For 2013, the Kansas City Royals invited nine pitchers, four catchers, four infielders and four outfielders to Spring Training in Surprise, AZ. This year’s list of invitees are a mix of young prospects and veteran Minor and Major League players wanting a shot at the Majors.

It’s a long shot for any of these players to make the Opening Day roster. They need an extraordinary spring training and other regular players to succumb to injury or poor performance. And the Royals would need to add them to the 40-man roster. If the team has to rely on these players to win in 2013, they’re in trouble. I’ll list the players invited and who I think could make the Opening Day roster.

Pitchers (9): RHP Blaine Boyer, RHP Sugar Ray Marimon, RHP Michael Mariot, RHP Brian Sanches, LHP Atahualpa Severino, LHP George Sherrill, RHP Yordano Ventura, LHP Ryan Verdugo, RHP Dan Wheeler

Most likely to make the roster: Ryan Verdugo, Dan Wheeler

The 25-year-old Ryan Verdugo spent most of 2012 with AAA Omaha, had a 12-4 record with a 3.75 ERA. He had a forgettable Major League debut last July, lasting 1.2 innings, giving up eight hits and six earned runs against the Seattle Mariners. He’ll need an impressive spring training to make the Royals Opening Day roster. And if he does make the Royals roster, it’s probably as a reliever.

Dan Wheeler is a 13-year veteran reliever with a career 3.98 ERA in 589 games with 640.2 innings pitched. He has a good 2.86 SO/BB ratio and does better against right-handed batters with a 4.04 SO/BB ratio compared to a 1.70 SO/BB ratio against left-handed batters. If he has a good spring, he could offer veteran leadership for a young bullpen.

Catchers (4): Adam Moore, Manuel (Manny) Pina, Max Ramirez, Julio Rodriguez

Most likely to make the roster: Manuel (Manny) Pina

If it wasn’t for a knee injury during last year’s spring training, the 25-year-old Pina would be the backup to Brayan Pena after Salvador Perez‘s knee injury. Pena signed with the Detroit Tigers this offseason, so Pina could be the Royals backup catcher.

Infielders (4): Christian Colon, Anthony Seratelli, Miguel Tejada, Brandon Wood

Most likely to make the roster: Christian Colon, Miguel Tejada

If Johnny Giavotella and Chris Getz falter, the Royals may give the 23-year-old Christian Colon a shot at second. Yes, he spent most of Minor League career as a shortstop, but Alcides Escobar is the starting shortstop and he’s not going anywhere. Second base is the best chance for Colon to make the big leagues, and the Royals should give him every chance to do so. The question is, will they?

If this was ten years ago, the Royals signing Miguel Tejada would be a big deal. But now it’s just a once great player trying to make it back to the Majors. For most of his career, Tajada played shortstop. If the six-time All-Star and 2002 MVP has any hope of making the club, he’ll have to do it at second base. He’s played a few games at second and it’s rumored the Royals may add him to the 40-man roster. It would be nice for the 38-year-old Tejada to make a comeback and have a good season, but not at the expense of a younger player like Colon.

Outfielders (4): Endy Chavez, Luis Durango, Xavier Nady, Willy Taveras

Most likely to make the roster: Endy Chavez, Xavier Nady

Remember Endy Chavez making his Major League debut with the Royals in 2001? If not, it’s understandable, since he only played 29 games with a .208 batting average. After bouncing around with seven other teams, the 34-year-old Chavez is back with the Royals. He’s become a part-time outfielder, who only appeared in 64 games with the Baltimore Orioles in 2012. He did play 21 games last season in right field, so fans can hope he supplants Jeff Francoeur this season. It’s not likely to happen. If Chavez isn’t on the Royals roster, he’ll probably be in Omaha.

The 34-year-old Xaiver Nady is an 11 year Major League veteran who’s spent the last few years as a backup outfielder/pinch hitter. A career .270 hitter, he’s got power potential and he hits well against left and right-handed pitching, but with players like Jarrod Dyson and David Lough ahead of him, Nady is probably Omaha bound.

A few years ago, many of these players would be seriously vying for roster spots. But today these players are organizational depth and “Plan B” players. And that’s a good thing.

After a rough start down in Houston the St. Louis Cardinals picked up right where they left off in April. With Tyler Greene leading the charge.

Second baseman Tyler Greene showed all those offensive skills Sunday that have labeled him still a prospect although he more often than not has been suspect at the big-league level.

