Photo: Malcom Nunez (Trevor Travis/Peoria Chiefs)
Welcome back to our 12th year of providing results and much more from St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games here at the Cardinal Nation.
Following are the highlights from the Cardinals first three days of minor league action in 2022. Home contests were held at the George Kissell Quad in Jupiter, Florida. On Friday, March 18, Triple-A Memphis played the Syracuse Mets at home and the Double-A Springfield group also stayed home against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, while the High-A Peoria group and Single-A Palm Beach team took to the road against the Brooklyn Cyclones and St. Lucie Mets, respectively.
Only Peoria was victorious on Friday, beating the Brooklyn Cyclones by a score of 4-3.
Before I go any further, I should mention that the data for these pieces comes from Carson Shipley, the multimedia communications strategist for the Cardinals. However, I will be the one making comments and handing out awards.
Only minimal hitting and pitching results are shared – what you see here. Thus, it will be tough to tell who is struggling in camp games. Look for the names that are missing to give you some sort of clue.
Also, remember that these working camp assignments are fluid and can change by the day. Players will move between the different teams as the spring progresses.
The initial working rosters were released earlier this week for paid subscribers. They can be found here.
When players are members of The Cardinal Nation Top 50 Prospect List for 2022, their rankings are noted.
Friday’s Pitcher of the Day – Gordon Graceffo
Gordon Graceffo has hit the ground running in the spring after taking home our Rookie Pitcher of the Year honors following the 2021 season. The fifth round pick racked up 37 strikeouts in 26 innings at the Single-A level last year and earned a 1.73 ERA and 2.72 FIP. He should take a rotation spot in the upcoming season considering his extensive success in the same role in college and his early professional production.
He pitched with the Springfield group on Friday and threw two perfect innings while collecting four of six outs via the strikeout. There will be plenty of arms jockeying for rotation spots this spring, but Graceffo is already on track to nail one down for himself.
The honorable mention goes to Ludwin Jimenez who also fanned four in two scoreless innings. The difference is that he allowed a hit, giving Graceffo the edge. Jimenez pitched for Palm Beach.
Friday’s Hitter of the Day – Malcom Nuñez
Malcom Nuñez played at both the High-A level and the Double-A level as a 20-year-old last year. The Cardinals challenged him out of the gate with a promotion to High-A despite the fact that he had just 21 games of Single-A experience in which he batted .183. The infielder responded well and his 120 wRC+ in Peoria earned him a promotion to Springfield where he took a step back (91 wRC+). He kept his strikeout rate below 20% at both levels, which is a good sign for someone so young, and he has plenty of power potential in his frame. 2022 could be a big year for him if he has adjusted to Double-A pitching.
To begin his spring games, Nuñez was the only hitter of the day to tally three hits – two singles and a double. He also stole a base and knocked in a run while playing third base in Springfield’s 3-3 tie.
Honorable mention goes to Won-Bin Cho who was the only hitter at any level with a home run. The new signing also walked.
Memphis vs Syracuse
| Memphis Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Austin Warner | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 27-year-old LHP was one of the most dependable relievers for Memphis in 2021 |
| Memphis Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Moisés Goméz | OF | 1 | MiLB signing with loads of power, but also swing and miss. |
Springfield (3) vs Binghamton (3)
| Springfield Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Gordon Graceffo | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | TCN Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 2021 |
| Springfield Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Malcom Nuñez | 3B | 15 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Reached Double-A as a 20-year in 2021 |
Peoria (4) at Brooklyn (3)
| Peoria Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Alex Cornwell | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15th Round Pick in 2021, threw fewer than 100 collegiate innings after missing first 2 years with injury |
| Peoria Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Osvaldo Tovalin | 3B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10th round pick in 2021 from Azusa Pacific University |
Palm Beach (3) at St. Lucie (5)
| Palm Beach Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Ludwin Jimenez | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | TCN’s GCL Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2019, 6.17 ERA with Palm Beach in 2021 |
| Palm Beach Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Won-Bin Cho | OF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | First Cardinals amateur signing from Korea, $500,000 bonus |
Saturday, March 19
On Saturday, the Cardinals had a camp day with Memphis taking on Springfield and Peoria competing against Palm Beach.
Saturday’s Pitcher of the Day – Victor Villanueva
Victor Villanueva tallied a 5.75 ERA and much too high 7.98 FIP last year with the Cardinals FCL team. He appeared in 16 games in relief, throwing 20 ⅓ innings and surrendering six home runs. Last season was Villanueva’s stateside debut after he earned our DSL Blue Reliever of the Year award, but he was unable to continue the momentum after a lost 2020 season. He was 20 years old last year and will turn 21 in a week.
The native of the Dominican Republic fanned three in two innings for Peoria while walking one. The honorable mention goes to Levi Prater, who tossed a clean inning while fanning one for Palm Beach.
