Cardinals 2014 Opening Day Roster Announced
JUPITER, FL - The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the Opening Day roster for the 2014 Palm Beach Cardinals. The Cardinals open Florida State League play on Thursday, April 3 when they travel to Port St. Lucie to play the Mets.
Pitcher Tyrell Jenkins, catcher Adam Ehrlich, and third baseman Danny Stienstra will all start the season on the disabled list for the Cardinals.
The Palm Beach roster features four of the organization's top-30 prospects according to Baseball America: pitcher Marco Gonzales (5), outfielder Charlie Tilson (12), Jenkins (17), and outfielder Jacob Wilson (29). There will be several familiar faces in the dugout as 18 of the 28 players on the Opening Day roster have spent time with Palm Beach.
Just as in 2013, pitching looks to be a strength for the Cardinals this season. Last year's pitching staff combined for 12 shutouts and allowed the fewest home runs in the Florida State League. The team's 3.59 ERA was good for fourth in the league.
In his first full season of professional ball, Gonzales will lead a talented rotation. Drafted in the first round (19th overall) of the 2013 draft out of Gonzaga University, Gonzales appeared in just eight games a year ago but turned in a 1.62 ERA (3ER/16.2IP) over four starts for Palm Beach. The 22-year-old southpaw boasts the best changeup in the organization according to Baseball America.
RHP Joe Cuda and LHP Kyle Hald also return to the Palm Beach rotation after strong 2013 campaigns. In seven starts to end the year, Cuda went 4-0 with a 1.40 ERA (6ER/38.2IP) and recorded 29 strikeouts against just six walks. Hald led the team with 24 starts a year ago - 10 more than any other hurler - and helped the Cardinals make a late run for a postseason berth with a 3.26 ERA in the second half.
Casey Rasmus and Jesus Montero return to Palm Beach to split the catching duties to start the year. Rasmus batted .298 (48-for-161) between Low-A Peoria, Palm Beach, and Double-A Springfield last season and threw out 38 percent (17 of 45) of runners attempting to steal. Montero prevented 23 of 54 (43 percent) thefts last year.
The Cardinals infield will feature one of the top hitters in the Midwest League last season. Breyvic Valera will make his debut in Jupiter after posting a .309 batting average with Peoria in 2013 - good for fifth in the league. Valera led the league with a 17.17 at-bat to strikeout ratio. The 21-year-old struck out just 30 times in 515 at-bats during the season while earning 40 walks.
Tilson and Starlin Rodriguez will be two key players in the Cardinals outfield. Rodriguez, who has played in Jupiter in parts of the last three seasons, owns a .302 average with Palm Beach while recording 113 runs and 82 RBI. Tilson, 21, finished ninth in the Midwest League with a .303 average (114-for-376) for Peoria before ending the 2013 season with the Cardinals Single-A Advanced affiliate. He has been tabbed as the fastest baserunner in the organization by Baseball America.
The Cardinals and Mets square off on Thursday for the season opener at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. The Palm Beach home opener is Saturday, April 5 as St. Lucie travels to Jupiter for a 6:35 p.m. meeting. For more information visit www.rogerdeanstadium.com or call (561) 775-1818.
The Cardinals Opening Day roster is as follows:
PITCHERS (13): Corey Baker-RHP, Joe Cuda-RHP, Marco Gonzales-LHP, Kyle Hald-LHP, Kyle Helisek-LHP, Cory Jones-RHP, Thomas Lee-RHP, Dixon Llorens-RHP, Aidan Lucas-RHP, Michael Mayers-RHP, Iden Nazario-LHP, Robert Stock-RHP, Sam Tuivailala-RHP
CATCHERS (2): Jesus Montero, Casey Rasmus
INFIELDERS (5): Alejandro Mejia, Breyvic Valera, Ildemaro Vargas, David Washington, Jacob Wilson
OUTFIELDERS (5): Anthony Garcia, Nick Martini, Steven Ramos, Starlin Rodriguez, Charlie Tilson
DISABLED LIST (3): Adam Ehrlich, Tyrell Jenkins, Danny Stienstra