Cards Prospects: Best of the Rest: Community

The third of three looks at Cards prospects that missed our Top 40 with the message board community.

Editor’s note: Our Top 40 St. Louis Cardinals prospect countdown would not have been as successful had two leaders from our message board community not stepped forward once again. “Gagliano” and “BobReed” participated in the voting process and wrote over 40 player capsules, speaking for the scores of individual voters. They did a tremendous job and I greatly appreciate their contributions.

Following is the overall Top 40, with the community list next to it. Highlighted are the names unique to each list. These bolded names may still be on the respective lists, but were ranked below where we drew the line, after number 40.

	Group top 40		Community
1	Shelby Miller	1	Shelby Miller
2	Carlos Martinez	2	Oscar Taveras
3	Oscar Taveras	3	Carlos Martinez
4	Kolten Wong	4	Kolten Wong
5	Zack Cox	5	Lance Lynn
6	Lance Lynn	6	Zack Cox
7	Eduardo Sanchez	7	Eduardo Sanchez
8	Tyrell Jenkins	8	Tyrell Jenkins
9	Matt Adams	9	Trevor Rosenthal
10	Jordan Swagerty	10	Matt Adams
11	Matt Carpenter	11	Jordan Swagerty
12	Trevor Rosenthal	12	Matt Carpenter
13	Ryan Jackson	13	Ryan Jackson
14	Maikel Cleto	14	Maikel Cleto
15	Charlie Tilson	15	Adron Chambers
16	Tony Cruz	16	Joe Kelly
17	Adron Chambers	17	Tony Cruz
18	Joe Kelly	18	Adam Reifer
19	Adam Reifer	19	Charlie Tilson
20	Mark Hamilton	20	John Gast
21	John Gast	21	Tommy Pham
22	Anthony Garcia	22	Mark Hamilton
23	Tommy Pham	23	Anthony Garcia
24	Aaron Luna	24	Adam Ottavino
25	Bryan Anderson	25	Aaron Luna
26	Cody Stanley	26	Bryan Anderson
27	Starlin Rodriguez	27	Boone Whiting
28	Boone Whiting	27a	Erik Komatsu
28a	Erik Komatsu	28	Seth Blair
29	Adam Ottavino	29	Jermaine Curtis
30	Rainel Rosario	30	Starlin Rodriguez
31	Jermaine Curtis	31	Cody Stanley
32	Brandon Dickson	32	Steven Hill
33	Seth Blair	33	Pete Kozma
34	Sam Freeman	34	Anthony Ferrara
35	Pete Kozma	35	Deryk Hooker
36	C.J. McElroy	36	Tyler Lyons
37	Tyler Rahmatulla	37	David Kopp
38	Keith Butler	38	Rainel Rosario
39	Breyvic Valera	39	Brandon Dickson
40	Chuckie Fick	40	Roberto De La Cruz
		41	Amauris Capellan
		42	Jose Garcia
		43	Sam Freeman
		44	Keith Butler
		45	Chuckie Fick
		46	Breyvic Valera

Amauris Capellan (#41)

The Cardinal Nation/Scout.com Player Profile
(including links to full 2011 and career stats)

Tm	AVG	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS
DSL	0.305	154	26	47	10	1	5	36	27	30	0	0.411	0.481	0.891

Capellan

Amauris Capellan rated 41st according to the Cardinals message board community following his breakout showing in the Dominican Summer League. Signed for nearly a half million dollars two years ago, the sturdy 5-foot-11 right fielder had a disastrous 2010 campaign in the DSL, with a line of .148/.326/.170. But (1), he was just 17 years of age, and (2), he did show exceptional patience, with 31 walks in just 135 at-bats.

Then this year, that patience began to pay off. In a league where the collective line was a meager .236/.339/.322, Cappy batted an excellent .305/.411/.481. So, he not only out-hit the age-appropriate DSL by nearly 70 points, he also posted an isolated slugging more than double his Dominican peers.

Moreover, Capellan's cannon arm has been exactly as advertised, with a dozen runners gunned down in just 89 pro games. Given his plus defense, and balanced offensive profile (Amauris showed solid strike zone control, with a 27/30 BB/K ratio), Capellan looks ready to bypass the Gulf Coast League and proceed to the Appy League in 2012. - BobReed



Anthony Ferrara (#34)

The Cardinal Nation/Scout.com Player Profile
(including links to full 2011 and career stats)

Tm	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
QC	13	7	3.03	23	22	0	127	103	48	7	53	93	1.37	0.227

Ferrara

Anthony Ferrara was the community's 34th prospect, and is probably my personal favorite from the community's Best of the Rest. A lefty who was hitting the radar at around 90 mph the game I saw him at Johnson City, he strikes me as a very plausible lefty reliever sometime in the future.