Greene, mostly a reserve who was starting at second base against Houston LHP J.A. Happ, clubbed two homers and a double and drove in four runs as he bumped his average to .256. He stole one base and nearly had another and he also turned in a nifty double play in the field as the Cardinals captured the finale of a three-game series from the Astros, 8-1.

First baseman Allen Craig, knocked out for two months last May when he slid into a railing here and suffered a broken right kneecap, got his revenge on Minute Maid Park by homering and doubling and knocking in three runs.

As the Cardinals stopped their losing streak at three games and the Astros’ winning streak at five, RHP Adam Wainwright did what he always does against the Astros. Wainwright, winning his second straight, held the Astros to one run on seven singles in seven innings and struck out seven. It was Wainwright’s 10th win in 11 career decisions against the Astros and his earned-run average for that body of work is 1.54.

But what Greene did certainly was less expected than the feats of the other two. In fact, he did what no other Cardinals second baseman ever has done.

According to SABR research, Greene is the first Cardinals second baseman to have as many as four RBI, three hits and two homers and at least one stolen base in the same game.

“Hopefully, I was able to earn a couple of days out there (in Arizona),” said Greene. “Everybody wants to be out there every day. You just take whatever circumstance you’re given and do the best you can with it.”

A few notes

–1B Allen Craig is hitting .375 and slugging .750 after his first four games, including three doubles and a homer, after leaving the disabled list. “I can’t wait for the year I can see 500 to 600 at-bats from that guy,” said hitting coach Mark McGwire.

–RHP Adam Wainwright is getting closer to the form he displayed in 2009-10, when he won 39 games for the Cardinals before losing last season to an elbow operation. After pitching poorly in his first three starts this season, amassing an unsightly 9.88 ERA along with three losses, Wainwright is 2-0 and 2.70 since then, including a one-run, seven-hit allotment over seven innings on Sunday. “You could see he had a good feel for all his pitches. I don’t think (Wainwright) is very far away now,” manager Mike Matheny said.

–CF Jon Jay turned in his sixth spectacular play of the three-game series when he avoided LF Matt Holliday, who had pulled up, and made a sliding catch on Justin Maxwell‘s drive to left center in the fifth inning.

–Injured 1B Lance Berkman ran in the outfield for some 10 minutes before the game and said his strained left calf “felt a lot better than the other day. Marked improvement.”

–Matheny had pondered giving 34-year-old SS Rafael Furcal a day off Sunday. But too much was happening for Furcal and not enough was happening for the Cardinals.

–Furcal, matching Lou Brock in 1974, had led off six straight games with hits and he had scored in the first inning after five of them. Matheny said, “He was excited about getting in there and facing a lefty (J.A. Happ). And there’s no question that everybody’s pretty excited about winning a game here.” The Cardinals won but Furcal’s streak was snapped with a first-inning fly out.

–St. Louis has scored in the first inning for eight games in a row.

–The Cardinals’ five homers in Monday night’s game were their most since hitting six on July 5, 2007, against Pittsburgh.

–Beltran needs two stolen bases to become the eighth player in major-league history with at least 300 steals and 300 homers.

–Westbrook followed his most difficult outing of the season — a 6-3 home loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates — with his most dominant. He has as many quality starts through this season’s six outings as he managed in the first 16 in 2011

The Kansas City Royals 2012 season is about to begin, but some questions still remain.

Friday night in Anaheim, the Kansas City Royals begin their 2012 season against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. After a relatively quiet off-season, spring training featured the signings of Salvador Perez, Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon to long-term contracts. But the spring also featured a major knee injury to Salvador Perez and season-ending Tommy John surgery for Joakim Soria. As the 2012 season begins, some questions remain for the Royals.

How will the starting rotation fare?
The Royals starting rotation is LHP Bruce Chen, RHP Luke Hochevar, LHP Jonathan Sanchez, RHP Luis Mendoza and LHP Danny Duffy. They’re not going to strike much fear in the hearts of opposing teams, but it should be a better rotation than last year. Bruce Chen is the Opening Day starter and while he’s not an ace, he’s a better Opening Day starter than Scott Elarton (ahh, those were the days). Hochevar improved during the second half of the 2011 season and hopes to improve in 2012. Sanchez should be a solid contributor if he cuts down on his walks. Luis Mendoza played his way into the rotation with a good spring. Duffy is a work in progress, but still has a lot of upside.

The starting rotation is the weak link of the Royals. But if the starters can pitch deep into games and not give up a lot of runs, the bullpen and offense have a chance to win games. And if any of the starters falter, pitchers like RHP Felipe Paulino, LHP Mike Montgomery and RHP Nate Adcock could join the rotation sometime in 2012.

