Redbird Rants
FanSided

St. Louis Cardinals: Preseason Memphis Roster Prediction

By Dr. Michael D. Miles

Feb 18, 2016; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Seung Hwan Oh (26) looks on during warm up drills at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2016; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Seung Hwan Oh (26) looks on during warm up drills at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 7
Next
Jul 16, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Dominican Republic designated hitter Ruben Sosa (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
Jul 16, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Dominican Republic designated hitter Ruben Sosa (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 /

Infield

St. Louis seems to have their infield stocked which means that Memphis will once again be a breeding ground for backup talent.  Having said that, however, fans should be more than excited to see who sticks around in Memphis.  There is one question mark: will Aledmys Diaz make the opening day St. Louis roster or will he be bumped down to make a spot for someone else?

First Base- Patrick Wisdom

While Wisdom has started only thirty-two games at first and never at the AAA-level, I feel that Wisdom will find his value at this position in 2016.  With third base (Wisdom’s potentially more natural position) locked by Jacob Wilson, I feel that Wisdom will spend the majority of spring training working at first to fill this voided position for Memphis.

Second Base- Dean Anna

Let’s be honest, the lifeline for Anna may well be ending/drying up/insert other metaphor here.  That said, Memphis can use his talents at second where he can contribute (a PCL championship would sure be nice), where he can learn how to be better backup/utility talent, and/or where he can add value to be used in a trade.

Shortstop- Alex Mejia

Okay, so I spilled the beans a little here but I truly believe that Diaz makes the opening day roster for the Cardinals.  I don’t see the big squad carrying too many pitchers with all the off days at the start of the season.  That said, I do see Diaz shuttling back and forth between Memphis and St. Louis this season.

With that out of the way, Mejia is nothing to shake one’s head at.  Mejia has posted a career slash line of .259/.302/.339 offensively while posting a shortstop fielding percentage of .960.  Oh, and by the way, Mejia has also appeared at second so he can easily move there when Diaz returns to Memphis and/or if Anna can’t hack it or is traded.

Third Base- Jacob Wilson

The great Jacob Wilson!  Like Ohlman before him, I have probably gushed too much about Wilson.  All that said, I look for 2016 to be his season.  To this end, should Jedd Gyorko fail to produce or should GM Mozeliak finally convince a team to accept Greg Garcia in a trade, I would not be surprised at all to see Wilson headed to St. Louis.

If and when Wilson travels the shuttle to St. Louis, Wisdom can easily slide over to third and one of the outfielders like Hazelbaker or Peguero can slide to first and cover the difference.

Next: Outfield

Home/St Louis Cardinals Prospects