St. Louis Cardinals Pitching Prospects Will Offer Big Test for A's Bats
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The beginning of the Texas League Championship series is today, and it will be the Midland RockHounds (A's) taking on the Springfield Cardinals (Cardinals) for the title after both teams swept their first-round matchups.
First pitch for Game 1 in Springfield will be at 11:05 a.m. (PT), with the RockHounds tossing out 25-year-old Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang out of Taiwan. He has spent the entire season in Midland, and pitched to a 4.08 ERA in 28 games (26 starts) spanning 145 2/3 innings of work.
He's a big control pitcher, walking just 35 batters this season, while still racking up 145 strikeouts. He faced Springfield twice at the end of August, also on the road, and combined for 10 1/3 innings of work, giving up six hits and two walks which led to four runs (two earned). He also struck out nine batters across those two starts.
In his two most recent outings in September, he combined to give up seven earned runs in 10 1/3 innings, good for a 6.10 ERA. He'll be well rested, last having pitched on September 12.
Springfield Cardinal pitchers could be a problem
The Cardinals will be tossing out a 25-year-old of their own, left-hander Pete Hansen. The two pitchers are fairly similar in that they limit free passes, have spent the entire season in Double-A, and Hansen held a 3.93 ERA in his 137 1/3 innings.
He faced Midland once this season, going seven innings and giving up four runs (three earned) while allowing five hits and a walk while striking out nine. Springfield won that contest in 11 innings.
The one big difference, and what should be a matchup to watch all series, is that the A's top prospect, Leo De Vries (No. 3 in MLB), wasn't hitting his stride just yet. As an 18-year-old in Double-A, it took him a couple of weeks to get going offensively. When the Cardinals last saw him, he was batting .179.
De Vries took off in September, batting .383 with five homers and 13 RBI in the regular season, and continued that streak into the postseason, going 5-of-8 (.625) with a home run and three RBI in two games.
While Hansen is not ranked among the Cardinals' top-30 prospects, the projected starters for games two and three are. Expected to take the ball for Springfield on Tuesday in Midland will be Ixan Henderson, St. Louis' No. 15 overall prospect. He went 9-7 this season with a 2.59 ERA, giving up just 99 hits across 132 innings of work.
Henderson also struck out 134 in that time, but he walked 51 as well. While that's not an absurdly high mark, it could be something to keep an eye on when he takes the mound.
In a potential Game 3, Springfield is expected to use yet another left-hander in Brycen Mautz, their No. 21 ranked prospect. The 24-year-old southpaw went 8-3 this season with a 2.98 ERA in 114 2/3 innings of work, striking out an impressive 134 batters.
The A's affiliate has not announced their starters past the first game, though their No. 3 overall prospect, Gage Jump out of LSU, would be on regular rest for that outing. In his first year in pro ball, Jump really stood out in the A's system and figures to be a part of the team's future before long.
This will be an interesting matchup between the two affiliates, with the first game in Springfield on Sunday, followed by games two and three (if necessary) in Midland on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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