Zack Thompson

[rockondlouie]

The hype is all on CT. Scouts pegged him as a reliever

+1

[3dender]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

Bc they're trying to manage the hype around him, which is pretty refreshing considering what happened to Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson, Liberatore, etc.

Nothing wrong with bringing him to ST, though. Just for the experience. JJW got invited last year. I think it can be good for them.

imo the risk outweighs the benefit... i've never heard of a prospect flaming out bc they didn't get invited to ST soon enough.

What's the risk, though?

for the record I don't think there's a LOT of risk, there's just more risk than not inviting him (bc there's literally no risk to not inviting him).

So maybe by inviting him, he gets more media attention, more fan attention, and that converts to more pressure he feels to perform well over the next couple/several years? And that pressure/stress leads to worse performance somehow?

Again, I don't think that's necessarily a likely outcome, but I'd definitely understand the "better safe than sorry" mindset regarding their best pitching prospect since at least Alex Reyes, if not Wainwright.

[Carp4Cy]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

Bc they're trying to manage the hype around him, which is pretty refreshing considering what happened to Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson, Liberatore, etc.

Nothing wrong with bringing him to ST, though. Just for the experience. JJW got invited last year. I think it can be good for them.

imo the risk outweighs the benefit... i've never heard of a prospect flaming out bc they didn't get invited to ST soon enough.

This is supposed to be a youth movement, not a retread fest of 26-30 yo cheap journeyman minorleaguers. Franchise needs to embrace it all the way and not be so cautious they miss the whole point.

[Carp4Cy]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

Bc they're trying to manage the hype around him, which is pretty refreshing considering what happened to Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson, Liberatore, etc.

Nothing wrong with bringing him to ST, though. Just for the experience. JJW got invited last year. I think it can be good for them.

imo the risk outweighs the benefit... i've never heard of a prospect flaming out bc they didn't get invited to ST soon enough.

What's the risk, though?

I agree with others here on Doyle. ST is a chance to for fringe guys to get a good look at by staff in person. Management has a good idea going into spring who will be on their roster. What they like to know is if there is a player that is going to force their hand if others fall down. At the least they know who gets called up when the time comes, and who gets DFA'ed when that time comes too. Someone like Doyle is a no brainer that he will be on the staff at some point by virtue of his pick and history. What they need him to do now is settle in as an every day pitcher, get routines down and comfort with how he is going to proceed as a pitcher. ST invite for him will just muddy the water and give him the impression he is sooner rather than later. He will not focus on the little things he needs to do now for success later. Wetherholt got an invite under Moz's leadership. Moz proved he did not have a good idea on development. He kept searching for the "Now" answer rather than the concern of a players development in stages. Wetherholt also had a very good grasp on hitting coming in and he proved that throughout the year. His game is a lot more refined and polished. Doyle has to answer the question about where is he going to be at the end of the day. Starter, Relief or closer. Scouting reports state that he apparently needs to refine his mechanics to some degree to handle long term starter duties. So to answer the questions there are questions that need answered first before he is invited. He will get the chance to move up the ladder this year and if all goes well will be at next years ST once the lockout ends.

I agree with most of this. However, I don't think an invite to ST would give him that impression. JJ last year knew he wasn't making the team, but simply used it to be a sponge and take in all things MLB.

Right, this happens every year. (and for the record, JJ should have been called up sooner around August, like Kurtz was last year- it certainly didn't break Kurtz and JJ is no less mature).

But ST could be an opportunity for Doyle to get practice pitching to Crooks or Pages (or Bernal) or whoever he is most likely to be pitching to later in 26 if he earns a Sept callup/or 27. He's not going to get those matchups on the back practice fields, or in AA this year

[Carp4Cy]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

Bc they're trying to manage the hype around him, which is pretty refreshing considering what happened to Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson, Liberatore, etc.

Nothing wrong with bringing him to ST, though. Just for the experience. JJW got invited last year. I think it can be good for them.

imo the risk outweighs the benefit... i've never heard of a prospect flaming out bc they didn't get invited to ST soon enough.

What's the risk, though?

