Future Redbirds takes a look at the progress of several Cardinal Prospects. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.
Here are what they say about a few of the Muckdogs. There's more coverage on the links above.
Pick #2, Supplemental First Round, #39 Overall - Lance Lynn
- Batavia - 14.2 ip, 15 k’s, 3 BB, 1 ER
Lynn pitched 89.2 innings for Ole Miss this season already, so it is my guess (hope) that the Cardinals are going to get him 30-40 relatively easy innings at Batavia this season before starting him at Quad Cities next year. He has looked pretty dominant at Batavia so far, but there’s no need to rush him this year. He hasn’t walked anyone in his last three appearances (11 innings) and he’s only given up one extra base hit (a double) in his time at Batavia.
Pick #3, Second Round, #59 overall - Shane Peterson
- Batavia - .352/.455/.429 14.4 BB%, 20 LD%, .471 BABIP
Shane has certainly torn up Batavia in his first twenty-seven games (take a look at that BABIP, though). He played three years in college at Long Beach State and has shown that he can play at this level, so I’d like to see him challenged by a move up to Quad Cities. He has played all three outfield positions and a little bit of first base, but it seems to me that he profiles best in center field if he’s got the fielding chops to play there. His power numbers have never really fit for a corner outfielder or first base and that has continued at Batavia (.077 isolated power). He is, however, still only twenty years old, so he could still grow into more of a power stroke as he moves up the ladder.
Pick #5, Fourth Round, #125 overall - Scott Gorgen
- Batavia - 16 ip, 19 k’s, 5 BB, 4 ER
Gorgen put up outstanding numbers at UC-Irvine and has continued with similar rates at Batavia. Like Lynn, Gorgen put in quite a few innings in college (115.2), so the Cardinals will probably not want to give him too many more innings this year. I would bet that if Gorgen was 6′2″ with the same numbers he would get a lot more hype than he has, but continued success at higher levels will be the only antidote to the size bias.
Pick #6, Fifth Round, #155 Overall - Jermaine Curtis
- Batavia - .315/.390/.438 8.0 BB%, 14 LD%, .360 BABIP
Jermaine is a third baseman with a similar offensive profile to Shane Peterson (with the exception, of course, that Curtis is a righty and Peterson is a lefty). He has hit well, but doesn’t seem to have the power to stay at third base (.123 ISO). It has been suggested that he may be converted to second base, where his bat would play a lot better. Of course, like Peterson he is still only twenty years old, so the power could still come.
Pick #20, Round Nineteen, #575 Overall - Xavier Scruggs
- Batavia - .189/.262/.305 7.4 BB%, 18 LD%, .266 BABIP
Xavier was a power hitting first baseman for UNLV, but he hasn’t yet lived up to his reputation in his first 95 at bats at Batavia. He’s got good size and had outstanding plate discipline in college, so it is a little disappointing that he has struggled so much.
Pick #43, Forty-second Round, #1265 Overall - Blakely Murphy
- Batavia - .253/.337/.471 3 hr, 10.1 BB%, 9.0 LD%, .365 BABIP
Blake has been called one of the great sleepers of the draft. Looking at his college numbers, he played four years at Western Carolina University, I can’t understand why he didn’t get more interest in the draft. He had a very solid junior year in college and then put up a line of .367/.495/.683 his senior year, hitting 16 homers in 221 at bats. He isn’t undersized (or oversized for a catcher) at 6′1″, 195 lbs, he’s got good patience at the plate and hits for good power. Maybe he’s a black hole on defense, but those numbers should play anywhere. He hasn’t quite put up the same numbers thus far at Batavia, but he has been solid.
Also covered (see links above):
Pick #15, Round Fourteen, #425 Overall - Charles Cutler
Pick #18, Round Seventeen, #515 Overall - Joshua Hester
Pick #23, Round Twenty-two, #665 Overall - Colt Sedbrook
Pick #25, Round Twenty-four, #725 Overall - Zachary Pitts
Pick #26, Round Twenty-five, #755 Overall - Jason Buursma
Pick #27, Round Twenty-six, #785 Overall - Christopher Swauger
Pick #28, Round Twenty-seven, #815 Overall - George Brown
Pick #39, Thirty-eighth Round, #1145 Overall - Daniel Richardson
