Published: March 22, 2008 11:13 pm            

Column: Boggs on good track with St. Lou

Mitchell Boggs can sum up his time in spring training, including a 2 1/2-week stint in the St. Louis Cardinals’ big-league camp, in five words or less.

“Things have gone great,” he said.

Boggs, who used a stellar career at the University of Georgia as a springboard into professional baseball as a fifth-round selection in the June 2005 draft, appeared in one game with the Cardinals. He pitched two innings, gave up two hits, one run, three walks and had one strikeout.

“For sure, it was a good experience,” Boggs said during a telephone interview from Jupiter, Fla. “Things have gone great and I’m sure it’s really going to help me.”

During his stay with manager Tony LaRussa’s Cardinals, Boggs tried to soak up every bit of advice from older players, such as pitcher Adam Wainwright. He picked their brains. He watched the way they approached workouts, conditioning, how they paid attention to even the smallest detail.

It would probably be a good idea for Boggs to talk with Wainright this week on how he puts a bad outing in the past. On Friday, Wainwright was roughed up for four runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. A day earlier, he signed a new four-year contract with the Cardinals, and LaRussa already has tabbed Wainwright as the Cardinals’ Opening Day starter against Colorado.

As a non-roster invitee to spring training, Boggs didn’t envision getting 25 innings of work with the big-league club. That simply wasn’t going to happen.

But he went through all the workouts, all the bullpen work, throwing live batting practice, and seeing how the coaching staff puts in every facet of the game they will use throughout the 2008 season.

“The attention to detail is so important at that level,” Boggs said.

As spring training winds down, Boggs is confident he made a good impression on LaRussa, his coaching staff and front-office personnel, all of whom hold a piece of his future in their hands.

The most important factor about his time with the Cardinals was preparing himself for the grind of a full season.

It’s up to him to use that experience in the big-league camp to his advantage in an expected assignment later this month to the Class Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.

Since he reported to spring training on Feb. 7, Memphis was definitely a likely destination for the 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-hander, who was a baseball and football standout at Dalton High School.

And he feels good about his progression in the Cardinals’ farm system.

In 2005, Boggs went 3-4 with a 5.89 ERA while pitching in 19 games – 16 were relief appearances – with Georgia’s Bulldogs. In 47 1/3 innings, Boggs gave up 52 hits, 35 runs, 31 earned runs, walked 16, struck out 47 and walked 16.

That June, the Cardinals drafted Boggs and sent him to New Jersey in the half-season New York Penn League, and his numbers improved. In 71 2/3 innings, Boggs went 4-4 with a 3.89 ERA. He started 14 of the 15 games in which he pitched, yielded 77 hits, 38 runs, 31 earned, walked 24 and struck out 61.

In 2006 at Palm Beach in the Florida State League, Boggs posted a 10-6 record with a 3.41 in 145 innings.

Of 69 runs allowed, 55 were earned and he walked 51 while striking out 126, and he gave up 153 hits.

At Springfield, Mo., in the Class Double-A Texas League in 2007, Boggs was 11-7 with a 3.84 ERA in 26 games, all starts. He worked 152 1/3 innings with 167 hits, 65 earned runs, 62 walks and 117 strikeouts.

In two full professional seasons, Boggs has 243 strikeouts and 113 walks. That ratio will move almost any pitcher up the ladder in any major league farm system.

He’s an extremely confident pitcher at this point.

“And I feel great,” he said. “The biggest thing is that my body feels great, especially my arm. I’m as prepared as I’ve ever been physically and mentally. From a competitive standpoint, I’ve always had a lot of confidence in that area. I’m ready. April can’t get here soon enough.”

Memphis will open the season on April 3 at Oklahoma City and the Redbirds’ home opener at AutoZone Park is April 11 against Omaha.

“I’m ready to get under the lights with some fans in the stands and put up some good numbers,” Boggs said.

“Competing against our own guys on back fields and the spring complex gets monotonous. We break camp March 30 and that will be an exciting time.”

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.