Nuernberg	2	4	1
Brandon Creath	2	4	3		4
Ethan Cole	2		0		3	Had 9:1 K:BB ratio in 10 2/3 IP for Batavia in 2011

Quad Cities White hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Adam Ehrlich			1		1				Cards’ 6th-round pick in 2011
Sam Tuivailala	4		1
Kenny Peoples-Walls	4		1
Neal Pritchard			1						Free agent signee last June

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/22

Brian Walton — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:13:45 +0000

On Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals had yet another camp day in which their top two and lower two rosters opposed each other while the Marlins and Mets faced off elsewhere. In addition, in large part due to Wednesday’s cancellations due to wet grounds, three was even more action than usual. A third game plus a simulated game on the fourth diamond of the quad were added. There, pitchers threw to batters in the cage but no fielding or baserunning occurred.

Memphis and two of the three Quad Cities teams went home winners on the day. I was at the games and posted more information and thoughts on the main site for subscribers.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Centerfielder Tommy Pham had a great day with the bat, with a single, double and home run, but the excitement was tempered somewhat when he was shaken up making a catch in the field in the final inning.

Thursday’s Pitcher of the Day: Memphis’ Scott Gorgen, coming off 2011 Tommy John surgery, was dominant over his three shutout innings. Once a staple in our top prospect list, Gorgen looked sharp in what I think is his second official spring outing.

St. Louis outfielder Allen Craig receives an honorable mention. The rehabber hit a home run, singled and walked twice in five at-bats for Memphis. He did not fare nearly as well with Springfield, however. For them, he fanned three times as he led off in the home and away parts of the first five frames. Gorgen retired him three times. (I posted a photo of Craig’s home run swing on TheCardinalNation.com that all can see.)

Don’t read too much into which rosters on which players are appearing as early spring assignments are especially fluid.

On Friday, the Cardinals’ five clubs, including both Quad Cities teams, will walk over to the Marlins’ side of Roger Dean Stadium complex for 1:00 P.M. games.

The Cardinals spring record against external minor league competition remains knotted at 6-6-2.

Memphis 8, Springfield 5

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Scott Gorgen	3	0	0	1	4	Hit 93 on the gun and looked very good
Barrett Browning	2	0	0	0	4	Rule 5 addition looks to be a nice pen lefty
Cory Rauschenberger	1	0	0	0
Jesse Simpson	1.2	4	5	2	2	1.54 ERA with PB, but 5.56 with Springfield in 11
Dean Kiekhefer	2	0	0	0	1	Great 2H11 for QC including four saves in playoffs

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Tommy Pham			3		1		1		Triple short of the cycle
Xavier Scruggs			2				1		21 HRs was 4th in the FSL in 2011
Steven Hill							1		Veteran C will be RBI man for Memphis
Zack Cox					1			1	Could benefit from M Carpenter’s big camp
Ryan Jackson			1	1					Should be Redbirds everyday SS
Chris Swauger			1	1					Unheralded outfielder could surprise
Amaury Cazana			1
Jermaine Curtis			1					1	2Bman can also play some outfield

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Richard Castillo	3	4	4	2
Shooter Hunt	1.2	2	1	2	2	Didn’t see the big velo numbers expected from him
Chris Corrigan	1.1	1	0	3	2
Keith Butler	1.2	4	2	0	2	2nd in Cards system with 17 saves in 2011
Yunier Castillo	1.2	2	1	2		When will I stop calling him a converted SS?

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Greg Garcia		1		1	1				Sixth in OBP in entire system last year
Adam Melker	3	1	1						A name that has been here a lot this spring
Travis Tartamella		1		1	1
Nick Longmire		1	1	1					Looking to accellerate after so-so 2011

Quad Cities (Red) 4, Palm Beach 3

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Pat Daugherty	3	2	1	3
Jonathan Cornelius	3	2	1	1	4	Also yielded an unearned run
Jose Pasen	3	2	0	1		4th-fewest baserunners/9 IP in 2011 Appy League
Robert Stock	2	1	1	1	3	Better results pitching from full windup

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Cesar Valera	4		2		1				Slick fielder batted just .213 in NYPL in 11
Juan Castillo	2		1		1
Starlin Rodriguez	4		1						Will likely play where Wong isn’t
Geoff Klein	2		1						Big C has also played some 1B

Quad Cities Red pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Boone Whiting	1	0	0	1	3	Few bats on the ball
Dail Villanueva	3.2	3	1	2	4	Listed at 6-2, 170, but looked bigger than that
Tyler Melling	1.1	3	2	2	1
Stalyn Lopez	3	0	0	1	1	Impressive outing – watch this right-hander

