Cardinals Minor League Report
With the Trade Deadline past us and everyone no longer worried about who is or who isn’t getting dealt away, now there is time to look at what is going on down on the farm and see where some of the top prospects stand at this point of the season. The Cardinals have the highest average of homegrown talent on their 25-man roster, so it’s time to see who potentially could be called up this season, and who has made an impact this year in the Cardinals Minor League system.
Rob Kaminsky, LHP, Peoria Chiefs (A)– The other first round pick behind Marco Gonzales two drafts ago. Kaminsky sits at 5-2 this season with a 1.50 ERA and has 55 K’s over his 72 innings pitched. The lefty pitcher continues to impress as he moves up the system.
Juan Herrera, SS, Peoria Chiefs (A)– As great as the Cardinals have been, it would surprise some the last time the same player was the opening day starter in back to back years at shortstop was 06-07 with David Eckstein. It was a point of focus to bring in talent like Herrera when they traded Colby Rasmus to the Blue Jays. He currently is batting .299 and has 27 steals. Along with that he has scored 45 runs in 85 games played this season.
Charlie Tilson, OF, Springfield Cardinals (AA)– Recently promoted due to his excellent fielding and hitting. Through 406 at-bats Tilson is batting .305 and is considered by some within the organization to be the best overall outfielder still in the system. He also has 11 steals and eight-triples on the season, so he has some speed to go with his hitting and fielding.
Stephen Piscotty, OF, Memphis Redbirds (AAA)– Anyone who follows me on Twitter (Which you should @scottcriscione) knows my love for Piscotty. We’ve seen Oscar Taveras and Randal Grichuk somewhat this year, but not Piscotty. The club seems to be holding off on him this season, even calling up Shane Robinson recently over Piscotty. So far in Memphis, Piscotty has 111 hits, and 27 of them are doubles. Also, as far as fielding goes, he has only three errors in 107 games. He may be a candidate for a September call-up or as a replacement if someone in the outfield goes on the DL.
Tim Cooney, LHP, Memphis Redbirds (AAA)– He has quietly gathered a 10-5 record in Memphis with a 3.60 ERA this season. He is currently 6-1 over his last 10 starts and threw one complete game one-hitter during that span. Though the Cardinals have plenty of pitchers with big league experience, Cooney has done a great job campaigning for a spot next year.
That is you look at some of the prospects making a name for themselves this year so far. While there are many moving up and down, these are just a few highlights of a deep farm system.