Adrian Cardenas

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Oakland Athletics #12 prospect in 2012
  In 2006, Cardenas was Baseball America's High School Player of the Year and the 37th overall pick in the draft. Signed by the Phillies for $925,000, he came to the A's along with Josh Outman and outfield prospect Matt Spencer in a July 2008 trade for Joe Blanton. Cardenas has hit .303 in the minors, but his power never has developed and he has just 29 homers in six pro seasons. That has become more of a problem now that it has become apparent that he can't stick in the middle infield. Cardenas has a fluid, effortless swing and sprays the ball all over the field. He has an innate understanding of how pitchers are trying to attack him. He makes consistent contact but doesn't drive the ball very often. Cardenas spent most of his first four pro seasons at shortstop and second base, but he lacks true middle-infield actions. His speed, quickness and range are all fringy. He improved his ability to turn the double play in 2011, but he played more in left field than anywhere else. He had no outfield experience at any level before last season. While his routes aren't perfect, he catches what he gets to and has an average arm. At this point, he doesn't profile as a regular at any position and looks more like a line drive-hitting utilityman. He could get a chance to serve that role in Oakland at some point this year.
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  Ranked Oakland Athletics #15 prospect in 2011
  Cardenas was Baseball America's High School Player of the Year in 2006, en route to being taken 37th overall by the Phillies and signing for $925,000. Philadelphia packaged him with Josh Outman and outfield prospect Matt Spencer to acquire Joe Blanton from the A's in July 2008. Cardenas carried a .299 average as pro into 2010, but a thumb injury during spring training cost him most of April and he hit just .228/.285/.281 in Triple-A before being demoted in early June. He righted himself in his third stint with Midland, got back to Sacramento in August and finished strong. Cardenas has a disciplined, all-fields approach and a fluid, effortless swing. He's an intelligent hitter who can pick up on how pitchers are attacking him and make adjustments quickly. While he has a knack for getting the barrel on the ball, Cardenas shows little more than gap power, making him a poor offensive fit for third base. His bat profiles better at second base, but he's a below-average runner whose quickness, range and footwork around the bag are all subpar. He saw time at both positions in 2010, and his arm is playable in either spot. The A's added him to the 40-man roster after the season and will give him another chance to prove himself in Triple-A. He's starting to look more like a utilityman than an everyday player.
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  Ranked Oakland Athletics #9 prospect in 2010
  Baseball America's High School Player of the Year in 2006, Cardenas went 37th overall in that draft to the Phillies and signed for $925,000. The As acquired him along with Josh Outman and outfield prospect Matt Spencer in exchange for Joe Blanton in July 2008. In his first full year in the Oakland system, Cardenas reached Triple-A at age 21 while playing second base, third base and shortstop. A natural hitter with a compact swing, Cardenas has a keen sense for putting the barrel on the ball. He has gap power and controls the strike zone well for a player his age. He has an all-fields approach and always looks like he has a plan at the plate. He has the hands and arm to play anywhere in the infield, as well as average speed. A high school shortstop, Cardenas lacks range and quickness there. He can handle the defensive responsibilities at third base, but doesn't have the home run power for the position. He profiles best at second base. With Jemile Weeks looking like Oakland's second baseman of the future, Cardenas' long-term future with the organization may hinge on his ability to fit at third base, especially if Brett Wallace can't stay there. Most of Cardenas' value stems from his bat though, so the A's will find a place for him as long as he keeps hitting. He'll likely return to Sacramento to open 2010.
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  Ranked Oakland Athletics #5 prospect in 2009
  Baseball America's 2006 High School Player of the Year, Cardenas made steady progress for two years before Philadelphia used him as the key chip in a mid-July deal for Joe Blanton. Cardenas moved from second base to shortstop in 2007, but Oakland moved him back after the trade. Cardenas has a compact, line-drive stroke and hits the ball to all fields. His swing has drawn comparisons to that of Adrian Gonzalez, and he should develop average power. He recognizes and handles offspeed pitches well, and he shows the ability to handle both lefties and righties. He logged each of his at-bats in a notebook all season and studied his observations of the pitchers he faced. He has solid-average speed and good baserunning instincts. He makes the routine plays in the field and has an accurate arm. After the trade, Cardenas developed a tendency to overswing and lengthen his stroke. His first step, lateral movement and footwork probably won't allow him to stay at shortstop and might be problematic at second base. Cardenas eventually could move to third, where his bat and arm would profile well. He'll return to Double-A and is roughly a year away from the majors.
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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #2 prospect in 2008
  Baseball America's 2006 High School Player of the Year, Cardenas had little trouble adjusting to pro ball and switching positions in his first full season. A supplemental first-round pick as a shortstop, he moved to second base and played his way into the Futures Game. He also earned low Class A South Atlantic League all-star honors after doing the same in the Gulf Coast League in his debut. Thick and strong, Cardenas has an easy, compact stroke from the left side that produces consistent line drives with good loft power. He squares up breaking balls and fastballs equally well, and he makes hard contact to all fields. He exhibits above-average arm strength at his new position. Cardenas moved off shortstop because his range was just adequate and figured to diminish as he filled out and grew older. He doesn't cover a lot of ground at second base and his footwork needs improvement. A fringe-average runner, he lacks first-step quickness and his lateral movement also leaves something to be desired. Cardenas will move to high Class A Clearwater for 2008, but his bat could push him to Double-A by midseason. He has middle-of-the-order potential, though the Phillies already are set at second base with Chase Utley.
