Photo: Osvaldo Tovalin (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
On Tuesday, the Cardinals’ different minor league working groups played their fourth competitive games of the spring. The four teams combined to go 2-1-1 with Memphis and Palm Beach winning and Springfield playing to a 3-3 tie. There were a number of strong hitting performances and three of TCN’s top 10 prospects had games worth noting.
Listed below are stats and results from games on March 22nd.
Tuesday’s Pitcher of the Day – Grant Black
Grant Black joined the Cardinals as a minor league free agent in February of 2020, but he waited until the 2021 season to make his system debut. The 27-year-old split time between Memphis and Springfield while starting six of his 30 appearances.
Interestingly, the right-hander actually pitched better in Triple-A with Memphis as he posted a 3.91 ERA and 3.93 FIP as opposed to a 5.70 ERA and 4.80 FIP with Double-A Springfield. He began the year in Memphis before being demoted to Springfield, where his diminished production was largely due to an increase in walk rate from 9.1% to 14.9%.
On Tuesday, Black pitched with the Memphis group and allowed just one baserunner in 3 ⅔ innings while fanning four. The honorable mention goes to Michael McGreevy who tossed three scoreless innings with Springfield.
Tuesday’s Hitter of the Day – Osvaldo Tovalin
Osvaldo Tovalin was the Cardinals’ tenth round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Azusa Pacific University. He made his professional debut in Single-A with Palm Beach and posted a 94 wRC+. Nine of his 20 hits went for extra bases, with two clearing the fence. The left-handed hitter played in just 32 games and made 115 plate appearances. Considering his size (6’2”, 225 pounds) and corner limitations defensively, Tovalin will need to hit to ascend the minor league ladder.
He played with Peoria on Tuesday and went 4-for-4 with a double and a home run despite Peoria’s loss. Honorable mentions go to 2021 international signing Leonardo Bernal (2-for-2 with a double and a home run) and Memphis outfielder Justin Toerner (home run and two walks).
Memphis (7) at Rochester (6)
| Memphis Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| T.J. Zeuch | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | Acquired from Blue Jays last July, 4.93 ERA in Memphis | |
| Grant Black | 3 2/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2020 free agent signing pitched in AA and AAA last year |
| Memphis Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Mike Antico | OF | 3 | 1 | 1 | HBP | Also had an OF assist, TCN’s Rookie Player of the Year in 2021 | |||||||
| Todd Lott | 2 | 1 | Power hitting 1B/LFer was a 9th round pick in 2019 | ||||||||||
| Justin Toerner | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Has spent time in MLB Spring Training, Palm Beach Player of the Year in 2019 |
Springfield (3) at Harrisburg (3)
| Springfield Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Angel Rondon | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 (2 R) | 0 | 2 | Threw first pitch strikes to 8 of 9 batters |
| Michael McGreevy | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | First round pick in 2021, appeared in 7 games last year |
| Springfield Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Masyn Winn | SS | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2nd Round pick in 2020, struggled in High-A after hitting well in Single-A | ||||||
| L.J. Jones | OF | 1 | 1 | 84 wRC+ in Single-A last year |
Peoria (4) vs. Wilmington (8)
| Peoria Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Osvaldo Tovalin | 3B | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10th Round pick in 2021, played in 32 single-A games last year | |||||||
| Leonardo Bernal | C | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Switch hitting catcher signed for nearly $700,000 in 2021 |
Palm Beach (5) vs Fredericksburg (4)
| Palm Beach Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Won-Bin Cho | OF | 1 | 1 (also a HBP) | New international signing has been touted as a potential five tool player. |
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