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OK, it is now official.
The following minor league players have been given their unconditional release:
▪️ LHP John Beller
▪️ INF Mack Chambers
▪️ RHP Gianluca Dalatri
▪️ OF Jonah Davis
▪️ OF Tommy Jew
▪️ LHP Levi Prater
▪️ RHP Michael YaSenka— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) March 29, 2023
Thanks Brian!
Without looking, I’m pretty sure the catcher who got the least looks in Spring training is Antonini, so I guess I’m betting on him being cut as well. Plus the other 3 I mentioned, although I’m probably wrong on Mendoza and maybe Roycroft too.
We have selected rookie OF Jordan Walker to the teams’s 40-player roster.
To make room, LHP Anthony Misiewicz has been designated for assignment.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 29, 2023
I hope Leahy isn’t used as a starter. He looked good as a reliever in the spring. And Parsoms shouldn’t be starting ahead of Graceffo and Mcgreevy. And how many on Memphis roster look to start on IL? Fermin and Berrera at least?
According to the transaction page:
03/30/23 Springfield Cardinals released RHP Griffin Roberts.More clearing out!
Happy Opening Day @memphisredbirds!
Our Triple-A affiliate will open their 2023 season tonight in Charlotte (CHW) at 6:04 PM CT. pic.twitter.com/DmbmkYmfFe
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) March 31, 2023
And for those who want to go deeper…
In-depth analysis of the Opening Day roster of the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Who is there and who is missing? Two Top 5 #STLCards prospects, RHS Gordon Graceffo and SS Masyn Winn, are among promotions from Double-A. ($) https://t.co/YuZWov3oZg pic.twitter.com/mfIyNCw2Nn
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) March 31, 2023
No surprises amongst the pitchers. Loutos moving back to AA might be the only slight surprise, but there were just too many quality arms.
Errol Robinson is the only real eyebrow raiser for me amongst position players, although I’m modestly surprised by Antonini. Robinson wasn’t very good last year. But I’m thinking he’s not going to play much. Just there for emergencies while someone in AA plays every day. Organizational soldier I think. I figured they’d release one of their many catchers. But I think Antonini may be in kind of the same role as Robinson. We’ll see.
Thanks for the updates Brian. This Memphis team should do really well.
We have traded LHP Anthony Misiewicz to the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 31, 2023
I’ve always kind of liked Irving Lopez. And he had a good offseason. It feels like he’s far more deserving that Errol Robinson. But maybe they want Lopez playing close to every day at AA and he wouldn’t do that at AAA. Who knows? But yeah, it seems like the Cards aren’t really behind him or Dunn. Although in this case, I understand not promoting Dunn as he has not played much shortstop. He’s pretty much 2B only. He has no power, isn’t a plus defender, and doesn’t really hit for that high of an average. On the upside, he never strikes out. Irving has a little more upside as he has hit for some high averages and can field more positions.
It looks like Memphis is one under their roster limit of 28. Are they holding a extra spot for someone, or a pending injury?
Wonder when they will announce the other minor league team rosters?
Brian said rosters will likely be released just before games start, which is Thursday for Springfield.
McGreevy starting back in Springfield is disappointing in that I wish he had progressed better last year. His 2021 can be discounted because he only pitched 7 innings in A level. So last year was his first season competing in pro ball, and he started out in AA, like having some tools means he magically knows how to use them. Kind of analogous to how Hicks was skipped over AA and AAA because he has a hot arm. Maybe its good that Hudson is in Memphis, since McGreevy would otherwise be there even though he didn’t pitch his way there.
Graceffo has had a more sober development path, 70 innings in A ball rather than 7, and he did better in AA. As a result, people broke out the hammer and chisel and wrote him in to the big league rotation in 2024, if not sooner. Those ‘people’ probably include the player development staff, so he is likely to show up here whether he pitches his way out of AAA or not, like Libertore. But what do I know, I don’t even own a polo shirt.
bling said:
So last year was his first season competing in pro ball, and he started out in AA…
That is incorrect. McGreevy and Graceffo both started last season with Peoria. They each made seven or eight solid starts there before their promotions to Springfield. That McGreevy made 20 Double-A starts in his first pro season at age 21-22 is admirable, not a negative.
If he pitches well, he will likely be in Memphis after 7-8 Springfield starts, too. If he doesn’t and needs more time at Double-A, so what? Other pitchers his age are college seniors.
Graceffo had a different strategy. Unlike most other pitchers, he did not stop throwing after his final college season ended. He played in summer ball so when he reported to the Cardinals, he could step right into High-A. That is what put him ahead of the others initially. That Graceffo moved ahead first now is a reflection of the fact he pitched better this spring.
The future will be what it will be. Why make swipes at others when none of us know how they will turn out?
I guess the main point was 7 innings of A ball vs 70 innings of A ball. That and my belief that there is little reason to expect the next batch of home grown starters to arrive in St. Louis will be any different than the present ones. I do admit that reasons for optimism can be sifted out with sufficient determination.
Well I just read Blake Newberry’s sleeper pick in the TCN Prospect Guide. For me it was a very fun read, so I thought I’d take a chance on copying it and posting. (I’m hoping I just get a warning and not a lawsuit from Brian/Blake on a copyright violation.)
Here it is:
IP G GS ERA WHIP K/9 BB/9 HR/9
30 30 0 0.00 0.47 11.7 0.9 0.0
Logan Sawyer is a player I added after I created my personal prospect list because he wasn’t a part of the
organization at that time. However, I think the free agent signee could really put his name on the map this
year and have a Moisés Gómez-like rise from minor league free agent to well-regarded prospect.
This is a bit out of left field as Sawyer hasn’t pitched in affiliated ball since 2016 and it’s weird to call a 30-
year-old a “prospect”. Yet that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Sawyer re-invented himself in independent
and winter league ball and now sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and pairs that with a splitter that falls off
the table. His slider is his clear third pitch but that’s because his other two offerings are so strong.
Again, I fully acknowledge that 30-year-old minor league free agent signings are typically nothing more than
depth guys and dart throws. However, Sawyer doesn’t fit into that category as he didn’t allow an earned
run in 30 Frontier League innings while fanning 39, walking three, and racking up 22 saves.
If that wasn’t cool enough, he was signed after promoting himself by tweeting out a highlight video and
tagging the Pitching Ninja Rob Friedman. Sawyer had received very little interest before then, but after that
tweet, he was contacted by 20 MLB teams.
.
Sawyer said that he expects to start 2023 in Springfield or in Memphis depending on how the Spring goes
and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that he could be pitching in the majors by the end of the season.
We have yet to see how his stuff plays in the minors, and much less in the majors, but I feel that confident
about someone who touches 100 and throws a nasty splitter and controls all his pitches.
Sawyer is my sleeper pick for 2023 and I think he has the potential to go from the Evansville Otters to the
St. Louis Cardinals bullpen in just one year.BTW, Logan Sawyer did make the Springfield roster.
No, content (ours and others) should not be copied in entirety without permission. While we are proud of the Prospect Guide, I suspect everyone here already made up their mind about buying it or not, and subscribing, too. Thanks for those who do support the site. It is what enables us to do what we do.
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