Down on the Farm

August 31, 2020 - Boston Globe

As the 2020 season draws to a close, it is time to take a look at several players in the Cardinals organization who appear to be developing the skills necessary to eventually contribute at the big league level. At this point in the season sample sizes are fairly large. Who has been performing well?

Springfield Reformers (AAA)

RF Allen Cummings (27) -- Drafted in the 5th round of the 2015 draft, Allen put up excellent numbers as he progressed through the minor league system. He now appears ready to compete at the major league level. Roster considerations held him back for the majority of the current campaign; however, a recent injury opened a spot on the Cardinals roster. In Springfield, Allen pounded AAA pitchers and recorded a .319/.470/.542/1.012 slash line. For the duration of the season, Allen will log significant playing time. Soon we will have a better feel for his ability to perform in the ABL.

1B Jesus Cruz (24) -- A 6th round pick in the 2018 draft, Jesus has surprised scouts by continuing to exceed expectations. In 2019 he homered 34 times, knocked in 121 runs, and walked 110 times in AA. In 2020 he has continued to display surprising power as evidenced by 20 HR and 76 RBI through the end of August. In addition, he has been solid defensively. The Cardinals are planning to continue to closely monitor his progress.

Murfreesboro Deacons (AA)

OF Takiji Ojima (23) -- Although Takiji's batting average has hovered near the .250 mark for most of the season, this could be considered a break-out year for the young, Japanese slugger, a 3rd round pick in 2017. This season he has launched 30 HR and recorded 99 RBI through the end of August. He ended the month on a hot streak, so it will be interesting to see how he fares for the entire season.

SP Wilson Cruz (24) -- Wilson, a round 4 pick in 2019, has been outstanding this season. In 24 starts for the Deacons, Wilson compiled a 14-2 record and registered a 3.62 ERA. His four, solid pitches baffled opposing batters enough to enable Wilson to record 138 strike outs in 136.2 innings pitched. The performance earned him a recent promotion to Springfield.

SP Manuel Garcia (23) -- Drafted out of Ohio State, the 2020 NCAA Division I national champions, in the 1st round of the draft held earlier this season, Manny has been transitioning well from the college game to the professional game. Earlier in the season he endured a few rough patches, but he has settled down and exhibited improvement throughout the summer months. For the Deacons, his ERA is only about 4.50, but he ends August with a 7-3 record. The future looks promising for the youngster.

Las Vegas Lost (A)

1B Baber Davi (19) -- Baber is a raw talent with seemingly unlimited potential. A 1st round pick in 2019, he performed for the Lost for a good portion of this season before being promoted to Murfreesboro. While with the Lost, he batted .341 with a .444 OBP and a .502 SLG in 317 at bats. With the Deacons he has been much more challenged as evidenced by his stats. However, he is only 19 years old. Organization scouts are confident he will rise to the occasion and begin pounding AA pitching with more authority very soon.

SP Michael West (18) -- Michael continued to surprise the scouts with many, strong performances this season. The 8th round pick in the 2019 draft was projected to be a long shot, at best, but scouts are taking a closer look. This season with the Lost, Michael recorded a 10-4 record and a 3.37 ERA in 23 starts. Additionally he fanned 135 while walking 55 in 136.1 innings. Recently he was promoted to Murfreesboro to enable scouts to evaluate him while facing stronger competition.

Boston Cardinals Review - July 2020

The Cardinals played extremely well during most of July registering fourteen wins against only six losses. A six-game losing streak to conclude the month put a damper on the enthusiasm displayed by the fans in Boston, but overall the loyal followers of the home team remained optimistic despite the 14-12 record for the month. The Cards entered August battling for the division lead.

Throughout the month the Cardinals continued to feature a strong offense, horrible starting pitching, and excellent performances from many relievers to give the Cards an opportunity to prevail in many close contests. Nevertheless, the bullpen needed a reliable stopper to snuff out late inning rallies. Fans were delighted with the acquisition of all-star closer Troy Fountain just prior to the trade deadline to do just that.

Nick Holmes, Bob Hayes, and Donald Cameron were en fuego throughout the entire month. Holmes batted .388 for the month, reached base on 50% of his plate appearances (!!), and recorded a 1.031 OPS. Incredibly, he earned 21 bases on balls while striking out once! 

Bob Hayes launched seven home runs and drove in 18 runs in nineteen games before being sidelined for a week with a strained oblique. For the month, Hayes batted .365 with a .714 slugging percentage and a 1.132 OPS. 

Since taking over as the starting shortstop, Donald Cameron has been nothing less than impressive. Not only has he been flashing the leather in the field, but he also has been wielding a hot bat. In July his 36 hits were second only to the 38 hits recorded by Holmes. His .353 batting average and .388 on base percentage provided a welcome boost in offense from the shortstop position.

The overall performance of the starting staff was awful, although Brad Dixon surprised the pundits by winning two of three decisions and recording a respectable 3.58 ERA in five starts. The pitching highlight of the month was the combined performance of relievers Larry Foley, Eric O'Farrell, Mark Huber, and Homer Turner. Together they held opponents in check with a 2.22 ERA in 52.2 innings pitched. Without strong performances by these relievers, the Cardinals would have been in serious trouble.

In summary, July was a good month. Hopefully we will improve in August. Go, Cardinals!

