Today I’m going to take a look at how various Cardinal prospects were assigned throughout the minor league pipeline. Our John Latham has a really well done in-depth look at some of the individual prospects at Memphis here. Gabe provided an easy read focusing on which prospects to follow here. I scored as a “prospect geek”. Is that bad? My article is more about transactions and assignments throughout. I apologize about any overlap … I didn’t discover that until this was written and I was off to Denver
to see Grandkids. So, I’m slow!
At a high level, it can pay to remember that the minor league side gets 165 roster spots. That can begin to feel tight when you have a deep system. Choices can be tough. If I don’t miss my guess, this will be sized down with the next CBA, perhaps with one of the A levels being eliminated, as baseball continues to shift development off to the colleges.
The average roster size per minor league team is 33 spots but teams can vary the roster size at individual affiliates as long as they stay within the 165 cap. Full-season injured list guys do not count against the 165, nor do IL-60 players. The distinction between IL-60 and full-season injured is that teams are limited to fifteen IL-60 players, but the players can return during the season. Full-season injured list guys can not return, but there is no commensurate limitation on the number of entries on this list.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA)
Memphis released their roster on Friday, March 27. The X-tweet from @CardinalsDevelopment contained a few surprises. The surprises? Ryan Fernandez and Tink Hence have become left-handed pitchers. A new Pitcher Arm Care strategy? Misprints, I’m sure. On to more interesting tidbits.
The list itself contained few surprises, although it carried a few hints. Fitts, Rajcic, Zimmerman, Mautz and Mathews round out the rotation. Probably the bigger hint here is that Dobbins is getting rehab starts in Memphis. I wonder if he will be the 6th starter at the MLB level. We should find out in a few weeks.
Hence moves to the bullpen. Bedell and Antico, two guys I considered bubble occupants, open on the development list, so are not eligible to play. The Memphis bullpen leans older. Moreno, Naughton, Shuster and Raquet have all been around the block.
Five IL-60 spots for Memphis are occupied with injured pitchers (Z. Thompson, Roby, Henderson, Santos, Robberse). Henderson was the surprise IL-60 guy. He is listed as a forearm strain (flexor). Cornwell and Pete Hansen are IL-7.
Interestingly, one IL-60 pitcher (Hjerpe) was assigned to Springfield. Last I heard, Hjerpe is not expected to pitch until after the ASB. I’m guessing that he has the longest expected timeline to return to action, and the other guys are possibly expected back sooner.
Springfield Cardinals
Springfield finalized their roster on April Fool’s Day. The Cardinals position players are populated with second-year AA players (Rivas, Gazdar, Davis), so they lean a bit older. This will be a challenging advancement for Deniel Ortiz. With Zach Levenson and Travis Honeyman promoting, along with the return of Davis, this could also be the year we quit complaining about the dearth of outfield talent in the MiLB pipeline.
But, the real charm of this team is the starting rotation of Cinjtje, Lin, Rincon, Doyle, Saladin and/or Bradt depending on if they go with 6-man or 5-man. I’m guessing six. I’d expect nothing less from this group than to over-power the Texas League, night in and night out.
Brandt Thompson, Braden Davis, and Mason Molina seem to me to be the aggressive pitcher promotions. Good for them.
They also have a few interesting “reliever opportunity” prospects – Watson, Burns, Molina.
Much like last year, the strength of this team is the pitching. In ways, there may be more horsepower this year, but perhaps more variability too.
Peoria Chiefs
While just a few hours outside St. Louis, Peoria can be seen as the Siberia of minor league baseball. The hottest prospects often skip it altogether (ala. JJ Wetherholt). There really aren’t veterans at this level, just a bunch of guys on long-term development pathways.
This year may deviate a little in that the overflow of pitching talent from Jupiter last year portends a potentially strong Peoria staff, albeit possibly a bit mercurial.
Lionel Sequera, Blake Aita, Tanner Franklin and Jack Findlay appear poised to lead the rotation. IL-60 occupants lurking include Brandon Clarke, Frank Ellisalt and Joseph King.
Peoria has a seemingly endless line of organization guys such as Savacool, Davila, Salas, Carpenter. Each are guys with their own merits. Which one breaks out?
On the position player side, the headliner is Raniel Rodriguez. A peculiar case this one. By age, he should be complex or Low-A. By talent, he has the look of one of those guys that doesn’t stay in Peoria very long. But AA at the age of 19 (and just turned 19)? Would they push a kid this young to Springfield? Hmmm…
Baez (Jesus) and Ortiz (Deniel) provide intrigue on the infield. The outfield of Cho, Peete, and Cordoba could produce a bit of offense.
As with the pitching, there are some organization guys on longer development arcs like Sammy Hernandez.
This was not a great team last year. I am expecting better results this year. Pitching should be the team strength, but they may score a few more runs, too. The challenge here is that the pitchers and hitters that do well tend to matriculate quickly to Springfield.
Palm Beach Cardinals
The Palm Beach roster was finalized April 3.
I could give you a bunch of names on who made this club, but almost everyone would say “Who is that?”. On the pitching side, I’m watching for Ethan Young, Tyler Van Dyke, Cade Crossland and Jovi Galvez, among others.
On the position side, Padilla is the headliner in this group. Jack Gurevitch and Ryan Mitchell could give him a run for his money. Both are super interesting prospects in their own rights.
Dutkanych IV is on the IL-60 with this squad. Unfortunate for him.
FCL Cardinals
The Florida Complex League (FCL) doesn’t start until May, so their rosters aren’t published yet. If you have a prospect you like to follow and you don’t see their name above, they may yet appear here. Those guys, right now, are basically in extended spring training and have access to the pitching and hitting labs in Jupiter. I suspect guys like Brian Holiday and Payton Graham are among this group.
Also, this is the place where last year’s DSL starts tend to pop up. Names to watch for? Dos Santos, Hunter, Rujano, Lucena on the player side. On the pitching side, I’m not sure. Franco, maybe, but I think he is hurt.
The hospital ward
Hjerpe, Clarke, Ellisalt, King, Dutkanych, Henderson, Robberse, Roby, Santos and Z. Thompson start on the IL-60. So ten of fifteen spots are occupied. We can hope this list doesn’t grow.
