St. Louis Cardinals: Bright young stars to shine in AAA All-Star game

JUPITER, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Dakota Hudson
JUPITER, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Dakota Hudson

The St. Louis Cardinals are lucky to have such bright future stars and three of these are set to shine in the AAA All-Star game.

The St. Louis Cardinals will be sending Dakota Hudson, Patrick Wisdom, and Daniel Poncedeleon to represent the Pacific Coast League in the AAA All-Star game. These three deserve this honor and will highlight their accomplishments within the Cardinals’ system.

Wisdom has knocked on the MLB door and even appeared on the St. Louis Cardinals roster during expanded rosters of September in seasons past.

Poncedeleon received his first call-up this season but did not see playing time during that visit to the majors. This was not an opportunity lost however as Daniel had made astronomical climbs from the heath scare of 2017.

Hudson has yet to appear on the MLB roster but that day is not far away.

Let’s look at each to honor their achievement.

Patrick Wisdom

Wisdom is a free agent at the end of season and his performance this year with Memphis (and his past performances) will make finding him a home a very easy thing. I would not be surprised to see the St. Louis Cardinals shop Wisdom’s name in July.

Why? Well, Wisdom is very inexpensive for a rebuilding club and would bring with him experience that other prospects might not.

Additionally, Wisdom has posted these numbers in the minors:

Register Batting
YearAgeAgeDifTmLgLevAffGPAABRH2B3BHRRBISBCSBBSOBAOBPSLGOPSTBGDPHBPSHSFIBB
201220-1.1BataviaNYPLA-STL652792414068165632213158.282.373.465.83711225022
2013212 Teams2 LgsA-A+STL1295254646210924415735151137.235.313.401.71418663430
201321-1.8Palm BeachFLORA+STL25102928234021110923.250.317.359.6763320100
201321-0.4PeoriaMIDWASTL104423372548620413624142114.231.312.411.72315343330
201422-2.1SpringfieldTLAASTL128498452499719414535139149.215.277.367.644166112050
201523-1.2SpringfieldTLAASTL1144554145198204146111335107.237.294.406.69916860240
2015230.8SurpriseAZFLFal24979315226142131417.237.268.452.7204200000
2016242 Teams2 LgsAAA-RkSTL813032683164201533612975.239.314.377.69010152040
201624-2.5MemphisPCLAAASTL782942622961201530512673.233.303.374.6779852040
2016244.4CardinalsGULFRkSTL3962300031032.500.667.5001.167300000
201725-1.4MemphisPCLAAASTL1275064566811125131892238149.243.310.507.81723178040
201826-0.6MemphisPCLAAASTL7430026450791711248813178.299.373.508.88113442031
YearAgeAgeDifTmLgLevAffGPAABRH2B3BHRRBISBCSBBSOBAOBPSLGOPSTBGDPHBPSHSFIBB
Minors (7 seasons)Minors7182866255935162614120973893910254753.245.315.429.744109841226253
All Levels (7 Seasons)74229632652366648147211014104211258770.244.314.430.744114041226253
AAA (3 seasons)Minors27911009821472516234816715495300.256.325.471.79746316120111
AA (2 seasons)Minors2429538661001953982811416474256.225.285.386.671334172290

The All-Star appearance will help raise the stock value of Wisdom and make “selling” him something that Girsch should be able to do with his eyes closed.

Daniel Poncedeleon

Daniel is the best come-back story in the history of MLB. I know that I am biased and have been lucky to interview him but even pushing those things aside, having taken a batted ball off his temple, emergency brain surgery, rehab, and then to climb the mound and throw another pitch… that’s one hella comeback story.

The St. Louis Cardinals weren’t sure what they would get from Poncedeleon with him returning from the injury but they hoped he would pick up directly where he left off in his development. And that is precisely what he did.