I agree with others here on Doyle. ST is a chance to for fringe guys to get a good look at by staff in person. Management has a good idea going into spring who will be on their roster. What they like to know is if there is a player that is going to force their hand if others fall down. At the least they know who gets called up when the time comes, and who gets DFA'ed when that time comes too. Someone like Doyle is a no brainer that he will be on the staff at some point by virtue of his pick and history. What they need him to do now is settle in as an every day pitcher, get routines down and comfort with how he is going to proceed as a pitcher. ST invite for him will just muddy the water and give him the impression he is sooner rather than later. He will not focus on the little things he needs to do now for success later. Wetherholt got an invite under Moz's leadership. Moz proved he did not have a good idea on development. He kept searching for the "Now" answer rather than the concern of a players development in stages. Wetherholt also had a very good grasp on hitting coming in and he proved that throughout the year. His game is a lot more refined and polished. Doyle has to answer the question about where is he going to be at the end of the day. Starter, Relief or closer. Scouting reports state that he apparently needs to refine his mechanics to some degree to handle long term starter duties. So to answer the questions there are questions that need answered first before he is invited. He will get the chance to move up the ladder this year and if all goes well will be at next years ST once the lockout ends.

I agree with most of this. However, I don't think an invite to ST would give him that impression. JJ last year knew he wasn't making the team, but simply used it to be a sponge and take in all things MLB.

Right, this happens every year. (and for the record, JJ should have been called up sooner around August, like Kurtz was last year- it certainly didn't break Kurtz and JJ is no less mature).

But ST could be an opportunity for Doyle to get practice pitching to Crooks or Pages (or Bernal) or whoever he is most likely to be pitching to later in 26 if he earns a Sept callup/or 27. He's not going to get those matchups on the back practice fields, or in AA this year

Also this thread is proof that Mo overrated the rule 5 risk of leaving some of our junk unprotected and leading him to keep JJW Off the 40 man last year. Zach and others got re-signed anyway because no one really wanted those players he was so worried about protecting.

[Strummer Jones]

I'm not all that upset about Liam not getting an invite. Those are mostly formalities anyway. How many times do we see guys get called over from the minors camp? It's a pretty common thing every year.

I also wonder if they're doing this to keep a leash on his innings a bit this year. Wouldn't shock me.

[Cardinals1964]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

They will still look at him.
A lot of invites are there to fill in innings and travel to away games

[BrockFloodMaris]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

Bc they're trying to manage the hype around him, which is pretty refreshing considering what happened to Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson, Liberatore, etc.

Nothing wrong with bringing him to ST, though. Just for the experience. JJW got invited last year. I think it can be good for them.

imo the risk outweighs the benefit... i've never heard of a prospect flaming out bc they didn't get invited to ST soon enough.

This is supposed to be a youth movement, not a retread fest of 26-30 yo cheap journeyman minorleaguers. Franchise needs to embrace it all the way and not be so cautious they miss the whole point.

I understand that you are not happy about the messy nature of ST NRIs and general roster construction. It is definitely messy and uneven and doesn't follow all the strict guidelines we hope it would. I think I heard that the Cards were able to option ZT to MEM without DFAing him, since he was on the IL all last year. This is probably his last shot at a 26-man roster spot with STL. Although, I'm fairly sure that you are right about other teams not claiming him, but you never know. Roster management, especially working the 40-man, is a beautiful mess. You can cast blame as you wish, but all teams perform these tightrope walks. I was surprised we lost Cade Winquest to the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft. The Yankees never take players in the Rule 5! Did we try to sneak a guy through and get caught?

[StlMike1969]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

Bc they're trying to manage the hype around him, which is pretty refreshing considering what happened to Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson, Liberatore, etc.

Nothing wrong with bringing him to ST, though. Just for the experience. JJW got invited last year. I think it can be good for them.

imo the risk outweighs the benefit... i've never heard of a prospect flaming out bc they didn't get invited to ST soon enough.

What's the risk, though?

I agree with others here on Doyle. ST is a chance to for fringe guys to get a good look at by staff in person. Management has a good idea going into spring who will be on their roster. What they like to know is if there is a player that is going to force their hand if others fall down. At the least they know who gets called up when the time comes, and who gets DFA'ed when that time comes too. Someone like Doyle is a no brainer that he will be on the staff at some point by virtue of his pick and history. What they need him to do now is settle in as an every day pitcher, get routines down and comfort with how he is going to proceed as a pitcher. ST invite for him will just muddy the water and give him the impression he is sooner rather than later. He will not focus on the little things he needs to do now for success later. Wetherholt got an invite under Moz's leadership. Moz proved he did not have a good idea on development. He kept searching for the "Now" answer rather than the concern of a players development in stages. Wetherholt also had a very good grasp on hitting coming in and he proved that throughout the year. His game is a lot more refined and polished. Doyle has to answer the question about where is he going to be at the end of the day. Starter, Relief or closer. Scouting reports state that he apparently needs to refine his mechanics to some degree to handle long term starter duties. So to answer the questions there are questions that need answered first before he is invited. He will get the chance to move up the ladder this year and if all goes well will be at next years ST once the lockout ends.

