The SGF Cardinals first-half awards

Since today is the final day of the Texas League All-Star break, it’s a good time to look at what worked and what didn’t work for the Springfield Cardinals in the first half.

Now, paying attention to every Springfield Cardinals game is tough, especially when the hometown team isn’t flush with offensive talent. Stil, Springfield finished 38-32 in the first half and being in the North Division with a NW Arkansas team that is expected to dominate again, that means the S-Cards holds a 7 1/2 game lead for the final playoff spot over Tulsa, if the Naturals win the 2nd half.

And whether you follow the Baby Birds daily, weekly or monthly, you can still enjoy TAGsgf.com’s first-half awards for the SGF Cards.

First-half offensive MVP

Aaron Luna, utility man: Where would the SGF offense be without Luna? A man without a true position, Luna scrapped for at-bats like a dog trying to wait for table scraps. Eventually, his power and discipline paid off and he’s found ways into the lineup, whether it’s in RF, LF, DH or 2B. His first half-stats:

.265 BA/.416 OBP/.474 SLG (.890 OPS), 11 HR, 40 RBIs, 40 Ks, 38 BBs

He’ll likely never be a high-average guy, but his versatility has thrust him into organizational asset status. It’s not fair to label a guy without a true position — even in the minor leagues — a prospect,  but If he can put together a 20+ HR season and maintain his OPS, which leads all regular players, the 23-year-old from Rice will demand more playing time, no matter what position.

Runners up: Steven Hill, Curt Smith

First-half pitching MVP

David Kopp, RHP: Yeah, I know Kopp isn’t here after receiving a promotion on June 21, but when he was here, he gave a nameless pitching staff some star power. Stats:

8-1, 3.08 ERA, 13 starts, 73 IP, 46 K, 30 BB, .264 BA against

That’s the stuff second-round picks are made of. Sure, he is 0-2 in two Triple-A starts, but he flashed a mound presence and confidence that screamed ace. Not only was he the S-Cards’ best starting pitcher, he likely thrusted himself onto prospect lists for next season and possibly debunked any injury concerns or theories. And in an organization who is famished for starting pitching prospects, Kopp could make himself a ton of money in the second half. Unfortunately for us, he’ll do it in Memphis.

Runners up: Eduardo Sanchez, Ryan Kulik

Pitching staff resuscitator

Ryan Kulik, LHP: Go ahead and raise your hand if you thought Kulik was going to be anything other than a long reliever/spot starter that could become a third left-handed relief pitcher? No? I’m not even sure his family would have put a hand up.

Instead, when injuries and Shaun Garceau’s weird, yet not discussed suspension came about, SGF called on Kulik. Yep, it’s the same Kulik who went 6-10 in 23 starts with a 5.40 ERA in 2009. During a three-start stretch in mid-May, Kulik was 3-0 and allowed one earned run in 16 inning. He even earned a promotion to Memphis, but got beat up in four starts, carrying a 6.63 ERA.

Naturally, he came back and silenced NW Arkansas over seven inning, winning his start. In all, his Double-A stats:

5-2, 2.90 ERA, 15 appearances, 5 starts, 49 2/3 IP, 33 K, 15 BB, 5 HR, .243 BA against

If Jason LaRue (hopefully) gets released, I’ll get a promotion

Steven Hill, C/OF/Professional hitter: I’m still not clear on what happened with the “Steven Hill is our everyday catcher” era, but when Tony Cruz — the other part of last year’s catcher timeshare — was promoted June 13, it once again threw Hill’s big-league catching aptitude into uncertainty. As the News-Leader’s Kary Booher noted, organization officials still believe in Hill’s ability to catch, but needed to give Cruz and opportunity.

Ultimately, the Cardinals have to know what they have in Hill by now. What needs to happen for Hill to finally get that promotion? Release Jason LaRue. Then, Memphis’ Bryan Anderson would be the full-time backup and Hill could get a bump to Triple-A. Will it happen? No, but Hill needs something and that would be the break he needs. Apparently MLB teams don’t want “all hit-kind of catch” catchers in trade, either, because the Cardinals have two of them (Anderson and Hill).

Still, Hill’s offense continues to be good, and is slightly better than last season:

• 2009: .282/.333/.470 (.803 OPS) 19 HR, 64 RBIs
• 2010: .279/.365/.502 (.867 OPS) 10 HR, 46 RBIs

Instant fan favorite

Matt Carpenter, 3B: There’s nothing like hitting nearly .500 to begin your Double-A career to get the fans on your side. That’s exactly what Carpenter, a 13th-round pick in the 2009 draft, did. After hitting .382 in 19 May games, he’s cooled off, hitting just .247 in 24 June games. Still, his first half numbers look sweet.

.306/.390/.434 (.824 OPS), 3 HR, 23 RBIs, 173 ABs, 13 2Bs

Not a power hitter, Carpenter can still produce runs. Carpenter is likely to remain here for the rest of the season, and if he can duplicate those numbers, he can move up the organizational food chain, or at least provide some more entertainment to the locals.

Exactly where we thought they would be

Adron Chambers, CF, and Curt Smith, 1B: After a slow April, the fast-talking Chambers is figuring out the TL in June, going .328/.423/.493 (.916 OPS). His six steals are disappointing, but he is establishing himself as a quality Double-A leadoff hitter. His on-base percentage through the first half is .377.

As for Smith, the Dutch masher continues to hit. His only true flaw? He doesn’t take walks. He is hitting .292/.317/.461 (.777 OPS) with 8 HR and 41 RBIs, but has only walked 9 times with 267 at-bats. It’s likely he could see 500 at-bats in a minor league season, which isn’t easy to do. Also, as a righthanded hitter, he has an odd split, hitting .252/.276/.395 against lefties, but .324/.348/.514 against righties.

