TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #33 – Ramon UriasComing in 33rd on The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is an infielder recently-added to the 40-man roster following his first season in the organization after joining from a league tainted by questionable business practices, the Mexican League.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #34 – Patrick WisdomThe 34th-ranked prospect on The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 countdown is a long-time organizational power-hitting third baseman who kept improving and finally made his major league debut in 2018.
photo: Delvin Perez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
FREE article. The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown for 2019 continues with St. Louis’ top draft pick from 2016 who has yet to turn the corner offensively.
| 2018 rank | Pos. | DOB | Ht. | Wt. | Bat | Thw | Signed | Round |
| 16 | SS | 12 24 98 | 6-3 | 175 | R | R | 2016 | 1st |
Link to Delvin Perez’ player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.
Selected 2018 stats
| Tm | AVG | BABIP | G | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | wRC+ | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| SC | 0.213 | 0.272 | 64 | 239 | 22 | 51 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 28 | 54 | 8 | 76 | 0.301 | 0.272 | 0.573 |
TCN Scouting Grade: 5, Risk: high (click here to review scales)
Staff comments (individual rankings in parentheses)
Message board community (37): Delvin Perez has now dropped three straight off-seasons in the community prospect vote from a best of #4 in the 2017 rankings to #20 last year to finishing at #37 this year. In the most recent voting, Mrperkins first raised Perez in the community rankings rather early at #10.
Mrperkins justified his early vote, comparing Perez to former prospect Oscar Mercado. Mercado looked horrible after his first two years and then turned it on and Mrperkins believes Perez could have just such a resurgence. Grenadier1 posted that Perez had a better year at State College in 2018 with fewer of the maturity issues showing up. He mentioned that Perez is still not far off from where Francisco Lindor began as a prospect, although Perez likely doesn’t have that kind of a ceiling any longer. Grenadier1 also believes that Perez will put it all together in Low-A Peoria and move back up the ladder.
Stlcard25 commented that the bat is in need of a boost, but the glove plays. Wiley was surprised by the votes for Perez, questioning why the shortstop receives a free pass for being a former steroid user and a bust. – Jeremy Byrd
Derek Shore (35): St. Louis’ 2016 first round pick started showing signs of life with the bat in 2018 at Low-A (short-season) State College.
Case in point, Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak said on Dan McLaughlin’s Scoops with Danny Mac podcast in the early part of the New York-Penn League season he thought Perez had finally turned the corner at the plate.
“It is definitely coming together for him.” Mozeliak said on the July 9 Monday’s with Mo podcast “Obviously, that is a challenging league, and to see him have early success is great. From his standpoint, having some confidence as he moves forward is exactly what he needs. I also think getting out of Florida – he is more refreshed and there is more of a bounce in his step.
“From an offensive standpoint, it is just great to see he is swinging it.”
But after a fast start (.709 OPS in June and .645 OPS in July), Perez slowed down considerably with the stick, finishing the season with a .157 average (17-for-108) over his final 30 games with the Spikes.
Despite the struggles, State College manager Joe Kruzel liked what he saw in his young shortstop.
“It really looks like Delvin is starting to come into his own a little bit,” Kruzel said. “His defense is excellent. He is making the routine plays and then some. He is really doing a tremendous job out there on defense. Now, his offense is starting to pick up a little bit, so that is a great sign.”
From a scouting standpoint, evaluators said Perez had a down year offensively again. As an amateur, he had the look of a five-tool machine, but the positive PED test tanked his draft stock and his physicality declined significantly.
While his offense has fallen off, Perez is still an exceptional defender at shortstop with above-average speed.
Offensively, he struggles to command the strike zone, particularly having troubles picking up breaking balls. The hit tool is still a big question mark, but he did flash gap type line drive power this past season.
Overall, his body strength and durability are concerns as well, though his age and frame suggest he has room for physical growth.
And from the makeup side, scouts said Perez showed a lot of maturity compared to previous seasons.
All in all, Perez still has a chance to become an everyday shortstop, especially if he progresses offensively to grow into an all-around performer.
“Delvin has three tools you can see playing in the big-leagues,” Kruzel said. “His defense has really improved. He has got good hands. His arm strength and his ability to run. You have those three traits with him.
“Hopefully as he matures and gets a little older and keeps progressing on the path that he is with his offense, he will move in the right direction.”
