Posted on July 5, 2008 by erik
Hope you all had a Happy 4th. One thing I miss about living in St. Louis is celebrating the 4th of July. Cedar Rapids does a decent job with their fireworks I suppose, but I miss the barbecue pork steaks drenched in Maulls with some cole slaw on the side, the VP Fair, and all the other fun happenings. Plus now you have the Cubs are in town for a pivotal series; I envy you non-displaced St. Louisans right now.
The Crew at Scout have a little more info on the international signings. I’m pretty excited about Pina and Franco in particular.
The farm goes 3-for-6 tonight.
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Filed under: Daily Farm Reports | 15 Comments »
Posted on July 3, 2008 by roarke49
In addition to the signing that Erik posted about earlier, Derrick Goold is reporting that the Cardinals are set to announce a total of six international signings. He has all the details about the players in this article.
Kyle Mura got the call up to Springfield to make the start tonight, all the details are below, but the News-Leader had a feature on him before his first appearance. The News-Leader also reports on Jon Jay’s shoulder injury. The team is hopeful (as am I) that the shoulder won’t keep him out long. Here is what Jay thinks:
Sounding an optimistic tone, Jay couched his shoulder situation on Wednesday as “just the bumps and bruises you go through (in) the season.”
I missed this yesterday, but the Memphis paper had a feature on Bryan Anderson on their website.
The organization was 4-1 on the day (Palm Beach was rained out). All the details are after the jump.
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Filed under: Bryan Anderson, Daily Farm Reports, Kyle Mura | 8 Comments »
Posted on July 3, 2008 by erik
Hoo-ray! It’s our first bit of international signing news.
Per Ben Badler of Baseball America:
The Cardinals signed Dominican righthander Santo Franco. International scouts indicated that Franco’s camp was seeking a $1 million bonus, but doubted that he would receive that much money. Franco, who is a lanky 6-foot-5 at around 185 pounds, has a fastball that has been up to 92 mph, with the potential for considerably more velocity as his frame fills out.
In a preview to the signing period, BA took a closer look at Franco. The gist is:
- 16 years old, up from 88-89 to now throwing 90-91 and touching 92.
- Lanky frame, oozes projection. Could morph into a flamethrower.
- Lags behind in secondary stuff. Average curve, but not consistent. Scouts think he’d be better suited to throw the slider due to his body type.
- “Prototypical projection guy with a big arm.”
ESPN ranked him the 8th best Latin American prospect available, for what it’s worth. Sounds like a nice signing.
Filed under: July 2 intn'l signing period, Santo Franco | Tagged: Santo Franco | 13 Comments »
Posted on July 3, 2008 by erik
It’s been a while since we had our latest 3 Up, 3 Down. Let’s get right into it.
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Filed under: three up, three down | Tagged: Allen Craig, Daniel Descalso, Daryl Jones, Jess Todd, Jon Edwards, Xavier Scruggs | 11 Comments »
Posted on July 2, 2008 by roarke49
This chat roundup discusses the Cardinals interest in Brian Fuentes and Matt Holliday. This quote, in particular, caught my attention:
“Certainly the Rockies are fishing for prospects and names such as (OF Colby) Rasmus, (C Bryan) Anderson and (LHP Jaime) Garcia will be thrown around. John Mozeliak insists he is not going to trade Rasmus. I believe it, but no GM would publicly make available his top prospect since it would only erode leverage.
The last sentence sort leaves the possibility open that Rasmus could get traded (although it is only a Joe Strauss chat, so he certainly doesn’t speak for the organization). I personally don’t want that to happen and I really don’t think there is much chance that it will happen.
This article discusses some roster moves the organization made today, including Mr. Wallace being assigned to Quad Cities, Matt Arburr and Charles Kingrey being promoted to Palm Beach and Carlos Pupo moving up to Quad Cities. That QC team suddenly has an intriguing infield.
The exciting news for the night is, of course, Brett Wallace’s debut at Quad Cities. He DH’d and batted third - the details of his night, along with the details from four squads (Springfield was off, but Palm Beach played two) are after the jump. Read more »
Filed under: Daily Farm Reports | 27 Comments »
Posted on July 2, 2008 by azruavatar
He caught my eye over a year ago when I stopped by the Quad Cities. Jones has often been noted as having the tools to be a tremendous player but the questions of whether it would ever turn into results. A year after being drafted, Kevin Goldstein ranked him as the 5th best prospect in the Cardinals system saying:
The best athlete in the system and it’s not even close. More importantly Jones made incredible progress in translating his tools into skills in 2006, showing a much more mechanically sound swing that allowed him to make better contact and tap into his power potential. Plus-plus runner who should become a good center fielder and dangerous base stealer once he learns how to harness his speed.