Cardinals Acquire All-Star Closer Troy Fountain

July 27, 2020 - Boston Globe

The Boston Cardinals and Brooklyn Outlaws today announced a trade that sends all-star closer Troy Fountain and young starting pitcher ZZ Feng to the Cardinals in exchange for reliever Stanley Mills, four prospects, and cash considerations. The prospects include highly regarded outfielder Pat Pittman, closer Ryan Beasley, and infielders Artie Woodward and Junzo Sato. Sources close to the negotiations indicate that the Cardinals sought to strengthen the pitching staff while the Outlaws attempted to further plans to restructure the team's financial position.

For the Cards, the key to the deal clearly is Fountain. The team is in the midst of a hotly contested pennant race with the Jacksonville Jacks in the Earl Weaver Division of the TML despite shaky performances by several members of the pitching staff. Fountain provides the home town fans with a bona fide star closer who will be counted on to slam the door on opponents in close games.

In five and one-half seasons with the Outlaws, the 27 year old relief specialist compiled a 27-18 won-lost record, saved 152 games in 174 opportunities (87.4%), and recorded a career ERA of 2.65. In 2020 Fountain has a 3-2 record, 27 saves in 29 opportunities, and an ERA of 2.33. Fountain features a sinker that can reach 101 miles per hour on the radar gun and one of the premier curveballs in the ABL. With Troy at the ready to snuff out late-inning rallies, the Cardinals are confident that the acquisition of Fountain improves their chances of claiming a playoff berth this season.

In ZZ Feng the Cardinals obtained a starting pitcher who already has achieved success at the major league level. In the three seasons preceding 2020 the 25 year-old, Taiwanese southpaw earned 47 wins against a mere 21 losses. In 2018 his record was a sparkling 18-8. During the three seasons his ERA hovered around 4.50, a very respectable mark in the ABL. He began the current season by pitching very poorly, but Cardinal scouts believe he can return to form. For the time being, the Cardinals will provide Feng with an opportunity to improve his repertoire while pitching at the AAA level.

The Cardinals hated to part with Pittman. Scouts across the league agree that he has the potential to develop into a top-tier outfielder. However, a team must deal away talent in order to acquire talent. Beasley also could develop into a top-notch closer. Woodward and Sato are long shots, but each could develop into an infielder who could one day earn a spot on a major league roster. Finally, rookie reliever Stanley Mills will have an opportunity to shine as a member of the Outlaws. The Cardinals wish each player well.

Given that the trade deadline is days away, it is not anticipated that the Cardinals will make further moves to strengthen the squad. Hopefully the addition of Fountain will prove to be an instrumental move that helps the Cardinals secure a playoff berth in their final year playing in Boston.

Boston Cardinals Review - June 2020

After a second consecutive month playing mediocre ball in terms of wins and losses (12-14 for the month of June), the Cardinals found ourselves still in second place in the Earl Weaver Division and still in the lead in the race for the TML Wild Card berth. Life in the ABL could be better, but it could be much, much worse. Bright spots were many for the faithful fans following their favorite ABL franchise.

Bob Hayes (CF) pounded opposing pitchers throughout the entire month. In 22 games and 80 at bats, Hayes clubbed nine big flies and drove in an amazing 33 teammates. He batted .400, reached base at a .442 clip, generated a .762 slugging average, and registered a 1.204 OPS!! When the dust settled, Hayes was awarded the TML Batter of the Month, quite an honor in a league loaded with talented batters.

John Kelly (3B), in what could be a breakout season, rebounded from a poor performance at bat in May by performing extremely well in June. For the month Kelly recorded 7 HR and 23 RBI while generating a slash line of .378/.441/.678/1.119. While doing so he raised his 2020 batting average to .284 and his OPS to .792. At the hot corner, Kelly has committed a measly three errors and registered a .982 fielding average for the season. His +5.8 ZR and 1.060 EFF marks illustrate his defensive value to the team. Unfortunately, Kelly sustained a quadriceps strain near the end of the month and is expected to be sidelined for the month of July.

Jose Escobar (1B) equalled the HR and RBI numbers Kelly generated with 7 and 23, respectively. Jose also batted .369 and ended the month with a .432 OBP, a .738 SLG, and a 1.171 OPS.

In addition to the three top performers, a cast that included Nick Holmes (8 HR, .951 OPS), Pat Thompson (.315), and a host of others provided solid support.

If this team has holes, and it has a few, one must consider our pitching staff a huge one. Outstanding performances worthy of recognition are harder to come by.

One pitcher who pitched extremely well in June was Mark Huber. In 11 games and 20 innings pitched, Huber walked one batter and whiffed 25! He also earned two wins, compiled a 1.80 ERA and registered an outstanding WHIP of 0.75. His performance earned promotion to the closer role to replace Colby Hoffman, a pitcher who continued to exhibit an inability to hit his spots on a consistent basis.

Brad Dixon earned two victories without a loss in five starts. Inserted into the rotation at the beginning of June, Dixon responded with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. If he continues to perform at this level, he will be welcomed as a long-term addition to the rotation, one who could improve the overall quality of our sorry staff.

During the month the Cardinals promoted Millard Wilson to replace Leon Smith, the young, promising shortstop who suffered a career-ending injury mid-way through the month. Wilson logged significant playing time for the duration of the month batting .273 and fielding well.

On June 28, after John Kelly sustained an injury, the Cards called up Erik Lynch (.261 BA, 14 SB with AAA Springfield). Lynch is expected to provide back-up support until Kelly returns to the lineup.

The Cardinals management team would like to balance skill sets among position players by, if possible, exchanging OF talent for a stronger catcher and/or infielders. It goes without question that the team needs to improve the quality and depth of the pitching rotation, but no one on the front office team is attempting to hold his breath until that happens. 

Go, Cardinals! Let's have an excellent July!