I don’t think I’ve heard anything about Matt Scherer, but combing over the Palm Beach Cardinal stats I’m suprised no one has mentioned his name before. Scherer was drafted in the 16th round out of the 2004 first year player draft. He started 12 games that season for Johnson City, going 2-5 with a 4.03. The next season he started 24 games for the Swing of the Quad Cities, posting a solid 3.96 ERA over 134 innings. That’s all solid and good, but Scherer didn’t really look like a top tier prospect, just a solid arm who pitched fairly well in the low A ranks that you just hope will continue to develop and perhaps some day really blossom.

But since Scherer has moved to the bullpen for the Palm Beach squad this season, he has blossomed. He’s been the set up man for Springfield closer Matt Sillman (who I’ll get to in a minute), and he’s been dominating the league, posting 89 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched. He’s also demonstrated good control, walking only 15 batters. That’s about double of his K/9 rate as a starter (12.1 verses 6.45) and he’s shaved down his walk rate. The scouting report on Scherer says he has a heavy fastball, a slider and throws an occasional split-finger fastball. He’s an imposing figure on the mound at 6-5, 230 pounds.

The closer for the Palm Beach Cardinals is Mike Sillman, a 25 year old side-arming righty drafted also in the 04 draft, 21st round. He’s had dominating K ratios, 11/9IP at three different levels, but has had trouble with command with over 5 BB/9 through that span. He’s toned that down this season, with a 71:17 K/BB ratio in 49.2 innings, 1.09 ERA, opponents are only hitting .185 against and he has 29 saves to boot. Seems pretty old to be in A ball, but he’s too raw for AAA and Mark Worrell is entrenched as the closer at AA where Cody Doyne also is pretty good as the set up guy. Without seeing him pitch, I’m guessing Sillman has the chance to be Byung-Yung Kim before he was destroyed, and hopefully not after. 

Both pitchers are worth keeping an eye on as they climb up the ranks.

Mark Hamilton homered twice tonight for the State College Spikes, his 5th of the year in only 34 at bats. Hamilton was the 76th pick in the draft, and Bryan Smith at Baseball Analysts had this to say about the young slugger.

"Unfortunately for Hamilton, being drafted here means he enters an organization for which he has no future. Fortunately, he immediately becomes the system’s best power hitter, and profiles to move quickly. Hamilton would have led the nation in home runs if not for Hurricane Katrina, which kept Hamilton playing in a pitcher-friendly "home" ballpark. Earlier in the year we read about Hamilton’s big power showing on Friday nights, indicating he should transfer to the next level better than power collegiate competitors Aaron Bates and Matt LaPorta. Finally, Hamilton was solid in the Cape last summer, so wood bats won’t be a problem, either. Expect Hamilton to get more respect in the trade market in 2008, when he is ready for the show."

Smith says he has no future with the Cards, as he’s going to be blocked by another 1st baseman, um, what’s his name? But in 05 Hamilton did play 32 games in left field as a sophmore, so he’s not certain trade bait. If he keeps slugging I’m sure the Cards will find a position for him.  Also for the Spikes, first rounder Adam Ottavino pitched 4.1 solid innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and a walk, striking out 4.

Elsewhere in the farm system: Colby Rasmus hit his 11th HR of the season, but the Swing lost in extra innings 3-2. Ex-Nebraska Husker and power hitting 1st baseman Brandon Buckman hit a double and a homerun in a losing cause for Johnson City. Buckman was selected in the 19th round. (He also took AZ 1st rounder Max Scherzer deep earlier this year.) Nick Webber was roughed up pitching for Palm Beach, giving up 6 runs on 6 hits in 5 innings. Amaury "the Body" Marti went 3 for 4, including a double and a HR, his 3rd of the season, but the Cards still lost at the fins of the Manatees. (Barbara Manatee, Manatee…you are the one for me, one for me!…some of you with small children know what that’s about!)

Springfield was off tonight and Memphis, well, honestly who really cares about how Memphis fared? The highlight of the game from my standpoint is that Josh Kinney went had a perfect inning and a third, fanning 3 and Junior Spivey had a pinch hit RBI single. Memphis 5, Nashville 1.

Terry Evans homered again for Springfield, his 7th for Springfield in 50 at bats, and his 22nd homer between Palm Beach and Springfield this season. (Eat your heart out, John Rodriguez.) Evans (25) was drafted in the 47th round in 2001. In his past 4 minor league seasons, he’s only hit 40 HR and has hit .239/.303/.394. I don’t know what’s changed with Evans’ approach, but it’s working. A few other added bonuses: He stolen 25 bases out of 27 attempts, and he plays corner outfield. He strikes out a bit too much (65 times in 288 at bats) and he could stand to walk a bit more (21 BB’s, 1 walk since coming to AA) but with the punchless trio of Timo, Tagu, and Roderwiffle, Evans should be starting to intrigue the F.O.

