House of Cards

We Should Celebrate This Third Base Debacle

2009-05-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so now we know that Glaus is pretty much in shut down mode and will never wear a Cardinals uniform ever again, but like everything else, there is a silver lining to this situation. Some options to solve this matter could be to keep the platoon of Thurston/Barden alive and ride them out and see where that takes us or make a trade. I am a definite believer of both options, but am more of a fan of the latter. I would lie if I said that I wasnt and you would be too. The July 31st trade deadline is one of the biggest highlights of the entire baseball season because it gives you hope, it gives you something to look forward to, well thats if you are on the winning side of things. The Cardinals are buyers especially when it comes to third base. We need help! I am not saying that I dont think Thurston/Barden cant do it (how about just leaving Thurston there?), but what if we added DeRosa and put him in that slot? Jorge Cantu? Yes his defense is not great, but Sandwiching him between Ankiel and Ludwick would be a sight to see. I think we are one power bat away from being looked at as kind of contenders to the real deal. Obviously, if a trade went down, we would have to give up an OF. For instance, lets say we trade some minor league pitchers and Ankiel/Duncan/Ludwick (one of the three) for Jorge Cantu. We would put Cantu at 3B (by the way, he does play third base) move Thurston to second base and either move Skip out into the outfield or platoon Skip and Thurston at second base. Our lineup would look something like this:

2B: Skip (Thurston; Obviously, dont bat Thurston lead off if he starts at 2B)
CF: Rasmus
1B: Pujols
LF: Ludwick
RF: Duncan (Skip)
3B: Cantu
C: Yadi
SS: B. Ryan/T. Greene
SP: Carp/Wainwright/Lohse/Pineiro/Wellemeyer

Now thats one hell of a lineup. I might be a little off on adding players etc... but still, that would be an amazing lineup that could put some serious runs up on the board. Then you have to think about our chances in a best of 5 game series or even a best of 7 game series when the opposing team has to face Carp, Wainwright, Lohse and if Pineiro is on, even Wellemeyer for that matter, we are going to be THE team to beat. Now if we dont add Cantu, but trade for DeRosa, just replace Cantu with DeRosa. I am a huge Mark DeRosa fan because we have seen what he is capable of when he played for the Cubs. I think that the Cubs are falling this year due to the trade of DeRosa which was purely fueled as a salary dump. Thoughts?

The Ultimate Cardinal Killers

2009-05-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

There have been many, many players from opposing teams who the fans, or players for that matter, call "The Ultimate Cardinal Killer". These players usually strike fear into the fans, hit home runs that usually land 800 ft away and the most inopportune time or make us feel that our pitchers are throwing beach balls instead of baseballs. Some guys are mediocre, but then again, most of them are just great baseball players. Not to mention, pitchers (young and old) who seemingly have the best game of their careers against the Cards. So, let's start on fielding the starting 9 of "The Ultimate Cardinal Killers". Any suggestions of anyone I missed is welcome as are any comments.

SP - Roy Oswalt - 9-7 career mark v. the Cards, 3.11 ERA, 170.2 IP, 170 Hits, 59 ER, 128 SO. Kills us in the playoffs ('05 NLCS anyone?)

SP - Carlos Zambrano - 9-6 career record in 22 career starts, 3.52 ERA, 148.1 IP, 128 H, 58 ER, 117 SO, 7.1 SO/9 IP.

SP - Tom Glavine - 20-6 record in 37 starts, 3.46 ERA, 3 complete games, 236.2 IP, 230 H, 95 R, 91 ER, 11 HR

SP - Randy Johnson - His record says otherwise (6-7), but he definitely put up some big numbers against the Cards. In 15 starts, he had 4 CG, 102.2. IP, 96 H, 49 R, 47 ER, 121 SO and 10.6 SO/9 IP.

SP - Jeff Francis - Some might disagree with this choice, but everytime we face this guy, he absolutely dominates us. In 7 starts he is 4-1, 2.61 ERA, 1 CG, 48.1 IP, 32 H, 14 ER, .194 BA, .268 OBP, .297 SLG,

C - Mike Piazza - I had some trouble finding a catcher who did some serious damage vs. the Redbirds, but Piazza seemed to be a destroyer versus Cards pitching. Yes he sucked defensively, but he was making the big bucks for his bat. In 97 career games: 112 H, 24 HR's, 65 RBI, .331 AVG., .401 OBP, .995 OPS and 201 TB.

1B - Ryan Howard - 27 Games plaved versus the Cardinals with 13 home runs, 37 RBI, .376 BA, .508 OBP, .802 Slugging pct., 1.310 OPS. YIKES. Please, stay away Mr. Howard.

