- This topic has 413 replies, 21 voices, and was last updated 5 years ago by
.
-
Posts
-
#21. Griffin Roberts – Roberts was drafted in 2018 with the Cardinals’ Competitive Balance Award at 43rd overall, and signed for a hefty $1.66M. It was said at the time that Roberts’ plus plus slider was the best breaking ball in the entire draft. Unfortunately, for Roberts, the Cardinals organization, and the Cardinals’ fan base, Roberts chose to disregard MLB’s policy concerning drug use, and as a result, got busted twice for testing positive for marijuana. The suspensions that he received apparently caused him to lose his footing and significantly slow his development. All said, his success in the Arizona Fall League at the end of the 2019 season, suggests that Roberts is getting back on course to realize his full potential as a pitcher.
#22. Ian Bedell – I like everything I’ve read about Bedell.
He does not have that wipeout pitch that suggest top of rotation potential, but he has 4 above average pitches at the age of 20. In any other year, this kid would have been taken late first round/early second round, IMO.#23. Alec Burleson – Burleson can hit. The only question is whether he becomes a fourth outfielder/lefthanded bench bat, DH, or a starting outfielder. It’s too early to project where he will end up, but there is no reason to think this kid will not be a major league ballplayer.
I really am more excited about Burleson than Williams, but Justin is just so close, and he has shown flashes of being that athletic left-handed power bat we need. I think like Sosa and so many others, we valued him more highly when he was less developed as a player and stood further away from contributing. Odd…
I think Baker will be a monster at Springfield. If he hits AS like he finished Palm Beach, we are talking Joe Mather, Matt Adams-like legend lore.
Griffin Roberts is another guy who could easily be slotted in against the other teams fourth or fifth starter every outing. He really is at a place where he could end up moving to the pen with AAA rotation so stacked. He could also leapfrog Warner, Fagalde, Parsons, Sejais, etc…if he shows up ready next spring.
21 Williams
22 Baker
23 RobertsWe have already set a record for most players voted for in a round with 10, and there’s still 29 hours to go in the voting. Get your votes in and you could help sway the next round!!
The voting is tight, and we have two voters who’ve not weighed in yet who normally have (Sooner and bc). 10.5 hours remain in the voting for #21-23!
The final tally:
21. Luken Baker
22. Ian Bedell
23. Justin WilliamsVoting for #24-26 is now open. It will end at 6 PM ET/5 PM CT on Dec 1.
24 Griffin Roberts
25 Alex Burleson I find it interesting that Burleson is commenting on how his weight training has focused on more power. I may be reading more into it, but he really seems confident the power will come from that. You didn’t hear launch angle from him because he can put the bat on the ball.
26 Juan Yepez This spring will be the great unveiling of Adonis Yepez. Two years in the making, Yepez will arrive in spring with a chiseled physique pumping line drives all over the place. He will show deft versatility at all four corners.#24 – BURLSON
#25 – JRODRIGUEZ
#26 – ROMERI This 6-3 nineteen year old is ready to rock & roll. He’s got some lightning in his bat has a strong OF arm and good speed. He has raised his ceiling muchly* in my estimation and I like his chances to reach the majors by 2023. My guess is he’ll be close to or in the top-10 by this time next season. (A possible conversion candidate.)
*= this should be a word.
Alright guys, Edwin Nunez has officially debuted at 24 on the TCN countdown. Time to get on board! Hahaha. Good write up Matt and Brian!
Its that “future value” (30) and the “extreme risk” factor that has me on the fence regarding Nunez.
24. Griffin Robert’s – ‘Best breaking ball in the draft’ means this kid could be a front end starter or lights out closer, IMO.
25. Alec Burleson – We know he can put the bat on the ball. That alone will get him to the show. This kid could be something of a sleeper in that, when he was drafted, it looked like they were drafting a future DH or a lefthanded bench bat. He may turn out to be much more than that.
26. Julio Rodriguez – Plus, plus arm that impacts the opposing team’s running game. What’s not to like about that? It’s hard to believe that a player with his skill level for defense will never be able to be good on offense.
