September roster expansion candidates for the Cardinals

Hello there, and welcome to one of the most exciting times of Cardinals’ baseball season. September call-up time! I am really looking forward to this time as I usually do every year. I wanted to dedicate a post to preview of who I thought would have a chance to get the call once rosters expand in September.

Most of these players will be obvious choices, as they will be players that are already on the 40 man roster and have likely been up with the team at least once before. However, I will provide at least one or two candidates that I think could be a dark horse candidate.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at these candidates.

Aug 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher

(70) pitches in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Candidate #1 Tyler Lyons

Yes, yes I know this is not exciting or unexpected. However, despite being just sent back down. There’s no chance Tyler doesn’t make the roster, barring an injury that is. Lyons, was pretty good in three outings out of the bullpen this month not allowing a single run in 7.2 IP.

More from Redbird Rants

• Cardinals Rumors: 3 pros and cons of signing Carlos Rodon
• What’s next for the St. Louis Cardinals after Contreras signing?
• Report: Cardinals Emerge As Mystery Team for Carlos Rodon
• Cardinals: Trade targets after signing Willson Contreras
• Reflecting on the 2013 Cardinals’ top 30 prospects

He has had a reliable year in Memphis posting a 3.21 ERA in fifteen starts so far. Take into fact that he can spot start Wacha or Martinez and provide needed innings out of the bullpen, he will be needed in September.

Candidate #2

Miguel Socolovich

I am not too sure why this guy got the boot. He has been solid in the couple times he has been up this year. In 21 total games pitched he has an ERA of 1.54 striking out a decent 7.3 per nine innings. Aside from his slightly average FIP being at 3.21 which attests to the solid defense he has behind him, I don’t see why he can’t be a solid contributor again in September.

May 3, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher

(64) throws to a Pittsburgh Pirates batter during the twelfth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Pirates 3-2 in 14 innings Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Candidate #3

Sam Tuivailala

Enter, the candidate that I think could have both the biggest impact on the team and best chance of making the playoff roster. We saw Sam come up last year with a lightning fast fastball that was a little flat and he got hit pretty hard.

However, this year has been a different story. He has been up two different times this season. His first time up he was a little bit of the same as last year allowing 2 ER and 1 HR in 3 IP. Then he came up again on July 11 and he was a completely different guy.  His fastball had movement, he was mixing his pitches, and hitters simply didn’t have a chance against him. In seven appearances and 10 IP he didn’t allow a single run and struck out nine batters.

Sam was then optioned out on July 29 to make room for Jaime Garcia and likely to make room for incoming trade acquisitions. However, this seemed a little weird to me given his success and the need for a late inning reliever at the time. Manager Mike Matheny was quoted as saying that Sam needed to work on his cutter’s velocity. This sounded all too familiar to when Mike stated that the late Oscar Taveras needed to “work on his swing”, when he was sent down last season.

Regardless, Sam will be up soon and he will provide a huge spark to this bullpen. I truly believe that if he does as well as he did when he was up in July, that he will have a solid chance to make the playoff roster.

Candidate #4

Tim Cooney

Again, another player who has been up before. Cooney, will likely have the same role as Lyons and barring an injury to one of the starters, will not have a chance to make the playoff roster. Ignoring his disappointing start in late April earlier in the season.

Cooney filled in nicely for Jaime Garcia throughout the month of July allowing only eight earned run through his five turns through the rotation. Cooney like Lyons will likely be a long relief and spot start option for the team.

Candidate #5

Marco Gonazales

Wow is it strange to see this name as a September call-up. This is a player who could have been with the club at multiple instances this season. Unless you have amnesia, you know how well the 2013 first round draft pick performed for the Cardinals last year in the regular season and the playoffs.

This has been a really tough year for Marco. After battling with Jaime Garcia and Carlos Martinez in spring training for the final rotation spot, Gonzales really struggled in his first month in Memphis. In six starts he had an ERA of 6.35 and had allowed 6 HR. Not at all like the player who shot through the system last year. Gonzales then went on the DL with shoulder irritation in his pitching arm. Gonzales missed nearly two months with this injury and has taken some time to get back up to speed.

In his last three starts in Memphis, Gonzales has only allowed 2 ER and has only allowed 1 HR in his last 5 starts. He seems to finally be healthy and is finally getting back on track to where he was last season. I am not too sure what his role will necessarily be this coming month. However, I would not be surprised to see him come in and spot start once or twice to rest Wacha or Martinez.

