At no. 43 in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2022 is a pitcher who emerged with a very strong second half after moving into the High-A Peoria rotation.
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TCN 2022 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #44 – Edwin Nuñez
The 44th-ranked prospect in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 countdown for 2022 is one of the hardest throwers in the system, a teen who was challenged to make his professional debut in Class-A and was overmatched.
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TCN 2022 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #45 – Todd Lott
photo: Todd Lott (Palm Beach Cardinals)
At number 45 in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2022 is an emerging standout first baseman-left fielder at two levels of A-ball in 2021. FREE report!
Position: First base
Age: 24 years old
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight – 6’4/235
Acquired: 2019 Draft – 9th round (275th overall) from Louisiana – Lafayette
Primary team in 2021: Palm Beach Cardinals (Low-A)
Finished 2021: Peoria Chiefs (High-A)
Prior Top 50 rankings – not ranked
Click on the above photo to be taken to Lott’s player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.
Jake Tweedie’s scouting report
(current grade/future grade)
| HIT | POWER | FIELD | ARM | RUN | FV |
| 30/40 | 35/50 | 35/40 | 45/45 | 35/35 | 40 |
| AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | SB | CS | K% | BB% |
| .254 | .339 | .467 | .806 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 31.3% | 8.6% |
| ISO | wRC+ | GB/FB | GB% | LD% | FB% | Pull% | Cent% | Oppo% |
| .213 | 99 (A+) | 0.78 (A+) | 34.8% (A+) | 20.7% (A+) | 44.6% (A+) | 46.7% (A+) | 25% (A+) | 28.3% (A+) |
The powerful first baseman, who can also play left field, was noted by The Cardinal Nation as the system’s Emerging Player of the Year in his first experience of full season ball. He hit 13 home runs and logged a strong .855 OPS with Palm Beach before his promotion to High-A.
Although he wasn’t as impressive with the Peoria Chiefs, Lott put up solid numbers and hit more home runs there than he did in Low-A. As he is more of a power hitter than a contact hitter, his downside is a high strikeout rate. His twitchy front foot and readiness at the plate makes him look like he is ready to swing as hard as possible on every pitch, but he showed patience and pitch recognition in Low-A as his walk rate was 10.9%, nearly double that of his High-A appearances.
With slightly bent knees at the plate, he uses his solid frame to generate significant power through his swings. Coupled with his smooth arm action, he is more than capable of going deep with minimal effort.
A versatile defender, Lott spent most of his time at first base, but made the occasional start in left field. His body and frame are well suited for first base, and he has a solid arm to make plays across the diamond. He has been known for making a few errors, but his .967 field percentage indicates his ability to work in either position.
Lott made a big splash in his first full season in pro ball but will need to continue this growth and momentum into 2022. At 24 he will need to ascend closer to the Majors in order to be an option for the future, but 2021 was a step in the right direction. A powerful first baseman with fielding potential, Lott has a bright future.
Future Value: 40
Role: Reserve
Risk: Moderate
Video
Lott is not against going with the pitch and taking the ball the other way when warranted.
Stop us if you've heard this before,
THE #BEACHBIRDS WALK IT OFF!
Todd Lott (@toddlott9) hit a scorcher into the gap in the ninth to give the Cardinals a walk-off victory on Thursday night! pic.twitter.com/itNEssTqIS
— Palm Beach Cardinals (@GoPBCardinals) July 16, 2021
The Chiefs take the lead on a ringing ground-rule off the bat of @toddlott9!#SoundTheAlarm x @CardsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/60n3lj8kOs
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) September 10, 2021
Brian Walton’s environmental impact report
2021 recap – professional
Lott finished 2019 as a standout in the playoffs, batting .364 as his Johnson City Cardinals won their final game of existence, winning the Appalachian League title. He had been selected that June in the ninth round, an area of the draft in which teams have been known to take longer shots on players with talent but who have yet to fully emerge. The former Louisiana-Lafayette standout was ready to begin his professional career. Lott was the first in his class to come to terms with the organization and did so for slot value, $152,000. He had been an All-Sun Belt Conference player after earning an All-Star berth in the most prestigious college wood bat showcase, the Cape Cod League.
After the forced year off of 2020, Lott began 2021 with Low-A Palm Beach and was promoted to High-A Peoria on July 27 when Chiefs first sacker Brady Whalen was placed on the injured list. It is worth noting that he has passed the former Top 50 prospect Whalen in our assessment of the organization’s pecking order.
In 2021, the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder logged a strong .855 OPS and 132 wRC+ in 52 games with the Beach Birds and continued with a .742 OPS and 99 wRC+ in his final 39 contests with the Chiefs. With Palm Beach, Lott most frequently batted fifth for manager Jose Leon and continued in that middle of the order spot with Peoria.
The main factor behind Lott’s decline at High-A was a reduction in his walk rate by almost half (10.9% to 5.6%) as he moved up in competition. His strikeout rate increased accordingly (from 28.1% to 35.8%). Still, that 99 wRC+ indicates that Lott was able to relatively quickly play to the level of his new league – in about six weeks.
Lott’s overall 118 wRC+ in 2021 was a 31-point improvement over his 87 wRC+ posted in 2019 at short-season Johnson City. Year-to-year, he went from 13 percent below his league to 18 percent above while competing at a higher level. That system-best progress made the right-handed hitter a worthy choice as The Cardinal Nation’s Emerging Player of the Year.
2022 outlook
Now that Lott has played to the level of High-A competition, will he return to Peoria to open 2022? It is possible, though our no. 50 prospect, Thomas Francisco, has shown a readiness for regular duty at first for the Chiefs. Of course, the designated hitter position as well as Lott’s valuable diversity to play in left field creates flexibility that many other first basemen do not offer.
If Lott continues to progress, he should take over first base at Springfield for Luken Baker. If that doesn’t happen Opening Day, it could relatively quickly with a fast start by Lott at Peoria. If not lost in the Rule 5 draft, Baker is expected to be the regular first baseman at Triple-A Memphis, with no other top prospects in the mix at the position.
Lott will play most of 2022 as a 24-year-old, not celebrating his next birthday until late August.
Future outlook
The challenge for Lott is to continue to increase his power enough to one day become MLB-relevant at first base – while keeping the strikeouts and walks at comparable levels. As noted, his ability to man left field as well gives him a notable edge over more one-dimensional players who preceded him, such as John Nogowski and Baker. It goes without saying that this is especially important in an organization with an All-Star first baseman playing on a long-term contract.
A decent progression for Lott would be to reach the majors in late 2023, though 2024 seems more likely. The rub (at least if the rules governing Rule 5 do not change in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement) is that Lott will first become eligible for the draft in December 2022.
To earn a 40-man roster spot in the next 12 months seems an overly aggressive target for Lott to achieve, but that may not be the end of the world (or at least the end of his time as a Cardinal). For another organization to be willing to take a chance on him in Rule 5, they would have to assess he is ready for a full year in the majors, at a time when the Cardinals wouldn’t yet even see him as a viable 40-man roster addition. As we saw with Baker in 2021, a good prospect can be left unprotected in part because his path to playing time with St. Louis is unclear.
In other words, the Cardinals can be prudently aggressive with Lott, but should also have enough time to demonstrate patience if needed. If he can eventually reach St. Louis, it would be another illustration of the organization’s long proven ability to unearth future MLB talent in the later stages of the draft.
2022 will be extremely important for Lott to show that his solid 2021 start in the large ballparks of the Low-A Southeast League and his new label as an emerging standout are previews of what is ahead, rather than one-year anomalies.
MLB debut: 2024
Rule 5 Eligible: 2022
Our 2022 Top 50 series continues
To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 12 in-depth, follow-up articles planned daily into early 2022.
50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects for 2022
For members of The Cardinal Nation
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If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining The Cardinal Nation to receive the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system, including access to every article in our 2022 Top Cardinals Prospects series.
© 2021 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TCN 2022 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #46 – Jeremy Rivas
The 46th-ranked prospect in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 countdown for 2022 is a teenage shortstop who was the top position player on his rookie ball team in his first year of professional play.
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TCN 2022 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #47 – Freddy Pacheco
At no. 47 in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2022 is a right-handed strikeout artist who was added to the 40-man roster after excelling across three levels in 2021.
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TCN 2022 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #48 – Inohan Paniagua
Ranked 48th in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2022 is an emerging right-hander who excelled when starting for Class-A Palm Beach.
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TCN 2022 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #49 – Yordy Richard
The 49th-ranked prospect in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 countdown for 2022 is a 2019 international signee who was challenged early and later performed well in the Florida Complex League at the age of 18.
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TCN 2022 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #50 – Thomas Francisco
photo: Thomas Francisco (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
At number 50 in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2022 is St. Louis’ 19th round draft pick, the first hitter from his class to reach High-A. FREE report!
Position: First base
Age: 22 years old
Bats/Throws: L/R
Height/Weight – 6’0/211
Acquired: 2021 Draft – 19th round (571st overall) from East Carolina
Primary team in 2021: Palm Beach Cardinals (Low-A)
Finished 2021: Peoria Chiefs (High-A)
Prior Top 50 rankings – not applicable
Click on the above photo to be taken to Francisco’s player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.
Link to Francisco’s career stats
Jake Tweedie’s scouting report
(current grade/future grade)
| HIT | POWER | FIELD | ARM | RUN | FV |
| 25/40 | 20/40 | 30/35 | 40/40 | 35/35 | 35 |
| AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | SB | CS | K% | BB% |
| .294 | .370 | .437 | .807 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 15.5% | 7.4% |
| ISO | wRC+ | GB/FB | GB% | LD% | FB% | Pull% | Cent% | Oppo% |
| .143 | 149 (A) | 1.04 (A) | 41.7% (A) | 18.3% (A) | 40% (A) | 37.1% (A) | 27.4% (A) | 35.5% (A) |
Francisco is one of the newer additions to the Cardinals’ system. Drafted in 2021, the first baseman is built solidly but moves well for his size. His stance has significantly improved, allowing him to be more solid at the plate, and allows for his smooth, short swing to generate decent power.
He has a slight twitch with his front foot, but stays fairly planted throughout his swing, allowing for solidity and control when generating his swing. This approach has allowed him to keep a fairly low strikeout percentage by having minimal movement within his swing. In his step-up to High-A from Low-A, he relied more on his opposite field hitting, thus resulting in more line drives. This figure rose from 18.3% to 24.2%, while his opposite field hitting rose from 35.5% to 50%.
Francisco’s physicality and smooth swing should have resulted in more home runs, but the short approach may have played some factor in that. He generates solid contact and power from his swing, without looking like he is trying to hit the ball as hard as possible. His average shows that he can get on base with a variety of hits, but to suit the first base role there will need to be more home runs among the hits.
Defensively he suits the position well. Physical frame and decent athleticism allow him to move well within the field, while having the soft hands and reach to make plays at first base.
Francisco certainly has the potential to be decent hitter in the higher Minor Leagues, but with his physicality and solid stance he should be hitting more home runs and being a big threat with the bat at first base. However, 2021 being his first year in the Minors could be part of the reason these numbers aren’t bigger, but it was a solid enough start with plenty of improvement expected in 2022.
Future Value: 35
Role: AAAA player/MLB reserve
Risk: High
Video
We got a one run ballgame!
Thomas Francisco hits one into the Mississippi River to make it a 4-3 ballgame!#SoundTheAlarm x @CardsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/yYE1Vm3fcf
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) September 10, 2021
Brian Walton’s environmental impact report
2021 recap – college
The Cardinals took some intriguing bats late in the 20-round 2021 draft, with Francisco certainly among them.
In the spring for East Carolina, the first baseman had slashed .354/.416/.557/.973 in 282 plate appearances with an equal number of walks and strikeouts (23).
Throughout his college career played against major competition, Francisco showcased a strong hit tool, logging a career .348 batting average. He did not strike out much (10.3%) and walked slightly more often (10.7%) – a strong combination.
Encouragingly in 2021, Francisco showed increased power, with 13 home runs after just five in his previous 175 plate appearances. As noted, for Francisco as a first base-only player to become a successful major leaguer, his power must emerge.
2021 recap – professional
Francisco signed quickly, on July 16, for a $100,000 bonus that was higher than most players taken as late in the draft as he was. He was initially assigned to the Class-A Palm Beach Cardinals along with a number of the other current-year position player draftees.
In the early stages, his playing time was uneven, but in August, he slashed an eye-opening .333/.434/.492, with that .926 OPS third best in the entire system. Francisco delivered some production as well, with 10 RBI in his 19 games that month.
His hot hitting continued into September, when the next door opened. On the sixth, Francisco changed places with a first baseman drafted back in 2016 – and in the process became the Cardinals’ first position player from this July’s draft to reach High-A Peoria. He traded roster spots with Brady Whalen.
In 94 plate appearances in his first 23 professional games, the left-handed hitter slashed an impressive .333/.415/.494/.909 for the Beach Birds. In mid-September, Francisco debuted in our monthly prospect rankings at no. 42.
With Peoria, some adjustment would certainly be expected, but with the season drawing to its close, Francisco had just 10 games to adapt to his new league. He slashed just .211/.268/.316/.584 in his first 41 High-A plate appearances.
2022 outlook
It seems most likely that Francisco’s late season promotion was intended to give him an early acclimation to his 2022 opening assignment back with High-A Peoria.
In terms of Francisco’s competition, Whalen would seem to be it. A question is whether the Cardinals would hold Francisco back in favor of a player who would be assigned to Peoria for a third season over four years – albeit at two levels of Class-A play. Perhaps Francisco and Whalen could coexist with greater use of the designated hitter spot, but if a choice has to be made, the former has momentum the latter lost some time ago.
