Right-hander Dennis Dove isn't the only Cardinals prospect to make the switch from starting to reliever. Dove, who has turned heads in big-league camp this year, will soon be followed to the 'pen by Mark Michael and Nick Webber.
Both right-handers are big guys with big arms, high draft picks whose performances have been good at times but who haven't moved up the ladder. So the Cardinals are moving them both to bullpen work, in hopes that something clicks with them -- much the way it did with Dove.
Mark Riggins, the Cardinals' Minor League pitching coordinator, explained the decision-making process that leads to a starter being converted.
"If you have a hard thrower, and he's kind of stalled out as a starter, [then you make the move]," Riggins said. "We want everybody to start. If they throw hard, we want them to start and get their innings."
Early spring Minor League rosters are subject to a great deal of change, but for the time being, Webber is ticketed for Triple-A Memphis while Michael is on the roster for Double-A Springfield.
On the move: Third baseman Travis Hanson has made an excellent impression since he was sent down to the Minors. Hanson, slowed by illness last season, had four hits in his first two games, including a mammoth home run, and has also played slick defense.
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Minors report: Big arms moving to 'pen
Minors report: Big arms moving to 'pen
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