Who will be the Royals closer now that Soria is gone for the year?

The loss of Soria isn’t good, but it’s not devastating. RHP Jonathan Broxton, RHP Greg Holland and RHP Aaron Crow have the ability to close games. Broxton closed for the Los Angeles Dodgers and has the experience. Holland hopes to improve on his successful rookie season and Aaron Crow hopes to bounce back from last year’s second half struggles and regain his first half All-Star form. And some believe RHP Kelvin Herrera has the stuff to be a closer and may have an opportunity to close this year. Yost is non-committal about choosing a closer, preferring to let the guys decide who plays their way into the role.

Who will be the backup catcher when Salvador Perez returns?
It’s likely to be around the All-Star break before Perez returns as the starting catcher. Meanwhile, Brayan Pena and Humberto Quintero will share catching duties, with the possibility of catching for certain starting pitchers. Pena did a serviceable job behind veteran Matt Treanor last year and Quintero makes up for his weak hitting with good defense. Yost will likely give both players a chance to play their way into the backup catcher job or end up catching in AAA Omaha.

Will Johnny Giavotella stay in the Omaha gulag forever?
No, but he needs to improve his defense at second if he wants to stay in Kansas City. Many fans see the “power” of Chris Getz fading quickly and if Giavotella’s defense is in the same neighborhood as Getz, Giavotella will be back. Unless Yost falls in love with Yuniesky Betancourt and makes him the starting second baseman. Well, let’s hope not.

Will the Royals outfield repeat their success of 2011?
Not exactly, but unless injuries come up, Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain and Jeff Francoeur should play close to their 2011 levels. Gordon has found his position in left field and Cain’s strong spring shows what he could do in center. Of the three, Francoeur is the most likely to regress but if he stays consistent, he’ll be fine. And the Royals have the capable Mitch Maier and the speedy Jason Bourgeois to back up Francoeur, Gordon or Cain if needed.

So how will the Royals fare in 2012?
Many baseball pundits believe the Detroit Tigers are the team to beat in the A.L. Central. The Cleveland Indians might be a good team, or they might not. The Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins are in a down year and aren’t expected to do much.

If the Royals starters don’t give up a lot of runs, if the bullpen doesn’t blow leads, if the defense is solid and the offense plays up to their expectations, the Royals have a chance to win the A.L. Central. But if the Royals stumble in April and May like they have in the past and the other Central teams stay around .500, the Royals might find themselves in a hole they can’t get out of.

My optimistic prediction: 89-73, winning the A.L. Central by a couple of games over Detroit and making the playoffs. The Royals become the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals, shocking the baseball world with a game seven walk-off home run by Chris Getz, winning a World Series Championship over the St. Louis Cardinals. (ok, the Getz home run might be a bit too optimistic).

My realistic prediction: 82-80, second place in the A.L. Central behind Detroit and missing the playoffs. Not a World Series Championship, but still a good season and something to build on for the future. Even that may be too optimistic, but after many years of futility, I’m ready for the Royals to be a competitive team. Whatever happens, I’m ready for the 2012 season to begin.

This past week Major League Baseball’s Winter meetings took place in Dallas. Aside from baseball’s offseason actually ending, the Winter Meetings are my favorite part of the offseason. The rumors, rumors of rumors, and whispers of what happened at the hotel make Twitter an interesting baseball read for a short week in December.

What is that critter in this logo?

As a Royals fan the Winter Meetings kind of went like a high school dance. There were rumors of the Royals discussing a trade with Oakland for Gio Gonzales. Sure that trade would have cost the Royals Wil Myers and probably another prospect that we all love. However, Gio Gonzales is a good pitcher and only one year closer to Free Agency than Eric Hosmer. Not sure what Oakland wanted but I’m disappointed the Royals did not do that deal. Like a High School dance and you end up dancing with a girl, and you’re feeling pretty good about yourself. Then you realize said dance partner is dancing with everyone else at the dance too. Same thing happened with Gio Gonzales. The Athletics were shopping him to anyone that would listen. As soon as the Gio Gonzales talks diminished for the Royals the James Shields talks cranked up. Or at least they were rumored to have heated up. Either way, it was clear that Dayton Moore was checking for prospect market prices on an ace pitcher. I have no doubt Wil Myers was brought up in every negotiation.

