The St. Louis Cardinals announced today their 2016 Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year selections, honoring a pair of 2016 Springfield Cardinals in C Carson Kelly and RHP Luke Weaver for their accomplishments on the field. Both Kelly and Weaver earned All-Star selections in the Texas League last season before making their Major League debuts later in 2016.
Kelly, 22, hit .289 with six home runs and 32 RBIs in 96 games played between Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. His contract was purchased by St. Louis on September 4 and he made his Major League debut the following day in Pittsburgh by hitting a double in his first at-bat.
The right-handed hitting Kelly was the youngest Cardinals catcher to make his Major League debut since Yadier Molina did so at 21 years and 326 days in 2004. During the 2016 season, Kelly was a Texas League Midseason All-Star and was named to the USA Team for the Futures Game during Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week in San Diego. The 2015 Rawlings Gold Glove recipient at catcher for all of Minor League Baseball threw out 21-of-63 base stealers in Springfield and 6-of-24 in Memphis.
Kelly played for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the prestigious Arizona Fall League this offseason and made the Rising Stars Game, leading all league catchers with a .286 batting average while adding three home runs and 18 RBIs over 21 games. His 18 RBIs ranked second in the AFL and he posted a .387 on-base percentage with a 13-to-4 walk-to-strikeout ratio, the highest ratio in the league. The Cardinals 2nd-round draft selection in 2012 hit left-handed pitchers in the prospect-rich AFL at a .474 clip (9-for-19, 2 HR) and he batted .321 (9-for-28) with runners in scoring position.
“After being promoted from Springfield to Memphis in July, Carson earned a Major League call-up in September,” said Gary LaRocque, Cardinals Director of Player Development. “His productive season was also highlighted by his selection to the Futures Game and being named to the Arizona Fall League Top Prospects Team.”
Weaver, 23, was 7-3 with a 1.30 ERA over 13 total starts between Springfield and Memphis. He posted an 0.92 WHIP, leading all Cardinals Minor League full-season pitchers and struck out 92 batters in 83.0 innings. After going a dominant 6-3 with a 1.40 ERA through 12 starts with Springfield, he made one scoreless start in Memphis before being purchased by St. Louis on August 13 when he made his Major League debut that day at Wrigley Field. Weaver went 1-4 with 45 strikeouts in nine appearances, including eight starts, for St. Louis.
Weaver, who was the Cardinals 1st-round draft choice in 2014, joined Alan Benes (1995) and Stu Miller (1952) as only the third Cardinals pitcher to record 10 strikeouts in one of his first four career starts when he reached the double-digit mark at Milwaukee on August 31 in his fourth career start. The Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month for June was also named a Texas League Postseason All-Star.
“Luke’s impressive work in June earned him our Pitcher of the Month honors while in Springfield,” commented LaRocque. “Following his August promotion to Memphis, he soon-after made his Major League debut for the Cardinals.”