Of course he followed it up with:
Jones remains remarkably raw in nearly every aspect of the game. Pitch recognition remains a big weakness and breaking balls still tie him up in knots. Has spent time in all three outfield positions because his defensive instincts are lagging.
Which pretty much jives with what I’ve seen of Jones and all the reports on him. Defensively, he has the speed and arm to be a tremendous centerfielder. Offensively, the strides he’s made this season (in a pitcher’s park nonetheless) dwarf anything he’s done previously with the bat. Did I mention he’s only 21? I’m not going to make this into a full fledged profile of Jones but let’s look at his stats this season.
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Filed under: Daryl Jones | 8 Comments »
Posted on July 1, 2008 by erik
The big news of the day of course was Brett Wallace officially signing to a $1.84 M signing bonus. He practiced with the big club today and according to the official site he’ll play primarily at 3B, but could also see some time in the OF. He’s reporting to the QC, which means I’ll most definitely be making the journey to Davenport to behold the Walrus in person.
Colby Rasmus was added to the Futures Game roster, which could mean he may get a trip to Beijing to represent the USA. I’m sure Colby will be honored, but I think he was probably hoping for a much shorter flight to a different destination. That makes four Cards participating in the game, which seems pretty much unheard of. The system ain’t perfect, but it’s come a long way, baby.
The international signing period officially begins at midnight. BA says (subscription) the Cards are no longer players for big dollar OF Yorman Rodriguez (big surprise), but just reading between the lines they could sign a Dominican fellah by the name of Anderson Pujols. Yep, he’s another cousin. I expect to see the Cardinals do something of significance this year. Remember, they hired Juan Mercado away from the Mets this past winter as their scouting supervisor of Latin America. Mercado scouted and signed Jose Reyes and Carlos Gomez, two pretty big fish.
The Farm puts up a big 0′fer tonight.
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Filed under: Daily Farm Reports | 21 Comments »
Posted on July 1, 2008 by erik
I’m a little pressed for time today, but I about fell out of my chair when I read the Cardinals may be interested in Matt Holliday and Brian Fuentes. Mozeliak may be serious about overtaking the Cubs, and why wouldn’t he? The NL has been surprisingly soft this year, and as good as the Cardinals have been, it’s hard to envision them continuing to do as well as they have considering the career performances they are coaxing out of their players. But would the cost be worth it? I would think the price would have to start with Rasmus, Garcia and a few other lesser prospects. A package similar to what the Tigers sent to Florida for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis immediately comes to mind.
I’m not advocating the deal, nor am I just dismissing it. At first blush, I’m not crazy about the idea at all, however. What do you all think?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Brian Fuentes, Matt Holliday, trades | 57 Comments »
Posted on June 30, 2008 by azruavatar
Posted on June 30, 2008 by erik
The one and only Keith Law of ESPN.com was recently kind enough to respond to a few of my questions on the Cardinals draft. I hope you enjoy his replies as much as I did. He made me feel a little better about Brett Wallace and Lance Lynn, and a little worse about the rest of the draft, other than a small handful. (And only a dad of toddler a would know what sort of accessory Tinky Winky carries. I can relate, but we’re not going there with my son for that sake of our own sanity, it’s been strictly Veggie Tales and Finding Nemo over and over again for my boy.)
Well, Here ya go. Enjoy.
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Filed under: 2008 MLB draft | Tagged: Anthony Ferrara, Brett Wallace, Devin Shepherd, Keith Law, Lance Lynn, Nico Vasquez, Ryan Kulik, Tim Melville | 33 Comments »
Posted on June 29, 2008 by azruavatar
[UPDATE] Still not “imminent” but John Mozeliak is hopeful that first round draft pick Brett Wallace will be signed soon. He could be signed within the week (during the Cardinals homestand) and will probably take slot money (surprise, surprise). [/end update]
Blake Hawksworth will DJ your baseball game.
Bad news for Mark McCormick as he continues to experience shoulder discomfort.
“I was just going by what (medical experts) said I would feel like. I believed that at first,” McCormick said. “But I came to realize that I didn’t think it should feel like this. That’s when I said something.”
McCormick said that, should the 10-day period not produce desired results, he would likely undergo another surgery. It would effectively end his season because the recovery time is three weeks, followed by a six-week program.
That can’t be any fun for McCormick who says he hasn’t been healthy since being drafted. I’m not sure we’ve ever seen his best stuff but I’m increasingly skeptical that we ever will after all these shoulder surgeries.
Michael Inoa to sign with the Athletics.
The system goes 3-for-5 tonight as Batavia’s game is postponed.
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Filed under: Daily Farm Reports | 26 Comments »
Posted on June 28, 2008 by azruavatar
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