I believe that Gonzales needs innings right now and will get his opportunity to pitch out of the bullpen next month. If he is the same guy from last season, he like Tuivailala is a dark-horse candidate to make the playoff roster.

Feb 21, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny (right) talks with catcher Michael Ohlman (left) during practice drills at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Candiate # 7

C Mike Ohlman

Here we have our first dark horse candidate. This is Mike’s first year in the organization, as he was acquired in the offseason for cash considerations from the Orioles. He has had a very solid season in AA Springfield hitting .288 with 11 Homers, 15 Doubles, and driving in 62. He has totaled a decent OPS at .804, definitely bouncing back from a disappointing season in AA Bowie last season.

The Cardinals traditionally call up a third catcher and both AAA catchers (Cody Stanley and Ed Easley) are having disappointing seasons. However, it is important to note that Cody Stanley had very similar numbers to Ohlman in AA Springfield last season. So, there is a decent chance that Ohlman will have to go through AAA like Stanley in order to get a call-up to the team. Stanley and Easley being candidates themselves have also already been with the team this season.

Mar 21, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop

(65) follows through with a game winning single against the Atlanta Braves at Roger Dean Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Braves 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Candidate #8

Dean Anna

This is an interesting one. Anna was brought in during the offseason to come in and compete with Pete Kozma, Ty Kelly, and Greg Garcia for the infield bench spot in spring training. As we all know Kozma won that spot, Kelly was claimed on waivers by Toronto earlier in the season, and Garcia has been unfairly yo-yoed between Memphis and St. Louis this season.

Anna on the other hand has only been up once and has had a decent year in Memphis batting .273 notably hitting 20 doubles and driving in 4o. I am not too sure where Anna fits in here. He could come up and be a decent utility guy and backup option for Kolten Wong and Jhonny Peralta. However, with Garcia and Kozma being here already, I really don’t know if the Cardinals have much value in him at this point in his career with other infield prospects available. He could be an easy waive to get a player like Jacob Wilson on to the 40 Man Roster.

Jul 16, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Dominican Republic designated hitter

(2) dives back to first base on a pick-off attempt in the first inning as United States first baseman Jacob Wilson (3) waits for the throw during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ajax Pan Am Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Candidate #9

Jacob Wilson

When I put out a feeler on twitter about who fans would like to see come up, a number of fans tweeted back that they would like to see this young man get an opportunity. This is definitely an exciting option when you consider the fact that he has 18 HR and 70 RBI between AA and AAA this season. Wilson, also spent part of the season playing for Team USA in the Pan Am games, knocking a couple HR there as well.

However, when you take into consideration that he is only batting .224 for the season in AAA, he’s not on the 40 Man, and Greg Garcia has shown signs of being able to handle a backup IF role just fine. It really does not seem likely to happen. However, he still is a one of my dark horse candidates to make it.

Mar 21, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman

(95) connects for a base hit against the Washington Nationals during a game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Candidate #10

Aledmys Diaz

Enter my final candidate and the candidate who probably intrigues me the most. I have been a fan of this guy since the signing last spring. Up until lately, Diaz has been a disappointment to say the least. Last season Diaz was on and off the DL with shoulder issues related to not playing competitive baseball for some time. Earlier in the season things hit a low point when he was designated for assignment taking him off of the 40 man roster.

In a recent interview with Brian Stull of St. Louis Baseball Weekly, Diaz mentioned that he has become more comfortable lately for a multitude of reasons. Stull gives statistics to back this claim telling us that Diaz has vastly improved his batting average since July 4, going from .223 to .264. Stull, also tells us Diaz has been red hot of late going .421 with a couple homers and ten RBI over his last ten games. Diaz has also recently been rewarded with a call up to AAA yesterday when Greg Garcia was called up to the big club.

If Diaz continues to improve and has good numbers while in Memphis for the short period of time,  I would not be surprised if he was rewarded again being added back to the 40 man roster and getting a call up to the big club. If all of this happens and Diaz performs at the major league level it would be interesting to see if maybe Diaz could get a good amount of AB as a backup SS, 3B, 2B next season.

These are ten candidates that I think could potentially make it up to the big club this coming month. However, there could be some that I am missing and I could be wrong on a few. If you want to see a different take, I suggest taking a look at Dan Buffa’s take on the September call ups.

Next: No need for the St. Louis Cardinals to rush back injured players