Quad Cities Red hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Nick Martini	5	1	4	1	1				7th-rdr batted disappointing .167 for Batavia
Gerwuins Velazco	4		1		1				Intriguing candidate for catching innings
Tyler Rahmatulla		1	1		1				27 doubles in 11 set Appy League record
Colin Walsh			1					2
Vance Albitz		1	1
Steven Ramos		1						2

Quad Cities (White – split squad) 8, Quad Cities (White – split squad) 7

Quad Cities winners pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Brandon Dickson	4	2	0	1	4	Pitcher with MLB experience should dominate
Maikel Cleto	0.2	2	1	2	1	So should he, but he didn’t
Drew Benes	1.2	4	3	1	1	Good bloodlines
Adam Bileckyj	1.2	3	3	1	2	Former free agent signee

Quad Cities winners hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Romulo Ruiz	4		2	1				1	Was on base three times
Breyvic Valera					1				.311 BA in 2011 was 5th-best in system
Kleininger Teran					1
Roberto Reyes					1				22 y/o batted .237 for Batavia last year

Quad Cities losers pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
John Gast	4.1	3	2	3	5	Lefty good, but not dominating like last spring
Ramon Ulacio	1.1	2	4	4		2.93 ERA ranked in 2011 GCL top 10
Cody Springer	1.1	3	2	4		Recent free agent signee

Quad Cities losers hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Charlie Tilson	4		3	2		1			Playing like the top draft pick he is
Sam Tuivailala	4	2	2				1
Luis Perez	3	2	2						Standout catcher in 2011 GCL
Kenny Peoples-Walls		2	1					1	MLB Urban Youth Academy grad
David Bergin							1	1	Hit .284 for JC in 2011
Neal Pritchard			1	2					Free agent signee in 2011

I’ve been busy logging interviews and taking dozens of player photos in Florida. I will be rolling them out for subscribers to the main site, TheCardinalNation.com, over the upcoming days.

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/20

Brian Walton — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 01:26:45 +0000

On Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals had another camp day in which their top two and lower two rosters opposed each other while the Marlins and Mets faced off elsewhere. Springfield and Palm Beach went home winners on the day.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Springfield outfielder Chris Edmondson singled, tripled and homered in three at-bats. Too bad he didn’t have a chance for the very rare spring cycle!

Tuesday’s Pitcher of the Day: Seth Maness, who spent some time with Palm Beach last season (as well as Batavia and Quad Cities), threw three perfect frames for the PB club. The right-hander fanned three.

Don’t read too much into which rosters on which players are appearing as early spring assignments are especially fluid.

On Wednesday, the Cardinals two lower-level clubs, Palm Beach and Quad Cities, will bus over to the Mets’ facility at Port St. Lucie while Memphis and Springfield remain home at the Roger Dean Stadium complex to face New York’s Triple-A and Double-A clubs.

The Cardinals spring record against external minor league competition remains knotted at 6-6-2.

Springfield 12, Memphis 11

Apparently the arrival of Allen Craig inspired all the hitters – along with the wind blowing out. Though his numbers weren’t part of the Vuch report, the outfielder went 0-for-4 with two at-bats each for Memphis and Springfield. He fanned looking both times against Brian Broderick and flied out to center and grounded out to second base vs. Nick Additon (hat tip to Tom Ackerman of KMOX).

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Brian Broderick	3	6	2	0	5	Also yielded an unearned tally
Tyler Lyons	3	7	5	2	2	Was Cards’ designated starter in 2011 AFL
Adam Reifer	2	2	3			Spring struggles continue
Willy Paulino	0.1	1	1	3		Big step up for 2011 Johnson City pitcher

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Mark Hamilton	5	1	2			1			Good to see 1B man back in action
Xavier Scruggs	5	1	2		1		1		Nice extra-base power from another 1B
Kolten Wong	4	1	3	1					All indications are of a complete player
Jermaine Curtis	1		1					1	Played some OF along with 2B last year
Nick Derba	1		1					1
Zack Cox	2	1	1	5			1		Grand slam!
Adam Melker		1	1
Chris Swauger		1	1

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Nick Additon	3	5	6	1	3	Tied for system lead with 26 starts in 2011
Seth Blair	3	1	2	2	3	Better, but a ways to go for 46th overall pick in 2010
Nick Greenwood	2	2	1		2	Began spring in major league camp
Justin Wright	2	3	2	3	2	Didn’t pitch in big league trip to Orlando Monday

