Glaus, Freese, and Mather are allmanning third until Wallace is ready. Next to Colby Rasmus, Wallace is our best prospect. He was our first round draft pick last year, but he is such a good hitter. His glove is lacking, but nobody questions that he can hit. Whether he will stay at 3B has been the question, but 1B really isn't an option for him. If he can improve his defense, then he would be even more valuable to us. Wallace may see some time in St. Louis this year. It depends on how the other guys do, and of course how good of a season he has in Springfield/Memphis.

However the St. Louis Cardinals third base position shakes out at the major-league level, it seems certain that first-round pick Brett Wallace will begin this season at Class AA Springfield. Few think that he will stay there for long.

Though given barely a second glance at the major-league camp this spring, Wallace has clicked along at his usual 3-for-5, 2-for-5 pace during minor-league games. On Saturday, he broke loose.

Wallace, a third baseman, went 4-for-5 with three home runs and five RBIs. It was the first three-homer game for any Cardinal at any level this spring. He drove in half of Springfield’s runs in a 13-10 loss to Jacksonville — a high-scoring game that could speak to the conditions as well as the pitching. Still, three home runs are three home runs. Something to keep in mind as he starts his season in Double-A is how his power manifests. We’ve written about before how some players are able to leap from the Texas League to the major leagues — Troy Tulowitzki, for example — but one trait they all share beyond the bat is a glove that is good enough to see them through some slumps at the big-league level.

Tulowitzki, for example, could work out his offense at the major-league level because his glove was good enough to keep him in the lineup. Could Wallace be the opposite? Could his bat be good enough to keep him in the lineup if his glove hits a slump? That’s a tough call …