Looking ahead, Todd Lott, who preceded Francisco on the 2021 Palm Beach to Peoria promotion route, seems to be in line to take over first base at Springfield for Luken Baker. The latter moved up a level at the end of the 2021 season himself. More on these two first base prospects are ahead in our ranking countdown.
Certainly, with a strong first half showing at Peoria, an in-season Double-A promotion for Francisco in 2022 would not be out of the question, but one should not assume it.
Future outlook
Jake said it well. The challenge for Francisco is to increase his power enough to one day become MLB-relevant at first base – while maintaining his strengths in hitting for average and keeping the strikeouts and walks at comparable levels. If so, a John Nogowski-like career seems a reasonable ceiling.
A decent progression for Francisco would be to reach the majors during 2024. For it to occur earlier would require a number of dominoes to fall the right way. Either way, if Francisco reaches St. Louis eventually, it would be another feather in the organization’s cap for mining and refining late-round draft gold.
But much work still remains ahead for Francisco after his solid 2021 introduction to the professional game.
MLB debut: 2024
Rule 5 Eligible: 2024
Our 2022 Top 50 series continues
To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 12 in-depth, follow-up articles planned daily into early 2022.
50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects for 2022
For members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining The Cardinal Nation to receive the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system, including access to every article in our 2022 Top Cardinals Prospects series.
© 2021 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals to Retire Ted Simmons’ No. 23
photo: Ted Simmons (Getty Images)
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals organization announced today (Thursday, July 15) that it will pay tribute to National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Ted Simmons on Saturday, July 31, before the team’s 6:15 PM game versus the Minnesota Twins. The tribute will be highlighted by the unveiling and dedication of a Ted Simmons statue outside of Busch Stadium and the retirement of “Simba’s” uniform number 23.
“Ted Simmons is one of the finest players to have worn the Birds on the Bat and will forever be a part of Cardinals history,” said Cardinals’ Chairman Bill DeWitt, Jr. “We are proud to honor Ted before his Hall of Fame induction this Fall and add him to the exclusive group of ten individuals who have both a statue outside of Busch Stadium and their uniform number retired. We hope our fans will come out in force to pay tribute to Ted and his family on July 31.”
The tribute will begin at 2:00 PM with the unveiling and dedication of a bronze statue of Ted Simmons outside Busch Stadium at the intersection of 8th Street and Clark Avenue. The statue, completed by St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame sculptor Harry Weber, will join the existing 11 statues outside Busch Stadium and will be the first addition to the group since Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith’s statue was unveiled and dedicated in August 2002. Other statues include Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, George Sisler (St. Louis Browns), James “Cool Papa” Bell (St. Louis Stars), Dizzy Dean, Enos Slaughter, Red Schoendienst, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and broadcaster Jack Buck.
The tribute will continue with a pregame ceremony starting at approximately 6:00 PM in which the organization will officially retire Simmons’ number 23. Simmons will become the 15th individual associated with the organization to have his number retired and first since Hall of Fame Manager Tony La Russa’s number 10 was retired in May 2012. The ceremony will open with Ted riding around the warning track in a Ford Mustang and conclude with Simmons throwing out a ceremonial first pitch.
Additionally, 30,000 fans, ages 16 and older, will receive a Ted Simmons bobblehead, presented by Coca-Cola and Dierbergs, as they enter the gates that evening.
Simmons will be officially inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. on Wednesday, September 8 with fellow Class of 2020 inductees Derek Jeter, Larry Walker and Marvin Miller. The Induction Ceremony is scheduled for 1:30 PM ET and will be broadcast live exclusively on MLB Network. Simmons and Walker will be the 50th and 51st individuals with ties to the St. Louis Cardinals organization to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Simmons, a Cardinals first round draft selection in 1967, played 13 of his 21 seasons with St. Louis, debuting in 1968 at the age of 19. The switch-hitter batted a career .285 with 248 home runs and 1,389 RBI in 2,456 games played. The eight-time All-Star (six selections with St. Louis) and Silver Slugger award winner ranks among the franchise’s top-10 in career home runs (172), RBI (929), and total bases (2,626), and is still the Cardinals all-time single-season leader in home runs (26 in 1979) and RBI (96 in 1972) among catchers. Following his playing career, which included stints with Milwaukee and Atlanta, Simmons served as the Cardinals Director of Player Development from 1988-91 before taking the GM post in Pittsburgh in 1992.
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Now Available – 2021 Cardinals Prospect Guide
Now available, The Cardinal Nation 2021 Prospect Guide is back for a fourth year. It includes over 250 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos.
10% off Blowout Sale now underway on the spiral-bound, printed version.
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Cardinals Reinforce Springfield Pitching Staff
A day after the St. Louis Cardinals released two struggling pitchers from the Double-A Springfield roster, Jacob Patterson and Patrick Dayton, two others were shipped downward from Triple-A Memphis as they came off the Redbirds’ seven-day injured list. The club also came to terms with its first non-drafted free agents of 2021.
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Cardinals Conclude 2021 Draft with 10 Picks
photo: Mack Chambers (University of New Mexico)
By Blake Newberry and Brian Walton
On Tuesday, July 13, the St. Louis Cardinals are making their final 10 selections in the third day of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft, covering rounds 11-20.
Though uninformed observers pay little attention to Day 3 selections, the reality is that many good major leaguers are sourced from these picks. In fact, the Cardinals have been especially successful over the years finding talent in round 11 or later, including former all-star Matt Carpenter, St. Louis’ 13th rounder in 2009.
The Cardinals would be required to use a portion of their $8,167,100 pool allocation from rounds 1-10 to cover any harder-to-sign any Day 3 selections who receive more than $125,000 in signing bonus. It remains to be seen if the Cardinals go down this path in 2021.
On Days 1 and 2 of the 2021 Draft, the Cardinals clearly focused on pitchers, using seven of the 11 picks there. Of the nine collegians added to date, just two are seniors, apparently leaving less opportunity to save money to allow overslot bonuses to selected Day 3 picks.
For More
Click on each player’s photo to be taken to their player profile page here at The Cardinal Nation, with additional information.
To reference the Cardinals’ new draft class on an ongoing basis, each player will have a profile located on a holding team called “DRAFT PLAYERS UNSIGNED”. This can be accessed at the bottom of the drop-down menu in the red column in the left menu called “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” or click here.
Cardinals Select Michael McGreevy in 2021 MLB Draft’s First Round
As Tuesday progresses from afternoon into evening, this article will be updated as picks are made and information added, so please check back often.
2021 Draft recap
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Total | |
| High school | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| College | 1 | 8 | 9 | 18 |
| Hitters | 4 | 5 | 9 | |
| Pitchers | 1 | 6 | 5 | 12 |
After the conclusion of the draft, Cardinals scouting director Randy Flores commended his scouts for being “well prepared and agile”, while crediting many others, including the organization’s analysts and the resources given them by ownership.
Flores noted that in their selections, they continued the approach taken after their third pick, which was that they “still leaned to pitchers on ties.”
Questioned about 17th rounder Elijah Cabell, Flores replied that the Cardinals have been following him a long time back to the showcase circuit. The outfielder has “an immense gift to make hard contact” but his swing and miss, strikeout rate, is the likely reason the Florida State star was not taken earlier. The Cardinals “didn’t shy away from the opportunity,” with the belief that Player Development can maximize his “gift of hitting the baseball hard.”
As outlined below, 15th rounder Andre Granillo had very limited action this spring, but Flores said that the Cal Riverside hurler’s recent work in the Cape Cod League gave them “conviction” to make the selection. The scouts used a team approach whereby an out of area scout was also brought in to take another look.
The overall Day 3 approach was to avoid having an overwhelming voice governing the final 10 selections. Flores discussed striking a balance between scout picks and analytic-driven ones advocated by analysts. Of course, the standing questions of such matters like bonus expectations, signability and medicals are always important considerations.
Though the organization will likely be focused on getting these 21 draft picks signed by the August 1 deadline, Flores also said the Cardinals are also “open” to signing non-drafted free agents based on needs.
St. Louis’ 2021 Day 3 selections
11th round, 331st overall
Mack Chambers, SS
University of New Mexico
6’0, 180
Bats: Both
Throws: Right
Mack Chambers had a productive sophomore season with the University of New Mexico. The shortstop slashed .371/.444/.624/1.068 with more walks (16) than strikeouts. (12), although he did not walk or strike out at a high rate. Of his 63 hits in the 2021 season, Chambers tallied 26 extra base hits, with seven landing over the fence.
The 21-year-old began his college career with Seminole State Junior College. In his two seasons there, Chambers batted over .400 twice and OPSed over 1.000 twice, while finishing his last season with a .472/.606/.764/1.370 slash line in an abbreviated 23-game season.
Coming out of his success with Seminole State College, the shortstop was selected by the Cubs in the 11th round of the 2019 MLB draft. He declined to sign and was not selected in the five-round 2020 draft. Despite his strong production at New Mexico, he did not get selected any higher in 2021.
Throughout his college career, Chambers has been a strong producer at the plate, albeit against weaker competition against Junior College and Mountain West opponents.
The switch hitter will need to prove that he can hit against more advanced competition, but there is promise considering that he walked more than he struck out in his collegiate career and was immensely productive in both Junior College and Division One.
Chambers is the second infielder selected by the Cardinals and the first one who plays up the middle. His 6’0”, 180-pound size suggests that he will stick in the middle and not move to the corners, as he is more hit over power, although he did display solid power in college, and has solid athleticism.
12th round, 361st overall
Chris Gerard, LHP
Virginia Tech University
5’10, 175
Bats: Right
Throws: Left
After selecting a productive college bat, the Cardinals have returned to a college arm.
Chris Gerard was a starter from day one at Virginia Tech, and he had three strong seasons in the rotation, with a career ERA of 2.63. The left-hander increased his strikeouts and decreased his walks from his freshman year, finishing the 2021 season with 10.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.
Gerard threw just 41 2/3 innings in 2021 due to a groin injury that caused him to miss almost an entire month. In his career, he threw just 120 innings across three seasons.
The 21-year-old is small for a pitcher, standing just 5’10” and weighing just 175 pounds. However, he gets high marks for his pitchability as he is able to command four pitches.
There is not a lot of velocity in Gerard’s arm due to his size, so his fastball typically sits 88-90, but can tick into the lower 90s. The southpaw throws two breaking balls – a slider and a curveball – and they are distinct pitches, although both could be refined in order to gain sharpness.
Many scouts believe that Gerard’s low-80s changeup is his best pitch, but he is able to throw all of his secondary pitches for strikes.
Gerard fits the mold that the Cardinals have targeted in this draft. He has good pitchability and a feel for pitching but stuff that does not jump off the charts. Additionally, his success in an advanced conference in college is a good sign.
Adding a few ticks on his fastball would be helpful but considering his size it is unlikely that he will ever throw above the low-90s in the rotation. If he moves to the bullpen, his velocity could potentially tick higher.
13th round, 391st overall
Hayes Heinecke, LHP
Wofford College (SC)
6’0, 210
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Hayes Heinecke is another productive college arm with a chance to stick in the rotation. Heinecke is an interesting case, however, because he pitched better in his first two college seasons than he did in his final season.
The left-hander joined the starting rotation as a freshman and posted a 2.65 ERA in 15 88 1/3 innings as a starter. He improved in the shortened 2020 season, tallying a 1.75 ERA in 25 2/3 innings across four starts. However, in 2021, Heinecke finished with a 4.40 ERA in 43 innings and eight starts.
The 22-year-old has always been good at limiting walks (career 1.7 BB/9), but his strikeout rate jumped from 8.6 K/9 in 2019 to 12.6 K/9 in 2020 before dropping back to a 9.0 K/9 in 2021.
As a result, it is difficult to tell what Heinecke’s ceiling is. His four starts in 2020 were very promising and his success in 2019 is a good sign as well. However, after his step backward in 2021, it is unclear how good of a pitcher the southpaw truly is.
The Cardinals player development staff will have a bit of a project as they see if they can get him to recapture his early-college form and build on it.
At 6’0”, 210-pounds, there is little projectability left in Heinecke’s frame. In 2021, his fastball sat 89-91, but in 2020 the left-hander could touch 95.
Heinecke’s floor is a pitcher with a good feel for pitching who throws a lot of strikes and commands four pitches. At his ceiling, he is someone who can tick into the mid-90s with his fastball, miss bats with his slider and throw an average curveball and changeup while pounding the strike zone with four pitches.
14th round, 421st overall
Andre Granillo, RHP
University of California Riverside
6’4, 245
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Andre Granillo is the first pitcher selected by the Cardinals who appears to have no chance of being a starter in the professional ranks.
The right-hander spent his entire three-year collegiate career in the bullpen with UC Riverside and did not post good numbers, with a career 5.98 ERA.
There is some upside with Granillo, though. The 21-year-old had a career 12.0 K/9 in college. He also lowered his walk rate from 5.2 BB/9 as a freshman to 3.5 BB/9 in 2021. Adding to his promise is the fact that he pitched well in the brief 2020 season. That year he struck out 13.5 batters per nine innings and posted a 2.84 ERA in 12 2/3 innings.
Granillo uses a fastball/slider combination that misses plenty of bats. The right-hander’s fastball lives in the lower 90s, but there is potential for it to jump into the mid-90s or higher due to Granillo’s 6’4”, 245-pound frame.
