Editor’s note: Check back here through November
25 as our local writers call out the top players – starter, reliever and
position player - at each level of the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system.
We’ll conclude the series with the top three players across the entire
organization – our 2007 Scout.com Cardinals Players of the Year.
~~~~~~
Unlike
when ranking Batavia, I
found the 2007 Palm Beach Cardinals had many top candidates to choose from. Palm
Beach
witnessed pitching performances that ranked with the leaders in the Florida State League while one of its hitters broke out as one of the top power
prospects in the system.
We’ll
first look at the outstanding pitching performances and then move on to a
breakout performance at the plate.
Starting
Pitcher of the Year - Adam Ottavino
The
Cardinals’ first-round selection in the 2006 draft continues to solidify himself
as one of the top pitching prospects in the system. Ottavino finished first on the staff in
wins with 12, which ranked second in the final Florida State League standings,
first on the staff in ERA with a mark of 3.08 – ranking third in the FSL, second
in innings pitched with 143 - ranking third in the league, and second on the
team in strikeouts with 128 - ranking third in the league.
Ottavino
was twice selected as the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week and was named
a Mid-Season All-Star.
Tyler Norrick deserves mention as he made a strong case for the honor as well. An often overlooked prospect in the
Cardinals system, Norrick finished second on the team in wins with 11 – that
ranked him third in the FSL, second in ERA - ranking tenth in the FSL, first in
innings with 165 which was tops in the league, and first on the team in
strikeouts with 134 which ranked second in the FSL.
Norrick
was selected as a Mid-Season All-Star.
Relief
Pitcher of the Year - Luke Gregerson
Gregerson
stood out head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to the
Palm
Beach
bullpen. The 23-year old dominated
Florida State League hitters posting a 1.97 ERA. Gregerson’s 29 saves ranked third in the
league while he averaged more than a strikeout an inning.
Gregerson
was selected as a Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star.
Jon Mikrut established himself as a reliever to watch. In 68 innings over 53 games, Mikrut
posted a 2.91 ERA.
Position
Player of the Year - Allen Craig
Craig
made this selection a no-brainer as he led the way in the team’s Triple Crown
categories. The
University of
California
product hit .312 with 21 home runs and 77 runs batted in. Not only did he rank so highly on his
own team but Craig ranked among the leaders in the Florida State League as
well. The ninth round pick of the
2006 draft finished second in average and total bases, third in OPS, slugging
percentage, and home runs and fifth in runs batted in and runs scored.
Craig
was recognized for his efforts with a Florida State League Player of the Week
honor, a Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star choice and selection as the FSL
All-Star Game Top Star.
Mark Hamilton was putting together a strong case for this honor before being promoted
to Springfield. The first baseman hit .290/.348/.520
with 13 home runs and 49 runs batted in.
The latter two numbers were second on the team even though he only put in
a half season’s work.
Before
being promoted, Hamilton was
twice named the FSL Player of the Week as well as being selected as a Mid-Season
All-Star.
Dan Nelson deserves mentioning for the year he had getting on base. The 23-year-old led the team in on base
percentage with a mark of .378. He finished second in the FSL in walks with 80
and sixth in the league with 76 runs scored.
| Scout.com |
Position
Player |
Starting
Pitcher |
Relief
Pitcher |
| Cards Players |
|
|
|
| of the Year |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Memphis (AAA) |
|
|
|
| Springfield (AA) |
Colby Rasmus |
Mitchell Boggs |
Jason Motte |
| Palm Beach (A+) |
Allen Craig |
Adam Ottavino |
Luke Gregerson |
| Quad Cities (A) |
Jared
Schweitzer |
Brandon Dickson |
Kenny Maiques |
| Batavia (SS) |
Steven Hill |
Jess Todd |
Josh Dew |
| Johnson City (SS) |
Beau Riportella |
Brian Broderick |
Eduardo Sanchez |
| Gulf Coast (SS) |
D’Marcus Ingram |
Carlos Gonzalez |
Reynier Gonzalez |
| Domincan (SS) |
Juan Mosquera |
Arquimedes
Nieto |
Angel Tapia |
| Venezuelan (SS) |
Ismael Cardona |
Richard
Castillo |
Carlos
Oraa |
(Click on the team name
highlighted above to be taken to that detailed article.)
Next up: Memphis Redbirds of the Triple-A Pacific
Coast League.
Dustin Mattison can be reached via
email at dustin@whiteyball.com.
© 2007 stlcardinals.scout.com. All
rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or
redistributed.