NEWS & NOTES

Updated March 9, 2000

March 11

The Cards retirement home adds another: Bryan Rupert, late of the Potomac Cannons,  has joined fellow catcher Aaron Pemberthy and retired from professional baseball. He was drafted in the 6th round of the '97 draft but missed his entire rookie season due to injury. He batted .209 in two season at Peoria and Potomac with 11 HR and 46 RBI in 121 games. Thanks to Lamar Boone for sharing this information.

Thanks also to Link Keur for providing photos of Josh Pearce and B.R. Cook, which were added to the Top 10 Lower Level Prospects report. The Upper Level Prospects will be posted later this evening.

March 9

I would like to take a moment to address how the Top 10 lower and upper level prospects were selected for those readers who may be new to Cardinals in the Bushes: 

An online survey was conducted through most of February to give readers the opportunity to choose who they thought were the best players in the Cardinals system and were divided into the upper and lower levels. Thirty-seven readers participated and the results were tabulated and are now (and on Friday) being posted along with a brief overview of their 1999 seasons and an opinion on where they may be playing this coming season. I did not personally pick and choose who would and who would not be selected; in fact, I wanted the fans (like myself) to have their own input.

I say this because I have already been accused of having a list that discriminates against the Latin American players in the system. I can assure everyone that this is not the case. I firmly believe that a player should be judged by his performance on the field and I think most fans would agree with me. Please keep in mind that baseball is only a game and that this site--and the Top 10 prospects lists--are meant to be fun. Now I'll step off the soapbox... : )

March 8

Memphis third baseman undergoes surgery: Cardinals power-hitting prospect Chris Haas had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow Monday to remove six bone chips and will likely be out of action for four to six weeks. The elbow had been bothering him since the beginning of spring training.

2000 Prospects posted: The Top 10 Cardinals lower level prospects report has been posted, with the upper level prospects to follow on Friday. The rankings were determined by the votes of CITB readers and correspondents. Also excerpts from the online chat session with Travis Bailey were posted in the newly-renamed Dugout Chatter section (former known as Q & A). At one time there were nine persons in the chat room, including Travis' father and a few of his friends. We appreciated Travis taking the time to join us.

March 6

The first-ever Cardinals in the Bushes chat session went well this evening, with up to eight participants at one point. Travis Bailey was kind enough to join us for two-and-a-half hours of great baseball talk. He gave a lot of insights into his career and playing professional baseball in the Cardinals system. Thanks to everyone who took part in the discussion and especially to Travis for taking the time to join us. I'll post some excerpts of the chat tomorrow.

March 5

Cards Prospects Doing Well: Several Cardinals prospects and minor league free agent signees have contributed to the team's 2-1 record so far in the Grapefruit League. Today RHP Chad Hutchinson pitched three scoreless innings, striking out three batters and walking two. The only hit he allowed was a broken bat single. Manager Tony LaRussa commented that the former Stanford QB could possibly make the club as a long reliever...LHP Justin Brunette earned the win in Sunday's 2-1 victory, going two scoreless frames with 3 K's, 2 BB and a hit batsman...1B Chris Richard had a three-run home run in the Cards' wild 17-15 victory over the Expos Saturday and OF Ernie Young had a two-run shot as well...OF Esix Sneed made an appearance Saturday as a pinch runner.

The Cards & the 2000 Draft: The Cardinals will have the 13th overall pick in the June 2000 draft, according to Baseball America. They will also have the 24th pick in the initial round as compensation for the signing of free agent LHP Darren Oliver over the winter. Their selections in the following four rounds will be: 53rd overall in the second round; 83rd in the third; 113th in the fourth; and 143rd in the fifth round. Click here to read the overall list.

Rookie Catcher Calls It Quits: 1999 25th round pick Aaron Pemberthy has retired after just 16 games as a professional. The 23-year-old Fresno, CA resident split his rookie season between New Jersey and Johnson City and batted .240 with 6 RBI.

March 2

Lamar Boone, president of the Potomac Cannons Booster Club and editor of their Booster Club site, e-mailed me that SS Brad Freeman will be trading in his infielder's glove and ballcap for a set of shoulder pads and a football helmet. The 24-year-old Oxford, MS resident has effectively retired as an active baseball player and signed a contract with the Indianpolis Colts of the NFL. A seventh-round draft pick by the Cardinals in 1998, he played two seasons in the organization at New Jersey and Potomac, batting .240 overall with four home runs, 63 RBI and 28 stolen bases.

March 1

Cardinals minor league third baseman Travis Bailey will be our guest in the CITB Chat Room on Monday, March 6 at 7:00 CST (8:00 EST). Travis, who was the Cardinals 15th round pick in the 1999 draft, made his professional debut at New Jeresy last season.and led the team in home runs and RBI. To take part in the chat, you must be a subscriber to the CITB Newsletter. Click here to join the mailing list and get your questions ready!

Feb. 29

Tidbits from Jupiter: Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports this morning that 3B Chris Haas has a "minor elbow problem" and spring training invitee OF Glenn Murray has a "minor" back injury...LHP Rick Ankiel has had a little soreness in his pitching arm but pitching coach Dave Duncan isn't worried...Speaking of Rick: the Cincinnati Enquirer has an interesting article on the young Redbird lefty.

'99 Draft Pick Released: The Cardinals released RHP Mark Butler a few weeks ago. He was drafted in the 30th round out of Bellevue (NE) University but he grew up in Illinois as a Cardinals and Cubs fan. He was 2-0 with New Jeresy but had a 7.32 ERA in 20 IP in relief. He walked 22 batters and fanned only 8.

I'm starting to put the final touches on the Top 10 upper and lower level prospects and I hope to have it posted by this weekend.

