Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/27

On Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals’ five minor league spring training clubs entertained their Miami Marlins counterparts on the Cardinals side of the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

The home cooking was good as Memphis and both the Quad Cities clubs were victorious. Springfield took a defeat while Palm Beach held its Jupiter regular-season neighbor and opponent to a draw. The Cardinals’ spring record against external minor league competition is now 15-13-4.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Forget about his popular weekly blog at The Cardinal Nation. First baseman Xavier Scruggs can hit! After 21 home runs last season for Palm Beach, the 24-year-old launched three over the fence for Springfield on Tuesday, plating four runs.

Tuesday’s Pitcher of the Day: Few know or remember that right-hander Sam Gaviglio was the highest-drafted pitcher by the Cardinals last June (fifth round). On this day, the Oregon State product allowed just one walk over four innings of work for Quad Cities Red.

As he has been doing the last few seasons, Cardinals farm director John Vuch is sharing game stats with this site and several others with interest in Cardinals prospects. As always, the raw numbers are his, but the comments mine.

On Wednesday, the Cardinals have yet another Camp Day during which their clubs will face each other on the back quad on the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

The Cardinal Nation subscribers can check out the full minor league schedule and spring training working rosters. The entire system view by level and position is available via the Roster Matrix, right here at The Cardinal Nation Blog.

Memphis 4, New Orleans 3

Memphis pitching IP H ER BB K Notes
Jaime Garcia 6+ 4 1 0 7 One unearned run – pitched to keep on schedule
Jess Todd 1 0 1
Eduardo Sanchez 1 0 2 Should be back in St. Louis very soon
Chuckie Fick 1 1 1 1 Added to 40-man roster over winter

Memphis hitting AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB Notes
Steven Hill 3 2 The return of “Country Fried”!
Mark Hamilton 4 1 2 1 1 Memphis needs both to replace Stavi and Brown
Zack Cox 1 1 2
Pete Kozma 1 Sacrifice fly
Chris Swauger 1 1 1
Steven Ramos 1
Jaime Garcia 2 1 He can hit as well as pitch!

Jacksonville 10, Springfield 7

Springfield pitching IP H ER BB K Notes
John Gast 5 6 4 1 3 2011 spring camp phenom cut quickly in 2012
Kevin Thomas 1.2 5 3 3 6.44 ERA with Springfield last season
Eric Fornataro 1.2 4 4 2 Ranked 10th in 2011 FSL with 3.67 ERA

Springfield hitting AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB Notes
Xavier Scruggs 3 4 3 One to RF, one to LF, one to RC
Greg Garcia 4 3 3 1 Overlooked hitter was 6th in system in OBP in 11
Kolten Wong 2 2 2 2011 1st rounder continues to live up to billing
Niko Vasquez 1 1
Adam Melker 1 1
Oscar Taveras 1
Jose Garcia 1

Palm Beach 3, Jupiter 3

Palm Beach pitching IP H ER BB K Notes
Zack Russell 4 3 1 4 Also one unearned run for Zack with a “k”
Aidan Lucas 2 1 0 2 1 Check to see if others spell Aidan with two “A’s”
Chase Reid 2 0 0 1 2 2.28 PB ERA, 3.91 ERA with Springfield in 2011
Danny Miranda 2 0 0 0 2 Was 8th round pick in 2011 from Miami

Palm Beach hitting AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB Notes
Jonathan Rodriguez 4 1 2 1 1 Missed our top 40, but keeps on hitting
Chris Edmondson 3 2 2 31 doubles last season tied for #2 in system
Packy Elkins 1 2 1 .364 career OBP
Starlin Rodriguez 1 1
Luis De La Cruz 2 1 1 More playing time due to Stanley suspension?

Quad Cities (Red) 5, Greensboro 0

Quad Cities Red pitching IP H ER BB K Notes
Sam Gaviglio 4 0 0 1 2 Only threw 4 innings for Batavia in 11 after signing late
Ricky Martinez 2 1 0
Jose Pasen 2 1 0 1 4th fewest baserunners/9 IP in 2011 Appy Lg at 11.57
Ryan Copeland 1 1 0 LHP fanned 82 in 82 IP for Quad Cities last summer

Quad Cities Red hitting AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB Notes
Roberto De La Cruz 4 2 1 1 To play corner infield and some outfield, too?
Colin Walsh 4 1 2 1 1 13th rounder in 2010 from Stanford
Adam Lewis 3 2 1 Tryout catcher
Matt Williams 3 1 1 20-for-22 in steals for JC in 2011
Nick Martini 3 2 1 1
Virgil Hill 2 Productive outs – sac fly and RBI ground out

Quad Cities (White) 9, Jamestown 3

Quad Cities White pitching IP H ER BB K Notes
Dail Villanueva 3.2 6 3 1 4 3.64 ERA in 47 IP in GCL last season
Ramon Ulacio 2 1 1 2.93 GCL ERA was 9th in the league in 2011
Ethan Cole 2 1 3 Free agent signed last August
Heath Wyatt 1 1 2 3rd in 2011 Appy League with eight saves

Quad Cities White hitting AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB Notes
Gary Apelian 3 1 2 4 1 .502 slugging percentage in 11 was 8th in system
Casey Rasmus 2 1 2 1 2 Big day for Colby’s little brother
David Washington 2 1 1 2 1 .992 fielding percentage lead Appy 1B last season
Cesar Valera 1 1
Jeremy Patton 5 1 2 .825 OPS for Batavia in rookie year
Anthony Bryant 2 1
David Bergin 2 1
Breyvic Valera 4 1 1 .311 BA last season was 5th-highest in system

Subscribers to the main site, TheCardinalNation.com, should continue to check out my extensive spring training content over the upcoming days.

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