Week in Review: Texas League Week 1

Mar 21, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Aledmys Diaz (95) connects for a base hit against the Washington Nationals during a game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Springfield Cardinals are off to a slow start with a record of 3-6, but three of those losses came at the hand of the 7-2 Corpus Christi Hooks. Despite the slow start at a team, the Cardinals feature the hottest player in the league, James Ramsey. Ramsey is tied with Jace Peterson for the league lead in hits and tied with Rougned Odor and Tom Murphy in home runs. Before an 0-fer on Saturday, he also led the league in batting average, but it dropped from .484 to .429.

Andrew Aplin has been displaying an incredible eye at the plate for Corpus Christi, as he has walked 13 times in just nine games. Fellow Hook, Delino DeShields, has the second most steals in this young season but also has the third most strikeouts thus far. DeShields moved to the outfield from second base last season, and it has been an adventure, as his routes to balls are often questionable at best.

On the hill, Eddie Butler has shined. While he has yet to get a decision, he has struck out 12 batters in his twelve innings while only walking one. He has an ERA of 2.25 and a WHIP of just 0.83.

Arguably the most intriguing player in the Texas League is Aledmys Diaz, the Cuban defector that signed a four year major league deal with the Cardinals this off-season. Diaz is on the 40-man roster and his bat has played very well at the Double-A level. He has yet to draw a walk, but does have a sacrifice this season, giving him one of the common early season oddities of an average, .414, higher than his OBP, .400. Diaz very aggressive at the plate with a big hip coil and long swing, but his bat is still relatively quick through the zone. He will probably earn himself a quick promotion to Triple-A, but certainly needs some seasoning before making it to the big leagues.