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Chris Edmondson	3		3			1	1		Solo home run
Niko Vasquez	1	2	1	3			1		Three-run jack
Ronny Gil	2		2						Shortstop quietly hits
Nick Longmire				2			1		Dressed for Orlando StL game Monday
Starlin Rodriguez	4		2	2	1		1		Ditto. Trip must have been inspiring
Mike O’Neill		2	1	1
Jonathan Rodriguez		1	1
Alan Ahmady		1	1	1
Cody Stanley			1
Rainel Rosario		1						1

Palm Beach 3, Quad Cities (White) 2

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Carlos Martinez	4	2	0	1	4	Our 2nd-ranked Cardinals prospect
Seth Maness	3	0	0	0	3	Perfection = Pitcher of the Day
Todd McInnis	3	6	2		2	2011 NYPL All-Star with Maness

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Vance Albitz	2		2					1	Went from (Lincoln) Saltdogs to (Batavia) Muckdogs in 2011
Casey Rasmus	1		1	2					Made his one plate appearance count
Cesar Valera					1				Only extra-base hit for Palm Beach
Phil Cerreto			1
Garrett Wittels			1
Roberto Reyes			1
Gary Apelian			1

Quad Cities Red pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Victor De Leon	3	5	2	3	3	Coaches like his stuff
Nick Gillung	3	1	0	1	2	19th rounder in 2011 pitched for Johnson City
Ryan Sherriff	3	1	0	2	5	28th rdr in 2011 split between JC and Batavia
Dyllon Nuernberg	2	3	1	1

Quad Cities Red hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Breyvic Valera	5		2			1			Could 2B man become this year’s Oscar Taveras?
David Medina	3		2	1	2				Getting mentioned here often this week
Anthony Bryant	4		2	1	1
Lance Jeffries		1			1
Sam Tuivailala			1

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/19

Brian Walton — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 03:30:25 +0000

On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals walked over to the Marlins’ side of the Roger Dean Stadium complex for five games, including both Quad Cities White and Red squads. After the 2-2-1 day, the Cardinals spring record against external minor league competition sits at 6-6-2.

Monday’s Player of the Day: Palm Beach’s Garrett Wittels hit his first professional home run (unofficial) after having none with Batavia last year. He also singled and plated two in just two at-bats.

Monday’s Pitcher of the Day: Logan Billbrough fanned five in two scoreless innings for Springfield.

Don’t read too much into which rosters on which players are appearing as early spring assignments are especially fluid.

On Tuesday, the Cardinals will have yet another camp day in which their top two and lower two rosters oppose each other while the Marlins and Mets face off elsewhere.

New Orleans 3, Memphis 0

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Michael Blazek	3.2	3	1	2	4	Ex-37th rdr made 2 Memphis starts in 2011
Kevin Thomas	3	3	1	0	2
Chase Reid	2	2	1	2	1

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Nick Derba	2		2		1
Tommy Pham	2		1		1				Trying to shake off recent injury years
Pete Kozma	3		1						Slated to be Memphis utiltyman in return

Jacksonville 6, Springfield 3

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Anthony Ferrara	4	5	2	0	1	Also allowed one unearned run
Ricky Martinez	2	2	0			Pitched in Batavia in 2011
Justin Edwards	2	3	2	1	1	Another unearned run on his watch
Logan Billbrough	2	1	0		5	Pitcher of the Day

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Mike O’Neill	1	1	1					1
Michael Swinson		1	1	1		1			Loads of potential
Juan Castillo	2		1						Four hits in last three days
Chris Edmondson	2		1
Niko Vasquez	3		1						Has been strong performer in past springs
Rainel Rosario	3		1
Ronny Gil			1

Palm Beach 5, Jupiter 2

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Tyrell Jenkins	3	4	0	1	3	Teenager impressed in big league camp
Zack Russell	2.2	2	1	3	2	Spent 2011 in Quad Cities rotation
Aidan Lucas	2	1	1	1	1
Yunier Castillo	1	0	0	0	0	Converted from shortstop during 2011

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
David Medina	4	1	2	1	1
Garrett Wittels	2		2	2			1		0 HR in first 182 plate appearances
Vance Albitz	2		1						Former indy ball signee late in 2011
Colin Walsh	2		1	1
Steven Ramos	2	1	1	1				1
Anthony Garcia	3	2	1						Outfielder began as a catcher

Quad Cities (Red) 5, Greensboro 5

Vuch explains about the circumstances behind this particular game.

