Welcome back to our eighth year of providing results and much more from St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games here at The Cardinal Nation Blog.
Our notebooks will include eyewitness commentary as soon as I arrive in camp, details you likely will not find elsewhere. Even more specific spring training reports will be available to members of The Cardinal Nation.
Following are the highlights from the Cardinals first minor league games of 2016, held on Thursday on the George Kissell Quad in Jupiter, Florida. The Cardinals had a camp day, with Memphis taking on Springfield and Palm Beach and Peoria facing off.
The Cardinals’ higher-level clubs in each contest took the victory with Memphis winning 1-0 over Springfield and Palm Beach taking a 5-1 victory over Peoria.
Once again this spring, Cardinals Baseball Operations Coordinator for Player Development Tony Ferreira will be 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. 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 24 players have yet to be cut from Major League camp.
When players are members of The Cardinal Nation Top 40 for 2016, their rankings are noted.
Thursday’s Hitter of the Day: Allen Cordoba
The 2015 Gulf Coast League All-Star and Most Valuable Player was on base three times in four plate appearances and drove in one run.
Thursday’s Pitcher of the Day: Alex Reyes
The suspended right-hander allowed just three baserunners in three scoreless innings. Reyes will remain in camp until Springfield plays its 40th game this season.
Though not among the stats provided by the team, the Post-Dispatch reports that Yadier Molina singled and struck out against Reyes and grounded to third in his lone at-bat against Mayers. Among the other pitchers in the Peoria game was Bryan Dobzanski.
For more, The Cardinal Nation members can check out the complete list of minor league spring training attendees and full minor league spring training game schedules. Also exclusively for TCN members is my annual pre-camp series in which I predict the opening rosters for all four full-season minor league affiliates and explain why. Memphis was posted Thursday, with the others to follow. My St. Louis roster prediction article is free for all readers.
If you are not yet a member of The Cardinal Nation, seven-day free trials are always available.
The entire system view by level and position as last season ended is available via the Roster Matrix, always free, right here at The Cardinal Nation Blog.
Memphis (1-0) 1 vs. Springfield (0-1) 0
| Memphis pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes | Memphis hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | Notes | |
| Alex Reyes | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | Suspended #1 prospect | Andrew Sohn | SS | 2 | 1 | 2 | Filled in at three levels last season |
Springfield (0-1) 0 vs. Memphis (1-0) 1
| Springfield pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes | Springfield hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | Notes | |
| Mike Mayers | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Missed most of ’15 with injury | Vaughn Bryan | CF | 2 | 1 | 1 | Only played in 24 games at Peoria in ’15 |
Palm Beach (1-0) 5 vs. Peoria (0-1) 1
| Palm Beach pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes | Palm Beach hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | Notes | |
| Ryan Helsley | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5th rounder from 2016 | R.J. Dennard | 1B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 39th rounder in 2015 | |||||||||
| Allen Cordoba | SS | 23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2015 Gulf Coast League MVP |
Peoria (0-1) 1 vs. Palm Beach (0-1) 5
| Peoria pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes | Peoria hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | Notes | |
| Estarlin Arias | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 y/o had 5.35 GCL ERA in ’15 | Luis Bandes | RF | 2 | 1 | Batted .319 in US intro in 2015 GCL |
Friday’s games: The Marlins are the Friday opponent, with four games to be held on the Miami side of the Jupiter complex.
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