JUPITER, Fla. • While teenager and righthander Tyrell Jenkins threw his second official bullpen of spring training, a seasoned veteran of such things watched from nearby Jenkins' catcher.
"You can tell he wants to be in the big leagues," the observer said. "It's too early to know if he will, but with his work and how he looks, you can just tell he wants it."
That speaker's name?
Red Schoendienst.
Jenkins was brought into major-league camp this spring at the urging of manager Mike Matheny, who among the many things he's trying to do in his first camp as manager is expose the younger, high-watt prospects to what it means to get ready for a major-league season. Jenkins is penciled in to the Low-A Quad Cities rotation for 2012, and it will be his first appearance for a full-season affiliate if he makes the team out of spring training.
Already he's being noticed as not just one of the top 10 -- and, in some lists, top five -- prospects in the Cardinals system, but also one of the top pitching prospects in all the minors.
Not just Schoendienst is taking note.
Baseball America did today, too.
The trade publication (full disclosure: I write the Cardinals' reports for the magazine) was out with its Top 100 prospects today. Asked during a recent chat how many prospects I expected the Cardinals to put in the top 100 for this coming season, I suggested three: the two high-end pitchers who get all the press and outfielder Oscar Taveras. I was off in my estimate. The Cardinals landed six on the list.
The BA list also attaches an ETA -- Estimated Time of Arrival in the majors -- to each prospect.
From the editors at Baseball America, here are the six Cardinals who rank in the top 100 of all minor-league players who are still rookie eligible at the big-league level:
8. RHP Shelby Miller -- ETA: 2013
27. RHP Carlos Martinez -- ETA: 2014
74. OF Oscar Taveras -- ETA: 2014
88. 3B Zack Cox -- ETA: 2013
93. 2B Kolten Wong -- ETA: 2013
94. RHP Tyrell Jenkins -- ETA: 2014
That ETA might be conservative on Miller -- a September callup in 2012 wouldn't be unreasonable -- and aggressive on Jenkins. Taveras could zoom through the ranks quickly once he figures out the other parts of the game beyond hitter.
In the comments that accompany each player, BA writes that Martinez has one of the best fastballs in all the minors.
The magazine calls Jenkins' "Jeff Luhnow's parting gift."
Schoendienst agrees he has a gift.
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