“Good example of why wins and losses are not officially tracked in minor league spring training games. Both teams “rolled” innings during this game (ended an inning prior to three outs being recorded in order to keep a pitcher from throwing too many pitches in a given inning), and after nine innings Quad Cities led, 5-4. We had 10 innings of pitching available, while the Marlins had nine, so we pitched a bottom of the 10^th immediately after the bottom of the 9^th (despite there being no top of the 10th) and the Marlins scored their 5^th run in that 10^th inning.”

Quad Cities Red pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Hector Hernandez	4	2	0	1	5	Strong outing: one unearned run allowed
Kyle Hald	2.2	5	3	2
Heath Wyatt	2		0		1	2011 33rd rdr K’d 10.8/9IP for Johnson City
Brandon Creath	0.2	1	1	3

Quad Cities Red hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Jeremy Patton	3		2					1	.825 OPS for Batavia in 2011 debut
Tyler Rahmatulla	5		2	1					Our 37th-ranked Cardinals prospect
David Bergin					1
Adam Ehrlich					1				Catcher taken in 6th round in 2011
Virgil Hill		2						2
Nick Martini		2						2
Reggie Williams		1	1					1	Has to sit out first 50 reg season games

Quad Cities (White) 3, Jamestown 1

Quad Cities White pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Brad Watson	3	0	0	0		Spent all of 2011 with Gulf Coast League
Danny Miranda	2	1	0		2	Ex-Miami lefty saved 15 for Batavia in 2011
Kevin Jacob	2	1	0		4	31st rounder in 2011
Ethan Cole	2	3	1

Quad Cities White hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Jesus Montero	1		1					1
Kenny Peoples-Walls	3		1					1	18 y/o taken in 4th round of 2011 draft
Breyvic Valera	4	1	1
Charlie Tilson	4	1	1						OF taken 79th overall in 2011
Lance Jeffries	4		1
Gerwuins Velazco	2		1
David Washington				1				1
Sam Tuivailala				1				1	3rd rounder as high school SS in 2010

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/18

Brian Walton — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:07:51 +0000

On Sunday, the St. Louis Cardinals had another camp day in which their top two and lower two rosters opposed each other while the Marlins and Mets faced off elsewhere.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Outfielder Rainel Rosario doubled twice and plated three Springfield teammates.

Sunday’s Pitcher of the Day: Pitching for Quad Cities, right-hander Joe Kelly dominated a young Palm Beach squad with four perfect innings.

Don’t read too much into which rosters on which players are appearing as early spring assignments are especially fluid.

On Monday, the Cardinals will walk over to the Marlins’ side of the Roger Dean Stadium complex for five games, including both Quad Cities White and Red squads.

The Cardinals spring record against external minor league competition remains knotted at 4-4-1.

Springfield 7, Memphis 5

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Maikel Cleto	1.2	3	4	5	1	Our 14th-ranked Cardinals prospect
Jess Todd	3	1	0		3	2008 organization Pitcher of the Year
Barrett Browning	2	1	0	1	2	LHP Rule 5 addition from Angels
Cory Rauschenberger	1.2	4	3	1		Formerly Cory Meachem

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Oscar Taveras	3		2	1	1				Want to see him on bases, in field
Zack Cox		1	1	1			1		Solo home run
Pete Kozma	3		1
Kolten Wong	2	1	1						2011 first-rounder
Roberto Espinoza	2		1
Chris Swauger	2		1
Nick Derba	1	1	1	1			1		Defensive standout made his 1 AB count
Xavier Scruggs		1			1				New blog entry at TheCardinalNation.com

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Shelby Miller	3	7	4		4
Deryk Hooker	3	1	0		1	#18 prospect last yr had injuries in 2011
Eric Fornataro	3	1				Led Palm Beach in innings pitched
Jesse Simpson	1	1	1

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Rainel Rosario	4	2	2	3	2				OF is our 30th-ranked Cardinals prospect
Juan Castillo	2		2						Catcher on the rebound
Ted Obregon	3	1	2
Mike O’Neill			1		1
Niko Vasquez		2					1	1	Former SS now at 3B
David Bergin				1	1				2011 30th rounder played at Johnson City

Quad Cities 4, Palm Beach 1

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Kevin Siegrist	4	3	1	3	5	Began spring in big league camp
Sam Gaviglio	3	2			4	Highest-drafted Cards P in 2011
Ryan Copeland	2	3	2	2	2
Drew Benes	2	2			2