24. Alec “Cogburn” Burleson. The guy is a player. I wonder if Alec inhabits the same family tree in any fashion with ex-RedSox SS, Rick Burleson? Grandson possibly? “Rooster” would hit you .280 with 7 dongaroos and play some mighty fine defense for you. Alec looks beefier than his Grandfather, which with this kid’s bat speed, should translate into some pretty nice power numbers.
25. Alexander “The Great”. Yes, a little long in the tooth for his present status, but this fellow is primed for action and is going to give some lucky ball club a good 7-8 seasons. How is this man still on our board??
26. Patrick “Romeo” Romeri. The esteemed Nyquist opened my eyes to this potential future star. Thanks Ny!
Ny, I like your Romero pick. But has he really done anything to raise his ceiling muchly, other than looking good sitting on the shelf?
This year of no action and no actual stats for minor leaguers has unleashed the imagination of many, self included. I’ve got Edmundo Sosa as our starting shortstop and Julio Rodriguez as a budding big league catcher. This is fun.
Ah c’mon Nyquist, what pitching prospect isn’t an “extreme risk”? Seriously, very valid concerns with him, but he seems like a guy that has a floor of a high leverage reliever with a little bit of development and has the possibility of a three pitch Top of the Rotation type pitcher at his peak. There aren’t many guys with that ceiling in the organization currently (Liberatore, maybe Winn IMO). Everybody else is more of a mid rotation starter to me.
24. Edwin Nunez
25. Andre Pallante – Depends on who you read whether they like his FB or not, but seems like it has good movement paired with an above average SL. Outclassed his short season peers with a mix of good to great command and “pitchability.” A “Crafty” righty if there is such a thing. Overall has a good starters profile, and may have the makeup to remain there as a back end starter, but his command will give him a great chance of falling back to the bullpen where his FB will play up. Seems like a low ceiling, high floor guy that the Cards love. Fun guy to root for.
26. Julio Rodriguez – If the bat continues to improve he’s a starting caliber catcher with a great line drive approach. If it doesn’t he’s a journeyman backup with a great defensive skill set. Not a bad guy to have in the system. I wouldn’t be surprised if a catching starved team takes him in the Rule 5 draft and keeps him on the bench as the backup / emergency catcher.
For me:
24. Edwin Nunez. When you can hit 100 at 18, you deserve to be included above the midway point of a top 50. He is a bit reminiscent of ordan Hicks, and we all know how that one turned out. I think he will play in the GCL next year and turn heads, possibly finishing off at Palm Beach. The ceiling is extremely high here, as grenadier and the TCN article on him note.
25. Julio Rodriguez. Not *that* one (the Seattle superstar in the making), but he should eventually make the big leagues. I like him as a 90ish wRC+ bat with above average defense. That guy is a reserve for a championship level team but could start for some teams.
26. Alec Burleson. For some reason, I couldn’t get that excited about this guy when we drafted him. But hearing more on him, I think we might have gotten a future gem. Perhaps the focus on hitting alone will bring him up to speed quickly. If it all comes together, he might be an all fields line drive hitter who could hit 15-20 HRs from the left side. If he can stick in the OF, perhaps that’s a lefty Stephen Piscotty. That would be a good outcome for Alec.
It is at this point I always wonder which is the better lottery ticket: The young phenom to dream on like Edwin Nunez or the forgotten guy who could suddenly contribute meaningfully to the big club. (I am always tempted by the Hazelbaker jerseys during a thrift store treasure hunt. It may not be treasure enough to pay money and subsequent closet space, but that jersey is still booty.) Don’t we still have Conner Jones? Imagine that sinker turning him into Curtis King ( insert chagrined look and an angry finger pointed at LaRussa.)
Conner could grab a spot in the pen and help the Cardinals win. How much is that worth? Edgar Escobar could do the same. There are actually countless guys like Scott Hurst who were on the cusp and then disappeared. We have no trouble wrapping our minds around improvement and development for Jhon Torres, but Hurst was more highly regarded five years ago and they are both ascending. So why not one of those guys?
Another group are the lost phenom who are out of the game if they fail this time. Victor Garcia comes to mind. Perhaps these guys are for the afterthoughts in the 50’s, but that isn’t my point.
My question is who do you place your bet on to contribute meaningfully to the St.Louis Cardinals? I believe I am far more likely to pass up an Escobar jersey than a Ralston jersey someday at a thrift store.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.