I agree with most of this. However, I don't think an invite to ST would give him that impression. JJ last year knew he wasn't making the team, but simply used it to be a sponge and take in all things MLB.

Understood however I think there has always been this foregone conclusion that JJ was going to be in the 2026 plans to some degree, even when drafted because of how advanced he was. Doyle on the other hand has always had some question about his timeline. I think Bloom is more concerned with cleaning out the closet of some of the fringe guys and let the others just settle in to their relevant minors role. Why we do not see some of the other notable names getting an invite either.

[icon]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

Mozeliak could seldom let go of DFAs. They often boomeranged back to AAA after no other team wanted them. Why is Bloom doing the same stuff? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

[Cardinals4Life]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

Bc they're trying to manage the hype around him, which is pretty refreshing considering what happened to Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson, Liberatore, etc.

Nothing wrong with bringing him to ST, though. Just for the experience. JJW got invited last year. I think it can be good for them.

imo the risk outweighs the benefit... i've never heard of a prospect flaming out bc they didn't get invited to ST soon enough.

What's the risk, though?

I agree with others here on Doyle. ST is a chance to for fringe guys to get a good look at by staff in person. Management has a good idea going into spring who will be on their roster. What they like to know is if there is a player that is going to force their hand if others fall down. At the least they know who gets called up when the time comes, and who gets DFA'ed when that time comes too. Someone like Doyle is a no brainer that he will be on the staff at some point by virtue of his pick and history. What they need him to do now is settle in as an every day pitcher, get routines down and comfort with how he is going to proceed as a pitcher. ST invite for him will just muddy the water and give him the impression he is sooner rather than later. He will not focus on the little things he needs to do now for success later. Wetherholt got an invite under Moz's leadership. Moz proved he did not have a good idea on development. He kept searching for the "Now" answer rather than the concern of a players development in stages. Wetherholt also had a very good grasp on hitting coming in and he proved that throughout the year. His game is a lot more refined and polished. Doyle has to answer the question about where is he going to be at the end of the day. Starter, Relief or closer. Scouting reports state that he apparently needs to refine his mechanics to some degree to handle long term starter duties. So to answer the questions there are questions that need answered first before he is invited. He will get the chance to move up the ladder this year and if all goes well will be at next years ST once the lockout ends.

I agree with most of this. However, I don't think an invite to ST would give him that impression. JJ last year knew he wasn't making the team, but simply used it to be a sponge and take in all things MLB.

Understood however I think there has always been this foregone conclusion that JJ was going to be in the 2026 plans to some degree, even when drafted because of how advanced he was. Doyle on the other hand has always had some question about his timeline. I think Bloom is more concerned with cleaning out the closet of some of the fringe guys and let the others just settle in to their relevant minors role. Why we do not see some of the other notable names getting an invite either.

Fair enough.
What other notable names are missing?

[hugeCardfan]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

My understanding was that since he was on the IL the entire year he was allowed to be removed off the 40-man without being DFAed. The original stories said he had to be DFAed, but then they figured out that the Cardinals didn’t need to.

During the regular season he can be removed from the 40 man if on 60 day IL. But, off season, there is no 60 day IL. Without the 40 man roster coverage, only a minor league contract keeps the affiliation going for veteran players. Thompson was free to sign with any team.

[Stlcardsblues]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

Bc they're trying to manage the hype around him, which is pretty refreshing considering what happened to Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson, Liberatore, etc.

Nothing wrong with bringing him to ST, though. Just for the experience. JJW got invited last year. I think it can be good for them.

imo the risk outweighs the benefit... i've never heard of a prospect flaming out bc they didn't get invited to ST soon enough.

What's the risk, though?