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Colin Walsh					1				Helped team avoid being no-hit
Virgil Hill								2

Quad Cities pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Joe Kelly	4	0	0	0	3	Clear choice as Pitcher of the Day
Dean Kiekhefer	2	1	1	1	2
Robert Stock	2	0	0	3	2	Reader reports had him at 88-91 mph
Iden Nazario	2			1

Quad Cities hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Breyvic Valera	4		2					1	IF is our #39 prospect heading into 2012
Lance Jeffries	5		2	1		1			10th rounder in 2011 from Florissant, MO
Kenny Peoples-Walls	2		2					2	On base all four times
C.J. McElroy	3		2					1	2011 3rd rounder invited to early camp
Anthony Bryant	2		1	1
Luis Perez						1			C had nice 2011 in Gulf Coast League
Jesus Montero			1						Little brother of Seattle rookie C

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/17

Brian Walton — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 04:35:18 +0000

On Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals took on the New York Mets in a home-and-away series. Memphis and Springfield traveled to Port St. Lucie while the Mets’ two Class-A clubs bussed to Jupiter.

As the result of the 2-1-1 day, the Cardinals evened their spring record against external minor league competition at 4-4-1.

Player of the Day for Saturday: Infielder Tyler Rahmatulla tripled, scored twice and plated two in Quad Cities’ win.

Pitcher of the Day for Saturday: Lefty John Gast, in St. Louis camp this time last spring, threw three shutout innings for Memphis in an eventual tie game.

Don’t read much into which rosters on which players are appearing as early spring assignments are especially fluid.

Sunday is a camp day for the Cardinals as the Marlins and Mets face off against each other. Though camp days average only every third day, the schedule has St. Louis with three camp days in their next five.

Memphis (1-0-1) 1 at Buffalo 1
The Redbirds’ offense was held hitless through five innings, but pulled across one run to earn a tie.

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
John Gast	3	2	0	2	3	Last spring’s MLB camp phenom.
Dan Calhoun	1	1	1		1
Chris Corrigan	1.2	1	0	3	3	Not many bats on the ball.
Richard Castillo	2		0	1	2	Seems like the 22 y/o is much older.
Keith Butler	2	1	0	2	1	The Cardinal Nation ’11 top reliever.

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Kyle Conley					1				Can hit for power if he stays healthy.
Jose Garcia	2	1	2						Five hits in two days for middle infielder.
Xavier Scruggs			1
Chris Swauger			1
Alan Ahmady			1						Can play all over the diamond.

Binghamton 9, Springfield (0-2) 3

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Jonathan Cornelius	2	3	2	1
Jorge Rondon	1	2	0		1	One unearned run.
Shooter Hunt	2	6	4	1	1	Rule 5 addition takes loss.
Jose Pasen	2	2	1	2
Willy Paulino	2	2	1		4

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Adam Melker	3		2				1		No career HRs in 479 plate appearances.
Starlin Rodriguez	4		2						Early minor league camp invitee.
Jonathan Rodriguez		1						2
Chris Edmondson				1	1
Juan Castillo					1				On rebound after time in penalty box.
Ted Obregon			1					1

Palm Beach (1-1) 7, St. Lucie 6

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Brandon Dickson	3	0	0	0	1	Triple-A SP stepping down in level.
Adam Reifer	1.1	3	2	2	3	Not yet fully back from knee surgery.
Ramon Ulacio	0.2	2	1	4	1
Stalyn Lopez	1	6	3			Rough day could have been worse.
Jean Mijares	1			1		LHR missed all of ’11 after taken in ’10 Rule 5.

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Romulo Ruiz				1	1
Cesar Valera		1	1
Roberto Reyes		1	1
Virgil Hill		2		1
Luis Mateo	2		1
Garrett Wittels	2		1

Quad Cities Red & White (2-1) 9, Savannah 5

Quad Cities pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Eduardo Hiraldo	2	1	2	3	3
Sean Watson	2	2	1	2	3	Two runs, one unearned.
Bob Revesz	2	2	1			Missed entire ’11 season.
Tyler Melling	2	1	0
Cody Springer	2	1	0	2		Newest free agent signee.

