photo: Brady Whalen (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Welcome to day six of our 11th year of providing results and much more from St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games here at The Cardinal Nation. Again this year, I am joined in these recaps by TCN analyst Derek Shore.
(If you are wondering what happened to day five results from Sunday, the games were played, but tight schedules has meant the summary stats are yet to be provided by the Cardinals. If I get them, so will you!)
Following are the highlights from the Cardinals Monday minor league action, held on the George Kissell Quad in Jupiter, Florida. The Cardinals had four squads facing the Marlins and enough extra pitching to have a sim game as well.
Despite Memphis featuring three pitchers from big-league camp – Miles Mikolas, Andrew Miller and Landon Beck, they did not fare well, as the 7-1 loss suggests. Springfield, on the other hand, led by Jack Flaherty, shut out their opponent, 2-0. Palm Beach dropped a 5-3 game while Peoria won, 5-2.
(Mikolas yielded five runs in 6 1/3 and Flaherty tossed six scoreless frames.)
If you are a subscriber to The Cardinal Nation, you can devour my in-person Monday camp report, to be posted late Monday evening, with far more information about the day’s proceedings.
Once again this spring, Cardinals Administrator of Minor League Operations Tony Ferreira is sharing highlights from minor league spring training contests.
The raw data is his, but the comments and awards are mine. However, be aware that only minimal pitching and hitting results are being shared – what you see here. So to find those struggling, you will have to look for names missing or make some guesses.
Remember these working team assignments are fluid by the day. In addition, another 18 players have yet to be cut from Major League camp. (Roster details here.)
When players are members of The Cardinal Nation Top 50 Prospect List for 2019, their rankings are noted.
Monday’s Pitcher of the Day – Jacob Schlesener, Peoria
The left-hander allowed just three baserunners in three innings and fanned six Marlins on Monday. Drafted out of high school in 2015, Schlesener has been unable to escape short-season ball in his first four professional seasons with a career ERA of 4.99, yet his potential continues to show through. Perhaps the 22-year old will be the prototypical late-blooming lefty.
Honorable mention goes to Springfield pitcher Anthony Shew, who fanned five in two scoreless innings following Flaherty.
Monday’s Hitter of the Day – Brady Whalen, Peoria
Like Schlesener, the first baseman was a prep draftee given extra bonus money after being drafted the early teen rounds to skip college and turn professional. Whalen was one year later, signing in 2016.
Also like Schlesener, Whalen has yet to make his full-season debut after logging a batting average of just .209 over his three Cardinals campaigns.
Whalen had a big Monday, reaching base in four of six plate appearances, including a single, two doubles and a walk. He plated three.
Honorable mention is given to Whalen’s teammate Victor Garcia. The outfielder had three singles in four at-bats, scored one, drove in one and was hit by a pitch.
Get the entire picture! The Cardinal Nation members can check out the full list of minor league spring training attendees and minor league spring training game schedules.
The full system view by level and position as last season ended with every transaction all year long is available via the Roster Matrix, always free, right here at The Cardinal Nation.
New Orleans 7 at Memphis (2-2) 1
| Memphis pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| N/A |
| Memphis hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Adolis Garcia | RF | #16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Took Marlins #1 starter Jose Urena deep. | |||||
| Ramon Urias | 2B | #33 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Former Mexican Leaguer was added to the 40-man in Nov. |
Springfield (2-2) 2, Jacksonville 0
| Springfield pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Anthony Shew | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 25 y/o dominated at PB, but posted a 4.50 ERA in 19 AA starts. |
| Springfield hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Stefan Trosclair | 1/2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Infielder carries a .354 career on-base percentage. | |||||||
| Chase Pinder | DH/LF | #49 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Not much power, but a .388 career OBP is pretty special. |
Jupiter 5 at Palm Beach (2-2) 3
| Palm Beach pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Jesus Cruz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Former Mexican League righty looks to be back into a relief role. | |
| Alvaro Seijas | #37 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Spent all of 19 y/o season in Peoria rotation (4.52 ERA) |
| Palm Beach hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Brendan Donovan | 2B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2018 7th rounder only played in 4 games at SC before injury. |
Peoria (2-2) 5, Clinton 2
| Peoria pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes |
| Jacob Schlesener | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | Our Pitcher of the Day (see above). |
| Peoria hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes |
| Brady Whalen | 1B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Our Player of the Day (see above) | ||||
| Victor Garcia | LF | 4 | 3 | 1 | Also HBP. Signed for $1.5 MM in July 2016. | ||||||||
| Malcom Nunez | 3B | #10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2018 DSL Triple Crown winner within weeks of signing. |
Wednesday’s games: After a day off Tuesday, Houston will be the Wednesday opponent. Memphis and Springfield will remain home at the George Kissell Quad in Jupiter, while Palm Beach and Peoria will travel to West Palm Beach. Games are scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. ET, but always watch the weather.
Check back here each evening for these reports for the remainder of minor league camp! While you are here, check out the other articles here at The Cardinal Nation. You will be glad you did!
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