Cardinals add four pitchers to 40-man roster

ST. LOUIS, Mo., November 20, 2012 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have added right-handed pitchers Michael Blazek, Keith Butler , Eric Fornataro and lefthander Kevin Siegrist to the club’s 40-man Major League roster.  All four players were purchased from Springfield (AA).

Blazek, 23, the Cardinals’ 35th round selection in the June 2007 First-Year Player Draft (1,068th overall), fanned 83 batters in 80.0 innings pitched for Texas League Champion Springfield (AA) this season.  In 40 games (7 starts), Blazek was 5-8 with a 4.16 ERA for the Cardinals in 2012 and he ranked among TL leaders with 8 Holds.

Butler, 23, was the Cardinals’ 24th round selection in the June 2009 First-Year Player Draft (729th overall) out of Wabash Valley (Ill.) College.  Butler led the Springfield Cardinals with 25 saves, finishing 2nd in the Texas League, and he was 5-1 with a 2.76 ERA in 53 appearances – all in relief.

Fornataro, 24, was a 6th round (185th overall) selection by the Cardinals in 2008 out of Miami-Dade Community College.  He led the Texas League (AA) with 16 Holds this past season while posting a 3-3 mark with a 2.39 ERA and 5 saves in his 57 appearances for Springfield.

Siegrist, 23, split time between Palm Beach (A) and Springfield (AA) in 2012 after having received a non-roster invite to the Cardinals Major League Spring Training camp in February.  The 6-5, 190-pound lefty was the Cardinals’ 41st (1,235th overall) selection in the 2007 draft out of Palm Beach Community College.  Siegrist was a perfect 6-0 with a 2.28 ERA in 10 starts for Palm Beach.  He went 1-2, 3.62 ERA in 8 games (5 starts) for Double-A Springfield.
 
The Cardinals Major League roster is currently at 39 players:

Pitchers (23): Michael Blazek, Mitchell Boggs, Barret Browning, Keith Butler, Chris Carpenter, Maikel Cleto, Eric Fornataro, Sam Freeman, Jaime Garcia, Joe Kelly, Lance Lynn, Victor Marte, Shelby Miller, Jason Motte, Edward Mujica, Jorge Rondon Trevor Rosenthal, Marc Rzepczynski, Fernando Salas, Eduardo Sanchez,  Kevin Siegrist, Adam Wainwright, Jake Westbrook.

Catchers (2): Tony Cruz, Yadier Molina.

Infielders (8): Matt Adams, Matt Carpenter, Allen Craig, Daniel Descalso, David Freese, Rafael Furcal, Ryan Jackson, Pete Kozma,

Outfielders (6): Carlos Beltran, Adron Chambers, Matt Holliday, Jon Jay, Shane Robinson, Skip Schumaker.