Expect to see Perez open next year at Low-A Peoria.
Brian Walton (35): I was wrong again about Perez. I thought that with his pedigree, he would play well enough to make full-season Peoria out of spring training. That jump from Johnson City would have been the same move at the same age as fellow 19-year old prospect Alvaro Seijas made. The latter, a starting pitcher, stuck the entire season in the Midwest League, yet has already appeared in this prospect countdown.
So why is Perez ranked ahead of Seijas (and a number of others who put up better numbers)? The shortstop received over $2.2 million dollars to sign two and a half years ago. That premium draft pick halo continues to remain, but how long should it?
Instead of progressing to full-season ball in 2018, Perez did not break camp until short-season began, with State College in June. Though Perez had suffered a season-ending wrist injury in 2017, he played in the U-18 World Cup qualifier last November. Perhaps the extra two months of work in extended spring training was deemed best, though he was not there the entire time.
The bottom line is that this became his third year in short-season ball. At this methodical pace, Perez would play in Triple-A in 2022, only to become a minor league free agent following that season.
I am not predicting that will occur, but I am also straining to see progress. In one of our many prospect discussions at The Cardinal Nation message board, a reader drew a parallel between Perez and another former Cardinals first-round draft pick shortstop, Pete Kozma. While the latter became a journeyman rather than a star, his glove has kept him employed at Triple-A this entire decade, with annual appearances at the MLB level.
As that thought intrigued me, I looked into the numbers. Though both were high school draftees, Kozma was 19 years of age at the time and Perez just 17. That is the only comparison factor in Perez’ favor, however.
Kozma spent just his first summer in short-season ball, not three years, and he OPSed .701 (mostly at Johnson City). His OPS generally dropped as he moved closer to MLB. In his three seasons in short-season ball, Perez’ OPS was .745 (GCL) then .585 (JC/GCL) and .573 (State College). So, Perez’ OPS is falling annually, too, but on this trajectory, he is not going to hit enough to ever reach the majors.
In other words, a Kozma comp appears too lofty because Perez’ offense just is not there.
How bad is it?
You many have noticed an earlier comment about improvement in gap power. While Perez is not a burner, he has above-average speed. Still, in 2018, he managed a grand total of just five doubles and three triples in 269 plate appearances. Including a lone home run, the only one of his career to date, Perez compiled an anemic .272 SLG and .059 isolated power (ISO) in 2018.
.272 is the lowest slugging percentage of any current player in the entire Cardinals system who had at least 150 at-bats this season. Yet, as bad as they were, Perez’ 2018 power numbers represent considerable improvement over his .222 SLG and .039 ISO at Johnson City in 2017. That same summer, he had been briefly demoted to the Gulf Coast League.
Overall, Perez’ OPS+ of 76 means his offense was 24 percent below the average New York-Penn League hitter this season.
With both being middle infielders from Puerto Rico, it was understandable that Cardinals coach Jose Oquendo would take special interest in Perez. Though they worked together regularly in 2016 and 2017, Oquendo returned to the St. Louis staff for 2018. Still, the teacher and pupil remained in frequent contact.
“He (Oquendo) is like my Dad,” Perez told me in July. “I just treat him like my Dad. He teaches me a lot. I love him. He is the best guy in this organization. I talk with him daily.”
The extra attention hasn’t accomplished its desired effect with the understudy as of yet, however. As Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch wrote regarding Perez last month, “… The Cardinals and coaches also feel that he needs some improvement with his preparation and strength and devotion to the practice of being a better player.” Also noted is a need for Perez to “take responsibility”. This is consistent with what I have seen and heard independently.
Yes, Perez has the athleticism and the potential ability to go far, but we’ve been saying that for three years now. The results are not there offensively, nor is his overall trend positive. After all, in the first winter after he was drafted, Perez was our no. 3 Cardinals prospect. Last year, he fell to no. 16 and now he is no. 35.
Taking everything into account, I lowered Perez’ prospect grade considerably from last year’s “7 high” to “5 high”. In good conscience, I can no longer pretend to squint and proclaim that Perez’ ceiling is that of an MLB All-Star. An average starter seems a much more realistic goal, and honestly, that also seems far, far away.
Our 2019 top 50 series continues
To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the top 50 countdown and 10 in-depth, follow-up articles coming up next. Most of them are exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation. If you are not a member, join today so you do not miss out!
