Palm Beach Cardinals: Ryan Weingartner

The Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Player of the Day: Ryan Weingartner
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Ryan Weingartner did not just fill up the box score Saturday night. He helped drive Palm Beach to a series-clinching win.

Weingartner is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Player of the Day after going 2-for-2 with a double, a triple, two walks, two RBIs and three runs scored in Palm Beach’s 8-4 win over Daytona.

That is a complete offensive night. He reached base four times, drove in runs, scored three times, and brought extra-base damage from the middle of the order. In a game where Palm Beach needed to answer after Daytona kept creeping back into striking distance, Weingartner was right in the middle of the Cardinals’ best rallies.

His RBI triple helped build the early lead. His late double added insurance. In between, he showed patience by drawing two walks and kept pressure on Daytona all night.

Palm Beach has had several young bats flashing signs of progress, and Saturday was another example of the lineup doing more than waiting for one big swing. Weingartner brought the kind of steady, productive night that wins games in the lower minors — get on base, drive the baseball, run the bases, and make the opponent keep working.

Old School Take

There is a lot to like about a hitter who does not give away at-bats. Weingartner had the extra-base hits, but the two walks matter too. That is mature baseball. He did not chase the night. He let the game come to him and still did damage.

Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Crooks hit his 13th home run of the season for Memphis, Nelson Velázquez delivered a game-changing three-run homer in the eighth, and Yordalin Peña continued his hot stretch for Palm Beach.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports