The First Three Weeks

As we come to the end of the third week of the 2009 baseball season, there have been many unexpected surprises. For instance, the uninspired play of the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs. All of the "experts" had the Cubs running away with the Central division and also had the New York Mets atop of the NL East. I know it is still early in the season, but the Mets look like they are in trouble and so do the Cubs. Then you have the Florida Marlins who have been slowed down after their torrid start, but they look like they are here to stay. The main thing that sticks out to me and that I pay the closest attention to, obviously as a Cardinals fan, are the Chicago Cubs. We are better than them and it should not be a surprise that we are in first place in the NL Central. We have drafted better and we have progressed forward by adding by subtracting (i.e. not re-signing Aaron Miles). If you compare the Cubs lineup and roster to ours, I believe that we have an advantage in all positions except one. That exception falls within the third base position. Although our platoon has been way better than expected, you can never count out Aramis Ramirez who is the ultimate "Cardinal Killer" (some might say Carlos Beltran is the other player who could also assume this role). I no longer have that fear of the Cubs like I have had in the past couple of years because they are all one year older (see Derreck Lee) and that they are set up for disaster in regards to the future with some of the players they have locked up ( Milton Bradley and Alfonso Soriano). Yes, their pitching looks great on paper, but the only one that has shown up this year is Rich Harden. Some could say Ted Lilly, but he is getting older and I am not sold on him yet for the 2009 season.

As we progress into the 2009 season, some major questions face the Cardinals. For instance, how will the starting rotation hold up? Will Kyle Lohse and Joel Pineiro keep this up all year? Will Todd Wellemeyer become more aggressive and return to his 2008 form? Will Chris Carpenter return to the rotation in 2009? Will the bullpen finally figure things out and remain in their recent form? I know that these are a lot of questions to face, but every team has these types of questions. I am not going to say that all of these issues that face the Cardinals are irrelevant because some look at these questions with the glass half empty approach. For me, I am very positive about our answers to these issues posed above. For instance, I think Mitchell Boggs will be able to hold his own as Carpenter remains on the DL. I think that when Carp returns, Wellemeyer should be relegated to the bullpen and Boggs should be placed in the fifth slot of the rotation. I have no confidence in Wellemeyer and this just isnt stemming from this season. I cannot get myself to get excited when I know Wellemeyer is pitching because he reminds me too much of Braden Looper (too inconsistent and lacks a plus third pitch). He isnt aggressive and he doesnt attack hitters on the inside part of the plate with his fastball. It seems like he throws the same pitch over and over again while missing his location. To me, this is the biggest issue that faces the Cardinals in '09.

I have been looking at our overall performance from position to position. I think that we have the best offense in the National League, if not in all of baseball. If we had Troy Glaus, we would not have a weak spot in our whole lineup. And it all starts at the catchers position.

C - Yadier Molina/Jason Larue - While Yadier remains the starter, he is showing that he is growing as a hitter from year to year and this year he is not slowing down. Not only is he becoming a clutch hitter, especially with 2 strikes, but he is also becoming one of our most dependable hitters down in the lineup.
Grade - A

1B - Albert Pujols - Dont have much to say because his name says it all, but expect another MVP trophy in his trophy case by the end of 2009.

Grade - A+

2B - Brendan Ryan/Skip Schumaker - This platoon (along with a little Joe Thurston) is very dynamic. Brendan Ryan has great defensive capabilities with very good range along with an average major league bat, while Skip shows glimmers of hope in regards to his defense with better offensive attributes. This platoon will continue to improve as the season wears on.

Grade - B

SS - Khalil Greene - While Khalil gets the brunt of the play at SS, he is off to a slow start. Even though he has surpassed the home run total from our shortstops last year, he has yet to really show us what he is capable of at the plate. I am not embarrased by my praise of him in the offseason and spring training, but something seems to be a little off with Khalil, especially defensively. I dont think he gives up his at-bats (although sometimes it seems like it), but as each game passes, it seems like he is a total guess hitter with minimal approach. His defense is normally above average, but thus far in this young '09 season, he has yet to show the flash that helped him make his name in the Major Leagues.

Grade - C

3B - Joe Thurston/Brian Barden - This is the best platoon so far for the Cardinals. Not only can they hit, but they have proved that they can play some stellar defense at the hot corner. I know that they have committed a few errors, but that is expected as they have never been everyday players at the major league level in their careers. As long as they can contribute offensively and play average defense, we should consider ourselves lucky because they have exceeded everybody's expectations.

Grade - B+

Outfield - Chris Duncan/Colby Rasmus/Rick Ankiel/Ryan Ludwick/Skip Schumaker - These guys can absolutely hit. BOTTOM LINE. But dont look at them as one dimensional players (i.e. Chris Duncan). Their defense will always be overlooked due to their offensive production, but these guys have given us more than we expected and then some defensively. The one thing that has stuck out to me is Colby Rasmus. I cant believe this kid is a rookie. He has above average strike zone discipline and has an uncanny knack to draw walks, which will play a major factor throughout the '09 season especially when he hits in front of Albert. KEEP COLBY IN THE 2 SPOT!

Grade - B+

Starting Pitching - I think that we are an average rotation, but our potential seems unlimited due to Dave Duncan. There are not many other teams that have the luxury of having a great pitching coach along with some guys that have some real talent and that are willing to develop themselves and follow the philosophies of their pitching coach for the greater good of the club. The only guy that worries me is Wellemeyer due to his inconsistency this year along with the lack of a multitude of pitches. He resembles Braden Looper with his arsenal of pitches and seems to have a good outing every four or five starts. On the other side of things, Wainwright, Lohse and Pineiro have been very solid and continue to give us good outings. Lets hope that Carp can comeback and remain healthy (I know, I know, that we cant do that anymore, but I am not giving up on him) because if he does, we will have one of the best pitching staffs in the NL.

Grade - B -