Saturday’s Hitter of the Day – Chase Pinder
Chase Pinder played 23 games last season as he dealt with injury. The outfielder spent 18 of those games with Springfield where he was a slightly below league average hitter. He was boosted by a 14.3% walk rate, but he only had 80 plate appearances so he didn’t have many opportunities to produce. Pinder played all three outfield positions and has been unable to reach Triple-A despite first playing in Double-A in 2018.
The 26-year-old hit a three run homer to left field against Springfield and tallied another RBI with a sac fly. He was one of three Memphis hitters to clear the fence and one of four in the system to hit a home run on Saturday.
Honorable mentions go to Nick Dunn, Scott Hurst, and Chandler Redmond, who had the other long balls.
Memphis vs. Springfield
| Memphis Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Dalton Roach | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Started 19 games for Springfield in 2021, posted a 5.65 ERA |
| Memphis Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Roberto Baldoquin | 3B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Free agent signee spent five seasons in Angels system | |
| Chase Pinder | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Played just 23 games due to injury in 2021 | |
| Nick Dunn | 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Defense first contact hitter who spent 2021 in Springfield | |
| Scott Hurst | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Debuted in St. Louis last year, has spent time in MLB camp |
| Springfield Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Chandler Redmond | INF/OF | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Played 5 different positions and hit 18 HRs across two levels, | |
| Delvin Perez | SS | 30 | 1 | 1 | Stole 24 bases in 98 games with Springfield |
Peoria vs. Palm Beach
| Peoria Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Victor Villanueva | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | DSL Blue Reliever of the Year in 2019, 5.75 ERA in FCL in 2021 |
| Palm Beach Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Levi Prater | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Fanned 104 and walked 68 in 68 ⅓ IP with Palm Beach |
| Palm Beach Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Hansel Otamendi | OF | 1 | 109 wRC+ with FCL Cardinals, batted .296 in 2021 |
Sunday, March 20
On Sunday, Memphis was victorious while Palm Beach played an intrasquad game. Hitting was the story of the day as seven players hit home runs across the system, but the Memphis pitching staff also held Sugar Land to three runs in a strong overall game.
Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Pike
Tyler Pike signed with the Cardinals in the middle of last season and went on to throw 68 ⅔ innings while starting 10 of his 15 games in Springfield. The southpaw had a 4.85 ERA but a much stronger 3.23 FIP. He left affiliated ball following the 2018 season and played in the American Association with the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks until being signed by the Cardinals.
The 28-year-old fanned three in two innings while allowing only one baserunner in Memphis’ win over the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
Honorable mention to Alex Cornwell who also struck out three in a pair of innings. The difference was that Cornwell allowed an extra hit in Peoria’s loss.
Hitters of the Day – Moises Goméz, Todd Lott, L.J. Jones
There is a three-way tie for the award as each of the three winners collected a home run and a double. Goméz is a free agent signee of the Cardinals who has shown plenty of power, but also swing-and-miss, while in the Rays system. The native of Venezuela ranked as high as 10th in the Rays farm system according to Baseball America.
Todd Lott also has plenty of power, as emphasized by the fact that he hit 42 extra base hits and 13 home runs last year across both A-ball levels. He struck out in over 31% of his plate appearances, though, so he has similar issues to Goméz. L.J. Jones was a fifth round pick of the Cardinals in the 2020 draft and he tallied an 84 wRC+ in 2021 with Palm Beach.
Memphis (7) at Sugar Land (3)
| Memphis Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Tyler Pike | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Indy ball veteran, 4.85 ERA and 3.23 FIP with Springfield |
| Memphis Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Moises Gomez | OF | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Free agent signee, former top-10 prospect in the Rays’ system | ||||||
| Chase Pinder | OF | 1 | 2 | 1 | Former 7th round pick, has spent parts of 3 seasons in Double-A |
Springfield (10) at Corpus Christi (12)
| Springfield Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Connor Lunn | 42 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Finished third in the organization with 120 ⅓ IP in 2021 |
| Springfield Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Malcom Nuñez | 3B | 15 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Reached Double-A at age 20 | |||||||
| Todd Lott | 1B/OF | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 42 of 85 hits went for extra bases in 2021 | ||||||
| L.J. Jones | OF/1B | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Spent all of 2021 with Palm Beach in first professional season | ||||||
| Irving Lopez | INF | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | Offensive output decreased significantly in 2021 |
Peoria (5) vs. Asheville (6)
| Peoria Pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Alex Cornwell | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Threw just 8 innings after being drafted in 2021 |
| Peoria Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Mike Antico | OF | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | TCN’s 2021 Rookie Player of the Year, 122 wRC+ with Palm Beach | ||||||
| Jhon Torres | OF | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Dominated rookie ball, but has yet to see his production translate to the full season levels |
Palm Beach intrasquad game
| Palm Beach Hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Joshua Baez | OF | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2nd Round pick in 2021 had a 65 wRC+ in 95 PAs at FCL level |
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