photo: Steven Matz (Rhona Wise/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system went 1-3 in spring games on Thursday as Memphis claimed the only victory. All four affiliates combined to score just seven runs as it was a slow day on offense for most hitters. That excludes Evan Mendoza who clubbed a home run and reached base two more times, via walk and hit by pitch, for Memphis.
Memphis also benefitted from Cardinals starter Steven Matz pitching six shutout innings.
Pitcher of the Day – Steven Matz
Steven Matz has only thrown 3 ⅔ innings across two starts in Spring Training with the Cardinals, but he was sent to minor league Spring Training on Thursday to get some innings and he performed very well. The left-hander tossed six scoreless innings while allowing just a pair of walks and a pair of hits and fanning seven.
The length of the start is notable since Opening Day is now less than a week away. It is good for the Cardinals that Matz was able to handle six innings and show that he is ready for the season to begin.
Matz is an established MLB pitcher, so it should not be surprising that he pitched well against minor league competition. Still, after a rough pair of outings at the major league level, getting through six clean innings with Memphis is a good sign as the season approaches.
The honorable mention goes to Trent Baker, who fanned five and allowed just one base runner in three innings for Palm Beach.
Hitter of the Day – Evan Mendoza
For a hitter without much power, Mendoza has shown an ability to clear the fence and collect extra bases this spring. He hit a home run in his only at-bat on Thursday while reaching base a total of three times as he added a walk and a hit by pitch.
The infielder has hit 14 career home runs in four seasons and had an ISO of .048. He could definitely stand to add power to his game as he is so glove first that he borders on being glove-only. He has plenty of versatility too, so his bat is the only thing holding him back.
The honorable mentions go to Ben DeLuzio, who tallied a triple and a single, and Chandler Redmond, who reached base three times for Springfield.
Memphis (3) vs Jacksonville (1)
| Memphis Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Steven Matz | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | Signed a 4-year, $44 million contract in the offseason after collecting 2.8 fWAR in 2021 with the Blue Jays |
| Memphis Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Evan Mendoza | INF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 (also an HBP) | Slick fielder has continued to show more power in camp | ||||||
| Justin Toerner | OF | 1 | 1 | Received an invite to major league spring training in 2021 but not in 2022 | |||||||||
| Ben Deluzio | OF | 3 | 2 | 1 | Selected in the minor league Rule V Draft earlier in the offseason |
Springfield (2) vs Pensacola (4)
| Springfield Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| T.J. Zeuch | 3 ⅓ | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Started the game for Springfield, started in five of his nine appearances in Memphis last season | |
| Angel Rondon | 9 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 | TCN’s and the Cardinals’ Pitcher of the Year in 2019 did not build on his momentum after the lost 2020 season, tallying a 4.58 ERA at Memphis |
| Springfield Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Chandler Redmond | INF/OF | 25 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Hit 18 home runs last year between High-A and Double-A while playing five different positions | |||||||
| Tommy Jew | OF | 3 | 2 | 1 | Stole 14 bases last year but did not hit well in Single-A or High-A |
Peoria (1) at Beloit (5)
| Peoria Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Carlos Guarate | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Struggled to make the transition to full season ball last year before being picked by the Cardinals in the minor league Rule V Draft |
| Peoria Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Osvaldo Tovalin | 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | Another strong performance from the 2021 10th round pick who has had a strong camp | ||||||||
| Thomas Francisco | 1B | 50 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19th round pick last year earned a .415 OBP in Palm Beach before moving to Peoria |
Palm Beach (1) at Jupiter (3)
| Palm Beach Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Trent Baker | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Fanned 10 in 7 ⅔ innings last year but also allowed five runs |
| Palm Beach Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Jeremy Rivas | SS | 46 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Second straight day with an extra base hit, had only 8 extra base hits in 2021 | |||||||
| Patrick Romeri | OF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 20-year-old had a 102 wRC+ last season in his first exposure to full season ball |
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