Predicting the Cardinals non-roster invitees

It is nearing the annual time when major league clubs disclose their non-roster players (NRIs) invited to major league camp. They will join the members of the 40-man roster who by definition attend big-league training.

Currently, the St. Louis Cardinals have 39 players in the latter group and according to a report from Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch, there will be 19 players in the former group. While the 19 have been informed of their selection, the club has not yet released their names. That could come as soon as this weekend, during Winter Warm-Up.

We already are pretty sure about 10 of the 19. They include prospects Shelby Miller, Tyrell Jenkins, Kolten Wong, Matt Adams, Jordan Swagerty, Joe Kelly and Nick Greenwood. Then, there are three veteran NRIs in Koyie Hill, R.J. Swindle and Eugenio Velez.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to guess the identities of the other nine players. Post your guess below, but only one guess per person, please. If someone ends up on the target or very close, I may come up with a prize in recognition.

For quick assistance, refer to the Roster Matrix, always kept up to date here at The Cardinal Nation Blog. There, you can see all players in the system by level and position, including the 39 players currently on the roster. Click here or you can always access current as well as past matrices from the “Players/Staff” > “Depth Charts/Roster Matrix” dropdown on the menu bar at the top of this page.

Cardinals pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Jupiter, FL on February 18 and conduct their first workout on February 19. The remainder of the Cardinals’ players will be scheduled to report February 23 with their first workout on February 24.

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