Granillo also has experience in summer leagues as he pitched well (2.29 ERA, 15.6 K/9) in the Northwoods League in 2020 and also pitched well (2.45 ERA, 13.9 K/9) in the Cape Cod League in 2021.
The 21-year-old threw just 10 1/3 innings for UC Riverside in 2021, but his history of strike outs and success in summer leagues provides plenty of appeal.
Granillo has an enticing fastball/slider combination that has the potential to play well out of the bullpen. The right-hander also developed a cutter in 2020, which adds to his arsenal and potential as a power reliever. With some refinement on his slider and cutter, and a velocity jump on his fastball, Granillo could build on his success in the summer leagues and see his numbers improve as a professional.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=124493479630589
15th round, 451st overall
Alex Cornwell, LHP
University of Southern California
6’2, 200
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Alex Cornwell is another pitcher with promise despite not achieving much success in the college ranks.
The left-hander was selected by the Cubs out of high school in the 37th round of the 2017 MLB draft. After arriving on USC’s campus, Cornwell missed the entire 2018 and 2019 seasons with injury. When he finally took the mound in 2020, he pitched well, but the season was shut down after his fourth start.
In 2021, Cornwell finally got to play a full season. However, it did not go well for him as he finished the year with a 5.35 ERA in 79 innings while walking 21 and fanning 65.
The 22-year-old threw less than 100 innings in his college career, which makes it difficult to evaluate him after being a high touted prep pitcher.
The left-hander was ranked by Perfect Game as the 25th best prep left-hander in the nation going into the 2017 draft. This certainly gives him plenty of upside as a reclamation project for the Cardinals player development staff.
Cornwell throws a curveball with plenty of depth, a fastball that sits in the low 90s, and a changeup that gets a good amount of run.
He needs to sharpen the curveball and be more consistent with it as it can float in the zone when it does not break enough. When he snaps it off well it dives toward the ground and gets whiffs. The southpaw’s changeup also plays well on the outer half of the plate The 6’2”, 200-pound Cornwell is also likely a candidate to add velocity as he gets into pro ball.
This is an upside pick for the Cardinals on a player who will likely stay in the rotation to begin his career.
16th round, 481st overall
Aaron McKeithan, C
University of North Carolina Charlotte
6’1, 220
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Aaron McKeithan spent his first collegiate season at Tulane where he was a backup and only saw 27 plate appearances. He then transferred to UNC Charlotte where he slashed .278/.398/.394/.793 in 221 plate appearances as the team’s starting catcher in 2021.
Notably, the catcher walked (26) more than he struck out (20), but he displayed little power, homering just three times and recording an OBP higher than his slugging percentage. He was also hit by 12 pitches.
Following the 2021 season, McKeithan played in the Cape Cod League where he slashed .143/.333/.286/.619 in 30 plate appearances. He again walked more than he struck out, but he struggled with the bat.
Defensively, the right-handed hitter did not make an error or have a passed ball, and he threw out 3 of 9 base stealers in the Cape Cod League. For Charlotte, he threw out 9 of 53 base stealers, made four errors and allowed seven passed balls in 59 games.
The Cardinals need to select a catcher for minor league depth in this draft. McKeithan has promising OBP skills at the plate, but he has showed little power and did not throw out many base stealers. However, despite his arm he does have some quality behind the plate.
There is not huge upside with this pick, but if the 21-year-old can improve his hit tool, it would pair well with his ability to take walks.
⬆️1️⃣ | HOSE ALERT!!! McKeithan takes care of the runner who reached on a free pass to eliminate the base runner!
Charlotte: 0
FAU: 0#GoldStandard | #9ATC pic.twitter.com/tjSUjmoTCn— Charlotte Baseball (@CharlotteBSB) April 4, 2021
17th round, 511th overall
Elijah Cabell, OF
Florida State University
6’2, 225
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Elijah Cabell was a three-year starter for a strong Florida State team. He takes a lot of walks and has a lot of power, but there is some concern with his hit tool. The right-handed hitter slashed .264/.397/.560/.957 with 15 home runs in 2021. However, the 22-year-old also struck out 78 times in 194 plate appearances.
In his career, Cabell has struck out in 40% of his plate appearances. With the jump in competition, Cabell may struggle to make enough contact to tap into his power. However, if he can hit the ball enough, then he has ample power and takes enough walks (16% walk rate in 2021) to potentially become a productive hitter.
The outfielder has a legitimate power tool, and at this point in the draft there are always going to be other flaws with a player when he has such a strong tool. In Cabell’s case, he strikes out too much.
During Florida State’s season, Cabell hit a 489 foot with a 114 mph exit velocity. This gives Cabell a high ceiling if he can ever develop his hit tool and make more contact.
Defensively, Cabell played primarily played left field for Florida State and he will likely stay there as he does not have the necessary speed and defensive ability to play center field and his arm is not strong enough for right field (four career outfield assists).
The Cardinals have been targeting power corner players recently and Cabell fits into that mold.
here's the video: https://t.co/u6VqAINySd pic.twitter.com/RFJLTwFMEx
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) March 1, 2021
18th round, 541st overall
Andrew Marrero, RHP
University of Connecticut
5’10, 196
Bats: RIght
Throws: Right
Marrero is the second pitcher the Cardinals have selected that will likely not have a chance of developing as a starter in the professional ranks.
Marrero spent two seasons in the bullpen for UConn and threw just 26 innings. He pitched well in four appearances in 2020 but struggled in 21 1/3 innings in 2021, posting a 4.64 ERA. Despite his struggles, Marrero fanned 11.8 batters per nine innings in his career, while walking just 3.1 per nine innings.
Following the 2021 season, Marrero went to the Cape Cod League where he compiled a 5.40 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Clearly the Cardinals are taking a chance on Marrero’s ability to generate whiffs, while hoping that he can become more effective in the professional ranks that he was in college.
With a small frame, there is not much projectability left in Marrero’s body. However, his fastball already sits comfortable in the 90s, and his slider generates plenty of whiffs. This is a promising profile for a reliever and makes him different than most of the other pitchers slected by the Cardinals.
19th round, 571st overall
Thomas Francisco, 1B
East Carolina University
6’0, 211
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Thomas Francisco is another productive corner bat selected by the Cardinals. The first baseman slashed .354/.416/.557/.973 in 282 plate appearances in 2021 with an equal number of walks and strikeouts (23).
Throughout his college career, Francisco showcased an excellent hit tool. He does not strike out much and has shown an ability to hit for a high average (career .348 hitter). This season, though, Francisco showed increased power, hitting 13 home runs after hitting just five in his previous 175 plate appearances.
As a first baseman, it is important that Francisco can hit for power, so this was a key development for him in 2021.
The left-handed hitter also performed well in the Valley Baseball League in the summer of 2019, batting .412 with a .965 OPS in 124 plate appearances.
Francisco makes plenty of contact and has shown an ability to hit the ball to the opposite field to beat the shift. If he can prove that his power surge was legitimate, then Francisco could move quickly through the lower levels of the minor leagues.
There is not much defensive value for Francisco as a first baseman, so his bat will need to be his carrying tool. If his power fades, then he has a lower ceiling, but if his power stays, then the 21-year-old could be a productive overall hitter and a good value pick in the 19th round.
20th round, 601st overall
Xavier Casserilla, 3B
V.R. Eaton HS, Haslet, TX
6’0, 215
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
he St. Louis Cardinals concluded their draft with a corner infielder from V.R. Eaton High School in Texas.
Listed at 6’0”, 215 pounds, Casserilla has a strong arm and a good hit tool. He touched 91 mph with his fastball on the mound, and that gives him more than enough arm strength to make a strong throw from third base. He also has good athleticism which gives him the ability to field the ball well at the hot corner.
Casserilla has a bit of a leg lift when he strides, but his hands are quiet, and he can find the barrel consistently. The right-handed hitter has good gap-to-gap power with emerging over-the-fence power.
Despite being just 18 years old, he has already matured physically, which gives him the ability to hit and throw the ball with authority.
As a 20th-round selection out of high school he will likely take longer to develop than most of the players selected in front of him if he decides to forego college.
He is currently committed to Wichita State University, and it would likely require a signing bonus of over $125,000 to convince him to sign. Thus, without knowing how much money the Cardinals will have available in their bonus pool, it is difficult to determine if he will sign, though the fact that he was selected is a draft that was recently shortened to 20 rounds could be an indication of his signability.
Regardless, he is another corner player with some power who fits with the archetype that Scouting Director Randy Flores likes to target.
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St. Louis Cardinals Select 10 in Day 2 of 2021 Draft
photo: Joshua Baez (WCVB Boston)
By Blake Newberry and Brian Walton
The second of three days of the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, with the St. Louis Cardinals selections’ being made by AGM/Scouting Director Randy Flores and announced by Xavier Scruggs in Denver, consists of 10 selections in rounds 2-10 on Monday, July 12.
St. Louis’ initial Day 2 selection is power-hitting Massachusetts prep outfielder Joshua Baez.
Overall, encompassing these 10 picks and the first rounder named on Sunday, pitcher Michael McGreevy, the Cardinals have been allocated $8,167,100, a signing bonus total which they will not exceed by more than 5%.
St. Louis’ extra pick on Monday was added via the Competitive Balance program and will be 70th overall, following the completion of the second round.
See full 2021 Draft Day 1 details here.
Cardinals Select Michael McGreevy in 2021 MLB Draft’s First Round
For more
Return to this article at The Cardinal Nation often on Monday afternoon and evening as information about all St. Louis’ draft picks will be posted shortly after they are made. Also, at the end of the evening, we expect to add comments by Flores, so please check back here.
Quick draft day 2 summary with much more to come
Clear draft trend: Through day 2, 7 of the #stlcards first 11 draft picks are pitchers, 6 of whom are collegians. Also 3 OFs and 1 3Bman. 9 of 11 are from college with 2 high schoolers. Bios, scouting reports and videos on all picks at The Cardinal Nation. https://t.co/nUlSa3GA1V pic.twitter.com/6MzYDfwKF7
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) July 12, 2021
Update: Randy Flores Zoom
In his end of day 2 comments, the Cardinals scouting director praised second rounder Joshua Baez, noting his “physicality and baseball tools”, “athleticism and body control” and power potential that is “impressive”. Flores does not anticipate that Baez will be a two-way player, but noted his arm strength as shown while pitching could make him a right fielder in the future if he moves out of center.
The final selection of the day, Osvaldo Tovalin was “almost a no-brainer pick” after the Cardinals worked him out at various positions including catcher and his versatility showed well.
Comp pick Ryan Holgate’s power is “already there” in the Pac12, Flores said. The appeal included his “aggressive path” hitting with “zero fear: and “ability to make contact.”
In the general flow of the draft, Flores said the Cardinals “pivoted” after the comp pick of Holgate, their third player taken of 11 overall so far. From there, if players were close, which is often the case after the first 100 picks or so, the Cards “leaned to pitching”. The scouting director also acknowledged that pitching was the strength of the draft class.
(All player scouting reports are written by The Cardinal Nation analyst Blake Newberry.)
St. Louis’ selections – 2021 Draft Day 2
Second round, 54th overall
Joshua Baez – Outfielder
Dexter Southfield HS (Brookline, Mass)
6’4, 230
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Baez is one of the youngest players in the class, which seems to be an early trend for the Cardinals. First round selection Michael McGreevy was among the youngest college players in the draft, and Baez is one of the youngest high school players in the draft as he turned 18 at the end of June.
Baez fits the profile of a power corner outfielder with Baseball America giving him 70-grade power and a 70-grade arm. He is also listed at 6’4” and 220 pounds. This gives him a profile similar to last year’s first round pick, Jordan Walker.
Like most young power hitters, swing-and-miss is a concern with Baez. He will need to make enough contact to consistently tap into his power.
Baez has plenty of natural power in his swing, but he does like to swing hard. At times this can lead to him being off balance and pulling his head off the ball. He does have a moderate leg kick and can sometimes overextend his front arm pre-swing. The 18-year-old begins with his hands near his head and when he loads, his hands go further back. This is what gives him the risk of overextending his front arm, as his hands do not always get to the same spot.
Some more consistency with his somewhat complex loading mechanism would allow him to strengthen his hit tool. When his front arm is overextended, he runs the risk of getting beat by inside fastballs or offspeed pitches.
Baez has a decent eye at the plate but will need to work on making more consistent contact. This gives him the potential to draw a decent number of walks, but he may take longer to tap into his power given his inconsistent ability to hit for average.
This is likely something that the Cardinals will work on when he gets in the system, but his substantial power gives him a very high ceiling.
Defensively, Baez played center field throughout high school. Most scouts grade him as an above average fielder, which gives him the chance to begin his professional career in center field. It is unlikely that he will stay there long term due to his slightly below average speed, but his bat will ultimately be his carrying tool.
Baez has a strong throwing arm that makes him a good fit for a move to right field. The Vanderbilt commit was clocked up to 98 mph on the mound but will need to work on his accuracy.
Overall, a power corner outfielder with strong power, a strong arm, and decent athleticism gives Baez an intriguing and high ceiling package of skills.
The pool amount for this pick is $1,338,500.
Competitive Balance Round B, 70th overall
Ryan Holgate, OF
University of Arizona
6’2, 193
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Holgate is another power bat, this time from the college ranks. The 21-year-old has a highly productive season for Arizona after struggling to hit for average as a freshman. Holgate played just 15 games in 2020 due to COVID, but showed massive improvement. This improvement continued in 2021 as he slashed .351/.421/.576/.997 with 11 home runs.