Not sure if anyone noticed or cares, but 16th round draft pick Tommy Pham did sign with the Cardinals and is playing in the Appy League. He’s 6 for 13 so far for Johnson City, including a double, a triple, a walk and a stolen base. (And two errors.)

He’s a shortstop from Durango High School in Nevada, where he was the 4A Division Player of the Year, hitting .633 with 8 HR. He was considered by a Baseball America affiliate to be the top High School player in Las Vegas (big fish, relatively small pond, I know. But hey, Brad Thompson is out of LV.) BA also named him to their second team 2006 All American. He ran the 60 in 6.84 seconds and can throw 91mph. It looks like the Cardinals will have him play at short for now, but he has the arm to pitch.   

Pham had already signed with perennial college powerhouse Cal State Fullerton, but the Cards were able to pry him. Of course it’s very early, but he may be one to keep an eye on. Yeah, the draft was very college, but here’s a pretty strong high school talent in Pham. 

Mitchell Boggs, selected by the Cards in last year’s draft out of the University of Georgia threw a 1 hitter tonight for Palm Beach. He struck out 11 and walked no one. How ’bout that?

Remember the 27 year old Cuban the Cards drafted a week ago? He homered in his second at bat for Palm Beach tonight. That Cuban, who’s name I’m sure most of you remember is Amaury Cazanos Marti. He went 2-3 with a homerun, a single and a strikeout hitting in the #3 spot in the lineup. Blake Hawksworth picked up the W in a rain shortened 7 inning game. He walked two, allowed 4 hits and two runs and struck out 1. Hawksworth’s ERA is now sitting at 2.47.

Also of note:

• Colby Rasmus has homered in 2 straight games, for 7 total for this season.  The 19 year old center fielder is now hitting .299/.351/.445 in 238 at bats. He’s also stolen 13 bases.  Colby recently had a little Q and A session at the forum Gateway Redbirds, be sure to check it out.
• Miami U closer and Cardinal draft pick Chris Perez pitched in the 5th thru the 8th innings last night, striking out 5 and allowing 2 runs. Another Cardinal draft pick, Jon Jay, went 3 for 3  with a key stolen base and scored the go ahead run. The victory ensured the ‘Canes a trip to the College World Series where they will face the University of Oregon.

But today is my birthday. Today was also draft day, as the Cardinals picked 20 different players today. With the help of much Googling, here’s the scoop on the draftees.

Adam Ottavino, RHP, Northeastern U-Led Northeastern with a 2.98 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 93-2/3 innings…had a 4-5 record…named first-team All-CAA…dominated No. 1 ranked Georgia Tech, striking out 12 batters while allowing just two hits, but lost 2-1 on March 7…struck out 12 batters again and allowed just four hits and no runs as Huskies blanked Delaware 3-0….named CAA Co-Pitcher of the Week on March 28…threw his first career no-hitter and struck out 14 batters in 2-0 win over James Madison April 7. According to Will Kimmey of Baseball America.com, the no-hitter verses James Madison was something special, as Madison was averaging 9.6 runs a game. That’s a lot of strikeouts, but what is equally impressive is the command he exhibited, allowing only 33 walks in 93.2 IP. John Sickels of the terrific blog Minor League Ball loves him. His dad John is an actor and has appeared on Law & Order and NYPD Blue. Throws a good fastball and slider.

Chris Perez, RHP, CL, University of Miami-Chris Perez enters the season has Miami’s undisputed closer and will be a candidate for numerous ACC and national awards … named to the 2006 Brooks Wallace Award Preseason Watch List … spent the summer on the U.S. National team with UM teammate Jon Jay and some of college baseball’s best players … began the 2005 season in the starting rotation but moved into the closer role following a long layoff due to injury … was 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA and two saves in seven appearances for Team USA … excellent frame and a live fastball to go with it that runs in the low to mid 90s … made 11 appearances in 2004 including one spot start on March 20 against Illinois-Chicago … did not pitch during the final two months of his freshman season due to a fatigued shoulder. In 46.2 innings, Perez has struck out 56 and walked 28, closing 12 games and holding the opposition to a .165 BA. Good, lively fastball. I find it interesting the Cardinals pick up a pretty polished college closer, though I’m not really reading anything into it. You gotta worry a bit about that shoulder. Sickels says he likes his odds of moving rapidly to the big leagues.

Brad Furnish, LHP, Texas Christian U-I’ll cut to the chase here. Here threw a no-hitter early in the season, but hasn’t been the most consistent pitcher with a 4.16 ERA. But he’s a lefty who throws hard (92-94) with a good curve who  has struck out 230 in 225 innings.