2B - Jeff Kent - Ooooh, Craig Counsell (only if you killed us OUTSIDE of the playoffs would you have leap frogged Kent into 2B) almost made the list, but Kent definitely had some monster numbers against us to obtain the 2B spot. 137 Games: 146 hits, 41 2B's, 22 HR's, 92 RBI's, .857 OPS and 259 total bases. Oh yea and a walk off home run to force a game 6 in the 2004 NLCS off of Izzy.

SS - Barry Larkin - Larkin was an absolute pest to the Cardinals for nearly 20 years. In his prime he was one of the best shortstops around especially against the Cardinals. In 175 games: 94 R, 174 H, 18 HR, 73 RBI's, 28 SB's.

DH - Lance Berkman - One of my least favorite players ever, but you have to give credit when credit is due. He is a ballplayer. Even though he has the weirdest body type for a baseball player as well as being one of the most unorthodox CF's, he will serve best at the DH position due to his offensive mangling abilities vs. the Cards. In 140 Games: 158 hits, 35 2B's, 36 HR's (really?!?! More home runs than 2B's?? Holy Jesus), 112 RBI, .313 BA, .411 OBP, .604 SLUG pct., 1.015 OPS and 305 total bases.

3B - Aramis Ramirez - I hate playing the Cubs for one reason: ARAM. This guy destroys us and the thing that sucks is that wherever we pitch him, he seems to hit us. Also, great trade Pittsburgh! Career v. Cards: 131 Games: 150 hits, 33 2B's, 24 HR's, 86 RBI's, .299 BA, .356 OBP, .872 OPS.

LF - Barry Bonds - Yes he has grown physically, as well as socially, odd over the years, but that doesnt take away his ridiculous numbers vs. the Cardinals. Take a look. 209 career games v. Cards: 137 runs, 51 2B's, 39 HR's, 119 RBI's, 34 SB, .514 SLUG pct, .899 OPS. Thank God Bonds is out of baseball because he kills us in all aspects possble.

Back up LF - Adam Dunn - This guy definitely strikes fear deep into my soul. Yea he strikes out a lot, but he straight up mashes against us. 118 games: 28 HR's (5 off of Mark Mulder), 67 RBI.

CF - Carlos Beltran - '04 NLCS and everytime he comes up to bat against us. 'Nough said.

RF - Brian Giles - This one almost slipped my mind, but you have to remember his prime years in Pittsburgh as well as with the Pads. Was a great rightfielder even though he can barely fit through a doorway without raising his arms above his head (which he also has trouble doing). 106 games v. STL: 76 runs, 124 hits, 24 2B's, 25 HR's (another guy who absolutely pulverized the ball against us with more HR's than 2B's!), 77 RBI's, .325 BA, .442 OBP, .596 SLUG pct., 1.038 OPS! 227 total bases.

Bench - Manny Ramirez - 16 Career games v. the Cards: 15 R, 19 H, 5 HR, 13 RBI, .380 AVG, .537 OBP, .740 SLG, 1.277 OPS and 37 TB. Oh yea, he tested positive for PED's and was suspended for 50 games as of today.

Bench - Mark Grace - He definitely lacked power, but he seemed like one of those traditional Caridinal Killer types. Especially in the heated rivalry between the Cards v. Cubs. 185 G: 205 H, 98 RBI, .311 AG., .828 OPS and 294 TB.

Bench - Ken Griffey Jr. - In his NL stint which was hindered by injuries, he still seemed to rise above the occasion when he played the Cards. In 74 Games: 74 H, 22 HR. 51 RBI, .605 SLG, .987 OPS and 155 TB.

Closer - Billy Wagner - Billy the Kid was a menace to the Cardinals for many years with the Astros and for the Mets. He was one of the best closers in the NL Central for many years and his numbers definitely show what kind of damage he was capable of against the Redbirds. In 54 G: 1.30 ERA 29 Saves, 62.1 IP, 44 H, 81 K, 11.7 SO/9IP. Just dominant.

Are We Settling with this Bullpen?