Also, join the daily discussion about each prospect at The Cardinal Nation’s free message board.
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation
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TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #36 – Junior FernandezComing in at no. 36 on The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher whose career detours have led him to be exposed in the Rule 5 draft.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #37 – Alvaro SeijasRanked 37th on The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is a right-handed pitcher who met the challenge of starting every fifth day in full season ball at the age of 19.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #38 – Conner GreeneThe no. 38 player on The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is a hard-throwing, control-challenged right-hander whose quest to reach the majors became greater when he lost his 40-man roster spot.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #39 – Connor JonesAt no. 39 on The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is an early draft pick starting pitcher from 2016 who is finding his groove in his new role as a reliever.
photo: Scott Hurst (Allison Rhoades/Peoria Chiefs)
FREE article. The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown for 2019 continues with St. Louis’ top draft pick from 2017 who looks to put an injury-plagued 2018 behind him.
By The Cardinal Nation staff
| 2018 rank | Pos. | DOB | Ht. | Wt. | Bat | Thw | Signed | Round |
| 37 | OF | 3 25 96 | 5-10 | 175 | L | R | 2017 | 3rd |
Link to Scott Hurst’s player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.
Selected 2018 stats
| Tm | AVG | BABIP | G | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | wRC+ | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| GCL | 0.400 | 0.462 | 5 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 223 | 0.550 | 0.600 | 1.150 |
| Peo | 0.295 | 0.353 | 49 | 190 | 28 | 56 | 11 | 3 | 25 | 19 | 41 | 7 | 121 | 0.361 | 0.411 | 0.772 |
| PB | 0.354 | 0.421 | 14 | 48 | 10 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 180 | 0.439 | 0.542 | 0.980 |
| Tot | 0.312 | 68 | 253 | 43 | 79 | 20 | 4 | 36 | 32 | 53 | 10 | 0.389 | 0.447 | 0.836 |
TCN Scouting Grade: 4, Risk: high (click here to review scales)
Staff comments (individual rankings in parentheses)
Message board community (41): Hurst dropped from 38th in the community vote to 41st this year after manning the outfield primarily for the A-ball Peoria Chiefs and the High-A Palm Beach Cardinals. Hurst was first selected in the community vote this year at #30 by Bw52.
Hurst caught CariocaCardinal’s eye during August after he went 0-for-20 after his promotion to Palm Beach, then went 10-for-12 after. Grenadier1 stated that if Hurst can stay healthy, he could see him moving up rapidly in the system as he has a good hit tool and a great arm. Stlcard25 believes Hurst has a higher ceiling than another Cardinals outfield prospect, Chase Pinder. He likes that Hurst doesn’t strike out a lot and is a decent defender.
Desmetlas12 posted that Hurst had an overall line in 2018 of .312/.389/.447 and he liked that Hurst performed better after getting promoted to Palm Beach. Robert Reed mentioned that Baseball Prospectus and Clay Davenport like the defense in centerfield and he believes that Hurst’s likeliest outcome is Shane Robinson, a mighty fine bench guy for a few years. – Jeremy Byrd
Derek Shore (38): After a solid start to his pro career with Low-A (short-season) State College, Hurst’s performed well in a 2018 season during which he was on the disabled list four different times.
Only because of a minor arm injury did Hurst, the Cardinals’ highest-drafted player last June, remain behind in extended spring training to start the year. The only question was whether St. Louis’ third-rounder from Cal State Fullerton would make his full-season introduction at High-A Palm Beach or Low-A Peoria.
The latter wound up being the case as he was assigned to Peoria on April 25.
But two months later, the 22-year old, who slashed .295/.361/.411 over 49 games for the Chiefs, landed on the shelf with a hamstring injury.
Hurst returned to official action on August 1 with Palm Beach, where he hit .354/.439/.542 in 14 games in-between two DL stints.
Despite spending the majority of the season on the DL, Hurst still opened the eyes of his coaches.
“He is an exciting player,” Peoria manager Chris Swauger said. “He did a lot of things well. He has got a good amount of fast-twitch characteristics. Good runner. Very explosive bat. He has some impressive power at times. Very good arm strength. Very good defender at all three outfield spots.
“He has got some versatility. He takes good at-bats. He just does a lot of good things. When you look at him on the surface you might not think there is a ton there, but then you watch him play a game or two and you realize this is a very exciting player. He has some true assets and will play at higher levels.
