Cardinals Farm Inventory: Corner Outfielders

...prepare to be immensely underwhelmed by the amount of talent in this group.

The worst part: Other than PIscotty, none of these guys project as even a 4th OF for any stretch of time in the big leagues, because other than Bosco and Peoples-Walls, none of them can play CF.

The reason?  Nobody on this list (other than Piscotty) can hit, has hit, or even shows the signs of life required TO hit a baseball at the upper levels of professional baseball.

You will usually find a couple of high strikeout mashers or 3TO guys or some bat-but-no-position players in a minor league system that end up playing LF because they can't play anywhere else. The Cardinals version of this player is Mike O'Neill, who is the antithesis of the player you typically think of when you picture that sort of player in your head. He doesn't mash, he slaps. He doesn't have a position, but that's mostly because he's left handed, is short, and doesn't have the arm for right field.

Rowan Wick was the real potential hope for this class of OF...and even as poor as this list is, the Cardinals decided to turn him into a pitcher after 3 solid months of a 40% K rater in A-ball. In an organization full of pitching talent, the skilled minds on the Cardinals development staff decided that the best potential corner OF hitter was better off being a pitcher. It's not irony, Alanis, but it sure is a disturbing outcome. For what it's worth: I think Wick might actually turn into a fine pitcher. He's certainly got the arm for it and pitched back in club baseball while playing in Canada.

Collin Radack is the only other interesting player to me in this group. He's got a good approach at the plate and hits the ball hard to all fields, the question is whether he can develop that into more than warning track power as he moves up. Likely a left fielder, his bat will have to carry him up the ladder, and I'm skeptical that he'll hit enough to really make a go of it once he gets to AA.

I'm firmly off the Anthony Garcia bandwagon at this point. Which means that now he'll probably go on a tear and hit 38 home runs in June. I hope that happens: Sustainable or not, it would give Cardinal fans something to be excited about.