St. Louis Cardinals announce non-roster invites for spring training

Cardinals announce non-roster invitees for spring training.

On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced their list of non-roster invitees who will be joining the team in Jupiter, Fla. for spring training. The full list goes as follows:

Pitchers: Jesus Cruz, Connor Jones, Evan Kruczynski, Matthew Liberatore, Tommy Parsons, Roel Ramirez, Griffin Roberts, Domingo Robles, Zack Thompson, Austin Warner, Garrett Williams.

Catchers: Aaron Antonini, Tyler Heineman, Dennis Ortega, Pedro Pages, Carlos Soto.

Infielders/Outfielders: Luken Baker, Nolan Gorman, Evan Mendoza, Max Moroff, Delvin Perez, Kramer Robertson, Jose Rondon, Conner Capel, Scott Hurst, Lars Nootbaar, Justin Toerner.

Among the most notable names on the list include Liberatore, Thompson, Gorman and Perez, all top prospects in the organization. Most recently, pitcher Adam Wainwright had this to say about Liberatore on KMOX Radio in St. Louis: He’s not on everybody’s radar. He’s the guy that we traded Randy Arozarena for and everybody’s going, ‘Who did you trade him for!? This guy is the greatest hitter in the history of the postseason! Blah, blah, blah…’ But (Liberatore) is pretty talented. I’m really excited to see what he’s going to do for us.

Gorman, of course, is the Cardinals’ prized infield prospect and figures to be a significant part of the organization going forward. Roberts, who was supposed to be a fast riser in the organization, struggled in the minors and was eventually suspended for marijuana in 2019. He and Delvin Perez, who is entering an important year, will be among the names to watch closely once spring training begins.

This list is subject to change, as the Cardinals remain on the hunt for infielders and pitchers on non-roster invite contracts. They had been linked to Brad Miller and Joe Panik, but they signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays, respectively. Perhaps they look at Jedd Gyorko or Eric Sogard, among others, but it is unclear if they are interested in either player.