Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Notebook: 03/23/16

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.

Even more specific spring training reports for these games are available to members of The Cardinal Nation.

Following are the highlights from the Cardinals minor league games held on Wednesday in Jupiter, FL. It was a regularly-scheduled camp day for the Cardinals, with the Memphis club again taking on Springfield and Palm Beach opposing Peoria once more.

Both lower level clubs won, with Memphis defeated by Springfield and Palm Beach falling to Peoria. For the spring, the Cards kept their tally balanced at 9-9-2 overall, including 3-3-2 against external competition.

It seemed fitting that Springfield took its first win in front of an audience that included many of the team’s sponsors, down from Missouri to catch the action. Memphis also absorbed its first loss.

Once again this spring, Cardinals Baseball Operations Coordinator for Player Development 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 pitching and hitting results selected by the organization 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, more 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.

Wednesday’s Hitter of the Day: Chris Jacobs, Springfield

Anthony Garcia’s three-run home run was a productive hit to say the least, but the most consistent hitter of the day may have been Springfield’s first baseman. Jacobs’ only drawback was that he was almost out at home when trying to score from second on Nick Thompson’s two-base hit. Still, two singles, a double with two runs scored and an RBI made for a nice day for the 27 year-old, signed as a free agent during the off-season.

Wednesday’s Pitcher of the Day: Daniel Poncedeleon, Palm Beach

The prospect right-hander reinforced why his pitching is better than A-Advanced hitting by holding Palm Beach to five baserunners and striking out six over four scoreless innings. In doing so, Poncedeleon outperformed two younger hard-throwers on the day, Junior Fernandez and Sandy Alcantara.

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, Springfield and Palm Beach are posted, with Peoria to follow on Sunday. 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 (4-1) 3, Springfield 9

Memphis pitching TCN IP H ER BB K Notes Memphis hitting Pos TCN AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB K Notes
Mike Mayers 4 2 1 3 Faced MLB hitters Adams, Wong mpl times Anthony Garcia LF 25 3 1 1 3 1 Three run blast to LF off Nielsen

Springfield (1-3-1) 9, Memphis 3

Springfield pitching TCN IP H ER BB K Notes Springfield hitting Pos TCN AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB K Notes
Jeremy Hefner 3 1 4 30 y/o has just 14 IP since 2013 (2 TJS) Chris Jacobs 1B 4 2 3 1 1 1 Single scored Paul DeJong (GR double)
J.C. Sulbaran 3 2 2 Also has a nice pickoff move Mikey Reynolds DH 4 2 2 1 Played in independent ball last season

Palm Beach (2-2-1) 2, Peoria 4

Palm Beach pitching TCN IP H ER BB K Notes Palm Beach hitting Pos TCN AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB K Notes
Daniel Poncedeleon 22 4 3 2 6 Only 1 career start with over 3 runs allowed R.J. Dennard 1B 4 2 2 1 Ended rookie 2015 with 7 game hit streak
Junior Fernandez 18 3 1 1 2 Lower (relative) velo, but better control Jesse Jenner C 2 1 2 1 1 Threw out 12 of 24 on bases at SC in 2015

Peoria (2-3) 4, Palm Beach 2

Peoria pitching TCN IP H ER BB K Notes Peoria hitting Pos TCN AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB K Notes
Sandy Alcantara 17 3 3 1 1 3 In and out of trouble, but did well overall Ricardo Bautista CF 4 1 1 1 1 Batted just .202 at JC last season
Estarlin Arias 1 1 Led 2015 GCL Cards in saves (4) but 5.35 ERA

Thursday’s games: The Cardinals farmhands will play five games against the Miami Marlins. Triple-A through Class-A will be on the Cardinals side of the complex and State College/Peoria 2 will be on the Miami side. All games will start at 10 a.m..

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