Pronunciation
Last name is pronounced "HAR-ther".

Current Contract
Signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on March 4, 2008. On the club's 40-Man Roster.

Became a Cardinal
Selected in the 6th round (192nd overall) of the June, 2002 First-Year Player Draft. Signed to a 2003 contract on July 31, 2002. Received a $250,000 signing bonus.

2007 Season
Haerther missed most of the season due to a wrist bone bruise he suffered in spring training. He did play in 37 games for Double-A Springfield, after four re-hab games in the Gulf Coast League. Hearther hit .289/.377/.486 with five home runs and 28 RBI for Springfield.

The Cardinals tried to sneak him through waivers at the end of the season with Toronto picking him off the wire, only to have St. Louis re-claim him later and add him to the 40-man roster.

2006 Season
Haerther hit .277/.336/.437 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI in 412 at-bats for Double-A Springfield. He improved considerably as the season went on. Batting only .234 on July 1, Haerther hit .320, .326 and .333 in July, August and September, respectively. He was added to the Cardinals 40-man roster following the season.

Career Notes
In 2004, Haerther hit .316 with 20 doubles, five home runs and 45 RBIs in 326 at-bats before a MRI in early August revealed a hairline fracture in his left leg that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.

Haerther began the 2005 season with high Class A Palm Beach and hit .318 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 173 at-bats to earn a promotion to Double-A Springfield on May 31. He got off to a slow start in Double-A but came around to hit .298/.333/.500 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 65 games. He hit .203 in 18 games for the Surprise Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League following the season.

Player Awards
Birdhouse Top 40 Prospect 2008: #27
Birdhouse Top 40 Prospect 2007: #12
Birdhouse Top 40 Prospect 2006: #5
FSL All-Star 2005
Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month, June 2004

Photo: MLB Photos