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I am not sure if he is ready, but wouldn’t it be appropriate to move Rondon to AAA. He has deserved another promotion. If he pitches well in August, maybe he could answer our 5th starter dilemma. He has been very good in the offensively charged Texas League. Certainly this is a better route than Memphis throwing bullpen games.
He may be a good one, but he is still only 21 and I don’t think the team is nor should be in a rush to push him. I’m excited about where he should end up as well, but a little over a year ago he was in the New York-Penn League. He has flown so far, and I like giving hitters a chance to adjust to him even more at AA.
His numbers at Palm Beach were excellente. His performance at AA has been solid, not excellent but I think he needs more time there to become dominant. I wouldn’t rush this kid just to shore up the Memphis team although he may do better than the starters they are throwing out there now.
Last season in mid-May the rotation at Memphis was Hudson-Gomber-Flaherty-PonceDeLeon-Helsley-Herget.
Right now its Wodford-Hauschild-Arauz-Kruczynski and some bullpen starts. A good reason why they are 45-62 after the Redbirds won the AAA Championship last season.I agree with stl25 and NY. Let’s not rush the kid. Let him develop. I think all prospects should be given the time they need if possible. No need to jump up several levels in one year. Let them go one step at a time unless there are issues with their service time or something.
Another thing to think about…Memphis is dead in the water regarding playoffs, and Springfield still has a shot. The Cards have usually liked to get their minors players shots at playing in a playoff atmosphere, and where he is may be the only chance for that in the upper minors in 2019.
I am excited to see this kid in 2020. He has progressed to the point of being our best starting prospect.
Maybe so, but my personal ranking had him first. Cabrera is the only one I’d consider being ahead of him, if he continues late season improvement. Woodford walks too many, and is too prone to the long ball. Just my opinion.
I’m with you C27, I would probably put Thompson ahead of him due to college numbers, draft position and the lack of LHSPs in the entire organization.
Thompson, Rondon, Cabrera, Woodford, Oviedo would be my top 5.
It’s odd for the Cards to be lacking a top 50 pitching prospect, fortunately that will change when CMart is traded for Luis Patino and Kirby Yates! 😁
Rondon already was in 2019. Back to back would be something, indeed. The going may get a bit tougher at Triple-A, though.
If he were to be pitcher of the year at Memphis, I’d think he would be called up to St Louis at some point.
A lot of people ahead of him and he is not yet on the 40-man, not to mention no mass call-ups in September any more.
The minors pitching depth seems much better after the Liberatore addition. Let’s rank the top 5 or so SP prospects for fun?
1- Liberatore
2- Thompson
3- Rondon
4- Cabrera
5- OviedoNo, Woodford wasn’t left off on accident.
Some prospects throw harder, but I like Rondon as our 2nd best pitching prospect behind Liberatore. He has decent control and a lot of swing and misses with 3 pitches. Unfortunately the numbers game may have him starting 2020 back in Springfield.
“Some prospects throw harder, but I like Rondon as our 2nd best pitching prospect behind Liberatore. He has decent control and a lot of swing and misses with 3 pitches. Unfortunately the numbers game may have him starting 2020 back in Springfield.”
I’m with you, C-27. At least regarding the first part.
Rondon is 2nd only to Liberatore, and maybe deserving an overall top 100 slot. Actually, if forced to make a list, I’d feel compelled to include him. Angel’s Double-A performance* was just too much like the best minor league pitching prospects, for him not to make the list. And his exceptional 2019 durability is a tie-breaker if we need one.But as to your second point, I suspect the Cards will prioritize Rondon and get him straight to Memphis, even if it means a 6-man rotation there to start the year.
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*The following is lifted from an early August thread here. I’m sure the numbers didn’t change much over the final few starts of the season.
Here are the slashlines permitted this year in AA by some of the very elite pitching prospects in baseball. Beside each pitcher is his age and his current Fangraphs ranking among all pitching prospects.
Dustin May (21 years old, #3 overall pitching prospect) .237/.297/.330
Casey Mize (22, #4 pitcher) .226/.274/.322
Sixto Sanchez (21, #8) .231/.273/.353
Matt Manning (21, #11) .198/.264/.296
Ian Anderson (21, #13) .202/.285/.296
Angel Rondon (21, not top 600) .228/.309/.320And as for the aforementioned durability matter, Rondon logged 160 innings in 2019. And here are the (rounded off) career-best innings totals for the top 18 pitching prospects, per Fangraphs:
F. Whitley 90
L. Patino 95
M. Gore 100
N. Pearson 100
J. Luzardo 110
C. Mize 110
D. Garcia 110
S. Howard 110
Sixto Sanchez 115
B. McKay 120
A. Puk 125
M. Manning 135
L. Gilbert 135
I. Anderson 135
M. Kopech 140
D. May 140
K. Wright 145
M. Keller 150Thanks Bob, those are very compelling numbers compared to the top 18. Was Kopech still in the top 100? It would seem any time a pitcher has major surgery, he should be dropped from any national list until proven recovered.
Rondon’s 2019 season was no fluke… he has consistently improved during his four Pro-seasons. (61 GS – 347 IP – 341 Ks – 119 BBs and a 1.20 WHIP) He is 22 years old and went from DSL to Springfield in those four years. He is still young and since the Memphis rotation is over-stocked, starting out in Springfield for ’20 won’t be a surprise. He still needs some work on his curve and changeup. He stands to be the first one up to AAA.
If he does as well as his previous numbers there he’ll be on the doorstep of Busch in ’21
“Thanks Bob, those are very compelling numbers compared to the top 18. Was Kopech still in the top 100? It would seem any time a pitcher has major surgery, he should be dropped from any national list until proven recovered.”
You’re welcome, 27.
Kopech isn’t just in the top 100 at Fangraphs. As of a month ago he was in the top 20. Link:https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board-scouting-and-stats?pos=&lg=2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,14,12,13,15,16,17,18,30,32,33&stats=pit&qual=0&type=0&team=&season=2018&seasonEnd=2019&draft=2019updated&players=&boardView=1&q=&org=&filter=&sort=5,-1As you’ll see, Matthew Liberatore is 19th among pitching prospects and 63rd overall. Not bad.
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And now upon further review, I see that Kopech has been moved up from 20th to 19th for their freshly-minted top 100.
Matthew Liberatore on the other hand had the misfortune to be traded to the Cardinals, which has moved him from 63rd a month ago to 94th. Imagine that. A month ago, in the dead of winter with nothing going on, he was 63rd overall and 19th among pitchers, and now Liberatore is just 32nd among twirlers and 94th overall. Hmph. Randy Arozarena on the other hand has gone from an irrelevant grade 40, non-top 300 non-prospect a month ago to 107th. Trades seem to help some prospects more than others, huh?
One thing I will say on behalf of the manifestly crooked and stupid prospect “evaluators” at Fangraphs, they are the first national voices to almost put Ivan Herrera in the top 100. Ivan the Terrific checks in at #105.
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