At the end of the meetings the Royals only made a minor deal in trading Yamaico Navarro to the Pittsburgh Pirates for infielder Diego Goris and a guy with an awesome baseball name…Brooks Pounders, RHP. Pounders’ name created more buzz than the actual trade, and neither of these players are expected to play above AA in 2012. There are 70 days till spring training so there is time for the Royals to make a major deal. However, it looks like the Royals are content to move forward with their current roster. When you look at the other trades and free agent signings that occurred this week, reality seems kind of underwhelming after the rumors that were flying around. Maybe that’s the price of stability. But it would have been nice to land an ace pitcher capable of making Albert Pujols look silly on Opening Day.

Our friends over at Cards Droppings are providing series previews for each series this year. They have agreed to allow I-70 to reprint those previews throughout the season.

Today, Joe White takes a look at what lies ahead for the Cardinals as they take on the Pirates.

After a somewhat disappointing opening series against the Padres, the Cardinals hope that their offense will wake up in time to take on the Pirates. Pittsburgh comes into town after taking two of three from the Cubbies. We have our first night game of the year, and it’s going to be a cold one at the old ballpark tonight. Not exactly great conditions for our offense to come out of its slumber. TLR goes back to having the pitcher hit ninth a day after he broke out his old trick of hitting the pitcher eighth. Our lineup tonight is as follows: Theriot 6, Rasmus 8, Pujols 3, Berkman 9, Craig 7, Freese 5, Molina 2, Schu 4, Lohse 1. It’s interesting that Jon Jay isn’t getting the nod against a righty.

Here are the pitching matchups:

Kyle Lohse vs RHP Charlie Morton (2-12, 7.57 in 2010)
Kyle McClellan vs RHP James McDonald (4-5, 3.52 in 2010)
Chris Carpenter vs RHP Kevin Correia (1-0, 3.00 in 2011)

The Cardinals really struggled against mediocre pitching last year, and I’m hoping that this isn’t a trend that continues in 2011. Although McDonald and Correia both have good stuff, they’re not ever going to be considered dominate pitchers. It would be nice for the club to take advantage of matchups such as these.

The first two games in this series are going to go a long way in telling us how successful the team can be this year. Hopefully both of the Kyles can have good outings. If they’re successful in the four and five spots, the team should be able to compete night in and night out.

Offensively, the Pirates are headed in the right direction. Their offense is headlined by third baseman Pedro Alvarez and center fielder Andrew McCutchen. Alvarez is a power hitter and McCutchen in a burner who can beat you in multiple ways. Second baseman Neil Walker also has some pop, as he showed on Opening Day with his grand slam. Jose Tabata is another nice piece in their lineup. Where the Pirates fall short is their pitching–they just don’t have the type of power arms that it’s going to take to be competitive in this division. If the Cardinals can’t take advantage of that fact, then it could be a rough series.

The Redbirds definitely need to take advantage of this easier early schedule, even with Matt Holliday out. Hopefully a decision on Holliday will come soon. If he’s only going to be out for another week or so, I would think the club would just play short. If it’s another ten days, it makes no sense to me to play short for that long.

You can read more of what the team of writers at Cards Droppings have to say about the team, the season, and the events surrounding the Cardinals by clicking here or follow them on Twitter.

The excitement of Opening Day is tangible in Kansas City, even if everyone knows this 2011 team is only going to be a footnote to the real future of the team.

But that’s not to say 2011 is not an important footnote.

A quick look at the Opening Day roster shows five rookies, all of whom could realistically be a part of a Royals renaissance:

RHP Nate Adcock, LHP Bruce Chen, LHP Tim Collins, RHP Aaron Crow, RHP Kyle Davies, LHP Jeff Francis, RHP Luke Hochevar, RHP Jeremy Jeffress, RHP Sean O’Sullivan, RHP Joakim Soria, RHP Robinson Tejeda, RHP Kanekoa Texeira, C Brayan Peña, C Matt Treanor, INF Mike Aviles, INF Wilson Betemit, INF Billy Butler, INF Alcides Escobar, INF Chris Getz, INF Kila Ka’aihue, OF Melky Cabrera, OF Jarrod Dyson, OF Jeff Francoeur, OF Alex Gordon, OF Mitch Maier

* Rookies listed in bold

As you can see, the rookies are all pitchers with the exception of speedster Jarrod Dyson, who was a September callup last year but did not play in enough games to disqualify him as a “rookie” in 2011. In fact, half of the eight-man bullpen is made up of rookies. And some of them have even promised to wear a “faux hawk” in 2011, a style inspired by closer Joakim Soria. Who knows, maybe it will become a winning trend, like the shaggy-faced Red Sox of a few years ago.

What can we take away from all these rookie pitchers?

