Jhonny Peralta buys Cardinals time to develop prospects at short

With the signing of Jhonny Peralta prior to Thanksgiving, it has bought the St. Louis Cardinals the time needed to develop a shortstop.
June 24, 2012; Omaha, NE, USA; Arizona Wildcats shortstop Alex Mejia (13) gestures during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second inning of championship finals game one of the 2012 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Arizona won 5-1. Image Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Over the last year, both Skip Schumaker and Marc Rzepczynski were traded for shortstops. Jake Lemmerman was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers and was just recently selected by the San Diego Padres in the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday. Juan Herrera was acquired from the Cleveland Indians for Scrabble.

Former PAC-12 player of the year Alex Mejia is also a name to keep an eye on. He was drafted during the 2012 draft prior to winning the College World Series with the Arizona Wildcats. Unfortunately, his development was given a setback shortly after the draft with an ACL injury.

Derrick Goold takes a look at the club’s stockpiling of shortstops. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the position cannot be stockpiled in the same way that the pitching can.

Whether the eventual replacement for Peralta has been drafted already in someone like Mejia or 2013 second round draft pick Oscar Mercado or someone else remains to be seen. In the 2013 draft alone, the Cardinals used six of their first twenty selections on shortstops. Whether it pans out or not in the seasons to come is going to be something to ponder about.