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.
Following are the highlights from the Cardinals minor league games held on Thursday in Jupiter, FL. Facing the New York Mets for the final time this spring, Memphis and Springfield played their games in Port St. Lucie while the Palm Beach and Peoria contests were held at the Jupiter complex.
The Cardinals had another 2-2 day with Memphis and Palm Beach claiming victories. For the spring, the Cards are now 21-25-7 overall, including 11-15-3 against external competition.
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.
Thursday’s Hitter of the Day: Jonathan Rodriguez – Memphis
Memphis’ designated hitter, a non-roster invitee to MLB camp this spring, had a perfect day at the plate with a single, a home run and two free passes. After two seasons at Springfield, Rodriguez should be at Memphis to open 2016.
Thursday’s Pitcher of the Day: Austin Gomber – Palm Beach
Another NRI is our top minor league pitcher on Thursday. Normally, if a run is given up, I look for another candidate, but it is impossible to ignore Gomber’s line, which included just three baserunners in 4 1/3 frames and a whopping eight strikeouts. I project the tall left-hander will anchor the Palm Beach rotation this season.
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 (9-2-2) 9 at Las Vegas 3
| Memphis pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes | Memphis hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes | |
| Deck McGuire | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Cards are his 4th org (Jays, A’s, Dodgers) | Anthony Garcia | LF | #25 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Also HBP. Cards minors July 2015 Player of Month | ||||||||
| Justin Wright | 1 | 1 | Only 15.8% of inherited runners scored in 2015 | Jonathan Rodriguez | DH | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Top 6 in system in R, H, 2B, HR, RBI, BB in 2015 | ||||||||||
| David Washington | 1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4th in Texas League in HR/AB (21.25) last season |
Binghamton 4, Springfield (2-9-2) 0
| Springfield pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes | Springfield hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes | |
| Thomas Lee | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Career highs in starts, wins, IP and Ks last season | Mason Katz | 2B | 4 | 2 | 1 | Career .740 OPS in three minor league seasons | ||||||||||
| Ryan Sherriff | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27 apps from Spr pen and 3-game test at Memphis |
Palm Beach (5-6-2) 5, St. Lucie 3
| 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 | |
| Austin Gomber | #14 | 4.1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 2nd in 2015 MWL with 9.33 Ks/9 innings | Collin Radack | DH | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10th in system in 2015 with 113 hits (PB/Peo) | |||||||
| Rowan Wick | 1 | 2 | Former C and OF throwing ball hard and getting Ks | Orlando Olivera | LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | Flashy .340/.392/.521/.913 line in intro year (SC) | |||||||||||||
| Mikey Reynolds | 2B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Originally Braves’ 5th-rounder in 2013 draft |
Columbia 7 at Peoria (4-8-1) 3
| Peoria pitching | TCN | IP | H | ER | BB | K | Notes | Peoria hitting | Pos | TCN | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | Notes | |
| Pedro Echemendia | 1 | 1 | Led SC with 26 relief appearances and 12 saves | Eliezer Alvarez | 2B | #36 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2015 Appy League All-Star batted .314 at JC | ||||||||||||
| Jonathan Escudero | 1 | 1 | .140 batting avg against was #1 for Appy Lg relievers | R.J. Dennard | 1B | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .699 OPS in 42-game intro at SC in 2015 |
Friday’s games: Though the original schedule showed a camp day for the Cardinals on Friday as they conclude their spring, I am checking to ensure games will actually be played.
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