“I’m excited to see what he can do as long as he is healthy.”
From a scouting standpoint, Hurst is a tweener through and through. The California native is a fine defender in center field and above-average in the corners, might hit enough to play every day but he profiles best as a reserve outfielder.
The main reason why he is a tweener is because he doesn’t have the power for a corner (projects to hit for doubles power) and will have to prove he can stick in center despite just average speed.
Hurst will get that shot at either Palm Beach or Double-A Springfield to open 2019.
Brian Walton (44): It is not Scott Hurst’s fault that he is the flag-bearer for the Cardinals’ shortened 2017 draft class. That blame goes to Chris Correa for his illegal activity and to his former colleagues in the front office for their decision to sign then-free agent Dexter Fowler. As a result, three picks were forfeited and Cal State Fullerton’s outfielder Hurst became the organization’s initial pick, at 94th overall, in the third round.
It is also not Hurst’s fault that the remainder of his draft class has not yet delivered on its collective promise. Other than Evan Mendoza and Evan Kruczynski, two prospects yet to come in this prospect countdown, Hurst is the best-ranked prospect from his class – at 40th overall in the system. Ouch!
Still, it is difficult not to consider other standout Cardinals such as Andrew Knizner, Harrison Bader, Jordan Hicks and Paul DeJong, all of whom were drafted later than 94th overall in the two years immediately prior to 2017.
It is also not Hurst’s fault that he was injured so much in 2018, but the reality is that he was. Instead of his first full season being a triumph, it became a morass of DL stints and rehabs. Instead of a full-season of about 140 games, Hurst played in just under half, 68. At least the injuries do not appear chronic, with a later issue being hamstring-related. Still, his legs are key to his game.
At the start of August, the 22-year old was promoted to Palm Beach. (In fact, he had already been rehabbing for some time in Jupiter, making the final month move easy,)
While Hurst’s numbers took an uptick at high-A around his final two DL moves, his BABIPs should cause concern. An already-high .353 mark at Peoria jumped up to an unreasonable .421 in the Florida State League. In other words, a considerable downward correction was likely just ahead.
When all is said and done, instead of stepping forward in his first full season, Hurst lost ground in our prospect rankings year to year.
It is clearly not all negative, but as Derek already outlined, Hurst is a jack of all trades, but likely will be a true master of few at the big-league level, with a most likely ceiling of a reserve outfielder. This is reflected in the “4 high” scouting grade. Hurst can get on base, but doesn’t steal a lot. He can hit for average, but not with power. He can play all three outfield positions well, but isn’t a prototypical specimen at any.
It seems like the Cardinals have had so many outfielders with a similar profile in the past. Specifically, it is hard for me to get overly excited about a Shane Robinson II from a third-round pick.
Again, my caution based on others who came before him may not be fair to Hurst. He can change my tune with a healthy and productive breakout in 2019. There should be roster room when he shows he is ready for Double-A. Triple-A may be another matter, but first things first for Hurst.
Our 2019 top 50 series continues
To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the top 50 countdown and 10 in-depth, follow-up articles coming up next. Most of them are exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation. If you are not a member, join today so you do not miss out!
Also, join the daily discussion about each prospect at The Cardinal Nation’s free message board.
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation
Setting the Memphis Roster is Crucial to Rule 5 Protection Strategy
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TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #41 – Giovanny GallegosAt no. 41 on The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is a reliever who came over from the Yankees in late July. After pitching well for Memphis, Giovanny Gallegos received a brief cameo with St. Louis at the end of the season, potentially setting up a reprise for 2019.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #42 – Joerlin De Los SantosThe no. 42 player on The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is a center fielder who crafted a very strong season in his first professional action at the age of 17.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #43 – Dennis OrtegaComing in at no. 43 in The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is a 21-year old catcher who reinforced his considerable upside at Class-A Peoria in 2018.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #44 – Jake WalshRanked 44th in The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is a right-hander who seamlessly handled an in-season promotion and became Palm Beach’s top starter in 2018.
photo: Julio Rodriguez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
FREE article. The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown for 2019 continues with a 21-year old who shared the catching load with fellow prospect Dennis Ortega at Class-A Peoria.