Holgate played all 55 games this season in right field for Arizona, but he profiles better as a left fielder in the professional ranks. The California native has below average speed and grades out as a below average fielder with a below average arm.
This general lack of defensive promise will put more pressure on Holgate’s bat, which will need to be his carrying tool.
Holgate is a left-handed hitter who stands at 6’1” and 205 pounds. His size, left-handedness and profile make him similar to Alec Burleson who the Cardinals took with the 70th pick in the 2020 draft.
The 21-year-old did have a high strikeout rate in his junior year, striking out at a rate of nearly 19%. This is high for the college ranks, but it did not hinder his ability to hit for average. Additionally, of his 86 hits, 32 went for extra bases.
Holgate is quiet in his setup at the plate with a small load and a small stride. He generates plenty of power though and hit a monster home run off Kumar Rocker in the College World Series. He can hit all types of pitches but will need to cut down on his swing-and-miss against breaking pitches.
Also notable is that Holgate led the Northwoods League with 13 home runs in the summer of 2019 and walked 34 times in 222 at-bats.
If he can manage his strikeouts, Holgate is a candidate to rise quickly through the Cardinals organization as a productive college bat.
The pool amount for this pick is $906,800.
https://youtu.be/
Third round, 90th overall
Austin Love, RHP
University of North Carolina
6’3, 232
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Austin Love spent his first two collegiate seasons in North Carolina’s bullpen. He showed an ability to pitch in longer stints and eventually moved into the rotation in 2021. The right-hander did redshirt twice, once in 2018 as a freshman, and again in 2020 due to COVID. As a result, he pitched as a sophomore in 2021.
While in the rotation in 2021, Love finished the year with a 3.71 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 102 innings. Love also tallied just 2.82 walks per nine innings while averaging over six innings per start.
Love has a starter’s frame at 6’3” and 232 pounds and there is not much projection left on it. However, he should remain a starter in the professional ranks with three above average offerings and at least average control.
Love’s fastball typically sits in the lower to mid 90s, but it can work up to 95 semi-consistently as a starter. If Love was moved to the bullpen, his heater could tick up to 98 or higher. This is strong velocity for a fastball, which when commanded well, should give Love a solid pitch.
Love has a pair of strong secondary offerings in his slider and his changeup. They both could use some refinement, but he gets good movement on both pitches. His slider gets good break, with more depth than run. The 22-year-old’s changeup also breaks well to his arm side and has shown an ability to dip underneath bats.
He has not always been consistent with these pitches, but a three-pitch mix with control gives Love good upside. Additionally, his ability to move to the rotation and post a strong strike out rate while still limiting his walks is a good sign that he can develop as a starter.
There is little reliever risk with Love, but if he does move to the bullpen, he would profile as a strong contributor at the major league level. As of now, Love appears to have the ceiling of a back-of-the-rotation starter with room to grow into a mid-rotation starter if he can become more consistent with his secondary offerings.
As an experienced college pitcher with no glaring holes in his game, Love could be a fast mover in his first couple professional seasons.
The pool amount for this pick is $657,600.
Fourth round, 120th overall
Zane Mills, RHP
Washington State University
6’4, 220
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Mills is the third college pitcher that the Cardinals have selected through their first five picks. Mills also fits the classic Cardinals profile as a pitchability right-hander with more command than pure stuff.
The 21-year-old began his college career in the bullpen with Washington State, but moved to the rotation in the COVID shortened 2020 season. In 2021, Mills finished with a 4.15 ERA in 80 1/3 innings with 83 strikeouts and 22 walks.
Mills also spent two summers in the Northwoods League, performing well both seasons. In the summer of 2019, the right-hander finished with a 2.89 ERA while working out of the rotation and the bullpen. In 2020, he finished with a 0.58 ERA while working as a starter. Mills joins Ryan Holgate, the Cardinals third pick of the draft, as Northwoods League veterans.
Despite his 6’4”, 215-pound frame, the 22-year-old sits 88-92 mph with his fastball, with good run on the pitch. The Cardinals may believe they can add more velocity to the heater given his size. Scouts also praise Mills’ ability to throw his slider and his changeup for strikes, which gives him a solid three pitch mix and good control.
The Oregon native has a clean, repeatable, low-effort delivery. This projects him for strong control and an ability to pitch deep into games. It also makes him a candidate to improve his velocity in the professional ranks. If he can tick into the 90s consistently while reaching the mid-90s, he could improve his ceiling.
Mills does not project to be a high-strikeout pitcher. Rather, he profiles more as a dependable, strike-throwing, innings eater.
The right-hander appears to be another strong candidate to enter the rotation in the professional ranks. It seems that the Cardinals are looking to replenish their minor league pitching depth with college pitchers in this draft. These college arms are candidates to move quicker than high schoolers, which may be part of the appeal for St. Louis since the organization is struggling to pitch effectively at all levels.
The pool amount for this pick is $478,300.
Fifth round, 151st overall
Gordon Graceffo, RHP
Villanova University
6’4, 210
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Gordon Graceffo is another classic Cardinals selection. The right-hander is another productive college starter, with low reliever risk and high marks for pitchability.
Graceffo has been a starter for Villanova since he set foot on campus. After finishing his freshman season in 2019 with a 4.88 ERA, Graceffo improved to a 1.42 ERA in the abbreviated 2020 season and a 2.63 ERA in 2021.
The right-hander finished his final collegiate season with 86 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 82 innings. Following the season, Graceffo pitched in the Cape Cod League where he made three starts and posted a 0.69 ERA in 13 innings.
Graceffo increased his velocity throughout the year and was sitting 89-93 to finish 2021. He is another candidate to add another tick or two to his fastball considering his 6’4”, 210-pound size.
The 22-year-old also throws a fastball and a slider with both pitches grading out as average but flashing plus according to Baseball America.
Graceffo is able to manipulate his slider in a way that makes it look like two distinct pitches. He is able to take a few ticks off it and give it more of a curveball shape with loopier movement when he wants to. When he throws it like a slider, it is a bit faster and has sharper break.
Graceffo also like to manipulate his changeup by speeding it up or slowing it down. The pitch gets good arm side run and sink, and it typically between 9-14 mph slower than his fastball.
The native of New Jersey has also received high marks from scouts for his makeup and competitiveness on the mound.
The right-hander has a starter’s frame and will join Zane Mills as a candidate for increased velocity as he works in the minor league rotation. Graceffo is the third college right-hander selected in a row, with all three having a similar profile, although Austin Love has better pure stuff than Mills and Graceffo.
The pool amount for this pick is $353,700.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=244617616585319
Let's start the new semester with a new installation of the Player Spotlight Series…next up Junior Gordon Graceffo! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #GoCats pic.twitter.com/SbBVWYcjVj
— Villanova Baseball (@VUBaseball) January 26, 2021
Sixth round, 181st overall
Alfredo Ruiz, LHP
Long Beach State
6’0, 200
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Alfredo Ruiz is another college starter with more pitchability than stuff. However, Ruiz throws from the left side and has a bit more reliever risk than the previous selections.
Ruiz tossed 57 2/3 innings in 11 starts for Long Beach State with a 3.75 ERA while fanning 59 and walking 23. This gives him a walk rate (3.6 BB/9) that is a bit higher than the last few picks by the Cardinals. When this is combined with his 6’0”, 200-pound size, there is some reliever risk with Ruiz.
The southpaw has shown plenty of improvement throughout his college career. As a freshman, he operated as a swingman before moving into the rotation as a sophomore. Ruiz improved his strikeout rate dramatically since his first season, going from 6.58 K/9 as a freshman to 9.21 K/9 in his third collegiate season.
Ruiz is smooth and athletic on the mound, which may give the Cardinals confidence that he can develop as a starter. This gives him a repeatable delivery, and if he can limit his walks then he has a chance to stick in the rotation. His solid 3.75 ERA for a strong collegiate baseball program in Long Beach State also offers hope that he can remain in the rotation.
The native of California throws a fastball that hovers around 90-92 mph with a slider and a changeup as his secondary pitches.
Like the rest of the pitchers that the Cardinals have selected, Ruiz gets good arm side run on his fastball. His changeup sits in the low 80s and his slider is more slow and loopy than hard and sharp. He is able to control all three of his pitches and is at his best when he is locating them at the bottom of the strike zone.
The pool amount for this pick is $270,300.
Seventh round, 211th overall
Alec Willis. RHP
Regis Jesuit High School (Denver, CO)
6’5, 220
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
The Cardinals will likely be able to save money on their string of college pitchers, which should free up enough money to sign Alec Willis to an over-slot bonus. The prep righty stands at 6’6” and 225 pounds which gives him plenty of projectability.
Willis already underwent ulnar decompression surgery, so there is a bit of injury history on his young arm. However, there is also plenty of promise. The right-hander throws four pitches – a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup.
On his fastball, the right-hander sits around 93 mph but can touch 96. At his size, there is a chance that it can tick even higher with more refinement. Most scouts already regard the fastball as a plus pitch.
Willis’ secondary offerings are more refined than most prep pitchers’, with his slider being his go-to breaking ball. His curveball sits in the lower to mid 70s. Like most high school pitchers, Willis could stand to separate the two pitches more as either one can get slurvy. He also needs to refine his changeup more, although it does show promise with some sink and fade.
Unlike the previous pitchers selected by the Cardinals, Willis will likely take more time to develop. He has plenty of size and promise but could use some refinement on all his pitches.
He does have a good foundation as he has an easy delivery and scouts like his feel to pitch despite his young age. Despite this, he does need to work on his control and command. Willis is a promising but raw pitcher with plenty of projection, but he also needs a lot of refinement.
After picking a string of college pitchers, the Cardinals can afford to make a riskier, high ceiling selection while still injecting plenty of experienced pitching into the organization.
Willis will almost certainly require an over-slot deal to convince him to sign with the Cardinals instead of playing in college with the University of Minnesota.
The pool amount for this pick is $211,500.
Eighth round, 241st overall
Mike Antico, OF
University of Texas
5’10, 200
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Mike Antico is the first hitter the Cardinals have selected since Ryan Holgate in Competitive Balance Round B. He is also a prime candidate for an under-slot deal due to being a college senior.
Antico began his college career with St. John’s where he played four seasons. He then joined the University of Texas as a graduate transfer for the 2021 season.
The 23-year-old’s best tools are his plate discipline and speed as he stole 41 bases and had an absurd 20.3% walk rate in 2021. In 219 career college games, Antico stole 85 bases and walked (143) more than he struck out (137).
Depite batting just .273, Antico finished the year with a .436 OBP and .926 OPS. He also played every game in center field.
The native of New Jersey profiles as a centerfielder in the professional ranks due to his speed. He could stand to improve his hit tool, but his excellent eye at the plate gives him a high floor as an OBP-first player.
Antico was not known for his power throughout his college career, but he did hit 10 home runs and 16 doubles with Texas. This gives him an intriguing skillset centered around speed and on-base abilities with sneaky power.
He has the profile of a player who could move quickly through the Cardinals organization. If the power is real or the hit tool improves, then his upside increases substantially. If not, he can still add value through defense, base running, and walks.
The pool amount for this pick is $171,200.
Ninth round, 271st overall
Trent Baker, RHP
Angelo State University
6’3, 240
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Trent Baker is another productive pitchability starting pitcher. The right-hander walked just 18 batters in 106 2/3 innings Angelo State University in 2021. Baker finished the year with a 2.11 ERA and 120 strikeouts.
The 22-year-old improved his control every season after finishing his freshman year with 5.1 walks per nine innings and ended 2021 with 1.5 walks per nine innings.
Baker generates plenty of power from his 6’3”, 240-pound frame as his fastball can touch 97. He also commands a slider and a changeup, which gives him a solid three pitch mix. Baker’s slider is capable of generating whiffs, especially when it is thrown below the knees.
Even though Baker has good pitchability, he also has intriguing stuff with his fastball and two solid secondary pitches. He did throw against lower quality, Division Two competition, so it is still unknown how well Baker will be able to handle professional hitters. However, he has been one of the best Division Two pitchers for a couple seasons and also performed well in the Northwoods League in 2019 (2.32 ERA), the same league that previous Cardinals’ selections Zane Mills and Ryan Holgate participated in.
Baker has also received plenty of praise for his work ethic from the Angelo State coaching staff. In his senior year of high school, the right-hander threw around 85 mph on his fastball without a developed breaking ball. He has since added around 10 mph on his fastball in college, while also developing his secondary pitches and adding polish.
The right-hander is another starter who will likely get the chance to work as a starter with the Cardinals. If he does not make it in the rotation, he has a fastball that could tick into the upper 90s out of the bullpen.
The pool amount for this pick is $153,300.
10th round, 301st overall
Osvaldo Tovalin, 3B
Azusa Pacific University
6’2. 225
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Tovalin is the first infielder that the Cardinals have selected in this draft and the second straight division two player selected. Like previous selections Joshua Baez and Ryan Holgate, Tovalin profiles as a power corner player.
The 21-year-old slugged .705 in his final collegiate season in 2021. His overall slash line was .387/.439/.705/1.145. Tovalin struggled a bit in the shortened 2020 season, but he hit the ball well in 2018 and 2019, so this was likely a result of an early season slump that he never got the chance to fix.
Tovalin hit 15 home runs in his final collegiate season and finished his college career with 43 home runs in 769 plate appearances. He also walked (17) more than he struck out (16) in 2021, but he did not do much of either. The left-handed hitter had a career slash line of .353/.415/.616/1.031 without many strikeouts. That is a solid overall profile, but it is important to note the weaker Division Two competition.