Well, folks, for those of you who are skeptical of a Royals renaissance, guess what? The first wave is here. It’s these four pitchers. With the possible exception of Adcock, a Rule 5 pick who has to be offered back to the if he doesn’t stay on the roster the full season, all of these guys have a serious chance to be involved in the next wave of Royals greatness. And we can go to Kauffman Stadium and watch them play right now.

And Aaron Crow has already proven to be an intriguing member of the team.

As I’ve written before on this site, I’m a huge fan of Jarrod Dyson. I really think he could be an every-day center fielder in this league. And I’m thrilled that he made the roster over Gregor Blanco who probably doesn’t have a chance at every-day duty.

The thing about Dyson, though, is he’s blocked: currently, Melky Cabrera patrols center field, and although Melky is probably not a long-term fit for this team, after him is Lorenzo Cain, who was brought over in the Zack Greinke trade and probably has even more upside (i.e. offense) than Dyson.

At the very least, Dyson could be trade bait in the future.

While all those things are promising, one thing in particular has me troubled: the trade that brought Matt Treanor to the team. To put it bluntly, I think this is just about the dumbest move the team could make.

According to the organization, veteran catcher Jason Kendall is about a month away from returning to active duty (whether or not that’s a good thing is a topic for a whole other article). So the Royals went out and brought in Treanor for… what, exactly? A month?

There’s this illusion that Matt Treanor brings veteran leadership to this team. That’s BS. Matt Treanor is 35 years old and has played in 362 Major League games as of Saturday. Being old does not make one a veteran. Brayan Pena, currently the Royals’ other catcher, has played in 196 games. Does that make him less of a veteran?

Fans of the Treanor move (if you can find any) say he brings better defense to the table. I argue that for the 2011 Royals, that’s completely irrelevant. Although they’re off to a 2-1 start, the Royals are still likely to lose 100 games this season. A good defensive catcher may mean the team only loses 98 games.

And… JASON KENDALL WILL BE BACK IN ONE MONTH!

The real tragedy of this move is that the organization has probably lost Lucas May, a catcher who is younger than both Pena and Treanor and, in my opinion, was the only one of the trio with a chance to be a long-term part of the team. But he’s out of options, so he’s likely a goner.

My biggest fear now is that when Kendall returns, the Royals will choose to keep Treanor as the backup – he has gotten off to a good start – and send Pena down to the minors. Pena is also out of options.

However.

The catcher position aside, the 2011 Kansas City Royals could be remembered as the foundation upon which a championship was built. And that’s pretty exciting.

Matt Kelsey is a Royals writer and associate editor for I-70 Baseball. He can be reached at mattkelsey14@yahoo.com.

It’s undisputed now that the Royals currently have one of the best farm systems of all time, even according to Baseball America, which gave the Royals its highest prospect rating ever.

What does that mean for 2011? Nothing, really, except for this: many of the players we’ve come to know in recent years will probably be squeezed out beginning as soon as mid-season 2011, when some of those great prospects become major league-ready.

Here’s a look at some of those current players on the bubble, and what they must do to secure a spot beyond the All-Star Break:

Kyle Davies, RHP

Why he’s on the bubble: Davies has been the very model of a modern major league mediocre pitcher. For the past two years, his mediocrity on the Royals has been overshadowed by that of Brian Bannister. But Banny’s gone, and it’s time for Davies to go hard or go home. The best thing that could be said about Davies last season was that he didn’t miss a start. And that’s good – but it’s not gonna be good enough for the Kansas City Royals of the future.

What he must do to hang around: Double-digit victories and an ERA under 4.50. Anything less, and I think he’s gone.

Chris Getz, 2B

Chris Getz

Why he’s on the bubble:

Getz is much hailed for his glove. He is a terrific second baseman, and he would make a very nice defensive backup for any major league team. But he probably wouldn’t be a starter on any other team in the league. This is his best shot to prove himself.

What he must do to hang around: Hit, walk and run. Getz must prove he can be at least a serviceable bottom-of-the-order bat or, barring that, he must show he can get on base and make things happen on the basepaths. If not, the Royals won’t hesitate to cut him.

Kila Ka’aihue, 1B

Why he’s on the bubble: Two words: Eric Hosmer. The sensational prospect is knocking on the door, and as I’ve written before, Kila has one full season to prove he can be a major-league hitter. He not only has Hosmer to worry about, but also dark horse slugger Clint Robinson, who lit up AA pitching last season.

What he must do to hang around: Long balls. Ka’aihue was a major home-run threat in the minors, and he must provide that this season in Kansas City.

