2000
Top 10 St. Louis Cardinals
Lower Level Prospects
Complied by Kevin McCann
and the readers of Cardinals in the Bushes
Posted March 8, 2000
The following players were selected by CITB readers who took part in a survey throughout the month of February.
1
BEN JOHNSON OF
The Cardinals 1999 4th round draft pick from Germantown (TN) High School had almost as good a rookie season as the more highly-touted No. 1 overall pick Josh Hamilton of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in their Appalachian League debuts. Ben was ninth in the league with a .330 batting average and lead Johnson City with 10 HR and 51 RBI. He also finished third with 14 stolen bases. He will likely jump into his first full pro season at Peoria this season.
2
CHANCE CAPLE RHP
The Cardinals No. 1 1999 draft pick out of Texas A & M debuted at New Jersey but made only seven starts, going 0-4 with a 4.38 ERA. Chance struck out 36 batters in 37 innings pitched and allowed less than one hit per frame. He has a great fastball and a nasty curve. New Jersey correspondent Debbi Cortright made the following observation: "When he is coming set to go into his windup, he has a habit of grinding his left toe into the ground on the pitcher's mound. This in and of itself is not so bad, but while he is doing it, runners are stealing on him almost at will. I'm sure that this is something that will probably be ironed out as he progressed through the system."
Chance was No. 19 on Baseball America's Top 100 college prospects going into the '99 draft. He will likely get his first taste of full season ball at either Peoria or Potomac.
3
JOSH PEARCE RHP
Selected by the Cardinals in the 2nd round of the '99 draft, Josh started his pro career at New Jersey. His 3-7 record in 14 starts is deceiving as he allowed only one hit per inning pitched and struck out 78 batters to lead the New Jersey staff amd walked 20. "He can best be compared to Greg Maddux," notes New Jersey correspondent Debbi Cortright. "He needs to be conservative with his pitch counts and get in front of hitters early. When he does, he is totally unstoppable...When he isn't so crisp, he struggles mightily."
4
B.R. COOK & JOSH TEEKEL RHPs
B.R. Cook, the Cardinals' 3rd round pick out of Oregon State University, had an impressive rookie season at New Jersey, going 5-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 9 games (all but one as a starter). The 6'-4" righthander fanned 42 and allowed only 42 hits in 44 innings. B.R. could debut this season at Peoria, though it wouldn't be a surprise to see him wearing Potomac purple come April.
Josh Teekel was drafted in the 6th round and was the first high school hurler selected by St. Louis. He spent the season at Johnson City where he posted a 2-3 record in 8 starts and a 5.35 ERA. He fanned 42 batters and walked only 8, but yielded 41 hits in 34 innings pitched. He should be in the New Jersey rotation this June.
5
TIM LEMON OF
KEVIN SPRAGUE LHP
Like most of his teammates, Tim struggled at the plate with New Jersey (.198-4-29), though he did steal 16 bases (but was also caught 16 times). The organization, however, really doesn't pay as much attention to statistics at the rookie levels so the former 2nd round pick should be part of a very talented Peoria outfield in 2000.
Kevin Sprague was the Cardinals' 10th round selection in the '99 draft. The 6'-4" lefthander led the Johnson City staff with 73 K's and finished with a 5-3 record and 3.23 ERA. He will likely start the 2000 season with New Jersey.
6
ELIEZER ALFONZO C
CHRIS DUNCAN IB
Eliezer boasted the best batting average (.326) on a '99 New Jersey club that finished last in the New York-Penn League overall at .233. He also managed to cut down on his strikeout totals from the previous season but still doesn't walk a lot. "He moves well for a catcher," notes New Jersey correspondent Debbi Cortright, "and this gives him the ability to come out of his croutch quickly as he fires to the bases. He's also as tough as can be." After two years at Skylands Park, the 21-year-old Venezuelan should spend 2000 at full-season Peoria.
The son of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, Chris was the team's supplemental 1st round '99 pick as compensation for free agent Delino DeShields' departure to the Baltimore Orioles. He was ranked by Baseball America as the nation's 86th best H.S. prospect going into the '99 draft. The power-hitting first baseman finished second at Johnson City with 6 home runs and 34 RBI; he also finished second with 34 strikeouts and batted only .214. The consensus is that he will need to shorten his swing to be successful and should do so at New Jersey this season.
7
CORVELLI CRISP 2B
I couldn't help but laugh when I first heard his name announced at Johnson City: "Now batting, No. 4, Corvelli 'Coco' Crisp!" (You know, the breakfast cereal?) Anyway, the Cardinals' 7th round pick out of L.A. Pierce Junior College has speed, swiping a team-best 27 bases in 33 attempts. He also had a decent rookie season at the plate, batting .258 and scoring 52 runs. With 2B Ramon Carvajal likely ticketed for full-season Peoria, look for "Coco" to start 2000 at New Jersey.
8
JOHNNY HERNANDEZ OF
GABE JOHNSON C
Johnny Hernandez, the Cards' 15th pick in the '98 draft, started his rookie season at Johnson City in '99 where he batted a modest .262 with 32 stolen bases (second on the club) and 32 RBI. The switch-hitter earned a promotion to New Jersey toward the end of the year and wasn't awed by the New York-Penn League pitching, hitting .394 in 10 games. Mike Jorgensen has hinted that he will likely join former teammates Ben Johnson and Tim Lemon at Peoria in 2000.
Despite his conversion from shortstop to catcher the last two seasons, Gabe Johnson is regarded as the best catching prospect in a system sorely lacking in them. The '98 3rd round pick was hampered by a back injury at the beginning of the season and hit only .194 in 35 games. He is still learning the position and will likely do so at Peoria this coming season.
9
DONOVAN GRAVES RHP
Donovan started his rookie season in the Johnson City bullpen before cracking the starting rotation toward season's end. Overall he posted a record of 3-1 with a 3.71 ERA in 19 games. The 27th round pick throws from over the top and with success, striking out 51 Appalachian League batters in 44 innings pitched. He also has great poise for an 18-year-old. Donovan should start the season at New Jersey.
10
TROY McNAUGHTON OF
In his second professional season, Troy batted .273 with Peoria and led the club in games (125), hits (132) and RBI (84) and finished second with 14 home runs. The Canadian native was the Cardinals' 31st round pick in the '98 draft out of Brigham Young University. He will likely move up the Cardinals minor league ladder to Potomac in 2000.