SOUTH GRAND — Already the closest vote in two years of doing the (Bird Land) Community Top 30, the poll for No. 21 produced something even more remarkable while, numbed by baseball’s sputtering hot stove, we caught up on Christmas shopping this weekend.

After more than 530 voters clicked in, No. 21 is a virtual tie.

Pitcher Fernando Salas and outfielder Shane Robinson each received 25 percent of the vote. At the time I checked this morning, Salas had 134 votes and Robinson had 133. Hardly enough to determine a victor because it could change while I write this. So, we’ll solve this with a runoff. Consider the previous entry (”Best Bang for the Biggest Bonus“) a primary and today’s poll an election. The winner will be the 21st-best prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals system according to the community here.

The loser … Well, here’s why this poll continues to intrigue. Not too far behind the leading two is third-place Roberto De La Cruz, who isn’t far enough behind to assume that he won’t win No. 22.

So, the runoff first. Then on to No. 22. Some scouting info on the two in the runoff is available below, after the poll:

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OF SHANE ROBINSON: Hit .410/.451/.615 in April and probably could have won the Texas League batting title if not for a promotion to Triple-A. Robinson changed his swing during spring training and became more of a contact hitter, using an improved sense of the strike zone and his speed to morph into a productive leadoff hitter and a No. 4-outfielder type with promise. Robinson was Collegiate Baseball’s National Player of the Year in 2005. He had a 40-game hitting streak in college and he reached base in 57 consecutive games for Florida State. From the scouting report I submitted to Baseball America: Robinson “turned every hit into a track meet.” Manager Pop Warner told him during spring that he had to change his swing because trying to conjure power wasn’t his best way to the majors, flat hitting and running was. “You find a place for a guy who is hitting .380,” Warner said.

RHP FERNANDO SALAS: The Cardinals wooed him from the Mexican League in 2007 and installed him as a member of the piggyback rotation* in High-A Palm Beach. He struggled, going 2-3, 5.26 in 16 games. The Cardinals returned him to his Mexican League team to finish the season. When he returned to the club for 2008, the Cardinals used him exclusively as a reliever and he became the team’s Futures Game rep. He throws a 91-92 mph fastball and a quality curve. His best trait his command and his ability to fire that fastball to four corners of the strike zone. He became one of the finest relievers in the Texas League with, as scouts said, “among the best ability to just throw strikes.” He struck out 100 against 16 walks in 74 innings. In his final 59 games, he walked just 10. He led the Texas League with 25 saves, though his immediate future could be as a setup man in Triple-A, depending on how the major-league bullpen shakes down.

* Piggyback Rotation (noun): Where pitchers are paired off and alternate starts every four games. The idea is to cram eight starters into the rotation while also stressing low pitch counts between-game preparation. The drawback is pitchers have to buy into having their season judged on more than just wins because rarely does the starter last long enough to grab the win. Palm Beach broke from the tandem rotation later in the season, thought the Cardinals have used it successfully in Quad Cities and at several other lower levels.

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