In fact the struggles he faced only made him stronger and his pitching shows the effort he put into his recovery and into being the great pitcher he aspired to be from the start. Have a look:

Register Pitching
YearAgeAgeDifTmLgLevAffWLW-L%ERARAvgGGSGFCGSHOSVIPHRERHRBBIBBSOHBPBKWPBFWHIPH9HR9BB9SO9SO/W
2014220.6State CollegeNYPLA-STL33.5002.442.641210000044.13813120140521051831.1737.70.02.810.63.71
2015232 Teams2 LgsA-A+STL112.8462.122.7220190100119.010136285300875041621.1017.60.42.36.62.90
2015230.0Palm BeachFLORA+STL501.0001.491.9176000042.12997180252021620.8746.20.21.75.33.13
2015231.1PeoriaMIDWASTL62.7502.473.171313010076.27227214220623023231.2268.50.52.67.32.82
201624-0.4SpringfieldTLAASTL98.5293.524.2327270100151.0128715910561122150106421.2197.60.63.37.32.18
201725-1.6MemphisPCLAAASTL201.0002.172.1766000029.020772130252001191.1386.20.64.07.81.92
201826-0.7MemphisPCLAAASTL63.6672.754.131514000072.06133224390836023191.3897.60.54.910.42.13
All Levels (5 Seasons)3116.6602.773.4780760200415.13481601282115213692902117481.2047.50.53.38.02.43
AAA (2 seasons)Minors83.7272.583.5621200000101.081402965201088024381.3177.20.54.69.62.08

Don’t ever count this guy out. 2018 shouldn’t either as I believe the St. Louis Cardinals will gleefully welcome him back around the trade deadline. At the same time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this name move as well.

Dakota Hudson

Let me say this right now, my co-editor Trevor has the greatest guy-crush on Hudson and is ready for him to make his first MLB start for the St. Louis Cardinals. Okay, okay, I’ll join that sentiment too.

Hudson brought the promise from his previous years into 2018 and hasn’t let that promise drop even an inch. Just look at these numbers:

Register Pitching
YearAgeAgeDifTmLgLevAffWLW-L%ERARAvgGGSGFCGSHOSVIPHRERHRBBIBBSOHBPBKWPBFWHIPH9HR9BB9SO9SO/W
2016212 Teams2 LgsA+-RkSTL21.6670.682.70121500313.1104107019104401.2756.80.04.712.82.71
201621-2.1Palm BeachFLORA+STL11.5000.962.898050039.163107010001401.3935.80.06.89.61.43
2016210.4CardinalsGULFRkSTL101.0000.002.254100004.04100009103181.0009.00.00.020.3
2017222 Teams2 LgsAA-AAASTL105.6673.013.4225250100152.2147585174919680141611.2848.70.42.95.71.96
201722-4.6MemphisPCLAAASTL11.5004.424.6677000038.23620192150190041611.3198.40.53.54.41.27
201722-2.1SpringfieldTLAASTL94.6922.533.0018180100114.0111383253417780104821.2728.80.42.76.12.26
201823-3.7MemphisPCLAAASTL112.8462.102.391515000094.18925221340717034011.3048.50.13.26.82.09
All Levels (3 Seasons)238.7422.563.0152415103260.1246877489011861602111021.2918.50.33.16.42.07
AAA (2 seasons)Minors123.8002.773.0522220000133.012545413490907075621.3088.50.23.36.11.84

Despite the fact that he SHOULD have made the recent spot start, the St. Louis Cardinals chose to protect him by leaving him in Memphis.

More from St Louis Cardinals Prospects

This tells me that they don’t intend on sending him anywhere. Otherwise, why not bring him up and display his value to potential suitors?

Bottom line for me with Hudson is that there are far too many years of control in this arm for the St. Louis Cardinals to do much with him safe for protecting him by keeping him off the 40-man roster (which would have been required he he made this spot start).

As the numbers show, these three names deserve all the praise of the All-Star game and will forever have an impact on whichever team they call home. My advice? Keep these names on your radar as I predict they will impact the St. Louis Cardinals’ plans in July.

Next: Mabry alternatives

Does a player’s stock rise by playing in the MLB All-Star game? Perhaps not as strongly as does the player who appears in the AAA All-Star game.

Schedule