Reyes to Start Against Milwaukee?

I have a pretty good source close to the Cards organization telling me that top prospect Anthony Reyes has a hotel reserved for him in Milwaukee. This source has given me good information in the past. Look for Reyes to get his first start against the Brewers during the upcoming series. The 23 year old right-hander has been named the Cards top prospect by Baseball America. He is currently 7-4 with a 3.44 ERA at Memphis.

Cards Prospect Watch

1. Rick Ankiel is moving back up to AA ball after posting a .270/.368/.514 line for the Swing of Quad Cities. This will be his second run in Sprinfield after posting a .083/.120/.083 line before getting hurt and sent down to the Swing. Cardinals brass would like to see him reach AAA by the end of the season in order to become a serious prospect for the big club.

2. After making the move to Quad Cities, Mark McCormick has continued to impress. So far in three games he is 1-0 with a stingy 1.80 ERA. He is still struggling somewhat with his control with 10 BB in only 15 IP, but he also has 14 Ks. There is no doubt that McComick has electric stuff. Look to him to be an eventual bullpen candidate or trade bait if he is unable to lower his BB.

3. After seeing his ERA balloon above 7, Chris Lambert has finally begun to settle down after making the jump to AA ball Springfield from Palm Beach. He is now 2-3 with a 4.37 ERA. As with McCormick, Lambert has an electric arm but control can be a problem at times. He has 33 BB in 57.2 IP, but has the high K count that you like to see with a young prospect with 53. Due to the struggles of one time top prospect Blake Hawkesworth after coming back from sugery, Lambert and McCormick are neck and neck for to become the #3 pitching prospect in the Cardinals organization behind Wainwright and Reyes. Lambert could be the logical replacement in AAA should either of the Wainwright/Reyes tandem get the call to the bigs.

4. Finally, after all the talk about the weak Cardinals farm system, it is nice to see so many Memphis guys contributing at the big league level. John Rodriguez just might save WJ the need to get a young OF to replace Larry Walker in the offseason.

Welcome to the Birdwatch

birdwatch (v) - To watch and study birds in their natural habitat

By birds, we mean redbirds, or Cardinals, and of course by natural habitat, we mean a baseball diamond. More specifically, we are a group of Cardinal fans who love to watch the games, analyze the moves and the stats, and just plain love the game. We've all been faithful readers of other Cardinals blogs, and some of us have even written for them, but now we're combining our efforts to maximize the value for you, the reader. So welcome fellow birdwatchers. We hope to be your guides through the ups and downs of the baseball season (and off-season). Enjoy the ride.