So I’ve spent a lot of time pouring over rosters lately and looking at numbers. I enjoy doing that but sometimes you have to take a breather. I used to keep a scorecard every time I went to a baseball game. Writing down where every out is made and who advanced to what base. It was fun but it was also a lot of effort. Now I try to make sure I supress my Type A personality from time to time and just go to the game. . . and do nothing. I just sit, drink a beer and veg out.
So I’m throwing our readers a softball this morning. I don’t want to tell you why Cory Meacham Rauschenbergeraspdiojwef (if you’re gonna change your name make it easy to spell) isn’t going to make the majors. I don’t want to talk about walk rates, line drive percentages or BABIP. I want to know who your favorite Cardinals’ prospect is.
When I say favorite, I don’t mean most talented or best — though if Colby Rasmus is your favorite then so be it. I just mean what prospect do you enjoy reading about no matter how craptacular a night they had. Someone you want to reach the major despite the (perhaps insurmountable) odds that may be against them. No Troy Percivals though — players like taht don’t count.
I’ll start. My favorite Cardinal prospect is Chris Narveson. For whatever reason, I really want Narvie to make it to the majors and stick. I was really disappointed when he got hurt and couldn’t the STL Cardinals use him now?!?!?! Still, he’s probably never going to pick up the velocity he had pre-surgery in 2004 and that limits his ability to get the strikeout. He is left-handed, however, and that can do awesome things for your baseball chances. I want Narveson to get his due and see what he’s got when he’s healthy and at his best.
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My favorite is Degerman. When you have a youtube worthy delivery and results you are tops in my book…
I’ll go with Tyler Greene. Speed, pop, premium defensive position (just can’t field it). He does struggle to put the bat on the ball. Solid at QC, shaky at PB but they moved him up and he’s been a bit better at AA. Seems like he could still make it…
I think Jon Jay is my favorite. Last year, when he was tearing it up hitting like .345, no one was talking about him. So I started paying attention. And recently, when vivaelbirdos showed the video of Jay’s swing right next to Carlos Beltran’s, I was sold. If Jay develops some pop, he could be a huge asset.
I will always have a soft spot for Amaury Marti (yes, I know he is on the sidebar). He’s a total mystery and in my mind he is a ten foot tall man that uses whole trees as bats.
I also have a soft spot for Mather. Yes, I like power.
Eddie D is my favorite too. I remember watching him pitch for Rice in the college world series and thinking how cool it would be to have someone like that in the system; how good he could be if he could cut down the walks. Nothing like a guy who would walk the bases loaded then strike out the side.
I’m torn between two guys. First is Amaury Marti. I frequent the milb.com box scores of his games to check how he is doing. His story is just one that you cannot help but root for. So it would have been an easy choice at the beginning of the season for me. But then came Joe Mather’s power surge. Love seeing that guy succeed and I hope he’s given a chance in the big leagues next year…like Marti.
I’m with Jeff. Amaury Marti intrigues the hell out of me.
Bryan Anderson does too. The thought of having a left-handed hitting catcher who can actually hit sounds promising.
I have been a Bryan Anderson fan because I always root for catchers. I am with Seals, the thought of a good hitting lefty catcher is intriguing. But after getting to talk to Kenny Maiques after a Swing game, I am really rooting for him. He was very courteous with me and all the kids who wanted his autograph but had no idea who he was.
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Something, I forgot. Get over to the Johnson City Cardinals website and click on the Ballcard Memories link. It is all the team sets from the past 15+ years. It is fun to occassionally look back at can’t miss prospects that totally miss.
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No one chose Ankiel? After all that poor dude has been through, I would really like to see him make it to the Bigs and stick as an outfielder.
I’m with you on Narveson- I thought he should have been our #4 last year going to the playoffs. If he had done what Weaver did, for free, where would we be today?
He’s not really a prospect anymore though, with his age and injury history… he’s about to fall into the same “never-got-his-chance” purgatory that JRod dwells in.
btw, the commercial appeal said today that Narvy experienced a setback with his oblique injury and will be out for a while.
Anyway there’s so many neat stories in our farm system- Motte, Landin, CAZANA!, Ankiel, etc, it’s just fun to see how they do on a daily basis. I do wish they’d cut out some of the AAA crap and let guys with potential in the lower levels move up.
It would be Ankiel but he’s technically not a prospect, and he can’t get on base which I hate.
So my answer would be Bryan Anderson.
Rick Ankiel definitely. I’ve always been a fan of his and when most people doubted whether he could be an outfielder or not, I believed he could. And though I doubt he’ll ever use it while in the outfield, he has the absolutely best curveball I have ever seen.
If The Natural is your favorite baseball movie, then Rick “Roy Hobbs” Ankiel should be your favorite prospect.
Stavinoha is my favorite current prospect. I choose him last year because I thought he would do well and progress quickly and he has.
this is tough…real tough…
outside of rasmus:
i’m on the bryan anderson bandwagon and i like probably more high on chris perez then i should.
my other favorite pets are-
rick ankiel
tommy pham
tyler herron
mark hamilton
…and i’m coming around to daryl jones. there, i picked….i’ll have grape..or cherry…or rasberry…or vanilla…or coke…
ankiel goes yard again. 16th
if he could just learn how to take a walk and become a TTO kind of player.
saw that. and rasmus went 0′fer again, with out a walk or anything. he’s now hitting .263.
Rasmus no doubt, but outside of rasmus and ankiel I’ll go with Nick Webber….
What can I say, when I heard 93mph fastball with “wiffle ball like movement” I was sold…
Also really have an irrational liking for Mark Worrell
ah, yeah. now i remember my answer. Shaun Garceau is my favorite. there.