The 21-year-old also played in the Northwoods League in 2019, but he struggled to the tune of a .717 OPS in 243 plate appearances.
Tovalin has experience playing both first base and third base, but it is his bat that is likely what drew the Cardinals to him. If his bat translates to the professional ranks, then Tovalin should be able to produce enough at the plate to play first base.
The corner infielder stole nine bases in the 2021 season, so he may have enough quickness to stick at third base long term. Regardless, he will likely begin his career at the hot corner.
The pool amount for this pick is $144,600.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1y1rOxZ0PU
Your authors
As noted above, TCN analyst Blake Newberry is writing the player scouting reports and Brian Walton is filling in the rest.
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2021 Cardinals Prospect Guide
Now available, The Cardinal Nation 2021 Prospect Guide is back for a fourth year. It includes over 250 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos.
10% off Blowout Sale now underway on the spiral-bound, printed version.
https://thecardinalnation.com/order-the-cardinal-nation-2021-prospect-guide-now/
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Cardinals Select Michael McGreevy in 2021 MLB Draft’s First Round
photo: Michael McGreevy (Big West Conference)
By Blake Newberry and Brian Walton
The first round of the 20-round 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft was held on Sunday evening, July 11 in Denver, Colorado. The traditional event of 40 rounds had been held over three days in conjunction with the College World Series in Omaha. However, in the second year of financial pressures on teams, ownership opted to reduce this draft to 20 rounds and move it a month later, as part of MLB’s All-Star Weekend.
By virtue of their 2020 success, the St. Louis Cardinals received the 18th overall selection in the 2021 draft. The organization’s 10 picks to be made in the second through 10th rounds will be made on Monday, starting at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. The final 10 selections will be unveiled starting at noon ET Tuesday.
Further background on the draft and its finances can be found here:
To reference the Cardinals’ new draft class on an ongoing basis, each player will have a profile located on a holding team called “DRAFT UNSIGNED PLAYERS”. This can be accessed at the bottom of the drop-down menu in the red column in the left menu called “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” or click here.
St. Louis’ selections – 2021 draft day 1
First round, 18th overall
Michael McGreevey, RHP, Cal Santa Barbara
The pool amount for this pick is $3,481,300.
Randy Flores comments
Cardinals director of scouting Randy Flores spoke with the media shortly after the selection was made Sunday evening. As one would expect, he praised the organization’s newest pick.
“He has a great feel for and command of the zone,” Flores said. “He took ownership of his development during the pandemic, increasing velocity and getting stronger.”
“He reeks of athleticism and being a starter. He threw over 100 innings coming off the pandemic and almost has a phobia of walking batters. He can control his slider and curveball and is developing his changeup.”
Flores did not want to make a comparison to another pitcher at this time but noted that McGreevy thinks he “has another jump in his physicality” ahead that will allow him to get stronger and develop his pitches further, especially his changeup.
The scouting director believes McGreevy “has the ingredients to pitch in a (major league) rotation” and has the command and confidence for more improvements ahead in the future. He praised the pitcher’s athleticism and said “touching 96-97 (mph) is in there and his frame supports that horsepower.”
Flores would not comment on what level of the system McGreevy would begin his career but made a general statement that the organization will “assess the physical readiness of each player” and will “develop a customized approach based on game readiness.”
McGreevy is only the second college pitcher selected by the Cardinals with their first pick since 2015, following University of Kentucky left-hander Zack Thompson in 2019. It is a return to the formula the organization followed in 2012 (Michael Wacha), 2013 (Marco Gonzales) and 2014 (Luke Weaver).
His results this spring were impressive. His 0.97 walks-per-nine innings ratio and 10.45 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2021 both ranked second among all qualified Division I pitchers . McGreevy led the Big West Conference with his 101 2/3 innings pitched in 2021, again earning First Team All-Big West honors and was named a semifinalist for National Pitcher of the Year Award by the College Baseball Foundation.
McGreevy comments
The pitcher’s opening remarks via Zoom on Sunday evening were simple and straightforward. “I’m happy to be a Cardinal. That is all I have to say.”
McGreevy went on to answer questions.
“Walking is not competing,” he proclaimed. McGreevy noted it is better to give up a hit than a walk.
He said he opened 2021 at 220 pounds but fell to 215 during his collegiate season and believes 230 is attainable in the future.
Cardinals area scout Mike Garciaparra scouted him but he did not know the Cardinals would be taking him until two picks prior to no. 18 overall. He noted he was a shortstop his whole life but agrees the move to full-time pitching is the right move for him.
He was a Padres fan growing up and did not know a lot about the Cardinals, but cited Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha’s repertoire (fastball, changeup and curve). McGreevy also referenced current Double-A Springfield pitcher and his high school teammate Andre Pallante, hoping he could experience a similar rise in the organization and Cardinals minor league outfielder Tommy Jew, a college teammate.
McGreevy closed by saying, “Draft day lived up to everything I thought it would be.”
Scouting report
McGreevy is a highly productive college right-hander with 70-grade control, according to Baseball America, and has the potential to move quickly through the organization. This fills a need for the St Louis Cardinals organization as not only is the pitching struggling throughout the organization, but there have been problems with strike throwing.
The last college pitcher that the Cardinals selected in the first round was Zack Thompson in 2019, and he has already reached Triple-A, although he is struggling there.
In high school, McGreevy was also a very good shortstop. However, once he reached campus at UCSB he was quickly turned into a full-time pitcher.
McGreevy operated out of the bullpen in his first collegiate season, making 29 appearances and posting a 5-1 record with six saves. The 20-year-old moved into the rotation in his sophomore season, but only made four starts due to COVID cancelling the rest of the season. In his final year at UCSB, McGreevy started 16 games and threw 101 2/3 innings. He averaged 6 1/3 innings per start while walking just 11 batters all year and fanning 115.
McGreevy has shown impressive improvement on a year-to-year basis. The righty increased his strikeout rate every year, from 7.9 K/9 as a freshman to 10.2 K/9 as a junior. Despite the uptick in strikeouts, McGreevy did not lose his strong control and actually improved from 1.9 BB/9 as a freshman to 1.0 BB/9 as a junior. He also limits home runs, allowing just 10 in his 189 2/3 career innings.
McGreevy throws a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup which all grade out as average or better. There is split opinion on which secondary pitch is McGreevy’s best. Baseball America grades his curveball as his best pitch, but others believe his slider will be his go-to offering outside of his fastball.
The right-hander’s fastball sat around 93 this season but topped out at 96. His fastball is a two-seamer with good sink and good arm side run. As a result, this is a pitch that will likely play better at the bottom of the zone, as opposed to the top of the zone. Locating his fastball here should give him the ability to generate plenty of groundballs.
McGreevy’s curveball has plenty of 12-to-6 movement, but he can be inconsistent with the pitch. When he snaps off the pitch well, the 20-year-old can get sharp drop on his curveball. However, he sometimes lets his curveball float a little bit instead of break sharply and this needs to be refined or else it will be prone to hard contact against professional hitters.
The right-hander’s slider gets plenty of horizontal and vertical movement and currently appears to be the sharper of the two breaking offerings. McGreevy throws his slider in the mid-80s and his curveball in the lower 80s.
McGreevy’s changeup lags a touch behind his other breaking pitches, although it already gets good sink and run. In an interview in May with Baseball Prospects Journal’s Dan Zielinski III. McGreevy said that getting his changeup to an elite level is something that he wants to work on in the offseason.
Also in that interview, McGreevy was quoted as saying “I just hate walks with a passion”. This approach has led McGreevy to being an elite strike thrower in the college ranks. It has also led to him allowing hits as he allowed 9.6 hits per nine innings in his junior season. His WHIP (1.18) was still solid due to his excellent control, but he will need to learn how to effectively manage contact if he keeps his pitching style.
The right-hander likes to pitch with a quick tempo, and he takes very little time between pitches. Such an approach can help him find a rhythm and make the hitter uncomfortable.
McGreevy is the kind of productive college pitcher with pitchability that the Cardinals tend to develop well. His aversion to walks should fit well in a system that allows too many walks, and his ability to throw four pitches for strikes and pitch deep into games should give him the ability to develop as a starter.
It is possible that McGreevy could increase his velocity as he gains strength in his 6’4”, 215-pound frame. This could allow him to raise his ceiling which, as of now, appears to be that of a mid-rotation starter.
Your authors
As in recent seasons, TCN staff writer Blake Newberry is writing the player capsules with Brian Walton filling in the rest.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2021 Cardinals Prospect Guide
Now available, The Cardinal Nation 2021 Prospect Guide is back for a fourth year. It includes over 250 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos.
10% off Blowout Sale now underway on the spiral-bound, printed version.
https://thecardinalnation.com/order-the-cardinal-nation-2021-prospect-guide-now/
Not yet a member?
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© 2021 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Welcome to the 2021 St. Louis Cardinals Home Opener
St. Louis Cardinals press release
A pregame ceremony that welcomes home the 2021 St. Louis Cardinals, honors the club’s Hall of Famers and commemorates the great tradition of Opening Day in St. Louis will highlight the annual return of baseball to St. Louis on Thursday, April 8. The Cardinals will open their 2021 home slate against the Milwaukee Brewers at 3:15 PM CT. A pregame schedule and information can be found below and at cardinals.com/OpeningDay to help fans enjoy the unofficial holiday that is #OpeningDaySTL:
Pregame Schedule
12:00 – 12:50 PM Cardinals batting practice (subject to change)
12:55 – 1:50 PM Brewers batting practice (subject to change)
1:00 PM Gates Open
2021 Cardinals Magnet Schedule: All fans, ages 21 and older, will receive a magnet featuring the 2021 Cardinals schedule, compliments of Budweiser.
2:30 PM Pregame ceremonies begin with an appearance by the famous Budweiser Clydesdales.
2:33 PM Lou Brock & Bob Gibson tribute.
2:35 PM Introduction of Cardinals Hall of Famers to centerfield batter’s eye.
2:38 PM Salute to Mike Shannon from KMOX radio booth.
2:40 PM Introduction of Cardinals Chairman and CEO, Bill DeWitt Jr. at home plate.
2:41 PM Introduction of the 2021 St. Louis Cardinals via Ford motorcade. The players will ride in 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat trucks.
2:53 PM Introduction of the Milwaukee Brewers.
2:57 PM Moment of silence
2:58 PM National Anthem performed from centerfield batter’s eye by Dr. Shephali Wulff, an infectious disease specialist with SSM Health in St. Louis.
3:00 PM Cardinals Opening Day video
3:02 PM Ceremonial First Pitch by Cardinals Hall of Fame 3B Scott Rolen to current Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado
3:15 PM First Pitch
Television Coverage
An extended edition of Cardinals Live pregame begins at 1:30 PM on Bally Sports Midwest and will include live coverage of the pregame ceremonies inside Busch Stadium. Dan McLaughlin and Brad Thompson will call the game, with Jim Hayes and Scott Warmann serving as reporters. Erica Weston and Rick Horton will host from the network’s Ballpark Village studio.
Radio Coverage
Fans can tune into KMOX 1120 AM, 98.7 FM, or one of the 145 stations in the Cardinals Radio Network to hear Mike Shannon and John Rooney call the game. The Ameren Total Access Show starts at 1:40 PM and will include live coverage of the pregame ceremonies inside Busch Stadium.
Fans can tune in locally to WIJR 880 AM “La Tremenda” to hear Cardinals Spanish broadcasters Polo Ascencio and Bengie Molina call the home opener as well.
Online or On The Go
Fans can follow the game for free on cardinals.com using the Gameday application and can keep tabs on the score from their mobile device using the MLB app. The Cardinals home opener, including pregame ceremonies, will be streamed live on the FOX Sports GO app and at FOXSportsGo.com (for consumers who authenticate through their pay-TV service).
Prohibited Items Policy
- Not Permitted: Bags of any size including purses, clutches and wristlets (exceptions for diaper bags with a child and medical bags); backpacks; alcohol; thermoses; coolers; aluminum or glass cans/bottles; commercial camera equipment
- Guests may bring in non-alcoholic beverages in factory-sealed plastic bottles no larger than 2 liters; empty cups/mugs and outside food (guests should consider the club’s bag policy when deciding what food to bring)
- Fans can visit com/security for the complete stadium inspection policy and prohibited items list.
2021 Busch Stadium Protocols
To begin the season, up to approximately 32% of capacity will be allowed to attend games at Busch Stadium. A number of policies and protocols have been implemented to ensure the health and safety of fans, employees, and players in 2021, including:
- Socially-distanced seating: Guests will be seated in pods of four or less with a minimum distance of 6-feet between seating pods in all directions.
- Masks required: Masks will be required at all times in all areas of the stadium, including the seating bowl, unless guests are actively eating and drinking.
- Mobile-only ticketing: All game tickets will be delivered via the MLB Ballpark app, ensuring a touchless entry into the ballpark.
- Cashless transactions: Concession stands, kiosks and other retail transactions made in the stadium will be cashless and only offer credit and debit payment options. Debit cards will be available for purchase using cash with no service fees at a limited number of locations inside the stadium.
- Designated entry gates: Guests will be directed to enter and exit the stadium through one of six designated entry gates to expedite the process and limit crowding at any one entrance. A designated entry gate will be noted on each ticket. Guests will not be permitted to exit and re-enter the stadium.
- Bags not permitted: To reduce contamination and ensure touchless entry, bags will are not permitted to be brought in to Busch Stadium, except for medical or diaper bags.
- Hand sanitizer: Hand sanitizer dispensers are widely available throughout the ballpark.
