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Big shot: Former Q-C player Mather gets chance to make Cardinals

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By Steve Batterson | Wednesday, January 30, 2008 | 2 comment(s)

Joe Mather gives an interview Monday during the St. Louis Cardinals Caravan at Modern Woodmen Park (Larry Fisher/Quad-City Times).

Joe Mather remembers the moment well. He was catching some sleep one late October morning at his Phoenix home when the phone rang.

“I saw the 314 area code — St. Louis — and I knew it was either good news or bad news,” Mather said Monday while in the Quad-Cities as part of the Cardinals Caravan.

It turned out to be all good, a call to let the 2006 Quad-City outfielder know he had been placed on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster and would be scheduled to report to his first major league spring training camp Feb. 19.

Mather will arrive with the understanding that he is part of a crowded outfield of players looking to land a spot on the major league roster.

“I’m the underdog, a long shot, but anything can happen,” he said. “I’m going there with the idea that I’ll do what I can, both for now and to help me for the future. This is what I’ve been working toward.”

He’s not alone.

Skip Schumaker, Chris Duncan, Rick Ankiel, Brian Barton, Cody Haerther and Colby Rasmus are among the prospects chasing major league opportunities.

“There are a lot of good outfielders in the system, but I just want the chance to go there and compete,” he said. “The plan is to go there as ready as I can and get as much out of it as I can.”

Mather, who hit .220 with nine homers in 54 games for the Swing of the Quad-Cities in 2006, caught the attention of St. Louis officials by hitting 31 homers last season while splitting time between AA and AAA.

He homered in his first at-bat of the season at Springfield in the Texas League, where he hit .303 with 18 homers and 46 RBIs before being promoted to the Cardinals’ Pacific Coast League affiliate, Memphis. In AAA, Mather hit .241 with 13 homers and 31 RBIs.

“Like a lot of players, I felt like I could play at a higher level, but to go to Springfield and get off to such a good start, that was big,” Mather said. “It gave me the confidence that I could play there. The difference between .330 and .280 is a lot of little things and to get off to a good start, it helped.”

Mather was drafted as a third baseman by St. Louis in the third round of the 2001 draft and has methodically risen through the organization. He offers versatility, seeing action at third, first and all three outfield spots during his climb to Memphis.

“I learned the outfield during my year here. I knew that first base wasn’t a spot that was going to be open anytime soon with the Cardinals,” Mather said. “Being able to play a number of positions is something that can help me. It can make a difference.”

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.