Jimmy Journell

The lesson: don't get crazy when a college pitcher owns the Carolina League at 23. Journell may yet carve out a career as a reliever--and the opportunity is there in St. Louis--but that's a far cry from where he was two years ago. If he makes the roster, he's worth taking a flyer on.

The top prospect in the Cardinals shockingly shallow minor-league organization, Journell pitched well in 66 2/3 innings of Double-A, striking of 66, walking 18 and allowing 50 hits. He didn?t fare so well at Triple-A, however, allowing 18 walks and 38 hits in just 36 2/3 innings while striking out 32. Journell's mid-90s fastball and hard-breaking slider are undoubtedly big-league quality pitches and considering that his Double-A stint provides a larger sample size, we think Journell has a chance to make an impact at the back end of the Cardinals rotation sometime this season. Shoulder stiffness sidelined him last July, but Journell should be healthy in time for spring training.