- Staff health screenings: All full-time employees and event staff are subject to health and temperature screenings before entering the stadium.
- Cleaning: Busch Stadium’s HVAC systems have been upgraded by replacing filters in the ballpark to MERV 13 to ensure cleaner air in any enclosed spaces. Electrostatic sprayers and EPA registered disinfectants will continue to be utilized to disinfect rooms and surfaces throughout the ballpark.
Frontline Fans
On Opening Day, the Cardinals will launch the Frontline Fans program for the 2021 season in conjunction with MLB’s initiative to provide $1.5 million worth of baseball tickets to local heroes who sustained our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cardinals will provide complimentary tickets for each Monday-Thursday home game to frontline and essential workers whose roles were crucial in supporting society during health-related shutdowns, starting with Opening Day tickets for a group of healthcare workers from St. Elizabeth Hospital in O’Fallon, IL. These fans will be recognized in-stadium throughout the season for their heroic efforts. The team is working with local partners to identify and distribute tickets to other groups of deserving individuals.
Food Service at Busch Stadium
Delaware North Sportservice, the club’s concessionaire for more than 50 years, is preparing to welcome fans back to Busch Stadium. The following changes have been made to food service throughout the stadium to ensure wellness for guests and minimize physical contact:
- Cashless transactions: Concession locations will only accept credit/debit cards and digital wallet payments (e.g. Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Google Pay) for payment. Guests can purchase a debit card using cash at all Schnucks Grab ‘N’ Go Markets inside Busch Stadium with no fees. Debit cards are good at any location that accepts credit cards at the ballpark and any retailer outside the stadium.
- Reduced menu: In an effort to reduce transaction times and crowding, menu options have been slimmed down at concession stands. But don’t worry, all of the “Ballpark Favorites” will be available. Specialty menu items are tentatively scheduled to be added back to the menu later this season.
- New P.O.S. system: A new “point of sale” system will allow fans to swipe their own credit or debit cards to finish their concession transactions, allowing staff additional time to get orders to fans faster.
- Grab ‘N’ Go: Additional small Grab ‘N’ Go locations have been added throughout the stadium for fans to quickly purchase snacks and beverages.
- Sipper lids: Sipper lids will replace separate lids and straws for purchased beverages.
- No vendors: Food and beverage vendors will not be present in the seating bowl to start the season.
- Staff protocols: All concession staff will wear masks and associates in point of sale roles with have face shields. Supervisors will be present to ensure safety protocols are being practiced throughout the building.
Additionally, a new large bar featuring full bar service has been added outside Gate 1 along the first base line to give fans even more convenient options to purchase their favorite ballpark beverage.
2021 Opening Day 50/50 Raffle
The Cardinals Care 50/50 Raffle is a chance for fans to test their luck all while making a difference in our community. The drawing for the Opening Day 50/50 Raffle will take place on Sunday, April 11, at the end of the 7th inning during the final game of the first series at Busch Stadium. One lucky winner will take home half of the total pot, while the other half will go to Cardinals Care to help support the Redbird Rookies youth softball and baseball program and our grant program that provides much needed funding to area non-profits that support kids.
Raffle tickets are 200 for $50, 60 for $20, 10 for $10 or 3 for $5. Fans must be 18 years of age or older and be located in the state of Missouri at the time of purchase. To purchase tickets, visit cardinals.com/5050.
Cardinals 2021 Regular Season TV and Radio Schedule Announced
(schedule: St. Louis Cardinals)
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals today (Friday, March 19) announced that every 2021 regular season game will be televised locally or nationally as well as broadcast on KMOX and the Cardinals Radio Network. Additionally, all 81 home games will feature live Spanish radio broadcasts.
Television
In its 28th season with the team, and 11th as the exclusive local TV home of the Cardinals, Bally Sports Midwest (rebranding from FOX Sports Midwest) is scheduled to carry 151 regular season games this season. Bally Sports Midwest will continue to produce Cardinals Live pre- and postgame shows for every regular season telecast, live from the network’s studio in Ballpark Village. Play-by-play announcer Dan McLaughlin (24th season) and analysts Jim Edmonds, Ricky Horton, Brad Thompson and Rick Ankiel will call game action. Jim Hayes, Scott Warmann and Erica Weston will serve as reporters and hosts for Cardinals Live, while former Cardinals pitcher Al Hrabosky serves as pre- and postgame studio analyst. The network will also continue to air Cardinals Insider, the club-produced weekly television show, beginning on Sunday, April 4 and the weekly Cardinals Kids Show beginning Saturday, April 3.
Bally Sports Midwest’s regular season coverage starts Opening Day, April 1, at 2 PM CT with a one-hour Cardinals Live pregame. Bally Sports Midwest will also produce an expanded Cardinals Live pregame before the home opener on April 8; live coverage that day will begin at 1:30 PM CT.
Cardinals programming airing on Bally Sports Midwest will stream live on the all-new Bally Sports app and on BallySports.com for consumers who authenticate through their pay-TV service. The app and web site will launch in coordination with the network rebrand on March 31. The FOX Sports GO app will update to the new Bally Sports app upon the rebrand.
Currently, nine regular season games will be carried exclusively on either ESPN, FOX (aired locally on KTVI) or FS1 as part of Major League Baseball’s national television packages, with another four ESPN games scheduled to co-exist with the local Bally Sports Midwest telecast. Two games have not been scheduled, but will be televised nationally or carried locally on Bally Sports Midwest. The television schedule is subject to change.
Radio
In addition to televised game coverage, KMOX 1120 AM, the team’s flagship radio station, and most stations on the Cardinals Radio Network, will carry every regular season game. New for 2021, Cardinals games will be simulcast locally on 98.7 FM.
Broadcasters Mike Shannon (50th and final season) and John Rooney (16th season) will again share the Cardinals radio calls at home. Mike will call approximately 50 home games, while Ricky Horton will continue to join John Rooney behind the microphone for all Cardinals road games and the remaining home games. Mike Claiborne returns to assist with broadcasts while Tom Ackerman, Kevin Wheeler and Joe Pott will serve as pre- and postgame hosts on KMOX. This year marks KMOX’s 11th consecutive season as the flagship station and 64th year overall. The Cardinals Radio Network consists of 145 radio stations in eight states and is the largest radio network in MLB.
Spanish Radio
The Cardinals, in cooperation with WIJR 880 AM La Tremenda, will produce 81 Spanish-language radio broadcasts for all St. Louis home games during the 2021 season.
Play-by-play announcer Polo Ascencio and color analyst Bengie Molina will return for their sixth season to provide Hispanic and Latino fans with a way to follow the Cardinals in their native language. All 81 broadcasts will air locally on WIJR 880 AM and be streamed via cardinals.com and the MLB app.
For more information on the Cardinals broadcast partners, visit cardinals.com/tv and cardinals.com/radio. A complete 2021 regular season broadcast schedule follows.
Click on the link below for a one-page downloadable PDF of the 2021 schedule, including all broadcast information
CARDINALS 2021 REGULAR SEASON TV & RADIO BROADCAST SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED_split
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2021 Prospect Guide
Now available, The Cardinal Nation 2021 Prospect Guide is back for a fourth year. It includes over 250 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos.
https://thecardinalnation.com/order-the-cardinal-nation-2021-prospect-guide-now/
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
© 2021 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Brian Walton Talks Cardinals in Guest Appearances
photo: Brian Walton on Scoops With Danny Mac’s “Wednesdays With Walton”
In case you have wondered where Brian Walton has been, it has been a busy week behind the scenes.
In its third year, the weekly staple “Wednesday with Walton” at ScoopsWithDannyMac.com continued with talk about reserve catching, standout prospects early in camp, the delay in the Triple-A season, alternate camps and more this week.
https://twitter.com/DannyMacTV/status/1367110087303712770
Some of the content was also used on DannyMac’s daily radio show on 101 ESPN in St. Louis.
On the @DannyMacTV show w/@BKSportsTalk Podcast:
– What should we make of Liberator's first outing?
– @B_Walton on the minor league season being delayed
– MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin on completing the season during a pandemicPresented By: @EyePromiseGG: https://t.co/T31IwOQdq6 pic.twitter.com/KS3mKv45a3
— 101 ESPN St. Louis (@101espn) March 3, 2021
The day also brought an afternoon appearance on the radio show of a fellow Scoops staffer and St. Louis media icon. I was the first guest of Bernie Miklasz’ show on 590 The Fan.
Back to a full Bernie Show today to get ready for the #stlblues game as well as break down @IlliniMBB dominating win. Guests Include:
3:30- @B_Walton
4:30- @CoachUnderwood
5:20- @lkorac10
Listen live at: https://t.co/ENFnrl1r1Z
— 590 The Fan KFNS (@590TheFan) March 3, 2021
For archived audio, refer to Segment 2, 3/3/21.
One of Friday’s stops was “Meet Me At Musial,” the long-running Cardinals-focused podcast hosted by Daniel Shoptaw and Allen Medlock. In this long-form session of almost one hour, a variety of topics relevant to the minor leagues as well as the Cardinals Team Hall of Fame were covered.
It's more minor league talk as @C70 and @amedlock1 welcome in @B_Walton in this week's show. Come for the minors, stick around for talk about the #CardsHOF! https://t.co/HBRUYUp7ne
— Meet Me At Musial (@MeetMeAtMusial) March 6, 2021
Finally, on Saturday evening, Brian is auction drafting his National League team in the long-standing industry standard LABR leagues (League of Alternative Baseball Reality), run by USA TODAY.
#LABR NL lineup:@DerekCarty, defending champ@DougDennis41 @RickWolf1 @glenncolton1 @DerekVanRiper @LennyMelnick @karabelleric @SteveAGardner @Razzball @Mike_GianellaBP @rotobuzzguy @GregAmbrosius @Shawn__Childs @B_Walton
7 p.m. EThttps://t.co/I7yxQgu7iN
— Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) March 6, 2021
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2021 Prospect Guide
Now available, The Cardinal Nation 2021 Prospect Guide is back for a fourth year. It includes over 250 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos.
https://thecardinalnation.com/order-the-cardinal-nation-2021-prospect-guide-now/
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
© 2021 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Plan for Fans in Busch Stadium Approved by City
photo: Busch Stadium (Joe Puetz/USA TODAY Sports)
On Thursday morning, the St. Louis Cardinals and the City of St. Louis disclosed an agreement has been reached to allow the team to play its initial home games of the 2021 regular season with up to 32% capacity (approximately 14,500).
We’ve been waiting a long time to say this… pic.twitter.com/eBvreNPEO2
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 4, 2021
“We are excited to have our fans back in the stands for the upcoming season,” Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said.
April games are the first to go on sale. Season ticket holders may purchase tickets to two April homestands consisting of four series – with the Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals from the 8th through the 14th and the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies from the 23rd through the 29th.
These will be the first games played at Busch Stadium with fans in attendance since the 2019 playoffs due to the ongoing pandemic. Hopes are that later in the season, the distancing requirements can be relaxed and a return to full capacity (45,538) might be possible.
Among safeguards approved by the city health department to prevent the spread of the virus are six-feet distanced seating pods of no more than four people, a mask requirement except when fans are actively eating or drinking, cashless transactions and game tickets delivered electronically.
Fans will enter and exit the ballpark through one of six designated gates only with no re-entry, bags are prohibited (except medical and diaper bags), hand sanitizer dispensers will be placed throughout Busch, air-handling systems have been upgraded and staff members will be receive daily health and temperature screenings.
“Thank you to the entire Cardinals organization for working with us to develop a comprehensive and thoughtful reopening plan that prioritizes everyone’s health and safety,” said St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson.
Fans can view the full list of Busch Stadium policies and protocols for the start of the 2021 season at cardinals.com/backatbusch.
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2021 Prospect Guide
Now available, The Cardinal Nation 2021 Prospect Guide is back for a fourth year. It includes over 250 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos.
https://thecardinalnation.com/order-the-cardinal-nation-2021-prospect-guide-now/
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
© 2021 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals 2021 Spring Training Television and Radio Schedules
Combined press release
The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that fans will be able to catch all of the club’s 2021 spring training games on either FOX Sports Midwest, KMOX 1120 AM/Cardinals Radio Network affiliates (CRN) or streaming via the MLB app or cardinals.com.
Television
FOX Sports Midwest (rebranding as Bally Sports Midwest in the coming weeks) is scheduled to televise 12 games in 2021. The television home of the Cardinals kicks off its live game coverage with the spring training opener vs. the Washington Nationals on Sunday, February 28, at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium and continue with the club’s next two games on March 2 and 3. Each of FOX Sports Midwest’s telecasts will also be streamed live on FOX Sports GO and most afternoon games will be replayed in prime time. The spring training television schedule is subject to change. Dan McLaughlin will call the action alongside Jim Edmonds, Brad Thompson and Ricky Horton.
Radio
The team’s flagship radio station KMOX 1120 AM will broadcast 18 spring games with Mike Shannon, John Rooney, Ricky Horton and Mike Claiborne at the microphone. The radio schedule also begins on Sunday, February 28, vs. the Nationals. The 145 Cardinals Radio Network affiliates will carry six of the seven Saturday and Sunday games, as well as eight evening matchups. Fans are encouraged to check their local listings for details.
Additional Cardinals spring contests may be televised or broadcast by opposing teams and be available for streaming via the MLB app or cardinals.com.