By The Cardinal Nation staff
| 2018 rank | Pos. | DOB | Ht. | Wt. | Bat | Thw | Signed | Round |
| BOR | C | 6 11 97 | 6-0 | 197 | R | R | 2016 | IFA |
Link to Julio Rodriguez’ player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.
Selected 2018 stats
| Tm | AVG | BABIP | G | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | wRC+ | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Peo | 0.258 | 0.298 | 76 | 291 | 26 | 75 | 15 | 8 | 47 | 13 | 60 | 0 | 93 | 0.288 | 0.405 | 0.693 |
TCN Scouting Grade: 4.5, Risk: high (click here to review scales)
Staff comments (individual rankings in parentheses)
Message board community (46): Julio Rodriguez, a 6-foot tall, 21-year old catcher, jumped in the community rankings, placing 46th after finishing at #55 last year. 14NyquisT and Cardinals27 were especially high on Rodriguez, putting him in their personal top 30s.
CariocaCardinal, when choosing between Rodriguez and fellow Peoria catcher Dennis Ortega, believed Rodriguez to be more consistent offensively despite having two years less of organized baseball experience. Cardinals27 echoed that feeling, saying that Rodriguez has more pop in his bat, but also that his defensive stats are better. 14NyquisT thought that Rodriguez is an adequate bat and a disciplined hitter with a K/AB of .105.
Robert Reed noted that Rodriguez gunned down 47% of potential base-stealers after having a 48% rate last year. He thinks Rodriguez is a really good sleeper prospect in the system. – Jeremy Byrd
Derek Shore (44): Simply put, there is a lot to like about Julio Rodriguez.
First, the 21-year old has proven he can handle advanced pitching the past two years. After tearing up the Dominican Summer League in his introduction as a professional, Rodriguez jumped over the Gulf Coast League in 2017 and OPS’ed .794 in his first season stateside at rookie-level Johnson City.
“He was a guy that would have been young for the GCL had he played there, but it motivated us to give him the opportunity to play in the Appy League and he had a great year,” Johnson City manager Roberto Espinoza said last fall. “Compared to the other top catchers in the league, he was in the top four in most of the offensive numbers and defensively he really improved a lot.”
Rodriguez received his first shot at a full-season club this past season with Low-A Peoria. As expected, he went through his share of ups and downs in the Midwest League, holding his own to the tune of a .258/.288/.405 slash line while continuing to exhibit solid gap-to-gap and occasional home run power (15 doubles and eight homers).
Rodriguez appeared in only 76 games with the Chiefs, as he split time behind the plate with fellow catching prospect Dennis Ortega.
Peoria manager Chris Swauger offered his praise for Rodriguez following the season.
“Julio is one of the best catchers I have had the pleasure of working with,” Swauger said. “He does everything pretty well defensively. He has premium arm strength with a really quick release. He shows a lot of leadership qualities and pitchers really enjoy throwing to him, so he is a great clubhouse presence.
“And then he possesses a really good swing. He still has some things to work on as far as what to swing at with plate discipline. That’s to be expected for somebody at his age and somebody in his first full season. There is a lot of things to be excited about with him. He and Dennis (Ortega) push each other a lot. They challenge each other and they both have bright careers ahead of them.”
Scouting-wise, most evaluators see Rodriguez as a backup catcher in the big-leagues because of his profile as a below-average hitter. Though, he is aggressive at the plate and has shown the ability to use the whole field.
Rodriguez also has pop to boot, especially to the pull-side, where he uses a gap-to-gap approach. His best tool is his plus arm strength, which is considered to be very accurate.
One scout who saw him prefers him over Ortega defensively because he is more vocal and takes charge better. He also receives and frames well.
With the way Rodriguez has advanced through the system already, perhaps he is ready to take on Double-A Springfield in 2019.
Brian Walton (46): Invariably, the Rodriguez-Ortega comparison is a major discussion point – here and everywhere. After all, the organization made the unique decision to place the two catching prospects on the same team. Instead of one pulling ahead of the other, each showed his strengths and weaknesses this season.
Still, when the three of us did our independent rakings, all placed the two together, with Ortega one spot higher. In other words, the two have not yet differentiated themselves, but the older player receives the slight edge. (Another spoiler alert: I guess you can surmise that Ortega will be appearing very soon in this countdown!)
When called upon, Rodriguez delivered in bursts, though overall, his wRC+ of 93 indicates his offense was slightly below league average. But we must also remember that he began the season at 20 years, nine months of age, more than a year younger than the Midwest League average hitter.