Melky Cabrera, CF

Melky Cabrera

Why he’s on the bubble:

This one is surprising, even to me. Melky was one of Dayton Moore’s prized offseason free agent acquisitions, and he’s pretty much a lock to be the starting center fielder. The biggest reason Melky is on the bubble is another offseason acquisition, Lorenzo Cain, the hidden gem from the Zack Greinke trade. Young speedster Jarrod Dyson is also proving himself as a capable center fielder, and he is already making waves early in Spring Training.

What he must do to hang around: Melky may very well be the leadoff hitter come Opening Day. He has to prove he’s capable of kicking off what will become an impressive Royals lineup.

Alex Gordon, LF

Why he’s on the bubble: No-brainer – Alex has received chance after chance, and 2011 is his very last one. He’ll be the starting left fielder, but if he continues playing like Alex Gordon the major leaguer, he’ll be gone sooner rather than later.

What he must do to hang around: Play like Alex Gordon the college star.

Vin Mazzaro and Sean O’Sullivan, RHPs

Why they’re on the bubble: O’Sullivan did not impress as a starter last season. Mazzaro is an unknown commodity and it seems like he has some promise, but with all the pitching prospects ready to break through, neither one of these guys will get a very long leash. At this point, both of them are here just to see if they can hold down the job.

What they must do to hang around: Prove that they can do more than hold down the job

.

Matt Kelsey is a Royals writer and the associate editor of I-70 Baseball. He can be reached at mattkelsey14@yahoo.com.

As the chill of winter falls over I-70 Baseball Land, here’s something to warm the cockles of your heart: the Kansas City Royals continue to prove they have one of the best farm systems in baseball.

Prospects from the Royals and their I-70 counterpart St. Louis Cardinals have come together with rising stars from the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers to form the Surprise Rafters, one of six teams competing in the Arizona Fall League. The season runs from the middle of October through the middle of November. A little more than halfway through the season, the Rafters claim an 11-8 record.

The Royals have nine players on the Rafters, the most of any organization on the roster.

Here’s a look at each of those players:

Danny Duffy, LHP, 6’3”, 195 lbs, 21 years old

As you probably know, Duffy quit baseball earlier in 2010 but came back with a vengeance, earning a 5-3 record with a 2.74 ERA mostly with AA-Northwest Arkansas. He’s struggled in the AFL, pitching primarily out of relief. He’s 0-1 with a 10.57 ERA over five games (one start) and 7.2 innings pitched. His ERA is inflated by that one start, where he gave up six runs during just one inning of work.

Aaron Hartsock

Aaron Hartsock, RHP, 6’3”, 200 lbs, 26 years old

Royals fans may be scrambling to remember Hartsock; he didn’t pitch during the 2010 regular season due to injury, but the 2006 draft pick was gangbusters in 2009. Hartsock has seen limited action in the AFL, throwing one inning on Nov. 3 where he gave up two unearned runs.

Patrick Keating, RHP, 6’2”, 215 lbs, 23 years old

The versatile Keating worked mostly as a closer in A+ Wilmington and AA-Northwest Arkansas during 2010, compiling 15 saves and a 2.28 ERA, while striking out an impressive 101 batters over 71 innings. For the Rafters, he’s pitched in seven games and has worked a 4.50 ERA with eight strikeouts.

Mike Montgomery, LHP, 6’5”, 180 lbs, 21 years old

Montgomery has a 2-1 record but a bloated 6.10 ERA in the AFL over three starts. But his regular season numbers split between A ball, rookie ball and AA, look like this: 7-5, 2.61 ERA, 88K, .228 average against. Montgomery is one of only two Royals prospects (along with Eric Hosmer) who will take part in today’s Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game. An MLB.com article about the game says this: “If the AFL as a whole is a stepping stone to the big leagues, perhaps the Rising Stars Game is a trampoline.” Montgomery is the best out of a strong group of left-handed pitching prospects for the Royals.

Brandon Sisk, LHP, 6’3”, 210 lbs, 25 years old

Sisk spent all of 2010 with the AA-Northwest Arkansas Naturals, and his work out of the bullpen was a big reason they made it to the Texas League Championship. He threw in 40 games, striking out 63 batters over 68.2 innings. Sisk has really shined in the AFL, pitching in six games in relief and earning a 1.93 ERA with a .152 average against.

Salvador Perez, C, R-R, 6’3”, 175 lbs, 20 years old

One of three catchers on the Rafters, Perez is often overlooked in Royals circles because of catching phenom Wil Myers. But Perez, who played in 99 games for A+ Wilmington in 2010, batted .290, and collected 106 hits over 365 at-bats. In the AFL, he has caught in seven games, and has struggled at the plate with a .143 average.

