St. Louis Cardinals: GCL Cardinals lose in championship series

The St. Louis Cardinals Gulf Coast League affiliate came close to being crowned champions but wound up losing to the Tigers.

After a solid year, where the GCL Cardinals went 40-16, they came within a game of winning it all. Several of the recent St. Louis Cardinals draft selections were instrumental in leading the team to a successful season.

The GCL Cardinals lost a three game series to the Tigers, and it went to the third game. Josh Shaw shined in the Redbirds affiliate game two victory.

Top Hitters Of The Season

Several players gave performances to remember. One of those players was Jhon Torres, who was acquired in the Oscar Mercado deal.  In 17 games after the trade, he hit .397 with team leading four homeruns. At 18 years old, he stands 6’4″, which makes him a very intriguing prospect.

Other top performers include 40th rounder Austin Warner, who hit .342 with 16 doubles in 31 games, and William Jimenez, .329 in 41 games. Jimenez is in his third season after spending his first two in the Dominican Summer League.

Top Pitchers Of The Season

The arm that shined brightest was Brian Pirela, a 20 year old righty. This year is his second stint in the GCL after two full seasons, and parts of a third, in the DSL. He went 10-0 this year with a 2.71 ERA in 12 appearances and 11 starts.

Despite his 0-2 record, further proving the irrelevancy of wins and losses, Perry DellaValle posted very good numbers. The St. Louis Cardinals 2018 27th rounder started seven of his 11 games, posting a sub two ERA. But he was simply dominant about it, striking out 67 batters and walking only seven in 45.2 innings.

Top 10 Rounders Performance

Griffin Roberts is a top pitching draft pick to get time in the GCL. He posted a 6.23 ERA in 8.2 innings. His usage was minimal due to the college season. But the CBA pick of St. Louis has a high ceiling, as shown by his 11 strikeouts in the short time.

Of all of the players, Luken Baker might have had the most success. After only eight games, he was promoted. At the time he was hitting .500 in the GCL with a 1.244 OPS.

The St. Louis Cardinals took Mateo Gil with their third round pick in 2018. He played 45 games for the rookie ball affiliate, hitting .251 and driving in 20 runs. There is some growing to do, but he has good bloodlines and his numbers showed a great foundation to work with.

They were only one game away from a championship, but either way it is always good to see farm system success.