Cardinals spring training sensation is becoming a distant memory at Triple-A

Remember when people were having meltdowns about Nelson Velasquez not making the St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day roster? Well, it turns out the Cardinals might have known what they were doing!

Velazquez, who the Cardinals signed to a minor league deal this offseason to come and compete for playing time as a right-handed, power bat for their outfield, posted a .357/.449/.667 slash line in 49 spring training plate appearances and looked well on his way toward a spot on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, at least according to those outside the organization. But when the Cardinals opted to send him to Memphis, that sent so many people into a frenzy regarding the Cardinals' roster management.

Well, as Nathan Church has excelled in left field for the Cardinals and Jose Fermin has produced in his limited playing time, Velazquez has struggled mightily for Memphis, slashing just .179/.286/.284 with only two home runs and seven RBIs in 77 plate appearances. Oh, and Velázquez's defense continues to be poor, leading him to be a -0.5 fWAR player on the season.

Sure, there's time for Velazquez to turn things around and earn a shot for the Cardinals later this year, but for right now, the Cardinals' unpopular roster decision is looking pretty good at the moment.

The Cardinals made the right call by not having Nelson Velázquez on their Major League roster

Multiple factors played into the Cardinals' decision to send Velazquez to Memphis to begin the season, and all of those reasons have proven to be right so far.

First, the Cardinals wanted to have a clear lane of playing time for youngsters like Nathan Church, Thomas Saggese, and even Jose Fermin to contribute early and often. Church has run with that opportunity so far, Saggese has not, and Fermin has played well in his small sample size. An argument could be made to send Saggese to Memphis to get things figured out, but Velazquez would not be the right corresponding move.

Second, I'm not sure the Cardinals were all that convinced that he was going to be uber effective for them. I don't think they would have hesitated to get him on the roster. Velazquez is still only 27 years old and has flashed power production at the Major League level before.

Third, this allowed the Cardinals to be flexible with their bench, having two Swiss army knives in Saggese and Fermin, and also carry a third catcher, Yohel Pozo, to help them navigate Ivan Herrera's return behind the plate and late-game strategy when the Cardinals want to lift either of their catchers for a pinch runner or Pages for a pinch hitter.

Lastly, the many Cardinals fans continued to overlook the fact that the Cardinals did bring in another right-handed bat prior to the season starting in Ramon Urias, shifting Saggese and Fermin to more outfield-oriented roles. While Urias has been up and down at the plate in his limited opportunites, he does also provide plus defense that makes him a valuable piece for their bench unit.

If Velazquez can get things rolling, he could become an interesting piece to consider utlizing later in the year, but at the moment, I'm not sure many fans are lamenting his lack of at-bats in St. Louis.

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