For more information on Spring Training and the Cardinals broadcast partners, visit cardinals.com/springtraining, cardinals.com/radio or cardinals.com/tv. The Cardinals 2021 Spring Training broadcast schedule follows:
2021 St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training Broadcast Schedule
| DAY | DATE | GAME (CT) | OPPONENT | TV (CT) | TV^ | AUDIO (CT) | RADIO/STREAM* |
| Sunday | 28 Feb | 12:05 PM | Nationals | 12:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 11:55 AM | KMOX & CRN |
| Tuesday | 02 Mar | 12:05 PM | @Marlins | 12:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 12:00 PM | cardinals.com/MLB |
| Wednesday | 03 Mar | 12:05 PM | Mets | 12:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 11:55 AM | KMOX & CRN |
| Thursday | 04 Mar | 5:05 PM | @Astros | 4:55 PM | KMOX & CRN | ||
| Friday | 05 Mar | 5:05 PM | @Nationals | 4:55 PM | KMOX & CRN | ||
| Sunday | 07 Mar | 12:05 PM | Astros | 12:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 11:55 AM | KMOX & CRN |
| Monday | 08 Mar | 12:05 PM | Marlins | 11:55 AM | KMOX & CRN | ||
| Tuesday | 09 Mar | 12:10 PM | @Mets | 12:00 PM | Mets SNY | 12:00 PM | cardinals.com/MLB |
| Wednesday | 10 Mar | 12:05 PM | @Nationals | 12:00 PM | cardinals.com/MLB | ||
| Friday | 12 Mar | 5:05 PM | Astros | 5:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 4:55 PM | KMOX & CRN |
| Saturday | 13 Mar | 5:05 PM | @Marlins | 4:55 PM | KMOX & CRN | ||
| Sunday | 14 Mar | 12:10 PM | @Mets | 12:00 PM | Mets WPIX | 12:00 PM | cardinals.com/MLB |
| Monday | 15 Mar | 12:05 PM | Nationals | 12:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 11:55 AM | KMOX & CRN |
| Wednesday | 17 Mar | 5:05 PM | @Astros | 4:55 PM | KMOX & CRN | ||
| Thursday | 18 Mar | 5:05 PM | Marlins | 5:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 4:55 PM | KMOX & CRN |
| Friday | 19 Mar | 12:10 PM | @Mets | 12:00 PM | Mets SNY | 12:00 PM | cardinals.com/MLB |
| Saturday | 20 Mar | 12:05 PM | Astros | 12:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 11:55 AM | KMOX & CRN |
| Monday | 22 Mar | 12:05 PM | @Marlins | 12:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 12:00 PM | cardinals.com/MLB |
| Tuesday | 23 Mar | 12:05 PM | Nationals | 12:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 11:55 AM | KMOX & CRN |
| Wednesday | 24 Mar | 12:05 PM | Mets | 12:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 11:55 AM | KMOX & CRN |
| Thursday | 25 Mar | 5:05 PM | @Astros | AT&T SportsNet SW | 4:55 PM | KMOX & CRN | |
| Saturday | 27 Mar | 5:05 PM | Marlins | 5:00 PM | FOX Sports Midwest | 4:55 PM | KMOX & CRN |
| Sunday | 28 Mar | 12:05 PM | @Nationals | 11:55 AM | KMOX & CRN | ||
| Monday | 29 Mar | 11:05 AM | Mets | 10:55 AM | KMOX & CRN |
CRN = Cardinals Radio Network
^ All games televised on FOX Sports Midwest also streamed on FOX Sports GO
* All games broadcast on KMOX/CRN also streamed on cardinals.com and the MLB mobile app
Schedule subject to change
Brian Walton’s take
As always, I will be monitoring the comparable announcements by the Cardinals’ spring opponents and will add their originated TV games to the above schedule.
Marlins – no spring games televised
Nationals – radio only announced to date
Mets – three Cardinals games televised, all unique
Astros – two Cardinals games televised, one unique
This increases the Cardinals total from 12 to 16 games available to watch.
Earlier related article
St. Louis Cardinals Announce Revised 2021 Spring Training Schedule
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TCN 2021 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #1 – Dylan Carlson
photo: Dylan Carlson (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
Position: OF
Born: 10/23/1998 (22)
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 205
Hits / Throws: S/L
Acquired: 2016 Draft – 1st round (33rd overall)
Rule 5 Eligible: On 40-Man
Click on the above photo to be taken to his player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.
Link to Carlson’s career stats
2021 individual rankings – Brian Walton #1, Matt Thompson #1
Prior top 50 rankings – 2017 #22, 2018 #20, 2019 #8, 2020 #1
Matt Thompson’s scouting report
Physical Description: Good sturdy frame. Athletic but strong. Smooth operator with robotic demeanor. Baseball savvy. Elite body control; looks like he’s coasting at times.
Hit: Switch-hitter with mirror-image swings from both sides. Controls the zone well, will take a walk with better than average whiff and chase rates. Sound mechanically, efficient swings. Versatile hitter who can occupy any spot in the order due to vast skills but ultimately fits best as a run producer. Grade: 60
Power: Has improved physically. Gotten stronger and will drive the ball more consistently. Some of his homers at AutoZone Park and Hammons Field were absolute moonshots. More gap to gap though, but can get into one. 25-30 homers annually with heavy amount of doubles. Grade: 55
Field: Average in center but with Harrison Bader on the roster I don’t anticipate much time in center, except for the lineups that are geared towards offense. In an ideal world he’s the left fielder, he’s a plus defender out there but so is Tyler O’Neill. His only average arm makes him still a fit for right field, but with Fowler and his contract out there, it’s likely Carlson moves around all season. Grade: 55
Arm: Fits best in LF due to arm, but arm plays at least average in right. Accurate arm with modest carry. Grade: 50
Run: Above-average speed but plus baserunner. Taking the extra base with a high success rate. Enough speed and instincts to nab 15-20 bases a year. Grade: 55
Overall: Versatile player who does everything well. Hit tool is the strongest tool, but the collection of tools is what makes him stand out. Ideally a good secondary bat in a lineup behind an established slugger, like Paul Goldschmidt. Good on-base skills and plus defensive skills.
Future Value: 55
Role: Above-Average Regular; Occasional All-Star
Risk: Low
Brian Walton’s environmental impact report
Preview
To me, it seems more than a bit anticlimactic to profile Carlson as a prospect as we prepare to enter 2021, yet we maintained his eligibility here to be consistent with the industry.
Not only is the outfielder the incumbent no. 1 in the Cardinals system, even casual fans already know all about him. They watched Carlson improve over his 35 regular season games with St. Louis in 2020, playing in well over half of the team’s schedule. In the process, Cardinals faithful learned about Carlson’s back story – and even met his family (through their screens).
The final nail in Carlson’s prospect coffin would have to have been driven in October 2020, as he performed as the big-league club’s cleanup hitter in the playoffs.
In other words, Carlson has already arrived and isn’t going back – with his qualification for this list serving as his semi-official curtain call as a prospect.
Having observed that, we still have a job to do here…
2019 recap
The switch-hitter experienced his breakout in the hitter-friendly environment of the Texas League. Carlson did it all – demonstrating above-average hitting ability, plus power, plus defense and enough speed and instincts to be a base-stealing threat.
The second-youngest position player in the Double-A circuit as the season opened went on to win the Texas League Most Valuable Player award. Carlson finished second in the TL in OPS (.882), home runs (21), runs scored (81) and extra-base hits (51).
In an indication of his balance, Carlson was the Cardinals first prospect at any level in the last 13 years to put together a 20-20 season (home runs and stolen bases) – since Tyler Greene and Terry Evans in 2006.
In July, Carlson played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game and earned an August promotion to Triple-A Memphis, where he joined a Redbirds lineup that from top to bottom was mashing the (juiced?) Pacific Coast League baseballs.
For his part, Carlson collected 11 extra-base hits on his way to an OPS of 1.098 in 18 games. A caveat was his Memphis BABIP of .429, a rate highly unlikely to be sustainable over a longer haul.
Overall in 2019, Carlson slashed .292/.372/.542/.914 with 26 home runs, 68 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 126 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
That successful season, including its conclusion at Memphis, led Carlson and the Cardinals to jointly back off their earlier intent for him to play in the Arizona Fall League. His 562 regular season plate appearances in 2019 were deemed enough.
It certainly was impactful as the Cardinals named Carlson their cross-organization Player of the Year. For two years running, Baseball America has labeled him as the “Best Hitter for Average” in the system.
2020 recap – Assignments
- January instructional camp – no (non-roster invite to MLB camp already announced)
- St. Louis’ spring training camp – yes (non-roster returnee)
- St. Louis Summer Camp – yes
- Springfield alternate camp – yes
- St. Louis – yes
As noted above, Carlson and the organization decided jointly that especially after his late-season success in 2019, that he would skip the Arizona Fall League. That continued in 2020, with Carlson given a pass to not attend instructs, keeping the focus on his non-roster invitation to MLB camp.
Expectations were higher for Carlson in his second official spring with St. Louis. He did not disappoint in his extended trial, slashing .313/.450/469/.919 in 13 games. Carlson collected 10 hits, of which four went for extra bases and drew more walks, seven, than strikeouts taken, five.
At the time camp was closed on March 12 due to the health threat presented by COVID-19, Carlson was still with the big league club. When the team reconvened in St. Louis to begin July, Carlson was there – and remained until the final cuts, despite the fact it was understood that he would not make the delayed Opening Day roster.
Though some continued to speculate that the Cardinals were manipulating Carlson’s service time by sending him to Springfield, there is no evidence that was the case. But when the other outfielders ahead of him in the pecking order began to go down and the Cardinals offense clearly needed a spark, priorities changed.
On August 15, after the team’s extended outage caused by the loss of 10 players and eight staffers to COVID-19, Carlson received “the call” as the Cardinals prepared to resume play in Chicago.
The then-21-year old was already in the 60-man player pool but at that point, required a 40-man roster spot as well. Carlson picked up his rental car and drove to the Windy City to join his new teammates.
As team officials had made clear all along, Carlson was with St. Louis to play every day. And he did. However, his first time up, the switch-hitter did not provide the jolt the offense needed.
After playing almost every day since his August 15 arrival, Carlson’s situation changed in early September. Sabermetric measures suggested he had encountered significant bad luck at the plate, but his modest results were declining with particular troubles against breaking pitches. As a result, his playing time diminished until he was optioned out on September 8.
Specifically, Carlson only started two of seven games to open September, extending his then-current skid to 1-for-19 (.053) with no walks. His aggregate slash line over his first 79 MLB plate appearances was .162/.215/.243/.458. Further, Carlson’s strikeout rate of 29.1% was only exceeded among team regulars by another struggler, veteran Matt Carpenter at 29.4%.
Recalled from Springfield 10 days later, Carlson began to put his game together. To conclude the regular season, he batted .278 (10-for-36), including four doubles, a triple, two home runs and a .936 OPS. His 11 RBI during that season-concluding period was the most among MLB rookies and fourth among all National League hitters.
In the final regular season game, Carlson was installed as the cleanup hitter and he continued there for all three games of the Wild Card Series against San Diego. The regular in left field (as Tyler O’Neill was reduced to reserve duties), was a standout. Carlson went 3-for-9, including a double, drew four walks and stole a base. His slash line was .333/.571/.444/1.016.
Farm director Gary LaRocque looked back at the importance of Carlson’s brief return to Springfield.
“As a real credit to him, his first opportunity once he came back and worked on a few additional things, he went back up and obviously finished well,” LaRocque told MiLB.com.
“That’s a quality of Dylan’s. He adjusts very well. … I think you look at all the work he’s put into this over the last few years, he’s prepared himself well.”
St. Louis chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. offered his own review, as shared with Bernie Miklasz of ScoopsWithDannyMac.com.
“We do have a number of outfielders, and now of course we have Dylan Carlson,” DeWitt said. “He’s done everything you could ask of a player coming through the system. First-round draft choice out of high school, moved up the ladder pretty quickly, lit it up in Double-A and Triple-A.
“He got an opportunity (with the Cardinals) and struggled a little bit early and then went down to Springfield, kind of regrouped, came back, and was everything we could hope for.”
As a footnote, the manner in which Carlson’s uniform numbers were assigned in 2020 was quite unusual, to say the least.
It began normally enough in spring camp. In Jupiter, he stepped up from no. 91 the year before to no. 68, appropriate for a youngster looking to make an impression.
But when the Cardinals reconvened in St. Louis in July, Carlson had to wear a jersey with no number, usually found on the batboy – and even he gets his first name on his shoulders! Though the summer camp contests were of the intrasquad type, a number of them were streamed, creating an odd spectacle for viewers.
Upon Carlson’s mid-August promotion, the club swung the pendulum in the opposite direction as far as it possibly could by awarding the rookie the last remaining single digit available, number 3. Its long history includes being worn by Cardinals legends Frankie Frisch, George Kissell, Dave Ricketts, Edgar Renteria and switch-hitting star outfielder Carlos Beltran.
Nothing like adding more pressure on the rook, while not so subtlety amping up fan expectations…
Let’s see… Counting from the start, we have Ozzie, Red, Dylan, Yadi, Albert, Stan…
2021 outlook
Let’s be crystal clear about one matter right up front. Carlson will be an everyday player in the 2021 St. Louis outfield. Full stop. If you have doubts about this, I don’t know what to tell you – other than you are misinformed.
If you don’t believe me, how about the ultimate authority, Mr. DeWitt?
“We have high hopes for Dylan Carlson, and we have three spots in the outfield and certainly we can count on him for one of them,” the Cardinals chairman told Miklasz in December.
