Future Redbirds

With nearly half of the minor league season out of the way, I thought it would be a good time to look at BA’s Top 30 Cardinal prospects to see how they are performing.

30. Amaury Marti- The cat came out of the bag that Marti was 30+ last year, and correspondingly he was banished sent to the Mexican League. It’s considered to be AAA, so in theory he’s not facing inferior talent then what he’d be facing in the states. Marti put up some solid numbers in Palm Beach and the Arizona Fall League last season despite bombing in the Texas League, but all throughout was a strikeout machine. Since, he’s cut his strikeout rate in half (14%) and correspondingly his BB/K ratio has jumped from around .25 to .79. He’s still showing decent power and overall I’m pleased with the gains he’s made. I’m not sure if anyone is noticing, but I suppose for Marti’s sake you would have to say playing in Mexico has to beat playing in Cuba. I have doubts we’ll see him in the show, but he’s proving something.

29. Skip Schumaker- Ugh. He made the list this year? At 27? He made the club out of spring training…and flopped…again. There’s not much to say about Skippy, he’s a 5th outfielder on a bad team. Whenever So Taguchi decides to ride of into the Japanese sunset, Skip could take over without missing much of a beat. He currently is hitting for more power then he ever has down in Memphis, with a .462 slugging %. Repeat after me “He’s not a prospect.”

28. Shane Robinson- Mighty mite Sugar Shane was one of the most dominating collegiate performers during his last 2 season at Florida State, but hasn’t found the same success in pro ball, unsuprisingly. Being he’s got Eckstein like size you can imagine some scouts didn’t see much to like other then his “grit” and “hustle”. Like Eckstein, he has been hard to strikeout (9.4%) this year. He’s also had stolen 14 bases out of 18 attempts. But all said, he’s hitting just .248/.317/.356. Right now he’s on the DL.

27. Jonathan Edwards- Maybe he’s out preaching “sinners in the hands of an angry God” because he’s not been in any of the boxscores. Actually, I had hoped Edwards would make the QC team out of spring training but he’s been stuck in extended spring, trying to cut down on his K’s. He’s likely ticketed for another go at Johnson City or perhaps Batavia. He’s a favorite of mine, for his raw power and the fact he’s named Jonathan Edwards.

26. Mike Sillman-Submarine Sillman is out with shoulder issues, he pitched just 10 innings for Memphis with 10 walks and 9 K’s. I’ve heard nothing on a timetable for his return.

25. Dennis Dove-Another personal fave of mine. He opened eyes out of spring training and even got called up after the death of Josh Hancock, pitched decently against the Brewers in his debut then in his third game allowed a grand slam against Hunter Pence. Dove also has been experiencing shoulder issues and is on the DL. In 15 innings he walked 7 to 10 K’s with a 5.28 ERA. Who is the strength and conditioning guy down there for Memphis and what in the world is he doing? (or not doing?)

24. Mark Worrell-Mr. Unorthodox has taken a back seat to Brian Falkenborg for the closer role after being a closer for PB and Springfield, but he’s performed reasonably well this season for Memphis. In 29 innings, he’s struck out 31 batters to 13 walks and 23 hits. He’s striking out 11.9 batters per 9 on the right side while putting up a 1:1 K/BB ratio against southpaws. ROOGyriffic.

23. Brad Furnish- He’s holding hitters to a .208 batting average over 51 innings, while striking out 55 to 20 walks. Being a lefty, he has none of the expected platoon splits you might expect. I have to think he’s about ready for Palm Beach. He likes to pitch up in the zone despite having rather average stuff, so whenever he hits AA his stock could take a precipitous hit. I like him better then most.

22. Tommy Pham- About all you need to know is he’s hitting .080 in 25 at bats for the Swing. He did well to get a promotion to QC, but Swing manager Keith Mitchell doesn’t play him much and I can’t understand why. Granted, he hasn’t hit a lick in the chances he’s been given, but he desperately needs at bats. Lack of production despite having monster tools has not stopped Daryl Jones from playing every day, neither should it for Pham, unless he’s displaying some sort of poor attitude we don’t know about.

21. Trey Hearne- The VEB approved super-sleeper has bombed in Palm Beach, with an ERA over 6.00. I didn’t think Palm Beach would prove such a test for him but his K’s are down below 5 per 9 and he’s getting pasted all over the park. With nominal stuff I expected him to be tested, but didn’t expect these results given his control. I wonder if he’s hurt.

20. Nick Stavinoha- He’s mashing lefties to the tune of a 1.074 OPS verses a .662 OPS verses righties. His overall line of .286/.328/.451 is solid but not spectacular but he’s come on as of late. I’d like to see him take a walk and hit for more extra bases to consider him as a real help to the big club someday other then in a platoon role. But he’s only still under 250 games of pro experience. He was a 5th year senior when drafted and was expected to move quickly, and so far he’s adjusting well. We’ll see what he does in the 2nd half.