Alex Reyes Headlines Cardinals in Arizona Fall League

Just in time to take some of the sting out the St. Louis Cardinals’ early postseason exit, the Arizona

Fall League kicked off on Tuesday. Cardinals top prospect Alex Reyes made his Fall League debut on Thursday at Salt River fields in Scottsdale and allowed one hit, struck out five and walked two in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. That sounds about right. The Cards’ #7, #8, #12 and #27 prospects are also on the Surprise Saguaros roster.

The six-team AFL showcases many of the game’s top prospects who recently competed at the double- and triple-A levels. A few high-A players get in, too. A Playing there is a big deal, because a Fall League appearance often precedes a big league call up. Last year, for instance, Cards relievers Sam Tuivailala and Mitch Harris pitched in the desert before making their big league debuts this season.

So take heart, Cardinal fans. At least a few players in the organization are playing fall baseball. Let’s scout each of them, shall we?

Luke Weaver, RHP

Credit: Florida State University

One of two righthanded pitchers the Cardinals took in the first round of the 2014 draft (Jack Flaherty was the other), Weaver joined the high-A Palm Beach a few weeks into the  2015 season and fit in well with a staff that dominated the Florida State League. In his 19 starts, Weaver posted a 1.62 ERA with 88 Ks and just 19 walks. He uses a devastating fastball/changeup combination to keep hitters completely off-balance. That may be enough in college and A-ball, but whether he can succeed as a big league starter will depend on how well he brings along his third pitch, the curveball. Guess which one he’ll be throwing the most in Arizona?

Dean Kiekhefer, LHP

Credit: Roger Cotton/Memphis Redbirds

By the numbers, Kiekhefer has the look of the next home-grown reliever to break into the Cardinals pen and neutralize offenses in the middle to late innings. The Cardinals drafted the Louisville native in the 36th round back in 2010, and Kiekhefer has routinely posted sub-3.00 ERAs in his steady march through the system. He does it with a high-80s fastball and plus curveball, but that’s just the half of it. He throws from a low three-quarters slot — virtually sidearm — hiding the ball exceptionally well before slinging it plateward. Remember Pat Neshek? How about Randy Choate? That’s right, this guy has big league LOOGY (Lefty One-Out GuY) written all over him.

Robby Rowland, RHP

Credit: Allison Rhoades/Peoria Chiefs

Drafted and signed out of high school by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010, Rowland signed as a free agent with the Cardinals last winter. At 6-feet-4 and 215 lbs., he 23-year-old reliever certainly has the size of a big league pitcher. He has the bloodlines, too. His dad, Rich, caught for the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox for parts of six seasons. Now, finally, the younger Rowlands might be headed in that direction. Using mostly a fastball/curveball mix, the righthander had the best season of his professional career in 2015. As the closer at low-A Peoria, he made the Midwest League All-Star Game and earned himself promotions to high-A Palm Beach, then double-A Springfield. Stats at the latter two stops weren’t pretty, but the numbers tell only part of the story. Mechanical tweaks he’s adapting to now may pay big dividends in 2016 and beyond. The first signs of a payoff may come this fall.

Mike Ohlman, C

Credit: Mark Harrell/Springfield Cardinals

Ohlman is another cast-off who is already thriving with the Cardinals. The Baltimore Orioles drafted him in 2009 (11th round), and he had really just one good season for the O’s, 2013, when he won the Carolina League batting crown. He’s a big fella, standing 6-feet-5, which is why he also plays some first base. While he has improved his defense behind the plate, that lanky frame will forever make pitch blocking a chore. So if his bat continues to play, first base may eventually be his permanent home. In the meantime, Ohlman is one of two high-caliber catching prospects in the Cardinals pipeline. The other is glove-first backstop Carson Kelly, who just finished high-A and is currently working on his swing in Instructional League. Ohlman hit with authority at double-A, leading Springfield with 69 RBI while showing an impressive amount of patience. He’s also shown an ability to use the entire field, a trait that usually earns a hitter a call-up.

Aledmys Diaz, INF

Credit: Mark Harrell/Springfield Cardinals

When you come from the international baseball backwater of Cuba, you tend to be a mystery when you come to the U.S.. No one predicted Jose Abreu and Yeonis Cespedes would be so good so fast in the big leagues. Similarly, no one figured Diaz would take so long to catch on when he went on the market in 2014. The original asking price was $20 million. The Cards got him for $8 million over four years, but even that looked like a bad investment initially. Injuries and culture shock led to a so-so pro debut at Springfield and Palm Beach, where Diaz hit a combined .273 in 161 at bats. This season, he struggled enough in his double-A encore that the Cardinals designated him for assignment in July. With that $8 million price tag and a .227 average, no one claimed him. Diaz went back to Springfield and, kaboom! He took off, boosting his average to .264 and earning a promotion to triple-A Memphis. There, he hit .380 with three homers and six ribbies in 50 at-bats. Should he continue to pound the ball in the desert, the Cardinals can be pretty confident that Diaz has finally turned the corner.

Patrick Wisdom, INF

Credit: Mark Harrell/Springfield Cardinals

Wisdom is at a crossroads this fall. His second go-around in Springfield this summer ended up being better than the first, when the power-hitting third baseman hit just .214 in 2014 while trying to pull everything out of Hammonds Field. After Wisdom hit just .159 through the first two weeks of this season, the Cardinals sent him to Jupiter to work with minor league offensive strategist George Greer. Whatever Greer did worked. For a little while. Wisdom returned to Springfield in mid-May with more patience and a new ability to hit to all fields. Over the next three months, Wisdom hit .287 with 12 homers. Then, poof! It was gone. He hit .147 the rest of the way. Wisdom has a cannon arm and good range at third. He can stick there, particularly with the kind of raw power preferred for the position. The question now is whether he’ll ever hit enough. For three glorious months of 2015, it looked like he would. Now, Wisdom is in the desert to prove to everyone (and himself) that was no fluke.

Charlie Tilson, OF

Credit: Mark Harrell/Springfield Cardinals

Tilson was slated to play in the Fall League last year, but a small fracture in his foot derailed him. Now, the speedy centerfielder is the best position player the Cardinals have in Arizona. It’s mainly because of his wheels, though. As of right now, Tilson is a gap-to-gap hitter who can leg out infield hits and stretch long singles into doubles. He can also cover a lot of ground in center, although he’s been criticized for taking curious routes to the ball. The same has been said of his ability to read pitchers and get good jumps on the basepaths. That said, he swiped 46 bags at Springfield this summer while hitting right around .300 and posting a very nice .351 OBP. Tilson is the classic case of a young player who simply needs more game experience. He’ll get it in Arizona.