Photo: Evan Mendoza (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system swept its four contests on Thursday, the fifth day of games, behind some impressive pitching performances. Springfield allowed just one run in its win and the Palm Beach pitching staff combined for a shutout in the team’s 3-0 victory.
Listed below are stats and results from games on March 24th.
Thursday’s Pitcher of the Day – Dalton Roach
Dalton Roach spent last season in the Springfield rotation and he struggled to the tune of a 5.65 ERA and 5.72 FIP, largely due to an inability to keep the ball in the yard (2.12 HR/9). The soon-to-be 26-year-old tossed three clean innings for Springfield and fanned four. He took over from starter Edgar Escobar and threw the fourth, fifth, and six innings while keeping Corpus Christi at one run.
Thursday’s Hitter of the Day – Evan Mendoza
Though Even Mendoza is primarily known as a defensive wizard (Mendoza was given a 70 grade glove by TCN in 2021), his bat is what helped Memphis the most on Thursday. The infielder hit a double and a three-run homer in three at-bats while also drawing a walk. He knocked in half of Memphis’ runs and was one of three Memphis hitters to clear the fence.
Last year, Mendoza showed very little power (.048 ISO) and batted just .242 at the Triple-A which is why he tallied just a 63 wRC+. The 25-year-old has only clubbed 14 home runs in four minor league seasons and though he has increased his walk rate in recent years, he simply hasn’t done enough when making contact to be a league average bat at any level since High-A in 2018. The slick fielder will need to improve with the bat if he wants to make his MLB debut and then stick at the highest level.
The honorable mention goes to Delvin Perez. Perez almost won the recognition by reaching base four times via three walks and a home run for Springfield. Mendoza’s extra double and RBI gave him the edge over Perez’s walks, especially considering that pitchers are still finding their command since we are in the early stages of Spring Training.
Memphis (6) at Sugar Land (4)
| Memphis Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Tommy Parsons | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 26-year-old cruised through the lower minors but posted a 5.86 ERA with Memphis in 2021 |
| Memphis Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Evan Mendoza | INF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Primarily a 1B/3B early in his career, but started at SS last year for Memphis | ||||
| Pedro Pages | C | 36 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6th round pick in 2019 had a 102 wRC+ with Peoria last year | ||||
| Aaron Antonini | C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Played at three different levels last year, but was a below average hitter at all three | ||||||
| Justin Toerner | OF | 1 | 1 | 3 | Former 28th round pick reached Triple-A in 2021 | ||||||||
| Ben DeLuzio | OF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Played five seasons in the Diamondbacks organization before joining the Cardinals in the minor league Rule V Draft | |||||||
| Scott Hurst | OF | 4 | 2 | 1 | Made his MLB debut in 2021 despite a 63 wRC+ with Memphis |
Springfield (2) at Corpus Christi (1)
| Springfield Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Edgar Escobar | 3 | 2 | 0 (1 unearned run) | 1 | 5 | 2-time TCN Reliever of the Year (2018 in GCL, 2019 with Peoria) | |
| Dalton Roach | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Going into his third season in the Cardinals organization, threw over 114 in Double-A last year |
| Springfield Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Delvin Perez | SS | 30 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | Slick fielding shortstop would have been eligible for the Rule V Draft had it been held | |||
| Todd Lott | 1B/OF | 45 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Third straight day with two hits |
Peoria (Win) vs Asheville (3)
| Peoria Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Domingo Robles | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Recorded a 6.09 ERA in 2021, his first season in the Cardinals organization |
| Peoria Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Osvaldo Tovalin | 3B | 3 | 2 | 94 wRC+ in Palm Beach after being selected in the 10th round last year | |||||||||
| Edgardo Rodriguez | C | 1 | Played in 30 games last year after being acquired in the Randy Arozarena trade, Two runners caught stealing at 2B in this game |
Palm Beach (3) vs Fayetteville (0)
| Palm Beach Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Jose Moreno | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5.53 ERA and 4.49 FIP with Palm Beach last year at age 20 | |
| Chris Gerard | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2021 12th round pick threw 7 ⅔ innings at the FCL level |
| Palm Beach Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Joshua Baez | OF | 12 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2021 2nd round pick struck out in just under 30% of his FCL plate appearances, lots of power to tap into if he can make more contact | |||||||
| Adari Grant | OF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Cardinals first signing from the Bahamas had an 88 wRC+ in the DSL last year and is one of a handful of 18-year-olds in camp | ||||||
| Sander Mora | 2B/SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Second straight game with an extra base hit |
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