Choosing
a season-best starting pitcher for the Springfield Cardinals this year was
almost a no-brainer. Jess Todd could have taken the prize home with only one of
the many accomplishments he made in 2008.
Todd
started the year in Palm
Beach, but spent the majority of his pitching duties in Springfield. He combined
to go 8-6 across three different levels and finished the season with an ERA of
2.88, including a 2.97 ERA in 17 Double-A games.
He
also was named both a Texas League and Florida State League Mid-Season All-Star
as well as being named to the Texas League Post-Season All-Star Team. Todd also
played in the 2008 Futures Game at Yankee Stadium on July 13 of this season.
Throwing
in the mid-90s, the right-hander was ranked the #18 prospect in the Cardinals
organization prior to the season by our team here at Scout.com and #9 by
minorleaguebaseball.com. This season, he ranked number seven in Baseball
America's Texas League Top 20 this
year, the highest of any Springfield Cardinal.
Todd
was named Texas League Pitcher of the Week on June 7, selected to represent the
North Division in the Texas League All-Star Game on June 25, where he pitched
two innings, struck out five batters and got a hit. He was named the Texas
League Pitcher of the Week for a second time on June 30.
On
August 10, Todd was promoted to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. He was named to
the Texas League Post-Season All-Star Team on August 25, and was tabbed the St. Louis Cardinals organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year on September
27.
No
wonder it was easy picking a top pitcher--there were no honors left for any of
the other pitchers. Todd claimed the lion's-share of them for himself. I am
exhausted just from listing all of his accomplishments--and I have only touched
the tip of the iceberg.
Last
season, with the Batavia Muckdogs (New York-Penn, short-season A), he got the
win in his first professional game on June 20 (4.0, 0 runs, 5 strikeouts), was
named the New York-Penn League Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 23-29
(2-0, 1.13 ERA, 8.0 ip, 6 h, 1 r, 2 bb, 15 k) was named to the New York-Penn
League's midseason All-Star Game for the National League-affiliated team on
August 9, was the Minors Player of the Week three times, ranked #13 on Baseball
America's New York-Penn League Top 20 Prospects List on September 26, went 0-1
with a 0.90 ERA, one earned run, one hit, zero walks and 15 strikeouts in 10.0
innings for the Cardinals instructional league, was named in the Best Fastball
and Best Secondary Pitch sections in Baseball America's 2007 St. Louis Cardinals
Draft Report Card, and was named the Starting Pitcher of the Year for Batavia
here at Scout.com.
As
a collegian, the 22-year-old Todd pitched for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks where he claimed 128
strikeouts, and only 26 walks. He set a school record with 17 strikeouts in a
complete game win versus South
Carolina in the Southeast Conference (SEC) tournament.
Todd
uses four pitches--a fastball, a sinker, a slider and a change-up. He was
selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2007 draft and groomed to
be a relief pitcher but took on the duties of starter early in his professional
career.
Height:
5'11"
Weight:
210
Throws:
Right
Bats:
Right
Born:
April 20, 1986
Birthplace:
Kilgore, Texas
His
statistics are a clear sign of Todd's abilities and future hopes with the parent
club.
| Year |
Club |
Level |
W-L |
ERA |
G |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
HR |
BB |
SO |
| 2007 |
Batavia |
A- |
4-1 |
2.78 |
16 |
58.1 |
48 |
23 |
18 |
2 |
14 |
69 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2008 |
Palm Beach |
A+ |
3-0 |
1.65 |
7 |
27.1 |
18 |
7 |
5 |
0 |
7 |
35 |
|
Springfield |
AA |
4-5 |
2.97 |
17 |
103 |
79 |
37 |
34 |
12 |
24 |
81 |
|
Memphis |
AAA |
1-1 |
3.97 |
4 |
22.2 |
19 |
10 |
10 |
4 |
11 |
20 |
Springfield/Memphis
2008 Game Log (last ten games)
| Date |
|
Lvl |
|
Opponent |
IP |
R |
ER |
H |
2B |
HR |
SO |
BB |
| August |
30 |
AAA |
vs |
Oklahoma |
4 |
5 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
| August |
24 |
AAA |
@ |
Omaha |
6 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
| August |
19 |
AAA |
@ |
Albuquerque |
6 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
| August |
13 |
AAA |
vs |
Round Rock |
6.2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
| August |
8 |
AA |
@ |
San Antonio |
7 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
| August |
2 |
AA |
vs |
Tulsa |
6.2 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
1 |
| July |
28 |
AA |
@ |
NW Arkansas |
5 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
| July |
23 |
AA |
vs |
Arkansas |
4.1 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
| July |
18 |
AA |
vs |
NW Arkansas |
6 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| July |
10 |
AA |
vs |
NW Arkansas |
4.2 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
4 |
Congratulations to our
Springfield
Cardinals Starting
Pitcher of the Year, Jess Todd!
Master article with all 2008
Scout.com Cardinals Minor League Players of the Year and the schedule for daily
announcements: link.
(This link is also permanently located at the lower left of The Birdhouse home
page.)
© 2008
stlcardinals.scout.com. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or
redistributed.