Saturday's most significant moment for the Cardinals front office may have taken place on a rear field while the intrasquad was going on inside the main stadium.
Righthanded pitcher Carlos Martinez, the most promising arm the club has signed since renewing its commitment to scouting and player development in the Caribbean, threw for the first time before general manager John Mozeliak and farm director John Vuch...
...Martinez's fastball 'sits" in the mid-90s, with the ability to touch 98-99 miles per hour. The teenager exhibited a loose but hurried arm action Saturday in a somewhat pressurized setting. At one point Cardinals bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist told Martinez to slow down. At another point Martinez interrupted his session to gulp water. "You could tell he was amped up," Vuch said. "But he was good."
Until Saturday, Mozeliak's exposure to Martinez had been limited to video. But even before Martinez took the mound, Mozeliak saw the new man in camp throwing in the outfield and uttered "wow."
A lot of the pitching prospects coming out of the Cardinals farm system the last few years have lacked that "wow" factor, so it is nice to get some sizzle there. Scouts seem to think highly of Shelby Miller as well, so maybe this isn't a fluke.
A boy can dream.
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