Pitching most of the year at age 21 (he turned 22 in September), Ferrara spent the season at Quad Cities. Overall, he managed a 3.03 ERA (11th best in the league) in 127.2 IP. Ferrara did walk a few more than would be ideal, at 3.7/9 IP. Interestingly, he did better against righties (OPS of .630) than lefties (.708). We should see him pitching in Palm Beach in 2012. - Gagliano



David Kopp (#37)

The Cardinal Nation/Scout.com Player Profile
(including links to full 2011 and career stats)

Tm	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
SPR	3	5	5.95	23	9	4	65.0	76	50	12	25	40	1.53	0.288
MEM	0	0	7.00	8	0	0	9.0	13	9	1	5	8	1.83	0.342
Total	3	5	6.08	31	9	4	74	89	59	13	30	48	1.56	0.295
AFL	0	2	10.13	11	0	2	10.2	19	14	0	8	5	2.43	0.404

Kopp

David Kopp ranked 37th in the community rankings this year, down from #26 last time. Understandably so, as 2011 saw Kopp's ERA balloon to 5.95 in Double-A, after he posted a stellar 3.05 at the same level the year before; also, despite his severe scuffles for Springfield, the 26-year-old righty received a cup of coffee with Memphis, where he was cuffed around as a reliever for a few weeks (ERA of 7.00 over eight appearances).

Drafted 71st overall out of Clemson in 2007, David's scouting reports as a power arm have consistently outpaced his actual performance - especially when his age-relative-to-level was taken into account. But even as a collegian, Kopp's numbers, especially the strikeout rates, never really matched the hoopla, as he fanned fewer than seven per nine IP in the ACC. Combine the so-so results on the bump with David's advanced age and intermittent struggles to stay healthy (just 355 innings over five pro seasons), and it's hard to project him as anything more than a future middle relief arm, if that.

But, who knows? Solid MLB relievers can suddenly materialize out of anywhere, and if Kopp's 91-93 mph fastball shows an uptick while he works exclusively out of the bullpen, a set-up role is still possible. But time is definitely running short, as righty relief is the Cardinals’ greatest organizational strength. - BobReed



Deryk Hooker (#35)

The Cardinal Nation/Scout.com Player Profile
(including links to full 2011 and career stats)

Tm	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
GCL	0	1	3.00	2	2	0	3	5	2	0	0	4	1.50	0.357
PB	0	0	0.00	1	1	0	4	3	0	0	0	5	0.75	0.200
SPR	2	6	4.94	11	11	0	58.1	58	34	8	18	39	1.07	0.266
Total	2	7	4.55	14	14	0	65	66	36	8	18	48	1.06	0.267

Hooker

Deryk Hooker was the community's 35th prospect, down from 23rd last year. This was his fifth year in the system, but he's still just 22 and pitched last year at Double-A. Hooker suffered an elbow injury, limiting him to just 58.1 innings. That injury seems likely a large part of his drop in the rankings. The other is the rise of other prospects.

The good news is that Hooker did come back at the end of the year for four starts with a combined line of 21.2 IP, 18 hits, 7 earned runs, 4 walks, and 12 strikeouts. Overall (including his rehab stints), Hooker did much better against righties (OPS of .685) than lefties (.901). I assume he will be back at Springfield in 2012. Particularly given his relative youth, Hooker stands a good chance of rising back up among the top prospects this time next year. - Gagliano



Jose Garcia (#42)

The Cardinal Nation/Scout.com Player Profile
(including links to full 2011 and career stats)

Tm	AVG	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS
MEM	0.333	45	10	15	3	0	0	5	5	7	2	0.400	0.400	0.800
SPR	0.318	318	49	101	15	0	5	38	24	57	19	0.374	0.412	0.786
Total	0.320	363	59	116	18	0	5	43	29	64	21	0.378	0.410	0.788

Garcia

Second-sacker Jose Garcia ranked 42nd on the community list, after missing the top 50 last year. The 5-foot-11 Venezuelan enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in Double-A, posting slash stats of .318/.374/.412. Garcia doesn't excel in any one area, but seems to possess the balance of skills needed to fill the utilityman role with aplomb; he's stolen between 20 and 30 bases each of the last four years, he can play some shortstop or outfield in a pinch - and presumably the hot corner, as well.