Quad Cities hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Jeremy Patton			2	2			1
Nick Martini	4	2	2						’11 7th rounder had quiet Batavia debut.
Tyler Rahmatulla	4	2	2	2		1			27 2Bs led ’11 Appy League.
Matt Williams		1	1	1
Anthony Garcia		1	1	2					Our #22-ranked Cardinals prospect.
David Bergin		1		1
Neal Pritchard			1					1

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Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/16

Brian Walton — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:10:34 +0000

Following are the highlights from the first full minor league spring games of 2012 against external competition. A pair of intersquad games were held on Wednesday in preparation for Thursday’s contests against the Marlins, which were rained out after three innings.

That made Friday’s action the Cardinals’ initial games against external foes. Their shared opponent was the Miami farmhands once again, with the Cardinals side of the complex the home field.

My Friday Player of the Day: Palm Beach’s David Medina collected a single and two doubles in five at-bats.

My Friday Pitcher of the Day: Quad Cities’ Dail Villanueva started and pitched two perfect innings for the Field 4 club.

As he has been doing the last few seasons, Cardinals farm director John Vuch will be sharing game stats with this site and several others with interest in Cardinals prospects. As always, the raw numbers are his, but the comments mine.

Don’t read too much into which rosters on which players are appearing as early spring assignments are especially fluid.

On Saturday, Memphis and Springfield travel to Port St. Lucie while the Mets’ two Class-A clubs will bus to Jupiter.

Memphis 8, New Orleans 6

Memphis pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Tyler Lyons	1.2	4	4	1	2	Cards starter in Arizona Fall League
Brian Broderick	1.1	2	1	1	2
Pete Parise	1.2	1	1	2	1
Nick Greenwood	1		0		1	Down from MLB camp
Logan Billbrough	2		0	2
Justin Wright	2	1	0		1	Last pitched in AFL

Memphis hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Jose Garcia	5		3						Has been with Memphis before
Oscar Taveras				3			1		Long home run to right field
Zack Cox	3		2		1				Will he remain with Memphis?
Alan Ahmady	2		1				1	1
Kolten Wong						1			Leap over PB to Springfield?
Amaury Cazana						1			Back from Mexico to stay?
Audry Perez					1
Xavier Scruggs			1						Catch his Monday blog at TCN
Pete Kozma			1						Down from big league camp
Greg Garcia	1		1					1	Unheralded infielder to watch

Jacksonville 11, Springfield 4

Springfield pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Scott Gorgen	2	2	1	1	2	Back from Tommy John
Seth Blair	2	5	5	2	1	Still searching for ASU success
Ricky Martinez	2	1	0			PB pitching coach Dennis’ son
Seth Maness	2	6	2			Plus two unearned runs allowed
Chase Reid	2	0	0	0	1	A perfect line
Todd McInnis	2	1	0	1	1	Starred for Batavia last year

Springfield hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Jonathan Rodriguez	5		2		1				Has the bat; where to play?
Cody Stanley					1				Could be next top C prospect
Packy Elkins					1
Travis Tartamella					1
Rainel Rosario					1
Mike O’Neill			1

Jupiter 5, Palm Beach 3

Palm Beach pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Zack Russell	0.2	3	3	4	3	Spent ’11 in Quad Cites rotation
Pat Daugherty	1.2	2	0	1	2
Aidan Lucas	2	1	0			Unheralded reliever
Justin Edwards	2	1	1	2	1
Kevin Jacob	1	1	1	2	1
Dyllon Nuernberg	2	0	0	2	1

Palm Beach hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
David Medina	5		3		2				Three of team’s five hits
Garrett Wittels			1		1
Roberto Reyes			1			1

Quad Cities (Field 4) 9, Greensboro 5

Quad Cities Field 4 pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Dail Villanueva	2	0	0	0	1	Perfect line for ’11 Gulf Coast pitcher
Travis Miller	2	3	1
Danny Miranda	2	3	1	1	1	Batavia’s 2011 closer
Nick Gillung	2	4	2	1
Yunier Castillo	2	1	0	1		Converted from SS during 2011
Corey Baker	2	1	1		1

Quad Cities Field 4 hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Charlie Tilson	6	1	3		1				Taken 79th overall in ’11 draft
Sam Tuivailala		2			1			3	Good plate discipline
Breyvic Valera			1
Luis Perez			1
Gerwuins Velazco			1
David Washington		2	1	1				2	Player to watch

Marlins (team 5) 11, Quad Cities (Field 6) 3

Quad Cities Field 6 pitching	IP	H	ER	BB	K	Notes
Ryan Sherriff	2	3	0	1	3	Four unearned runs scored
Brandon Creath	2	2	1	1	1
Ethan Cole	2	3	1
Heath Wyatt	2	0	0	1	3	Pitcher of the Day runner up
Tyler Mills	2	3	2	2	1	9th rounder in 2011
Adam Bileckyj	2	6	3		2	Former free agent signee

Quad Cities Field 6 hitting	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	Notes
Roberto De La Cruz	5	1	2		1				Former Dominican big bonus 3B
David Bergin	4	1	2		1
Adam Ehrlich			1						Catcher was 6th-rounder in ’11
Anthony Garcia			1

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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 04/03

Brian Walton — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 02:07:15 +0000

Highlights from Sunday’s final St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games from Jupiter, Florida.