I agree with others here on Doyle. ST is a chance to for fringe guys to get a good look at by staff in person. Management has a good idea going into spring who will be on their roster. What they like to know is if there is a player that is going to force their hand if others fall down. At the least they know who gets called up when the time comes, and who gets DFA'ed when that time comes too. Someone like Doyle is a no brainer that he will be on the staff at some point by virtue of his pick and history. What they need him to do now is settle in as an every day pitcher, get routines down and comfort with how he is going to proceed as a pitcher. ST invite for him will just muddy the water and give him the impression he is sooner rather than later. He will not focus on the little things he needs to do now for success later. Wetherholt got an invite under Moz's leadership. Moz proved he did not have a good idea on development. He kept searching for the "Now" answer rather than the concern of a players development in stages. Wetherholt also had a very good grasp on hitting coming in and he proved that throughout the year. His game is a lot more refined and polished. Doyle has to answer the question about where is he going to be at the end of the day. Starter, Relief or closer. Scouting reports state that he apparently needs to refine his mechanics to some degree to handle long term starter duties. So to answer the questions there are questions that need answered first before he is invited. He will get the chance to move up the ladder this year and if all goes well will be at next years ST once the lockout ends.

I agree with most of this. However, I don't think an invite to ST would give him that impression. JJ last year knew he wasn't making the team, but simply used it to be a sponge and take in all things MLB.

Understood however I think there has always been this foregone conclusion that JJ was going to be in the 2026 plans to some degree, even when drafted because of how advanced he was. Doyle on the other hand has always had some question about his timeline. I think Bloom is more concerned with cleaning out the closet of some of the fringe guys and let the others just settle in to their relevant minors role. Why we do not see some of the other notable names getting an invite either.

Fair enough.
What other notable names are missing?

Replied to the wrong post. Ignore.

[Stlcardsblues]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

My understanding was that since he was on the IL the entire year he was allowed to be removed off the 40-man without being DFAed. The original stories said he had to be DFAed, but then they figured out that the Cardinals didn’t need to.

During the regular season he can be removed from the 40 man if on 60 day IL. But, off season, there is no 60 day IL. Without the 40 man roster coverage, only a minor league contract keeps the affiliation going for veteran players. Thompson was free to sign with any team.

https://www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi/s ... twist-pat3

This was the rule I was referencing. He was placed on waivers but didn’t qualify to be a free agent.

[Cardinals4Life]

Cardinals also re-signed Zack Thompson to minor league deal. Gets a spring training invite. Assigned to Memphis.

Meanwhile Liam Doyle doesn't have a ST invite. Law says he could promote to ML this year if things go well. How is he not getting a look in ST when guys like Packy Naughton, Thompson, Koperniak do? Weren't we supposed to lose those guys to the rule 5/dfa since the roster was so clogged?

Bc they're trying to manage the hype around him, which is pretty refreshing considering what happened to Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson, Liberatore, etc.

Nothing wrong with bringing him to ST, though. Just for the experience. JJW got invited last year. I think it can be good for them.

imo the risk outweighs the benefit... i've never heard of a prospect flaming out bc they didn't get invited to ST soon enough.

This is supposed to be a youth movement, not a retread fest of 26-30 yo cheap journeyman minorleaguers. Franchise needs to embrace it all the way and not be so cautious they miss the whole point.

I understand that you are not happy about the messy nature of ST NRIs and general roster construction. It is definitely messy and uneven and doesn't follow all the strict guidelines we hope it would. I think I heard that the Cards were able to option ZT to MEM without DFAing him, since he was on the IL all last year. This is probably his last shot at a 26-man roster spot with STL. Although, I'm fairly sure that you are right about other teams not claiming him, but you never know. Roster management, especially working the 40-man, is a beautiful mess. You can cast blame as you wish, but all teams perform these tightrope walks. I was surprised we lost Cade Winquest to the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft. The Yankees never take players in the Rule 5! Did we try to sneak a guy through and get caught?

Maybe. Winquest looked pretty good when I saw him last year in both Peoria and Springfield. FB had good velo and he had good movement. I also like how much of a competitor he was. My only question is if he is ready for The Show yet. Jumping from a partial season at AA may prove to be tough. Hope we get him back!

[Cardinals1964]

Cards don't want to put pressure on Doyle. He hasn't pitched one inning professionally. Give him some time to settle in.

He pitched 3.2 innings last year in the minors.