ST. LOUIS — For years, the St. Louis Cardinals have teased their fans with glimpses of what their robust farm system can do at the Major League level. 2020 has brought the tease to a close, and introduced a young fleet of arms inside a matter of days.
Wednesday, in the latest doubleheader, once again in Chicago against the rival Cubs, a young Cardinals pitcher will make his debut. According to Mark Saxon of The Athletic, Johan Oviedo is going to make his debut in Game 2 this afternoon. The 22-year-old Havana, Cuba native is just the latest young Redbird to get the call this year. He would be the tenth Cardinals rookie to make his debut in 2020.
Like Oviedo, Roel Ramirez hadn't pitched above AA Springfield when he was matched up against the White Sox on Sunday, and promptly gave up four straight home runs. Korean import Kwang-Hyun Kim, 32 years young, made his stateside debut earlier this year. Jake Woodford started against the White Sox. On Tuesday night, Jesus Cruz made his debut against the Cubs. Seth Elledge has produced one good outing and one rough day at the ballpark. Kodi Whitley, Ricardo Sanchez, and Nabil Crismatt have also experienced their first time under the lights this past week. Former Cardinal Rob Kaminsky found his way back to the club over the offseason, and he's gotten into a game already.
Before the 2020 season resumed, I urged the Cardinals to use this fractured campaign to find out who on their roster can contribute and who is bound to disappoint. Unfortunately, that good will hasn't reached catcher-to-be Andrew Knizner, but all good things should happen in time. The Cardinals are getting a good look at their arsenal of young talent. Austin Gomber will also get into a game Wednesday, and Daniel Ponce de Leon started Tuesday night's game.
But the Cardinals are going deeper, plugging in raw arms like Oviedo, who showed a tendency to allow too many baserunners while striking out a decent amount with the Springfield team in 2019. But the kid has a power arm that showed some spark in the spring. It won't be a small slice of pie for Oviedo either. Unlike recent starters like Alex Reyes, Oviedo has been stretched out at the Springfield training camp to give the Cardinals some much-needed innings today. Something I am sure Oviedo couldn't have predicted in January when he was riding around on the caravan.
As my colleague Corey Miller wrote earlier this week, the Cardinals and their fans need to embrace the craziness that this year has brought and is surely to keep bringing. A season that started way back in February with spring training, was halted in March, and finally returned in late July. A year that has held baseball hostage from fans for the longest time in the sports illustrious history. Today, the Cardinals will lean on Oviedo, Gomber, and the esteemed Jack Flaherty to guide them through 14 more innings of action before they return home for a series with the Cincinnati Reds-that is if the Reds actually avoid further positive tests after a player came back with unfortunate results this week.
The Cardinals have a short amount of time to play an insane amount of games, so you can expect a few confused reactions when a new young pitcher takes the mound to collect some outs. It's not just the pitching side of the team that is getting newfound exposure.
First baseman John Nogowski played his first Major League innings against the White Sox, collecting his first hit. Max Schrock, who came over in the Stephen Piscotty trade with Oakland, smashed his first home run as well. Oh, and there's that one little known prospect called Dylan Carlson, who has already sprayed hits to all parts of the field. He's striking out, but hitting baseballs very hard. If you remember a few weeks ago, wondering whether or not Carlson would make his debut in 2020 was second only to the weekly "Big Brother" results. Now, he's here and has 21 at-bats.
It's something that true baseball fans in this city have wanted for a long time, even if it was privately at times. Every sports fan wants their team to acquire big and bright names, but it's a special feeling when the team drafts, grooms, and establishes that player all on their own. President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak, has preached for years about the quality of the depth in the Cardinals farm system. This has allowed Bill DeWitt Jr. to keep the cash in the vault at times, especially over the past offseason (not unless you include newfound power hitter, Brad Miller).
A practice that has produced mixed results in the end, but a method that always intrigues. Sometimes, there can be tragic endings, like the late Oscar Taveras. Others can be frustratingly long journeys, like Reyes, a 25-year-old with an electric arm who has gotten in his own way far too many times. There are others like outfielders Harrison Bader and Tyler O'Neill, where the book either hasn't been given a full chapter yet, or the last couple were too nasty to confirm results.
Prospects and draft picks alike are a toss-up when it comes to what you are getting. It's not exactly a lottery ticket dream, but not as hopeless as taming a wild horse. Imagine a kid inserting a quarter into that slot toy machine, and the small container drops down into the exit lever. You open it and try to be amazed right away, but at the same time, you don't really know what you actually have.
That's the current state of baseball, a place where the landscape for minor league talent has shrunk this year. When Rob Manfred canceled all minor league circuits and games, a lot of talent was forced to fall back on career idea number 2. Some were simply stalled and had to wait it out. When you think about the pandemic's grip and power, you have to dig under a few layers deep to find the full brunt of the impact. People like A and AA level players having to make the hardest decisions, ones that impact their futures.
After all, there's no real certainty 2021 brings all the minor league leagues back. Perhaps they chop it in half-or they try out the bubble with a limited group of players again for a portion of the season. As much as I like to complain about Manfred, the league commissioner, he is merely a puppet for the owners. He's controlled by the money heads.
With a lot of futures in peril or stuck in quicksand, seeing bright young Cardinal talent shine, or even fail for the first time, is a breath of cool fresh air.
Keep it coming. The hype is over. The big game has arrived.