Jon Jay, OF, L/L U of Miami-Jon Jay enters the 2006 season as one of the country’s elite outfielders …preseason second team All-American by Baseball America, Louisville Slugger and the NCBWA … led the team in hitting (.408) and on-base percentage (.490) … posted two 17-game hitting streaks and the seventh-highest single-season batting average in UM history … holds a career .387 batting average that ranks him fourth all-time at Miami … solid all-around player with good speed and an accurate arm … will play in center field after playing left field his first two seasons … We picked him 74th, Sickels had us picking him 106th. Thinks he could do well in the minors. Speedy leadoff guy who walked (38) more then he struck out (24) this season. Stole 27 bases out of 32 attempt. 20 extra base hits in 197 at-bats makes me think he could have some decent power potential.

Mark Hamilton, L/L, 1b, Tulane-Power-hitting lefty, hit 20 HR and slugged .643 and hit .336. Drew 51 walks to 42 strikeouts. I like this pick quite a bit, but he’ll have to eventually learn to play OF or he’s trade bait. Sickels had him at pick #28 in the first round, which says a bit. Luckily, he slipped to us.  (Hat tip to lboros at VEB for the find of Sickel’s quote.)

Gary Daley Jr. RHP, San Luis Obispo. I’m confused here, he had a 5.48 ERA in 111 IP. He struck out 110 and walked 61. That’s about all I got here, doesn’t seem like much, but I guess the Cardinals see something they like here.

Eddie Degerman, RHP, Rice U. Baseball America said this about him earlier this spring "Degerman has found a hard time gaining appreciation. He spent two years at UC Irvine without once making an appearance. He worked out of Rice’s bullpen in 2004 and opened 2005 there before ending the year as the staff ace. Still, he slipped to the Red Sox in the 41st round. His value has appreciated since then, thanks to his 12-to-6 curveball and precision command. He has put up PlayStation numbers for the Owls, going 6-0, 0.98 with a 76-19 strikeout-walk ratio and 29 hits allowed in 55 innings. Batters have hit .149 with only one home run against Degerman."  (hat tip lboros @ www.vivaelbirdos.com.) He looks like he could be So Taguchi’s long lost son.  He also sounds like a potential steal and I have a good a very good feeling about him. In his last outing just two days ago, he pitched 8 scoreless innings, walking only 2, allowing 5 hits and striking out 14(!). All this against #3 Baylor. More from Kimmey at BA "(Eddie is) a pitcher with dominating numbers but mechanics that scared away some scouts. The Rice righthander’ unorthodox straight-over-the-top arm slot and huge curveball helped him to a 12-1, 1.67 senior season with 150 strikeouts in 113 innings."

Shane Robinson, R/R, OF, Collegiate Baseball’s National Player of the Year in 2005. Another speedster like Jay, only much smaller at 165 pounds. Stole 32 bases out of 36 attempts, and had a very high OBP of .445.

For the sake of this thing not going much longer, I’ll just skip down to one of the last and one of the most intriguing picks of the day, (edited 6/7/06, now with link. Hat tip to Liam’s comment at GUB.) Amara Cazani Marti. Yep, he’s 27 years old, a rightfielder that just defected out of Cuba and has experience playing for the Cuban national team. Says Cardinal scouting director Jeff Luhnow "He’s got some pretty extraordinary tools. He’s got a type of bat that can contribute immediately. I think he’s one of the strongest baseball players I’ve ever seen. You look at his arms, you look at his legs, this guy is incredibly strong. He has bat speed that you can’t teach." The Cardinals could start him as high as AA this season.

Something new I’m going to attempt to do is a daily minor league update for the low-A levels to AAA. Hopefully, I can keep it going for the rest of the season.

Memphis Redbirds defeated the Tacoma Rainiers 3-1 last night. Skip Schumaker set the table for the Redbirds, going 2 for 4 in the leadoff spot. Skip is currently hitting .394 in Memphis. Brian Daubuch and Travis Hanson both homered and Alan Benes pitched 5 solid innings, allowing 2 hits and a walk, with 2 strikeouts. Brian Falkenborg picked up the save.

Springfield beat Midland 2-1. Stu Pomeranz became the first pitcher to win 6 games in the Texas League, improving his record to 6-0. In 7 innings, he allowed only 1 run on 4 walks and 3 hits, striking out 4. Mark Worrell picked up his 12th save.

Palm Beach won against the Lakeland Tigers, 4-3. The Cardinals scored 3 of their 4 runs in the 9th to win. Actually, it was more like the Tigers just unraveled as they walked 5 batters and had a throwing error. The last walk won the game. Nick Webber struggled early, giving up 3 runs in the first inning. After that, he pitched 5 scoreless innings, walking 2, striking out 2 and allowing a total of 7 hits. A sinker-ball pitcher, Webber got 14 of his outs on the ground.

In a battle of stupid names, the Swing of the Quad Cities defeated the Clinton Lumberkings 10-5. Catching prospect Bryan Anderson had a big game, going 4 for 4, hitting 2 doubles and 3 RBI’s.  Randy Roth went 3 for 4, also hitting two doubles. AJ Van Slyke also went 3 for 4 with a double and Colby Rasmus got a hit and drew a walk.