Johnny Giavotella, 2B, R-R, 5’8”, 185 lbs, 23 years old

The hottest middle infield prospect in the Royals’ system has been a stud for the Rafters so far, batting .326 with a .373 OBP and a .543 slugging average. In the regular season, the slight Giavotella batted .322 with nine homers and 65 RBIs for the Texas League champ Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Eric Hosmer, 1B, L-L, 6’4”, 215 lbs, 21 years old

There’s no doubt Hosmer is the biggest Royals name on the Surprise Rafters. After batting .338 with 20 dingers and 86 RBIs between Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas in 2010, hopes are extremely high for this left-handed power hitter. He has bat has been nearly non-existent in the AFL, though, with a .179 average over 13 games, and his power has disappeared, too. But not to worry. Hosmer is one of two Royals prospects (along with Mike Montgomery) to be picked for today’s AFL Rising Stars Game.

Derrick Robinson, OF, S-L, 5’11”, 180 lbs, 23 years old

Robinson is the only Royals outfielder in the AFL this season. For Northwest Arkansas in 2010, the speedy Robinson stole 50 bases while batting .286. In the AFL, Robinson has yet to flash his wheels. Over nine games, he’s batting .188 and hasn’t attempted a stolen base.

Matt Kelsey is a Royals writer and the content editor for I-70 Baseball. He can be reached at mattkelsey@i70baseball.com.

With the 2010 MLB offseason setting in, and football stealing the Nation’s attention, the Arizona Fall League is winding down. The League designed to help future Major Leaguers refine their tools often separates the real prospects from the busts, and several I-70 players put their skills to the test this fall.

This year, St. Louis Cardinals prospects made up part of the Surprise Rafters along with Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Detroit Tigers representatives.

You can find Matt Kelsey’s review of how the Royals players did here, but let’s take a look at the impact that the eight Cardinals made for the Rafters.

Brian Broderick, RHP, 6’6”, 205 lbs, 23 years old
Aside from one bad start where he allowed five runs in four innings of work, Broderick has pitched as good as anyone in the AFL. Excluding his one miserable start a couple weeks ago, Broderick is 2-0 in three starts with a 2.21 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.

Jordan Swagerty, RHP, 6’2”, 175 lbs, 21 years old
Much like Broderick, Swagerty has been one of the best relievers in the league. In his first start, Swagerty let up four runs in 1 2/3 innings. After that, Swags pitched three shutout innings. Overall, Swagerty has a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and three strikeouts in five innings.

Blake King, RHP, 6’1”, 195 lbs, 23 years old
Before the AFL began last month, I wrote an Arizona Fall League Preview saying that Blake King needs to prove that he has at least a little control. Well, he has yet to do that. In 6.1 innings, King has walked six batters.

Ramon Delgado, RHP, 6’3”, 195 lbs, 24 years old
Despite his numbers, Delgado has certainly had his struggles throughout the fall. While he’s only allowed two walks in nine innings, he’s also let up 10 hits. Delgado was one of the more consistent relievers in the minors this season, but he has been anything but that lately.

Tony Cruz, C, 5’11”, 205 lbs, 24 years old
Out of the four Cardinal hitting prospects in the AFL, Cruz has been the best. In his last ten games, Cruz has gone 16-for-41 (.435) with three home runs, 12 RBI, and a 1.093 OPS. The big thing Cruz needs to work on is his plate discipline. He swings at a lot of bad pitches, but only has nine strikeouts this fall.

Adron Chambers, OF, 5’10”, 185 lbs, 24 years old
Chambers, one of my favorite Cardinal prospects, is on a little Arizona League tear of his own. In his last ten games, Chambers is 10-for-30 (.333) with six runs, seven RBI, five stolen bases, and only four strikeouts. Probably the fastest player in the organization didn’t see the green light as much as some would have liked this summer, but he’s averaging a stolen base every other game.

Pete Kozma, SS, 6’0”, 170 lbs, 22 years old
The former first-round draft pick has disappointed Cardinal fans so far in his young professional career, but has played better in the past month than he did during the season. Kozma has 10 runs in 12 games, but also averages a strikeout every game.

Zack Cox, 3B, 6’0”, 215 lbs, 21 years old
The player who some thought was the second best hitter in the 2010 MLB Draft (behind Bryce Harper), has definitely had a wake-up call in the AFL. Cox is 10 for his last 45 at bats with a mere .280 OBP. This isn’t what Cardinal fans wanted to see from Cox, but let’s keep in mind that he’s been going up against the best prospect pitchers in the country.

