The Cardinals have added right-hander Seth Elledge and lefties Zack Thompson and Rob Kaminsky to their Summer Camp roster at Busch Stadium, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers tweets. Doing so means each has been added to the team’s 60-man player pool. The Cardinals’ initial pool contained 44 players, and they’ve since added third baseman Elehuris Montero to camp as well (although he was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, as were southpaws Genesis Cabrera and Ricardo Sanchez).
Thompson, 22, is both the most highly regarded of today’s trio of additions and also the furthest from the Majors. The University of Kentucky product was the Cardinals’ first-round pick (No. 19 overall) in 2019 and ranks as their No. 5 prospect at FanGraphs and MLB.com. Thompson, however, only pitched two innings of Rookie ball and 13 1/3 frames with the Cards’ Class-A Advanced club in 2019. His inclusion is likely more for developmental purposes than due to his status a a legitimate option in 2020. He was seen as something of an injury risk in the ’19 draft but draws praise for a plus curve and above-average changeup. He was with the team during the initial Spring Training and tossed three perfect innings with three strikeouts.
Both Elledge and Kaminsky are more likely to be called upon should a need arise in 2020. Elledge, 24, is a pure bullpen prospect who came to the Cards in the trade that sent Sam Tuivailala to the Mariners. He posted a lackluster 4.26 ERA in 67 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year, but his overall body of work as a pro is sharp — as was his work in the 2019 Arizona Fall League. Elledge has averaged nearly a dozen punchouts per nine innings pitched but also saw his walk rate jump in Triple-A last year (19 free passes in 34 1/3 innings). With John Brebbia out until 2021 (Tommy John surgery) and Jordan Hicks set to open the year on the IL while rehabbing his own Tommy John procedure, Elledge gives the Cards some right-handed relief depth.
Kaminsky, 25, was a first-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2013 but was traded to the Indians for Brandon Moss two years later. Things didn’t pan out for Kaminsky there, and after spending parts of five seasons in Cleveland’s minor league ranks, he became a minor league free agent this winter, ultimately landing with the Cards on a minors deal.
A 2017 forearm injury cost Kaminsky the entire year and may have helped prompt a shift to the bullpen. He was quite good as a reliever in Double-A both in 2018 and 2019, but he struggled in the supercharged offensive environment in Triple-A last year (5.11 ERA, 31-to-14 K/BB ratio in 24 2/3 frames). Like Elledge, he’s a non-roster player but could conceivably see some MLB action in 2020 if the Cardinals need to tap into their depth.
would be cool to see Kaminsky make it
Agreed, been pulling for him since Cleveland acquired him but he couldn’t stay healthy and put it all together.
With Brebbia being out with TJ surgery, Kaminsky might have a chance.
Kaminsky might have a chance until Mozeliak finds that low hanging, veteran fruit on the waiver wire, FA or via trade. Maybe Luke Gregerson is making a comeback?
My thoughts exactly concerning Mozeliak!!!
Mozeliak is the luckiest GM ever. Offers boatloads of money to Pujols, Price and Heyward. All 3 decide playing here sucks. So he keeps re-signing guys in panic mode. His FA signings and trades have been hideous.
Matt Holliday says hello.
What was that? 11 years ago? Dexter Fowler says hello. Brett Cecil says hello. Luke Gregerson says hello. Jonathan Broxton says hello. Marco Gonzales says hello. Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk says hello. Dominic Leone says hello. Mike Leake says hello. Shall I keep going? Tyler Webb. Ozuna when he could have had Yelich if he was patient. Holland. And right now, I’m not quite sure how a 32 and soon to be 33 year old Goldschmidt is going to pan out? Extending Carpenter at 39M and Molina at $60M with thoughts of signing him again??!
Jockerty traded for and signed Matt Holliday
Jocketty was fired two years prior to the Holliday trade. Swing and a miss.
Ok and what about the good moves? Edmonds for Freeze and the 2011 trade deadline move of Rasmussen to bolster their pitching staff, both of which gave them a World Series? An ineffective Allen Craig for Lackey? A failed Cox for Mujica? Signing Lohse, Oh, Neshek, Berkman, Beltran?
Every single GM has good, ok, and bad moves. Just focusing on the negatives while ignoring the positives is not representing reality.
Rasmus*
The cardinals are so loaded it makes me sick :/. Wish the cubbies could develop some talent and not just fall into top tier picks/players. I get it that Theo and Co are championship building exec’s, but much like theo’s Boston run, he leaves the cupboard pretty barren. I really hope the cubs can sign KB and others to extensions otherwise it’ll be the cardinals division again for 5+ years.
I forgot rule #1 of online commenting: Don’t feed the troll.
i’m hungry
Does Thompson have pics of some Cardinal coach in an embarrassing way? He was a 1st round stretch in 2019 and and pitched 13 innings last year to so-so results. I don’t get it..
The only question with him is health long term. You can say that about every pitcher ever drafted given the inevitable nature of pitchers and injury. He’s got 4 plus or better pitches and great control, but he’s also recently had TJS, so it’s fair to say that he’s likely on the Michael Wacha advanced development plan. He was definitely worthy of a 1st round pick and there’s no actual minor leagues this year, so he’s part of the LHP depth, just not immediately needed if Cabrera and company hold the fort down in the meantime.
The cubs have a chance to win another championship within the next 100 years, imo. That’s pretty good for that franchise.
I think you’re safe with that estimate.
I think I just saw that Jack Flaherty considers kneeling during the national Anthem as a good thing. Disrespecting the USA Flag is not good. No matter our countries faults….there is no other country where I’d want to live. I really thought Flaherty alright in all respects. I’m sure all veterans roll over in their graves when idiots can’t find other ways to express their beliefs other than disrespecting the meaning of the USA Flag.