The Cardinals Caravan, which annualy sends players and alumni to the far-flung reaches of Cardinal Nation, is making a stop in Springfield on Monday, presumably to celebrate Martin Luther King Day.
On the docket for the event at the Prairie Capital Convention Center are Jason Motte, Tyler Greene, Jaime Garcia and Adam Ottavino and alumni Ken Reitz, Glenn Brummer and John Costello. *cough* That’s not exactly a Murderer’s Row of names. Heck, it’s barely an Improper Lane User’s Row. In fact, to an average fan, those players may as well be on the Springfield Sliders.
No matter; I still plan on going. Last year’s event was fun, when David Freese (pre car accident) was among the players on the trip. I asked him what I thought was a hilarious question:
Since you’re from St. Louis, did your buddies give you a hard time for being the guy that got Jim Edmonds sent out of town?
I don’t think he thought it was all that hilarious, but he politely answered with a non-answer, something about being happy to be here and giving 110 percent one game at a time.
Anyway, we here at 5iveclock aim to educate. So in case you haven’t the foggiest who these players are, read on:
Jason Motte: Surely you know of this guy: Former light-hitting catcher turned fireballing reliever. He was the de facto closer going into last season but was sacked after one game. Maybe I can ask him if he’s finally developed that breaking ball.
Tyler Greene: Toolsy McShortstop is a very intruiging player. He’s got a bit of thump in his bat and is an excellent base-stealer; his career minor-league SB percentage is 88 percent, well above the break-even point. Dude needs to learn to take a few more pitches, though. He struck out 32 times against just four walks in 116 plate appearances with the big club.
Jaime Garcia: This is the guy to watch during spring training. Drafted in 2005, Garcia was considered a top pitching prospect before his obligatory Tommy John surgery late in the 2008 season. He came back midway through 2009 and seemed to hit the ground running. His combination of a high strikeout rate (career minor-league rate of 8.3 K/9IP) and a high-groundball rate bodes well for future success. I’d like to think he’s first in line for the No. 5 slot in the 2010 rotation.
Adam Ottavino: A first-round pick in 2006, Ottavino seemed at the time a “safe” pick: a high-floor, low-ceiling college pitcher. His numbers since then have borne that assumption out: He hasn’t been bad, but he hasn’t set the world on fire, either. With guys like Garcia, Blake Hawksworth and Kyle McClellan ahead of him for the Cardinals’ rotation, Ottavino stands to spend another year in Memphis.
Um, they’re OBVIOUSLY celebrating MY birthday.