1B – Luis Bandes – R/R – Rookie Johnson City
2B – Andy Young – R/R – LoA Peoria/HiA Palm Beach/AA Springfield
3B – Evan Mendoza – R/R – SS State College/LoA Peoria
SS – Raffy Ozuna – R/R – DSL
LF – Randy Arozarena – R/R – HiA Palm Beach/AA Springfield
CF – Wadye Ynfante – R/R – Rookie Johnson City
RF – Dylan Carlson – S/L – LoA Peoria Top 5 Starting Pitchers – (Factor Score) / Highest Level Attained 1. RHP Mike O’Reilly – (26) / HiA Palm Beach 2. RHP Ryan Helsley – (19) / AAA Memphis “Legit UTR” **Here’s an excerpt from my blurb about Helsley in the Cardinals’ 2016 UTR-OAS roster: The now 22-year old was the best kept secret in 2016 with LoA Peoria and has yet receive the deserved ink….so he’ll get it here. He made 11 appearances (9 starts) in the Appy League in 2015 posting a 2.01 ERA over 40.1 innings. He jumped to full season LoA and went 10-2 with a 1.61 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 10.3 SO/9 rate (109 K’s) in 95 innings. I always try to select a true UTR (below 5th round draft pick) as my “One to Watch”, but Helsley makes the 2017 choice too obvious. Helsley was in fact my 2017 “One to Watch” but I also predicted that the 6’1″ 195 lb righty could be moved to the bullpen, based on this tools. I still believe this will occur, as soon as early to the start of the 2018 season (mid-May). With his limited performance (6 starts) at Double-A Springfield, Helsley’s name will be listed on some savvy fantasy owners draft cheatsheets. Mostly as one of those unexpected names called during the end-game. This strategy may provide owners with a solid roster stash that could pay nice dividends during the 2018 season, possibly as a mid-season sell-high trade piece. 3. RHP Jordan Hicks – (11) / HiA Palm Beach 4. RHP Connor Jones – (10) / AA Springfield 5. RHP Derian Gonzalez – (10) / HiA Palm Beach Top 3 Relief Pitchers – (Factor Score) / Highest Level Attained **Here’s a list of some sneaky good relief pitchers to watch very closely. 1. RHP Eric Carter – (12) / AA Springfield ** A 26th round draft (2016) pick quietly pitched in his debut season at Short-Season State College, and posted 10.3 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 rates along with a 0.97 WHIP in 17 appearances. His BB/9 rate spiked in 2017 (3.6), but he handled promotions HiA Palm Beach and AA Springfield well. 2. RHP Estarlin Arias – (9) / HiA Palm Beach 3. RHP Yeison Medina – (7) / LoA Peoria ** Its taken 5 seasons for the Dominican to reach LoA, but take in consideration the lost season in 2015. In late 2014, Medina was suspended for 50 games for violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, which carried over the following season. Medina shined in Peoria with 74 strikeouts over 44.1 innings in 32 appearances. In 146 professional innings overall, the 6’2″ 210 lb right-hander has only allowed 2 home runs.
Under The Radar Minors 