In the Midwest League post-season, Rodriguez went 4-for-11 (.364) with a walk. The Dominican Republic native finished the season on a nine-game hitting streak, one short of his season best. Still, Ortega played more often.
During the season, Rodriguez exhibited a number of very productive stretches at the plate. His season highlight was on May 14 versus Clinton, when he collected a Chiefs season single-game high of 10 total bases on a double and two home runs. Earlier, on April 26, he had his first two-home run outing of the season and nine total bases. Rodriguez later collected four hits in the opener of the June 22 double-header vs. Burlington.
Another 2018 Peoria team-best was Rodriguez’ six consecutive games with an RBI. The mark was set over the period of April 25 through May 3. Par for the course, however, was the fact that he did not appear in three games during his most productive stretch at the plate.
As Derek touched on above, the Cardinals could provide that differentiation between the two catchers in 2019 if they decide to skip one of the backstops over Palm Beach and place him at Double-A Springfield, while assigning the other one to the Florida State League Cards.
Here is how I see it could play out. Ortega needs to move ahead more quickly, as he has just two more seasons remaining before becoming a minor league free agent. (Further, he is already Rule 5-eligible.) If the organization first wants to see what they have in him at higher levels, Rodriguez could get the nod a Palm Beach, a tough place to hit.
I do expect Rodriguez’ to receive his first non-roster invitation to big league camp this spring. Though extra catchers do not get in 1 p.m. games often, there will be amply opportunities to impress Mike Shildt and his staff.
I like Rodriguez’ ceiling a bit more than the other prospects in the countdown to date, giving him a 4.5 in our scouting grade, but the “high” risk assessment is appropriate given the challenges still ahead.
Link to Rodriguez’ career stats
Our 2019 top 50 series continues
To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the top 50 countdown and 10 in-depth, follow-up articles coming up next. Most of them are exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation. If you are not a member, join today so you do not miss out!
Also, join the daily discussion about each prospect at The Cardinal Nation’s free message board.
Bonus 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.
© 2018 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #46 – Alex FagaldeRanked 46th in The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is a former 30th round draft pick who was the best pitcher at Class-A Peoria in 2018 and earned a promotion upward.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #47 – Jonatan MachadoNext in The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is a high-dollar Cuban outfield signee from 2016 who scuffled in 2018, but is still just 19 years of age.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #48 – Casey MeisnerNext in The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is a right-hander who returned his mechanics to their pre-Cardinals roots and finished 2018 strongly at Double-A Springfield.
TCN 2019 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #49 – Chase PinderNext in The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown is an outfielder who reached Double-A in his first full season and looks to get stronger for 2019.
photo: Derian Gonzalez (Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports)
The Cardinal Nation’s top 50 prospect countdown for 2019 opens with a 40-man roster reliever who showed promise when not injured in 2018.
By The Cardinal Nation staff
| 2018 rank | Pos. | DOB | Ht. | Wt. | Bat | Thw | Signed | Round |
| 48 | RHS | 1 31 95 | 6-3 | 190 | R | R | 2012 | IFA |
Link to Derian Gonzalez’ player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.
Selected 2018 stats
| Tm | W | L | ERA | FIP | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | AVG | WHIP | G/AO | BABIP |
| GCL | 0 | 1 | 1.42 | 2.40 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6.1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0.182 | 1.26 | 3.00 | 0.333 |
| Spr | 4 | 0 | 2.76 | 3.51 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 16.1 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0.224 | 1.22 | 1.85 | 0.260 |
| Mem | 0 | 0 | 5.91 | 2.62 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 10.2 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 0.295 | 1.59 | 1.38 | 0.406 |
| Tot | 4 | 1 | 3.51 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 33 | 30 | 13 | 0 | 15 | 32 | 0.242 | 1.35 | 1.78 |
TCN Scouting Grade: 3.5, Risk: high (click here to review scales)
Staff comments (individual rankings in parentheses)
Message board community (51): Derian Gonzalez was selected as the 51st player in the Cardinal Nation community vote. That was a slight rise from last year when Gonzalez was chosen by the community as the 58th best prospect, however, that is a drop from 2017 when Gonzalez sneaked into the top 30. Gonzalez received support during this years’ vote at #43 from Robert Reed.