Just 23 years old, Garcia might seem at a glance to project as a possible future MLB starter, but my optimism is extremely guarded, since he never showed the ability to hit for solid average until this season. Specifically, from 2007-2010, Jose hit .264, .218, .261, and .256. - BobReed



Steven Hill (#32)

The Cardinal Nation/Scout.com Player Profile
(including links to full 2011 and career stats)

Tm	AVG	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS
SPR	0.282	131	22	37	5	0	11	26	10	35	1	0.326	0.573	0.899
MEM	0.294	17	3	5	0	0	3	6	2	5	0	0.368	0.824	1.192
Total	0.284	148	25	42	5	0	14	32	12	40	1	0.331	0.601	0.933

Hill

Steven Hill was the community's 32nd prospect, down from 22nd last year. In 2010, he had a taste of the big leagues, appearing in just one game, but managing a home run. 2011 did not go as well. Hill spent most of the season at Double-A, posting an OPS of .899 in 144 at-bats. He then got a call to Memphis, where his OPS was 1.192, but....that was over just six games. Hill then suffered a broken foot and did not appear after July 3. Hill hit righties (OPS of 1.007) better than lefties (.771).

However, he seems to have fallen behind several players in the depth chart, and has been left off the 40-man roster. Hill has spent an awful lot of time at Double-A. He first played there for 103 plate appearances in 2008, then amassed 914 PA's there over 2009 and 2010. And his OBP has not been that strong, .331 in 2011, .345 in 2010, .333 in 2009, .334 in 2008. That inability to get on base frequently suggests to me that he might feast on weaker pitching, but struggle against MLB-caliber pitching.

His ability to hit for power and to play multiple positions (mostly 1B, C, and LF, though his defense doesn't seem that strong at any position) suggests he could still become a bench player in MLB, though time is running short. - Gagliano



Tyler Lyons (#36)

The Cardinal Nation/Scout.com Player Profile
(including links to full 2011 and career stats)

Tm	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
PB	9	4	4.50	33	12	1	94.0	93	51	8	29	79	1.12	0.255
AFL	3	2	4.85	7	7	0	29.2	28	16	4	7	28	1.08	0.257

Lyons

Tyler Lyons was the community's #36 pick this year, after making 33 appearances (12 starts) for Palm Beach. Though his ERA was nothing special for the Florida State League, at 4.50, the southpaw was coming off a 2010 season lost to injury, so some slack is warranted.

Drafted in the ninth round two years ago, the Lubbock lefty throws 89-92 mph, plenty good for a wrong-hander, but the straight change is generally considered his bread and butter pitch. While he twirled the first no-no in Palm Beach history in August, Lyons is not considered to have plus "stuff", but instead rates as a good mixer of offerings.

At 23, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound pitcher doesn't figure to add any velocity, but reports do say he works a stronger fastball out of the pen than the rotation. All in all, 2012 should tell us much about both the Cardinal plans for Tyler (starter vs. relief) and whether he has the skill to survive the big bump up to Springfield, the toughest promotion for Redbirds pitching prospects. - BobReed

In closing
I just want to note how struck I was by the disagreements amongst the community in our later rankings. Many players received consideration, and as I looked through the list, I found most of the names mentioned plausible MLB contributors. It is nice to have that depth in the system, and I will look forward to seeing some of those lesser known prospects break through next year. Finally, I appreciate the chance to have written about the prospects again this year and hope you found the summaries useful. - Gagliano







To reference our entire list of top 40 Cardinals prospects for 2012 and read about each individual player, click here. You can also learn about each of the voters’ philosophies in making their selections and much more.

Next up: This article series continues with our All-Prospect Team, the highest-ranked players at each position. We then dive into the numbers behind the top 40, take a look at our best and worst selections from 2011 and the top prospects by level of play.



Time is running out! Subscribe or upgrade by January 20 to our Annual Pass and receive the 2012 FOX Fantasy Guide / Scout Prospect Guide, a $4.95 value, for free. The perfect printed companion to “Forty Days” includes the top prospects from all 30 MLB organizations will appear on newsstands all over the country in the spring. Of course, we author the Cardinals section of the guide as always.



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