Feb. 18

Baseball is back!! Pitchers and catchers reported to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL yesterday and the positions players will soon follow. "Little Mac" Joe McEwing (whom Mike Jorgensen refers to as the Cardinals Player Development Poster Boy) and Adam Kennedy were among the players venturing south to begin the spring ritual. The Post-Dispatch had an article on Kennedy this morning and indicated that (no surprise) he would probably start the 2000 campaign at Memphis.

There have been 29 participants so far in the 2000 Top 10 Prospects survey--thanks to those who have taken part! I'm currently working on the special season preview that will be featured in March. The team correspondents will also be offering their opinions on what the rosters of their respective teams might look like come April (or June for the short season affiliates).

George Bailey has agreed to write the Arkansas Travelers report this season. Now every team but Johnson City will have a correspondent. If there's anyone interested in covering the Cardinals rookie affiliate, please e-mail me. Welcome aboard, George!

Feb. 7

Sorry about the recent lack of updates! But I had a good excuse: my wife and I have added a daughter to the family, Brianna Marie, who was born on Feb. 2. Both mom and baby are doing great, although mom and I are getting less sleep these days. : )

Peoria Gets 4-Year Deal: This week, the Cardinals announced that they have extended their player development agreement with Class A Peoria through the 2004 season. "We like the ownership, the city, the location, the way the fans have treated our players," director of player development Mike Jorgensen told the Peoria Journal-Star, "and the fact they're talking about a new ballpark." Peoria is the third affiliate to enjoy a four-year agreement along with New Jersey and Memphis.

Longtime Organist is Retiring: Alfreda Wilson, longtime organist at Ray Winder Field (home of the Arkansas Travelers), is retiring after 30 years of entertainment. I had the opportunity to talk with ther this past summer and I'll post some of her comments this season.

New Faces: There should be a lot of major and minor league veterans at Triple-A Memphis this season for the inaugural season at the Redbirds' new downtown ballpark, AutoZone Park. In just the past week, INF Shawon Dunston, OF Brian McRae and C Rick Wilkins were signed to minor league contracts with spring training invites. 1B Eduardo Perez, who started at Memphis much of the '99 season and had a September call-up, was also resigned. Dunston and McRae have a good shot at going north with St. Louis while Wilkins and Perez will probably start the season in the Bluff City.

Something to Ponder: At the recent Cardinals Caravan at Dyersburg, TN, one fan asked former Sanford quarterback and current Cards pitching prospect Chad Hutchinson if he would ever consider returning to football. He answered that he had not closed any doors to a possible NFL career if baseball doesn't work out. Could the Cardinals have another Brian Jordan situation on their hands?

Two New Writers Added: Andrew Edgerley and Don Ward have joined the CITB staff for the 2000 season as team correspondents for Memphis and Potomac respectively. We look forward to their contributions this spring! Right now there are team correspondents for every affiliate except Arkansas and Johnson City. If you are interested or would like more information on what is involved, please email me here.

Top 10 Upper & Lower Level Prospects Survey: Subscribers to the new, totally free e-mail newsletter can take part in this survey to determine who you think are the Cardinals' best and brightest future stars. Getting the newsletter also lets you know when updates and new articles are added to the site. To subscribe, please click here.

Tidbits from the Transactions: The Cardinals released P Francisco Matew, who played two seasons in the system. The Dominican righthander had a combined 4-6 record at Johnson City and New Jersey...Former farmhand 2B Jeff Berblinger signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals and P Doug Creek (who had been traded to San Francisco in the Royce Clayton deal in '96) with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays along with a spring training invitation.

Jan. 30

It looks like shortstop prospect Jason Woolf could start the 2000 season in St. Louis. Manager Tony LaRussa wants to use his speed off the bench as a backup for SS Edgar Renteria if he can stay healthy. Woolf has been plagued with various injuries the past two years... RHP Chad Hutchinson may also have a shot at joining the Cardinals on their way north, although I would guess that he will start the season at Memphis and work on his control against Triple-A batters first.

I will be posting a newsletter for interested readers that will give information on updates to the site as well as on the book I am currently writing on the Cardinals' farm system. Click here to sign up for it.

Jan. 27

There hasn't been a whole lot of minor league news to report here lately. RHP Curtis King, who was released earlier, has signed with the Cleveland Indians...I attended the Cardinals Caravan last evening at Dyersburg, TN, which featured Rick Ankiel, Chad Hutchinson, and Adam Kennedy. The event drew a nice crowd although a few Atlanta Braves fans managed somehow to infiltrate the show. ; ) Former Cards third baseman and Caravan MC Ken Reitz predicted a St. Louis Rams victory on Super Bowl Sunday, which drew a nice response from the many Tennessee Titans fans in attendance.

The six affiliation pages have been spruced up for the upcoming season. For those who like to listen to Memphis, Peoria, and Potomac games on the Web, I have added a convenient radio icon link in the left hand corner to access the broadcasts. Some fans may not know that New Jersey televises several games over the 'Net and they can be seen from the New Jersey page.

Jan. 23

I have been making some changes to the main page and affiliation pages and I will try to add some new notes tomorrow evening. I'm still working on the Chris Duncan article and I will also have one on Jack Wilson in the near future. Also, check back for a new Q & A with Potomac Cannons manager Joe Cunningham.

Cardinals in the Bushes: The Book
Coming Spring 2001!

The St. Louis Cardinals farm system will be the focus of this forthcoming book and will include profiles of such prospects as Rick Ankiel, Adam Kennedy, Chad Hutchinson, Andy Bevins, Ben Johnson, and Stubby Clapp, as well as the men working behind the scenes such as Mike Jorgensen, Mark Riggins, Dyar Miller, and many more.

Click here to be added to our book mailing list for updates.

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