Just a couple years ago, posters from the community like Cardinal27 and SoonerinNC were debating as to whether Gonzalez was in the same class as Sandy Alcantara and Ryan Helsley. Robert Reed noted, back then, that Gonzalez had a penchant for avoiding giving up the long ball as he had only given up two in 250 professional innings. This year, Robert Reed chided the Triple-A manager, Stubby Clapp, for leaving Gonzalez in a game to throw nearly 50 pitches after a promising start to the season. Reed believed this led to Gonzalez’ injury-riddled season. Wiley was next on board from the community positing that Gonzalez is one clearly one of the organization’s favorites. Grenadier1 believes that a healthy Gonzalez is going to be probably be in the St. Louis bullpen by years’ end. – Jeremy Byrd
Derek Shore (52): Gonzalez at one time had the helium to join Alex Reyes and Sandy Alcantara as Latin American flamethrowers rising quickly through the system, but his progress hasn’t worked out that way.
Still just 23, Gonzalez suffered his second straight season with a myriad of injuries, opening the year at Triple-A Memphis due to injuries at the upper levels. After posting a 5.91 ERA over eight games with Memphis, the Venezuelan went down with an undisclosed injury on May 3 that cost him a month and half.
When he was deemed ready to start throwing again by late-June, Gonzalez made six rehab starts for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals and was assigned to Double-A Springfield on July 20. The right-hander had a 4-0 record and 2.76 ERA in 13 games for Springfield before he finished the season on the DL with an elbow injury.
“(He is) 94, 95, and 96 (on his fastball) with a real 12-6 breaking ball,” Springfield manager Johnny Rodriguez said. “He is a guy that (came back) to us and helped out of the bullpen.”
Scouting-wise, Gonzalez, who saw a velocity bump after he moved to the bullpen with High-A Palm Beach in 2017, touches 97 as a full-time reliever now. His heater is of the high-spin variety which moves, especially when it is up in the zone and he elevates.
His best pitch is an above-average curveball which features hard, 12-6 action that he can bury down and out of the zone for swings and misses. He is also said to have a changeup, but his fastball/curveball combination make him a solid middle reliever to seventh-inning man in the near future.
That said, his biggest deficiencies have always been throwing consistent strikes and staying healthy, so those will be two key factors in his development going forward.
Gonzalez should return to Memphis in 2019.
Brian Walton (43): Among our three voters, I am most optimistic about Gonzalez, or should I say that I downgraded him the least since last year at this time?
Those who read my thoughts regularly know that I analyze the behavior of the Cardinals organization very carefully, as I have found time and time again that it can be very telling. As noted, Gonzalez was shifted to relief in August 2017. Still, his potential was considered to be high enough that he received a 40-man roster spot last November.
In the spring of 2018, Gonzalez earned his way onto the Memphis roster despite never having pitched an inning at Double-A. This is significant – just one step below the feat successfully executed by Jordan Hicks at the same time.
With the Redbirds, the right-hander was used in long relief, which is not surprising to me, given his heritage as a starter. After a rough outing on Opening Day, Gonzalez logged five scoreless appearances totaling 8 1/3 innings on just one hit and three walks.
Then came the 45-pitch game, on April 22. He yielded two runs in each of his next two appearances before spending the next two months on the disabled list.
His rehab was relatively long, consisting of six outings from late June into the second half of July. Predictably, Gonzalez dominated the rookie-level hitters in the Gulf Coast League. Still, his rehab may have continued, as he was not deemed ready to return to Memphis, but was instead placed at the level he initially skipped, Double-A Springfield.
Other than one bad outing, on August 15, during which he allowed three runs, Gonzalez utterly dominated Texas League hitters over the final six weeks of the season. The only yellow flag was a diminished strikeout rate, just 5.5 per nine innings, compared to his career mark of 9.0 prior. Is that a signal of a problem or an indication he is becoming more than a hard thrower?
I dropped his scouting grade slightly from last year – from “4 high” to “3.5 high”. Despite the injuries, Gonzalez stepped up from high-A in 2017 to demonstrate success at both Double-A and Triple-A in 2018. He finished his year strongly and should have momentum heading into 2019. Further, he still has two option years remaining. The big question is health. I agree with the community member who believes we could see a healthy Gonzalez with St. Louis sooner than later.
Link to Gonzalez’ career stats
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