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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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 04/02

Brian Walton — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 01:17:49 +0000

Following are the highlights from the 17th day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Saturday, April 2.

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.

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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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 04/01

Brian Walton — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:24:38 +0000

Following are the highlights from the 16th day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Friday, April 1. The Cardinals minor leaguers had a camp day, during which Memphis faced Springfield and Palm Beach opposed Quad Cities.

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.

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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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/31

Brian Walton — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 01:18:59 +0000

Following are the highlights from the 15th day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Thursday, March 31. The Cardinals minor leaguers, all five rosters worth, had their final games with their Marlins neighbors. Florida was the home team, so the games were held on their side of the Jupiter complex.

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.

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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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/30

Brian Walton — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 02:40:13 +0000

Following are the highlights from the 14th day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Wednesday, March 30. Memphis and Springfield faced the Mets’ Triple-A and Double-A clubs at Port St. Lucie, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities took on their New York counterparts at home in Jupiter.

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.

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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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/29

Brian Walton — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:48:04 +0000

Following are the highlights from the 13th day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Tuesday, March 29. (Monday’s games were rained out.) As is the case every third day all spring long when the Mets and Marlins play each other, this was a camp day. Memphis faced Springfield and Palm Beach took on Quad Cities.

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.

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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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/27

Brian Walton — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:18:45 +0000

Following are the highlights from the 12th day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Sunday, March 27. In a late change, Memphis and Springfield traveled to Port St. Lucie to take on their Mets counterparts and both lost. Palm Beach and Quad Cities faced the Mets A-ball teams at the Jupiter complex and both won.

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.

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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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/26

Brian Walton — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:01:45 +0000

Following are the highlights from the 11th day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Saturday, March 26. On Saturday’s camp day, Memphis took on Springfield while Palm Beach and Quad Cities faced off at the Jupiter complex.

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.

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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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/25

Brian Walton — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:09:38 +0000

Following are the highlights from the 10th day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Friday, March 25. The players on the Cardinals’ five rosters walked over to the Florida Marlins side of the Jupiter complex.

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday will be a camp day. Memphis will take on Springfield while Palm Beach and Quad Cities will face off at the Jupiter complex. For the full state of minor league spring training schedules, The Cardinal Nation subscribers can click here.

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

Memphis pitching

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

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

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

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

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

Memphis hitting

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

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

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

Tony Cruz had an RBI single in two appearances.

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

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

Springfield pitching

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

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

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

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

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

Springfield hitting

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Swauger doubled, walked and scored.

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

Jupiter 6, Palm Beach (7-3) 5

Palm Beach pitching

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

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

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

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

Palm Beach hitting

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

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

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

Rainel Rosario had two singles in three at-bats.

Curt Smith singled and doubled in three plate appearances.

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

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

Quad Cities #1 pitching

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

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

Justin Edwards fanned one in his scoreless inning.

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

Quad Cites #1 hitting

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

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

Joey Bergman and Romulo Ruiz both doubled and scored

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

Chris Edmondson singled, walked and scored a run.

Adam Melker singled, walked and collected an RBI.

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

Quad Cities #2 pitching

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

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

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

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

Quad Cities #2 hitting

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

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

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

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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/24

Brian Walton — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:22:02 +0000

Following are the highlights from the ninth day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Thursday, March 24. The Cardinals and Mets faced off. Memphis and Springfield rosters took the bus ride to Port St. Lucie, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities entertained their New York counterparts at home in Jupiter.

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.

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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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/23

Brian Walton — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:24:42 +0000

Following are the highlights from the eighth day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Wednesday, March 23. The Cardinals had another camp day at the Jupiter complex during which Memphis played Springfield and Palm Beach opposed Quad Cities.

Springfield took their first loss of the spring while Palm Beach padded their organization-best spring record with their sixth win in eight tries. After the default 2-2 day, the Cardinals system is a combined 16-12-5 this spring.