Justin Hulsey covers the Cardinals for i70baseball and his blog, Sport’s Top Tens, that is also dedicated to Cardinals baseball and their minor league system. You may follow him on Twitter @JayHulsey by clicking here.

	Matt Carpenter Third Baseman Springfield Cardinals 24-years-old Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 6’3″ Weight: 200 lbs Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the 2009 MLB June Amateur Draft.
Just like every Saturday here on i70baseball, the Cardinals Farm Report spotlights one of the prized Cardinal minor leaguers. This week, it is Matt Carpenter, who very well could be the best Cardinal hitter in the Minors.Just a year and a couple months ago, Matt Carpenter was drafted in the 13th round by the St. Louis Cardinals. Now he’s making everybody do a double-take. In his first professional season, the other “Carp” hit .309/.418/.471 with 93 runs, 31 doubles, 13 home runs, 69 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and 90 walks. He started the year in Palm Beach but quickly go the call-up to Springfield. Again, this is his first year in the Minors. The interesting thing about this kid is that, even with so little Minor league experience, he seems ready. In fact, I believe he’s by far the most MLB-ready prospect lower than AAA in the Cardinals organization. His defense has room to improve, but when you’re talking about his bat, there isn’t much you can say other than “wow”. The big knock on him heading into the season was his power, but that has obviously improved as well. His 13 home runs and .471 SLG indicated there is some pop in that bat. He won’t be a 25 home run guy in the Majors, but I think 10-15 is reasonable. He’ll be a top of the order player that should always have a high OBP due to his great plate discipline and judgement. The think that intrigues me the most about Carpenter, is what happens next year. First of all, will he be ready for his Major League debut in 2011? Freese is an injury waiting to happen and we are not very deep at third base in St. Louis. Freese is the only true third baseman of the bunch, and if he hits the disabled list yet again, does Matt get the call up? I say give it a shot. I have never been a fan of rushing players to the big leagues, and I understand that this would be rushing him to the big leagues. However, he shows incredible polish. Especially at the plate. He’s an extremely mature player who very well could end up being a .300 hitter for STL in the future. The other big thing that I wonder about is what happens when Zack Cox makes his way to AAA and eventually the Majors? I would hate to see either one of them traded, so I do not condone that whatsoever. The move that should be made is Zack Cox to second base. The Cardinals are obviously struggling in the middle infield department and Cox could be the savior. He has second base experience, so don’t think I’m just pulling this out of thin air. And if that is what the organization is planning on doing, he needs to start next season at second base. Not third. He needs to play one position and stick with it. He’s one of our top prospects and we cannot afford to mess around with him defensively. In the long run, I honestly think we’re looking at a future Major League third baseman. A successful one. Mainly because his approach at the plate. It’s so refined, so impressive. By far the best in the organization, and one of the best I’ve ever studied. His approach reminds me so much of Scott Hatteburg’s, and that is saying an awful lot. Keep an eye on this one, people. He’s flying under the radar as a prospect, but I can assure you that will not last long.
MiLB WEEKLY ROUNDUP
AAA-Memphis Redbirds
PLAYOFF record to date: 3-2 — This past week: 0-2, PCL Championship didn’t get off to a great start for the ‘Birds — Coming up: Memphis will continue the PCL Championship series with Tacoma.
AA-Springfield Cardinals
PLAYOFF record: 2-3 — This past week: 1-2, the Cardinals’ season came to an end with a loss to NW Arkansas
POSITION PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Matt Carpenter, 3B, Springfield
.500 AVG (6-for-12), .583 OBP, .932 SLG, 5 runs, 1 double, 1 home run, 4 RBI
Wasn’t I just talking about this guy? Seriously, he’s unbelievable at the dish. Very, very impressive. In the regular season, Carp hit .308/.418/.471 with 93 runs, 31 doubles, 13 home runs, and 69 RBI in 495 at bats.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Brian Broderick, SP, Springfield
W, 6 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 5 strikeouts
Is it just me, or does it seem like Broderick receives this award two or three times a month? In 26 appearances in the 2010 regular season, Broderick was 14-7 with a 3.66 ERA and 92 SO in 150 innings.

Justin Hulsey covers the Cardinals for i70baseball and his blogs, Cardinals Front Office and Rising Redbirds, that are also dedicated to Cardinals baseball and their minor league system.You may follow him on Twitter @JayHulsey by clicking here.