Keep an eye on Colby


Former Russell County High School baseball star Colby Rasmus appears ready to skip a rung on professional baseball's promotional ladder.

After making the climb from Class A to Double-A the last two seasons, Rasmus has a very real shot at making the St. Louis Cardinals' opening day roster.

The 21-year-old drove in both St. Louis runs in a 10-2 loss to Baltimore on Tuesday and raised some eyebrows with a solo homer.

Not that such production isn't expected. Rasmus, the 28th player taken in the 2005 draft, is ranked by Baseball America as the top prospect in the St. Louis farm system and the fifth-best prospect in all of baseball. He's the two-time reigning Minor League Player of the Year in the Cardinals' organization, based on his precocious performances in Double-A (.275, 29 homers, 72 RBI) and Class A Springfield (.288, 16 homers, 85 RBI).

While Rasmus faces competition from six other outfielders, he's already made a favorable impression on St. Louis manager Tony La Russa.

"Some of our older scouts, who are tough to convince, think he has the right stuff,'' La Russa told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "He wouldn't be in a 1 p.m. game if he wasn't somebody that we want to evaluate against major league players. With him, it isn't so much a question of it but when he will be ready.''

Sounds like the when portion of the equation is close to being solved.