The 2013 Arizona Fall League season concluded on Saturday with the Surprise Saguaros defeating the Mesa Solar Sox in the championship game. The Cardinals’ affiliated team, the Salt River Rafters, finished just a half game out of first thanks to a strong, late season push. Cards prospects played key parts down the stretch for the Rafters. Lets take a look at how each player fared for the 2013 fall season
If there is anyone who improve his offseason ranking the most, it would be Piscotty. In 23 games, Piscotty hit .371 with a homer and 18 RBI’s. To go along with a .936 OPS, he stole 7 bases and played a solid outfield. MLB.com had a good feature on Piscotty while the Cards were in the World Series. It’s hard to imagine Piscotty not starting the season in Memphis at the Triple-A level. A late 2014 call up is not out of the question. If he could improve on something, I would like to see more power out of his bat.
Ramsey got of to a hot start in Arizona but cooled off significantly. Over his last 10 games, he hit .115 with 11 strikeouts. This may be due to fatigue as he played at three different levels in the regular season. Fatigue is something that hit Ramsey late in 2012 after signing his professional contract. He hit .246 with 2 homers and 11 RBI’s. He stole 4 bases and had 7 doubles. Strikeouts were something I hoped he’d improve upon in the fall. During the regular season Ramsey struck out 1.08 times per game. In the fall, he struck out 0.91 times per game, an improvement but still too high for someone who should be a top-of-the-order hitter.
The 23-year-old Wilson played in about 10 fewer games than Piscotty and Ramsey, but managed to hit .304 with a homer and 13 RBI’s. Wilson also looked solid at second base for Salt River. Wilson was one of the Cards’ biggest surprises in their farm system for 2013, and the Arizona Fall League did nothing but advance him further. He should open up 2014 as a top 20 prospect and probably a start at Palm Beach.
The Cards’ representative in the starting rotation started out rough, but ended on a high note. Gaviglio allowed 10 earned runs in his first three starts, but only one in his last three. In 2013, he was limited to only 47 2/3 innings on the mound due to injury, so 2014 should be a bounce-back year for the Oregon State product. Palm Beach is the likely destination for Gaviglio if healthy.
Behind Piscotty, Stoppelman is the next best prospect the Cardinals sent to Arizona. Shooting through the system in 2013, he ended the season pitching a few innings at Memphis. This 6’2″ lefty from Central Missouri impressed as well in Arizona. Over 9 1/3 innings, Stoppelman allowed just 3 earned runs and struck out 12. Walks were somewhat of a problem for him this fall as he walked 9 batters after only walking 26 in 66 regular season innings. Depending on his health and the health of those above him, Stoppelman could see major league innings in 2014.
Ferrara came into the fall season looking to rebound from a rough 2013 season with the Double-A Springfield Cardinals. During the regular season, he went 7-6 with a 5.84 ERA and 54 walks in 98 2/3 innings. During the fall, Ferrara was 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 7 1/3 innings. It was an up-and-down fall for Ferrrara as he only allowed runs in two appearances and held opponents to a .154 batting average, but walked 7 batters and only struck out 8. 2014 will be a make it or break it season as he would become a free-agent after the season if he doesn’t make it on the 40-man roster, which is highly unlikely.
Kiekhefer spent the majority of the regular season at High-A Palm Beach but did make 11 appearances at Double-A Springfield where he had a 3.86 ERA. This fall, he had a 3.72 ERA over 9 2/3 innings while walking three and striking out 6. Control is Kiekhefer’s strength as he only walked 9 batters in 60 1/3 innings in the regular season. This lefty could start the season at Double-A Springfield in 2014.
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