Today’s photo is of Player of the Day, Memphis starting pitcher Brandon Dickson. Look for his spring training interview posted on Thursday morning for The Cardinal Nation subscribers.

On Thursday, the Cards and Mets face off. Memphis and Springfield rosters will take the bus ride to Port St. Lucie, while Palm Beach and Quad Cities will entertain their New York counterparts at home. For the full state of minor league spring training schedules, The Cardinal Nation subscribers can click here.

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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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/22

Brian Walton — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 03:04:11 +0000

Following are the highlights from the seventh day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Tuesday, March 22. All five Cardinals teams played in Jupiter against their Florida Marlins counterparts. After the 3-2 day, the Cardinals system is a combined 14-10-5 this spring.

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.

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

Memphis pitching

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

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

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

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

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

Memphis hitting

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

Adron Chambers tripled and scored twice.

Amaury Cazana doubled and plated two.

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

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

Springfield pitching

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

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

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

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

Springfield hitting

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

Alex Castellanos singled, doubled and drove in two.

Nick Derba singled and walked in three plate appearances.

Palm Beach (5-2) 14, Jupiter 4

Palm Beach pitching

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

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

Justin Edwards and Keith Butler each spun two shutout innings.

Aaron Terry was charged with one run in his inning.

Palm Beach hitting

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

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

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

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

Nick Longmire went deep.

Curt Smith doubled.

Greensboro 4, Quad Cities (2-5) 2

Quad Cities #1 Pitching

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

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

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

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

Quad Cities #1 hitting

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

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

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

Packy Elkins singled and drove in one.

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

Quad Cities #2 Pitching

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

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

Charllan Jimenez allowed just one baserunner over two shutout frames.

Wilson Matos fanned two in a perfect inning.

Quad Cities #2 hitting

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

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

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

Virgil Hill tripled and scored in two at-bats.

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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/21

Brian Walton — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 03:24:01 +0000

Following are the highlights from the sixth day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Monday, March 21. The top two teams played in Jupiter against their New York Mets counterparts while Palm Beach and Quad Cities boarded the buses to travel to Port St. Lucie.

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

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

On Tuesday, the Cardinals face the Marlins in five games on the home side of the Jupiter complex. For the full state of minor league spring training schedules, The Cardinal Nation subscribers can click here.

Memphis (2-1-2) 2, Buffalo 0

Memphis pitching

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

Nick Additon fanned one in two scoreless.

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

Memphis hitting

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

Bryan Anderson stroked a bases-empty home run.

Tommy Pham and Ramon Vazquez each doubled.

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

Springfield Pitching

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

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

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

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

Springfield hitting

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

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

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

Palm Beach pitching

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

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

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

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

Palm Beach hitting

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

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

Travis Tartamella singled, doubled and scored twice.

Devin Goodwin singled and drove in two.

Frederick Parejo tripled.

Francisco Rivera doubled.

Savannah 14, Quad Cities (2-4) 5

Quad Cities #1 pitching

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

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

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

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

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

Quad Cities #1 hitting

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

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

Victor Sanchez and Chris Edmondson doubled.

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

Quad Cities #2 pitching

Trevor Rosenthal fanned nine in four perfect innings.

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

Quad Cities #2 hitting

Roberto DeLaCruz singled twice in three at-bats.

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

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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/20

Brian Walton — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 02:44:11 +0000

Following are the highlights from the fifth day of St. Louis Cardinals minor league games in spring 2011, on Sunday, March 20. On a camp day, Memphis and Springfield played as did Palm Beach and Quad Cities. After the by-default .500 day, in this case, 1-1-2, the Cardinals system is a combined 7-7-5 this spring.

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

On Monday, the Cardinals face the Mets. The top two teams will play in Jupiter while Palm Beach and Quad Cities board the buses to travel to Port St. Lucie. For the full state of minor league spring training schedules, The Cardinal Nation subscribers can click here.

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

Memphis pitching

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

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

Memphis hitting

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

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

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

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

Tyler Henley singled and had an RBI.

Springfield pitching

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

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

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

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

Springfield hitting

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

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

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

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

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

Palm Beach pitching

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

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

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

Palm Beach hitting

Edgar Lara doubled and scored.

Yunier Castillo singled and scored in two at-bats.

Michael Swinson collected a two-out RBI single.

Quad Cities pitching

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

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

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

Quad Cities hitting

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

Jonathan Rodriguez doubled.

Mike O’Neill walked and scored

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