3 Cardinals Prospects Who Should Be Called up by September
By Ryan Flores
The St. Louis Cardinals have found themselves in an NL Central playoff race where no one has seemed to gain firm control of the division. The Cards will enter the second half of the season in third place, sitting just two games back of the division-leading Chicago Cubs. They could most certainly use a spark from some of their prospects in the minors to help propel them to a playoff spot. Here are three prospects that could find themselves making some noise in the majors sometime soon.
3. Edmundo Sosa
It's entirely possible that the Cardinals will attempt to add some middle infield depth behind Paul DeJong and Kolten Wong, and Sosa could very well be in the mix. Sosa has slowly but surely worked his way through the levels of the minor leagues, and is now knocking on the door of the majors after spending the last two seasons at Triple-A. In his time at that level, he's put together a .257 batting average, with 14 homers and 58 runs batted in. He's got a knack for putting the ball in play, which the Cards could use right now.
2. Junior Fernandez
Fernandez has proven that he has one of the most electric fastballs in the minors, as it is able to reach 99 mph. Combine that with a plus changeup, and he could be an absolute force in the Cardinals bullpen. Fernandez has proven that he's more than capable of doing such things in the minors, as he's compiled a 1.48 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 48.2 innings of work across three minor league levels. If he can stay healthy for the rest of the season, he's a good bet to find himself in the big league bullpen sometime soon.
1. Randy Arozarena
Arozarena has been a force at the plate in the minors, compiling a .349/.434/.538 slash line with 32 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases. He's also an above-average runner who is aggressive on the base paths, which means he could wreak some serious havoc in the right spots. With Marcell Ozuna on the disabled list with multiple small fractures in his hand, there's no reason why the Cards shouldn't bring up Arozarena in an attempt to give the offense a spark. He may not wow anyone with his power, but he knows how to get on base, which is highly important for a lackluster Cardinals offense.