Well, he’s not exactly a light-hitting shortstop

Pete Kozma, SS: Here’s the good news, you don’t have to worry about the former first-round pick being a no-hit, no-field shortstop. Instead, he’s figured half of that out. Sort of.

Kozma has been far more offensively capable than we remember, especially with his power numbers. Stats:

.240/.313./385 (.698 OPS), 8 HR, 39 RBIs, 14 doubles

Still, there are some troublesome areas. He’s only had one .200-plus month, which was his .327 June. Also, his splits are predictable. He’s hitting .199/.272/.289 in 166 ABs against righties, but it mashing against lefties with a .303/.374/.532.

But even more troublesome than that is his defense. I’m unable to find any stats to back up what we all see from Kozma in the field, but it can’t be good. His 22 errors and 349 chances both lead the TL and he has a fielding percentage of .937. In comparison, Washington Nationals SS Ian Desmond leads the National League with his 335 chances and 19 errors. His fielding percentage is .943.

But remember, Kozma is still just 22. But he’s running out of time to turn into a big leaguer. But if he doesn’t change his tune — read these quotes — he’ll never improve.

Glutton for punishment award

Gary Daley, RHP: There really wasn’t any reason that we should have thought Daley would be anything more than his numbers reflect.

• Career Minor League stats prior to 2010: 12-21, 6.48 ERA, 94 appearances, 51 starts, .279 BA against
• 2010: 23-9, 5.61 ERA, 15 starts, 77 IP, 56 Ks, 39 BBs, .304 BA against

He even put up some smokescreens in April, going 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA in four April starts, but since has seen his ERA balloon and has lost six of his last seven starts. Nope, that’s no decisions, that actual times he’s taken the mound. It’s not exactly the return you’d expect from a third-round pick in 2006. If he remains in the rotation, he’ll have a chance to challenge 15-plus losses.

Boy, Baseball America screwed up that ranking

Daryl Jones, LF: It’s easy to say the hype machine that was fueling DJ has to be getting exhausted. Ranked as the Cardinals’ top position prospect and No. 4 overall, Jones wasn’t even the first S-Card outfielder to get a promotion. He’s on the 40-man roster and will stay for a while, but his first half wasn’t pretty:

.259/.343/.357 (.699 OPS), 255 Abs, 3 HR, 29 RBIs, 7 SB, 6 CS

He has been playing more center field, which if done properly, should raise his stock, but the offense just hasn’t been there. He hasn’t even been as good as Adron Chambers or Jim Rapoport, who was promoted to Memphis early in the season.

Jones has the rest of the season to prove he’s not a bust, because he just turned 23. There’s still time, he hasn’t made any progress since getting to SGF two seasons ago.

Disappointments

Nick Additon, LHP and Francisco Samuel, RHP: Additon has been maddeningly inconsistent this season, as he will go out and throw a gem, then the next game get his head bashed in. It’s settled on a 3-5 record with a 4.80 ERA in 15 starts, tossing 86 1/3 innings with 60 strikeouts and 33 walks. Opponents are batting .280 against him. Still only 22, there’s time, but he’s not showing much progress.

As for Samuel, the disappointment comes in two ways. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy and when he is, he struggles with his command. He’s only allowed four earned runs in 9 2/3 innings since coming back from a second stint on the DL. In 12 2/3 innings, he’s struck out 17, but walked 12. He’s currently serving as closer Adam Reifer’s setup man.

Second-half storylines

• Scott Gorgen, RHP and Andrew Brown, IF/OF return from injury: No one epitomized April like Gorgen and Brown, who were a 1-2 punch earning Texas League honors left and right. He was 5-1 in eight starts, with a 1.17 ERA in 46 innings before injuring his elbow. There still isn’t a timetable on his return. But on the other hand, Brown, was seen as a utility corner infielder and outfielder who could play a bunch at third base. He mashed his way to seven April home runs, but hasn’t played since June 2. He was activated from the DL today and will try to find spots in the lineup, but is likely behind Carpenter (3B), Smith (1B), Jones (LF) and maybe Luna (RF).
• Adam Reifer, the closer: Now that Eduardo Sanchez has been promoted to Memphis, the closer role has been handed to RHP Adam Reifer, the hard-throwing reliever, who closed at High-A Palm Beach last season. So far, he has five saves in six chances, which is an improvement on last year’s 21 saves in 30 opportunities. Reifer is the next in a long line of what has been successful SGF closers: Sanchez, Fernando Salas, Chris Perez, Mark Worrell, Josh Kinney
• Guys who were called up and not coming back: OF Jim Rapoport, RHPs David Kopp and Eduardo Sanchez,
• Who will be the next callup? Be on the lookout for former S-Card RHP Cory Rauschenberger to rejoin the club at some point. After retiring in May 2008, the former longshot is back. He was assigned to Palm Beach today and could be a veteran presence in the second half. Also, look for some more shuffling once the Short Season teams start to get higher-profile draft picks signed.
• Some names to keep an eye on in the second half: LHP Tyler Norrick, OF Tyler Henley (is starting on DL), C Tony Cruz
• Playoffs? Being in the North Division with a NW Arkansas team that is expected to dominate again, that means the S-Cards holds a 7 1/2 game lead for the final playoff spot over Tulsa, if the Naturals win the 2nd half. Two teams from each division must make the playoffs.

Fun with video

Antonio DeJesus makes SportsCenter

KSPR mics up Andrew Brown during a game

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