However, Carlson is almost certainly not going to log those expected 140 to 150 games at a single position. With Harrison Bader’s career splits indicating his optimal offensive deployment would be against left-handed pitching, Carlson could see the majority of his time in center. When Bader is playing, O’Neill could get a day off in left or right fielder Dexter Fowler could sit, with Carlson sliding over to a corner.
It would not be unlike Carlson’s defensive use in 2020, during which he symmetrically started 16 games in center and eight contests each in left and right.
Of course, the preceding assumes the current personnel remains the same.
Regarding Carlson’s results ahead, I don’t know how much weight to attach to any projections coming off the wild and crazy season of 2020. But let’s review a few early entries.
Fangraphs’ ZiPS projections are widely publicized, perhaps partially because they are often among the first to come out each year. The preview of Carlson’s 2021 is, in the words of author Dan Szymborski, “fine but unspectacular.” It is highlighted by a .741 OPS, which translates to a 97 OPS+, and with his defense rolled in, an fWAR of 1.8. ZiPS’ number one player comp to Carlson is Junior Felix – probably not what anyone was expecting.
BaseballHQ’s 2021 Baseball Forecaster is only slightly more optimistic, pegging the 22-year old to register an OPS of .757 and 102 OPS+ just ahead, or 2% higher than the major league average hitter. It should be clear that none of this is a reflection of Carlson’s potential career ceiling, but instead what we may expect in his first full season as a big-league regular.
Whether these projections turn out to be accurate or end up being off base, it seems appropriate to note that some percentage of Cardinals fans have already attached expectations to Carlson’s 2021 that may prove unreasonable.
The fact that the St. Louis offense has struggled overall and is expected to continue to do so this coming season only increases pressure on Carlson to become the savior – as if batting him fourth in the most important games of 2020 wasn’t a clear enough indicator of how dire the situation around him has been.
Future outlook
It may be surprising to readers, but honestly I have very little to add, as I agree with every word that Matt wrote above. Carlson is positioned in both skills and opportunity to be an above-average corner outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals for a long time – at least through the 2026 season, if the current free agency rules remain in place.
We should be very satisfied if he can achieve that and not be disappointed if he does not become the next Mickey Mantle.
MLB debut: 2020
Our 2021 Top 50 series continues
To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 12 in-depth, follow-up articles coming up at the rate of one article per day through the remainder of the year.
50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects for 2021
Also, please participate in the daily discussion about each prospect at The Cardinal Nation’s free message board.
For members of The Cardinal Nation
2020-2021 Cardinals Winter Ball Pitchers Report – December 23
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TCN 2021 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #2 – Nolan Gorman
At number 3 in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2021 is the heir apparent at third base for the St. Louis Cardinals. What does Nolan Gorman need to show in 2021 and how soon may he make his St. Louis debut?
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TCN 2021 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #3 – Matthew Liberatore
At number 3 in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2021 is the organization’s top pitching prospect – or is he? How high is Matthew Liberatore’s ceiling and what does he need to accomplish before reaching it? 2500 words of scouting reports, photos and video follow.
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TCN 2021 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #4 – Iván Herrera
Number 4 in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2021 is a 20-year old catcher who grew up in Panama as a fan of another number 4, Yadier Molina. Will Iván Herrera replace the future Hall of Famer one day – and if so, when will it be?
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TCN 2021 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #5 – Zack Thompson
photo: Zack Thompson (Palm Beach Cardinals)
Position: LHP
Born: 10/28/1997 (23)
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 225
Hits / Throws: L/L
Acquired: 2019 Draft – 1st round (19th overall)
Rule 5 Eligible: 2022
Click on the above photo to be taken to his player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.
Link to Thompson’s career stats
2021 individual rankings – Brian Walton #5, Matt Thompson #5
Prior top 50 rankings – 2020 #7
Matt Thompson’s scouting report
Physical Description: Pretty maxed out physically, not much room for growth to the frame here. Proven bat-missing arm in college, strong collegiate producer in elite conference. Strong athletic lower half. Checkered injury history.
Mechanics: Thompson pitches from a high 3/4 arm slot. Uses his lower half extremely well, good rotation and excellent extension. Gets toward home plate so well that he gets excellent extension, which gives him a lower than average release point. Pitches play from delivery and slot extremely well.
Fastball: Sits in the low 90s, bumps up to 96. Above-average command but modest spin rate. Gets good running action on the fastball. Has a bit of natural sink to it as well. Grade: 55
Curveball: Slow, high spin offering sits around 74-75 with spin rates over 3000 RPM. Primary put-away pitch against right-handers. Outstanding depth, some horizontal break as well. Plus pitch, with some characteristics of a potential plus-plus offering. Grade: 60
Slider: Used primarily against lefties. Comes in around 83 MPH. Lacks depth but makes up for it with good horizontal break. Almost cutter like, but slower. Commands the pitch well but lack of depth (drop) makes it a pitch right-handers are likely to hit fairly well. Grade: 45
Changeup: Pitch comes in at low-to-mid 80s. Disguises it well, good arm speed and resembles fastball until it drops off the table. Average command of the pitch, and used primarily against righties. Wish he would throw it a bit more. Grade: 50
Command and Control: Thompson is a strike thrower and a proven strikeout generator. Kept a weak Kentucky team in the game against tough SEC lineups while he was on the mound. Locates well, and when he misses it’s mostly glove side. Grade: 55 Command 50 Control
Conclusion: It all comes down to health for Thompson, and if he can stay on the mound he has the ingredients to become a number three starter or backend reliever. Has one plus pitch which could turn into an elite one if he finds more velocity on the curveball. The fastball and changeup are average or better and the slider plays above-average against lefties. Could be one of the best arms in the 2019 class, depending on health.
Future Value: 50
Role: Mid Rotation SP
Risk: Moderate
Brian Walton’s environmental impact report
2019 recap
In the spring of his junior year, Thompson was one of the best pitchers in the Southeastern Conference. The then-21-year-old was 6-1 with a 2.40 ERA for the Kentucky Wildcats, striking out an impressive 130 in 90 innings.
Thompson made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals, where he struck out four batters over two scoreless appearances. He finished at a much more challenging and appropriate level. With High-A Palm Beach, Thompson posted a 4.05 ERA over 11 games in short relief. Overall, he fanned 23 batters in 15 1/3 innings pitched, or 13.5 K per nine!
Thompson’s 2019 numbers were solid, but not extraordinary, as he was treated very carefully. As a result, he has not broken into any national top 100 prospect lists to date. In fact, he still has to climb over several prospects in the Cardinals system.
For example, in their recently-published Cardinals prospect list for 2021, Baseball America has Thompson fifth in the system. Same at MLB Pipeline, and now, The Cardinal Nation, too!
Here, Thompson was initially no. 6 in our rankings heading into 2020. However, after the acquisition of fellow lefty Matthew Liberatore, and his insertion into the 2020 top prospect list at no. 3, Thompson was one of the players to drop down a spot as a result. He jumped up two spots for 2021.
2020 recap – Assignments
- January instructional camp – yes
- St. Louis’ spring training camp – yes (non-roster invitee)
- St. Louis Summer Camp – yes
- Springfield alternate camp – yes
- St. Louis – no
As the organization’s first-rounder from 2019, Thompson’s participation in the January 2020 instructional camp in Jupiter, Florida was a given. As then-new Cardinal Liberatore was not acquired until January 9 – after camp had already begun – it was Thompson’s final opportunity to strut his stuff as the system’s top left-hander. In fact, Thompson was cited by Baseball America as having the top curveball in the system – before Liberatore arrived – and he regained the distinction a year later.
There was a long period of time during which the Cardinals followed a practice of requiring every draft pick from the year prior to participate in minor league camp during their first spring in the organization as part of their indoctrination. That rule is no more, with Thompson’s non-roster invitation to St. Louis’ spring camp serving as the latest evidence of the shift in approach.
In his first, albeit brief big-league spotlight, Thompson performed at a level even better than advertised with three perfect one-inning outings, including three strikeouts. He was given meaningful innings, with his final pitch of the spring a swinging strike three by Nationals star Trea Turner.
Thompson was still in St. Louis’ camp when it was closed on March 12 due to the threat posed by COVID-19. He returned as part of the club’s summer camp in St. Louis in July and spent the remainder of the summer in the Springfield alternate camp. As such, Thompson was one of just a handful of top prospects who were deemed worthy of a 60-man player pool spot.
The return was potentially significant – two months of structured development during a year in which most of the minor leaguers in the system had to remain home. However, Thompson did not have 100% participation in the summer camp
With no media allowed in the alternate camp, reports on the activities in Springfield were filtered by what the Cardinals would share. Well after the fact, in November, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reported that Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told him that Thompson had been “held back by shoulder soreness in summer camp, though Mozeliak said he finished in good health.”
Earlier, general manager Michael Girsch had alluded to Thompson’s lower level of alternate camp workload without providing specifics.
“He (Thompson) went to summer camp and he went to zero to 100 pretty quick,” Girsch told the Post-Dispatch’s Rick Hummel, “so we kind of eased him back to get him in good shape before we started stretching him out. He was a little behind Liberatore as far as accumulating innings down there but he did well.”
As expected, director of player development Gary LaRocque saw positives.
“He got planned innings and faced a number of hitters, where he was able to work on certain things that we wanted him to work on,” LaRocque told MLB.com. “Zack clearly got his work in. He’s got a great upside, and I don’t think this stopped any of that. It helped him.”
For 99% of the Cardinals minor league population, I would let the summer shoulder soreness pass with no more than a passing mention, if at all. But Thompson has a history that cannot be ignored. In fact, his left shoulder is probably the only reason he is a Cardinal today.
Many observers felt that health concerns were behind Thompson’s fall in the 2019 draft to the Cardinals at pick no. 19 despite him being either the best or second-best college pitcher on the board, depending on the scouting source. Instead, he was the fifth hurler chosen in the first round.
His injury history includes a sore shoulder that limited Thompson as a high school junior and an elbow ailment as a sophomore at Kentucky, which caused him to miss seven starts and led to subpar results.
However, it was not an overwhelming concern, as he rebounded for a strong Cape Cod League showing and with USA Baseball following his sophomore year and had the aforementioned excellent junior campaign just prior to the 2019 draft. Still, in his three seasons at Kentucky, Thompson totaled under 200 innings.
This was another example of a pattern of the Cardinals taking the best player available, one with the talent to have been picked higher but was not. Yet, there was and still is some associated risk.
Of course, the Cardinals have far more details on Thompson’s medicals than the sketchy information available to us and are going to remain on top of his health. But they are not going to go public with any specifics. So, we will continue to monitor the situation as we head into another uncertain season.
2021 outlook
An unanswered question to me is how far Thompson is behind Liberatore. Recently, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt singled out the latter for his work in the 2020 alternate camp and noted he has the talent to pitch in the majors today. Thompson was not showered with the same level of praise, but that is nothing against him necessarily. The bar has been set high.
As already noted, the body of Thompson’s contribution to date as a professional consists of just 15 1/3 innings mostly at High-A in 2019 and whatever work he was able to get in down in Springfield in 2020. Over the last four years combined, he has logged just 212 innings in official games, not all of which can be attributed to his health, however.
Given the low level of recent action, coupled with his medical history, it is tough for me to project how many innings Thompson will throw in 2021. If all looks good in the spring, he should be on the short list to join the Double-A rotation to start the season. A strong eight to 10 outings in Springfield could even lead to a bump up to Memphis.
But will those external factors lead the Cardinals to take preventive actions, such as to shorten his outings or have him pitch less frequently, or even shut him down earlier than normal? (It should be noted that these same questions could be asked for any number of pitchers.)
Future outlook
I want to be crystal clear that the preceding points are totally speculation that may be completely over-cautious. But it does seem clear to me that Liberatore is on a faster track to St. Louis.
Still, if Thompson can perform well at Double-A and Triple-A in 2021, it would put him in a good place to contribute to St. Louis in 2022. For the vast majority of prospects, that would be an admirable progression, so it is unfair (for me and you) to use Liberatore as a definitive yardstick (yet, I acknowledge that is precisely what I did).
As Matt notes, Thompson has the offerings to become a solid no. 3. Anything short of a regular rotation berth for St. Louis by the end of 2022 or start of 2023 would be a disappointment.
MLB debut: 2022
Our 2021 Top 50 series continues
To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 12 in-depth, follow-up articles coming up at the rate of one article per day through the remainder of the year.
50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects for 2021
Also, please participate in the daily discussion about each prospect at The Cardinal Nation’s free message board.
For members of The Cardinal Nation
2020-2021 Cardinals Winter Ball Hitters Report – December 22
Not yet a member?
If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining The Cardinal Nation to receive the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system, including access to every article in our 2021 Top Cardinals Prospects series.
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© 2020 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TCN 2021 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #6 – Jordan Walker
Number six in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2021 is the organization’s top pick from the 2020 draft who began his career in the alternate camp. Will Jordan Walker remain at third base and how quickly can he realize his considerable power potential?
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TCN 2021 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #7 – Elehuris Montero
The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2021 continues with a very promising hitter who struggled with injury in 2019 and COVID in 2020, and as such, has become the most anonymous top prospect in the system.
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TCN 2021 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #8 – Masyn Winn
Number eight in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2021 is an exciting right-handed pitcher and shortstop taken in the second round of the 2020 draft. Masyn Winn receives a double-barrel, fully-loaded scouting report on his explosive potential!
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TCN 2021 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #9 – Johan Oviedo
The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2021 continues with a big right-hander who was rushed to St. Louis in 2020, but Johan Oviedo showed he is close to being ready for a rotation spot.
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