GRAND CENTER — Bunkered in here at Channel 9’s studios, just a Jim Hayes’ Frisbee throw from the grand Fox Theater, and ready to see No. 2 hitter Yadier Molina step in against his favorite pitcher to see at his favorite away ballpark to hit.

And already Max Leinwand has brought up a question to wonder:

Who is the emergency catcher on this year’s team?

Molina grounds out while Max is asking. So, As Rick…

PITTSBURGH — Called High-A Palm Beach’s manager Gaylen Pitts the other day for another assignment and after running through a list of specific players in his lineup I asked who else has stood out.

“Tyler Henley,” he said. “Leadoff guy. He’s been a bit of everything for us.”

Fast forward to Wednesday morning and I’m checking out the box score of the Palm Beach Cardinals and sure enough, there was Henley, doing a big bit of one thing — against a…

DOWNTOWN — The Cardinals four highest minor-league affiliates will open their regular seasons today, and already there was a move of some consequence.

Trey Hearne, who became something of an Internet darling in 2006 with his performance at Low-A Quad Cities, will pitch this season in the Mexican League. The righthander reported to Minatitlan, the same club outfielder Amaury Marti started with last summer. The Cardinals were lacking innings to give the starter, so they…

The final Vuch Report of spring comes with a sting. But it could have been worse.

The Cardinals minor leaguers concluded their spring training Sunday with scrimmages – one of which featured two major-league pitchers opposing each other — and a full, frontal assault by some of the locals. In the eighth inning of the Memphis-Palm Beach game, the benches cleared and players raced for cover. That is where John Vuch, an eyewitness, takes up the story:

A swarm…

The major league team may have left Friday morning — and taken the Double-A team with it — but most of the Cardinals’ minor leaguers remained in Florida for the weekend. They’re still playing. Which means there are still Vuch Reports coming.

Below are the complete reports from Friday’s scrimmages, and after them are the highlights from the two previous days — Vuch Reports that slipped through the cracks of packing, traveling and other writing. The minor league…

JUPITER, Fla. — With their camp winding down as well, the Cardinals’ minor-league affiliates shaved their rosters by five Tuesday morning. The cuts include a former first-round pick and a one-time Player of the Year from the organization. They also begin to show how the Cardinals plan to squeeze all those outfielders into the two top affiliates.

The players released were:

• RHP Dewon Brazelton
• RHP Arando Carrasco
• RHP Logan Collier
• CF Reid Gorecki
• 2B Juan Lucena

More on each:

RHP…

JUPITER, Fla. — The major-league season is, oh, not yet two innings old as I start to write this, but all around Roger Dean Stadium and the Cardinals’ complex there’s a quickening of the pace.

The big-league Cardinals are settling into the roster they’ll take north — the brass is having a meeting with the coaches this morning — and the minor leaguers are making their final pitches for a spot on the highest level possible. On Monday,…

THE GLADES — Talk about multi-tasking. As only a Hall of Famer can, Rick Hummel is driving us across central Florida, while making a radio appearance (unless, that is, he has friends who call him to breakdown the option rules on Anthony Reyes and the backhand plays of Cesar Izturis). I have the laptop out and am cranking away, tethered even this far off the Interstate to the Internet.

This kind of coverage takes creativity.

While making the…

JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals raced the rain by rescheduling their minor league games for early Saturday morning. They had more than quick games, they made quick work of the Marlins’ affiliates and swept all five games.

Nobody worked quicker or more effectively than Mitchell Boggs. The righthander came to spring training as one of the young pitchers the organization wanted to get a look at in a big-league setting. He was also one of…

JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals held what’s called a “Camp Day” in these parts, squaring off their minor-league affiliates against each other for quick scrimmages and an early day. The setting may have changed and the competition may be friendly, but the familiar names keep coming up in the daily Vuch Report.

But first some history.

The Vuch Report is a daily culling of statistics and performances from the minor-league games. While most of the attention is…