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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #3 prospect in 2007
  Cardenas entered last spring as the second-best player on his team--behind eventual Nationals first-rounder Chris Marrero--and as a projected fifth-round pick. By the end of the spring, he had led Miami's Monsignor Pace to a state title, set a school record with a .647 average and a Dade County mark with 18 homers and won Baseball America's High School Player of the Year award. After signing for $925,000 as the 37th overall pick, he made the Gulf Coast League all-star team. Cardenas has good strength and a short, compact swing from the left side. He has a knack for squaring up balls, making consistent hard contact and driving the ball to all fields. He profiles to hit 15-20 homers annually in the majors. He's presently a solid-average defender at shortstop, though most scouts believe he'll have to change positions down the road. He lacks first-step quickness and the range to play short, and his speed and arm strength are fringy. Cardenas probably will play second base alongside 2006 third-round pick Jason Donald in low Class A in 2007.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Pacific Coast League #19 prospect in 2009
  After acquiring him in the Joe Blanton trade in July 2008, the Athletics mostly played Cardenas at shortstop. He split time between second and third base in Double-A to open the season, but saw most of his Triple-A action at second. Regardless of where he plays, Cardenas is a pure hitter with a sound approach. He has a short, line-drive stroke with gap power, with Sacramento manager Tony DeFrancesco comparing him to Adam Kennedy. Cardenas hit just .177 when he first joined the River Cats in May, but then batted .289 after earning his way back in August. Second base will be Cardenas' most likely position in the big leagues. He has average speed but lacks the range and pure arm strength for shortstop. Though his footwork still needs smoothing out at second base, his bat projects better there than it does at third base.
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  Ranked Texas League #15 prospect in 2009
  Cardenas, the 2006 High School Player of the Year, came to the Athletics in a deadline deal that sent Joe Blanton to the Phillies in 2008, and he returned to Midland after finishing last season there. He moved up to Triple-A in May but rejoined the RockHounds after struggling for a month, then earned his way back to Sacramento at the beginning of August. Cardenas has good makeup and average tools across the board. His compact swing and feel for the strike zone give him the ability to get on base consistently, and he also has gap power. He's also solid but not spectacular at second base, third base and shortstop, though playing short regularly in the majors would be a stretch with his range. Playing in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the TL, Cardenas had significant home (1.011 OPS)/road (.666) splits, and he also struggled against lefthanders (.677 OPS, compared to .901 against righties). Those who doubt his offensive production see him as more of a utilityman than an everyday player.
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  Ranked Florida State League #5 prospect in 2008
  Cardenas left the FSL in mid-July when the Phillies sent him to the Athletics in a trade for Joe Blanton. Before he departed, Cardenas impressed with his solid swing and power potential, as well as his feel for the game. Cardenas kept a little black book in which he jotted notes on all the pitchers he faced. It showed at the plate, where he rarely was fooled twice, and on the bases, where he went perfect 16-for-16 stealing bases despite only a tick above-average speed. His swing drew comparisons to that of Adrian Gonzalez, with his power expected to blossom into annual 15-20 homer production in the majors. The biggest question with Cardenas centers around his best defensive position. His struggles turning the double play limit his potential at second base, and his lateral movement and footwork probably won't allow him to play shortstop. His arm is strong enough for his third base, and his bat would fit there as well.
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  Ranked South Atlantic League #13 prospect in 2007
  With Chase Utley, the Phillies are set at second base for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, Philadelphia has another intriguing prospect at the position in Cardenas, Baseball America's High School Player of the Year and a supplemental first-round pick in 2006. Cardenas has a short, compact stroke and consistently makes hard contact. He batted third for most of the season despite being one of the SAL's youngest regulars at age 19, and he should hit in the middle of a big league lineup in the future. A shortstop in high school and during his pro debut, he made a seamless move to second base, where his range, speed and arm strength are better fits. "He's a good ballplayer," Lake County manager Chris Tremie said. "He moves real well at second base and has great instincts. He also has a nice solid, balanced approach at the plate. I think he has a chance to be an excellent all-around player."
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  Ranked Florida Complex League #7 prospect in 2006
  Cardenas outperformed Marrero at Monsignor Pace High in suburban Miami, leading the Spartans to a Florida Class 4-A title and winning Baseball America's High School Player of the Year award. A supplemental first-round pick, Cardenas has strong wrists and a short, compact swing that yields consistent hard contact. He's a good situational hitter and uses the entire field. Cardenas has average power and slightly below-average speed. His instincts and feel for the game aid his defensive profile, but he lacks the arm strength and range of a true shortstop. He could move to second base in the future.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #74 prospect in 2009
• Ranked Baseball America's #76 prospect in 2008

• December, 2006 Scouting Report
  Cardenas entered last spring as the second-best player on his team--behind eventual Nationals first-rounder Chris Marrero--and as a projected fifth-round pick. By the end of the spring, he had led Miami's Monsignor Pace to a state title, set a school record with a .647 average and a Dade County mark with 18 homers and won Baseball America's High School Player of the Year award. After signing for $925,000 as the 37th overall pick, he made the Gulf Coast League all-star team. Cardenas has good strength and a short, compact swing from the left side. He has a knack for squaring up balls, making consistent hard contact and driving the ball to all fields. He profiles to hit 15-20 homers annually in the majors. He's presently a solid-average defender at shortstop, though most scouts believe he'll have to change positions down the road. He lacks first-step quickness and the range to play short, and his speed and arm strength are fringy. Cardenas probably will play second base alongside 2006 third-round pick Jason Donald in low Class A in 2007.