Cardinals Minor League Report

Hey everyone! It’s Saturday and that means it’s time to check in with the boys on the farm. Today will be the second weekly recap of the minor league teams including my awards for hitter, starting pitcher and relief pitcher of the week for each level. It was not a very good week overall for the farm system, as the Cardinals’ affiliates went a combined 9-18. There were a few silver linings, however, which we will get into. Without further ado, let’s start the report!

Memphis

Memphis performed well this week, going 4-2 and ending with an 8-13 record, which puts them in third place in their division. The good news was the offensive turnaround for Bryan Anderson. After a slow start to the season, he put up a 5-16 line, good for a .313 AVG and .363 wOBA for the week. Zack Cox also turned things around a bit, going 9-22 and only striking out once in the week. Ryan Jackson also continued his hot start, as he put up a .409 batting average for the week. The team’s hottest hitter, though, was Adron Chambers. Chambers put up a 8-19 week with two doubles and a home run. He knocked in six runs this week and finished with a wOBA of .513. Adron Chambers is this week’s AAA Hitter of the Week!

The starting pitchers were a mixed bag ranging from unspectacular to phenomenal. Brandon Dickson had two starts this week and gave up five runs total across two innings. He also struck out five and walked three. Dickson did not pick up any decisions this week and looks like he has some kinks to work out if he hopes to get the major league call. Brian Broderick lasted six innings in his start and gave up two runs to pick up a loss. He struck out three and walked two. Joe Kelly also lasted six innings and gave up two runs, but got the win. Kelly only walked one hitter, but allowed eight hits. Nick Additon put in six a third innings of work, giving up two earned runs and striking out seven batters. He ended up with a no decision, but probably could have picked up a win if not for allowing a home run. The team’s top pitcher was Shelby Miller. Miller went five innings to pick up the win in his start. He allowed no runs and struck out six, but gave up five hits and two walks. Control still looks to be Miller’s downfall, so he will need to work on that.

The bullpen was phenomenal this week. Every pitcher received work, and all but Chuckie Fick and Eduardo Sanchez allowed no earned runs. Fick and Sanchez both allowed two runs. RJ Swindle was especially impressive, striking out four batters across three innings of work and picking up a win. Mikael Cleto also struck out four in three innings. Thanks to having identical lines, Swindle and Cleto tie for the Relief Pitcher of the Week.

Springfield

Springfield performed very poorly this week, going 0-7 to finish 8-13. The big struggle for the offense was the rate at which they struck out. This was identified last week, but the Springfield lineup is just filled with free-swingers. This week, Audry Perez, Niko Vasquez, Jake Shaffer, Rainel Rosario, and Jose Garcia all struck out in 20% or more of their plate appearances. The team had four poor performances in Vasquez, Rosario, Jose Garcia, and Greg Garcia. All four had sub .200 batting averages, although Greg Garcia made up for it with six walks. First baseman Xavier Scruggs finished the week with two home runs and three RBIs. The team’s top performer, though, was Oscar Taveras. Taveras hit two home runs and knocked in six runners. He needs to work on his patience, though, as he did not take a single walk this week.

As expected in an 0-7 week, the starting pitching was mostly poor. Scott Gorgen had two starts and allowed eight runs total in eleven innings. Gorgen simply allowed two many baserunners, as he gave up fourteen hits and four walks. He took the loss in one start and did not earn a decision in the other. Tyler Lyons also had two starts and fared a little better. Lyons gave up five runs on fourteen hits and four walks in 11.1 innings of work. He also took a loss and a no decision. John Gast had a solid six inning outing. He allowed two earned runs, but allowed ten baserunners total. Gast struck out five batters, but took the loss. Michael Blazek had the worst outing of all, allowing nine earned runs in four innings of work. The long ball was his big enemy, as he gave up two home runs this week. Trevor Rosenthal earns Starting Pitcher of the Week honors, as he lasted five and two-thirds and only gave up one run. He struck out six, but allowed eight baserunners.

The bullpen was not strong this week. Sam Freeman, Jesse Simpson, Kevin Thomas, and Justin Wright all gave up earned runs, and Keith Butler and Eric Fornataro gave up four and three, respectively. Jorge Rondon got two thirds of inning of perfect ball in, but the Relief Pitcher of the Week was Scott Schneider. Schneider went four innings and allowed no hits. He walked three, but also struck out three.

Palm Beach

The Palm Beach Cardinals went 3-5 this week, ending the week with an overall record of 8-13. Four players hit home runs this week, but, like the Springfield team, Palm Beach suffered greatly at the hands of the strike-out. Geoffrey Klein, Jonathan Rodriguez, Patrick Elkins, Ronny Gil, Nick Longmire, and Alan Ahmady all struck out more 21.5% of the time. Chris Edmondson was mostly solid, but had a spectacular day yesterday with a 2-2 performance and a home run. The team’s top performer was Alan Ahmady who hit for a .263 average and a .376 wOBA.

Palm Beach went with a six man rotation this week and the results were mostly good. Richard Castillo and Chris Corrigan took losses, with Castillo’s being more of a bad luck than anything as he only allowed two runs in 8 innings total. Carlos Martinez went six innings, allowing only one eraned run and striking out seven. He picked up a no decision, though. Anthony Ferrara pitched seven innings and picked up a win. He allowed three hits and two walks, but allowed no earned runs. The Starting Pitcher of the Week, though, is Seth Maness. Maness pitched seven innings total and picked up a win. He allowed no earned runs, struck out seven, only allowed three hits, and did not walk anyone.

The bullpen was very poor this week, though. Dean Kiekhefer picked up a save and pitched a total a five and a third innings, but he allowed two earned runs. He did not allow any walks in his work, though. Logan Billbrough pitched a scoreless two strikeout inning. The Relief Pitcher of the Week was Iden Nazario. Nazario pitched four innings total, allowing only one earned run. He stuck out two, walked two, and allowed two hits. He was also the only relief pitcher to pick up a win.

Quad Cities

The River Bandits finished with a 2-4 record, finishing the week 12-9. Offensive standouts included first baseman David Medina, who finished with a .304 wOBA, one home run, and three RBIs. Also, second baseman Luis Mateo had a .426 wOBA with a home run and three RBIs. Outfield NicK. Martini finished with a .305 wOBA and had six hits and an RBI. The Hitter of the Week, though, was Colin Walsh. Walsh finished with a .513 wOBA. He his two home runs and had four RBIs.

The Bandits also went with a six man rotation. Top prospect Tyrell Jenkins picked up a win with a six inning, two strikeout outing. He allowed two earned runs, five hits, and no walks. He was hurt mostly due to a home run allowed. Hector Hernandez, Sam Gaviglio, Kyle Hald, and Dail Villanueva all had unspectacular outing, with Hernanez, Gaviglio, and Hald picking up losses. The top Starting Pitcher of the Week was Todd McInnis, who picked up a win with a six inning shutout performance. McInnis struck out two, walked four, and allowed two hits.

The bullpen had four solid performers. Kevin Jacob pitched three and a third and only allowed one earned run. He also added two strikeouts to his season total. Brandon Creath and Heath Wyatt each allowed no runs. Creath pitched 2.2 innings and struck out three and Wyatt pitched an inning and struck out one. Neither earned decisions. The Relief Pitcher of the Week was Willy Paulino. Paulino pitched two innings, allowing no earned runs and only one hit to go with a strikeout.

Performers of the Week

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