2009-04-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

I know that some people hate talking about our bullpen, but this is our obvious achilles heel and this problem needs to be resolved. It was our achilles heel last year, it was the year before that and it was in 2006, until then rookie Adam Wainwright came in as our closer and dominated the playoffs and ultimately lead us to a 10th World Series. As much as our bullpen has let us down and as much as my heart rate goes up every game come the 7th, 8th and 9th innings, there is a silver lining. Some guys are actually stepping up and making pitchers. For example, Jason Motte seems to be settling in since his Opening Day meltdown (did you see that curveball he threw last night for a strikeout? It had way to much break to be a slider), Chris Perez is pitching to his ability and Ryan Franklin is 6/6 in save opportunities and is really pitching well so far in this young 2009 season. But on the other hand you have guys like Trever Miller, Kyle McClellan and P.J. Walters who come and seem to let the game fall through the cracks. I have been absolutely disappointed in Miller because it seems that he is having trouble getting left handed hitters out. His ERA might say otherwise, but look at his pitching line: 5.68 ERA over 6.1 IP and giving up 9 hits. Isnt that why we signed him? To be a left handed specialist? Still waiting for him to come around. As for McClellan, well, I find myself nervously biting my nails, lip etc... or anything else I can get my teeth on when he takes the mound. He is still young which is good because he has a lot of time to gain more confidence in his pitches (i.e. LOCATION), strengthen his conditioning and redefine his pitches. But my question regarding McClellan is: why are we so dependant on him? Why not bring in Franklin in for a 4 out save last night? He has all the confidence in the world right now and he also has all of the fans confidence which speaks volumes of what he has been able to do this year. Why not bring in Chris Perez? He threw 8 pitches the night before. Lack of confidence in the young reliever? I have yet to see McClellan come in and shut the other teams down in the 8th or 9th inning. I dont want to generalize and say that he has never been able to do that, but the bad outings overshadow the good outings. THATS JUST BASEBALL and its unfortunate that his bad outings outweigh his good outings too. Another thing, is it me or does he feel the need to load the bases and THEN execute his pitches and try to pull a Houdini to get out of the inning much like how Izzy would go about his business when he took the mound? It worked two nights ago, but not last night. I dont know if he lacks confidence or if his nerves are getting the best of him (see curveball BEHIND the right handed Diaz), but I think TLR needs to have a little chat with him behind closed doors. When you see Lohse pitch a gem like he did last night, you have to reward him with the victory much like the night before with Pineiro. Regardless of the score being 1-0 or 10-0, GIVE THE STARTING PITCHER HIS WELL DESERVED WIN because he went out there for 6+ shutout innings and didnt let up a run, so why cant a reliever go out there and pitch a scoreless half inning? That baffles me. Isnt that what they get paid to do? Isnt that the sole reason why they are on the big league ball club? Our bullpen needs to take it upon themselves to do their jobs and take pride in the fact that they need to help out their teammates and give them confidence that no matter what, they will take the game into their own hands and take care of business.

I know that McClellan is not the only guy to blame. You can blame our offense for not scoring enough runs (thats a first), you can tip your cap to Jo-Jo Reyes for keeping the Braves within striking distance or you can take the route that a lot of Cardinal fans do and just blame TLR or the FO for not getting a surefire closer. Whatever the reason, it came down to not executing pitches in the 8th inning with a struggling reliever on the mound. I believe that the Cardinals will be a great team this year with a 90+ win season, but if we want to make it deep into October, we are going to need to nail down our main issues at hand and that is our bullpen.

The First Three Weeks

2009-04-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

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 -

Are There Even Options for Third Base?

2009-04-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

As we take a trip down memory lane, we notice that we are in a far too familiar place already in the 2009 season. If you haven't figured out what I am talking about, I am referring to the recent news of Troy Glaus. We have seen this time and time again in regards to Mark Mulder, Chris Carpenter, Scott Rolen etc... and how these situations end up. I think Troy Glaus is a tremendous talent and what he did for us last year is only a testament of his abilities, especially on the defensive end. But as we move forward in this debacle which acts as a dark cloud over what seems to be a bright 2009 season, we find ourselves asking ourselves the same old question: When will (fill in the blank of whatever star player we have had) return? The medical staff, P.R. people and front office always seem to have a hard time answering this question. We always hold high expectations on the return of these players, but the people behind all of this do not help on setting these unrealistic timetables. But when they do return our hopes and prayers have been answered, but usually only for a short time. For example, Chris Carpenter just last year in the 2008 season. When he returned, you knew something wasnt right. I liked the fact of trying to ease him for only 3-5 innings per outing, but you could tell something was nagging at Carpenter and he was far from the Carpenter of old. Result: Season ending surgery. Then the Mark Mulder saga. I always held high hopes for him and I wanted him to return to the Cardinals healthy and prove everybody wrong, but what happened? The same old story. He returned to only reaggravate his injury. And now Troy Glaus, a solid piece of the Cardinals lineup and who also seemed to be a defensive mainstay is out for an unknown period of time. Glaus' timetable went from reasonable (May) to whoah! (June) to Mark Mulder status (After the All Star Break). Surprising? Absolutely not. So I am trying to help spread the word on not getting our hopes up and to trust what we have in house as well as our front office. I understand that the Cardinal faithful do not want to do that, but we are paying Glaus $11.5 million dollars this year to NOT play the hot corner. When are we going to learn?

So, what are our options? Staying in house.....again? Which is a tough one to swallow, but is the only reasonable answer at this time. One question that sticks out in my mind is: How is that Edmonds trade looking right about now? Jim was my favorite Cardinal of all time and yes it was hard to see him go, but the guy we got in return (David Freese) is paying dividends and its looking like he is going to be our Opening Day starting third baseman. Who would have thought that that would have happened? I am very high on David Freese and I think that his talents will only excel when he gets more time at the major league level. We also have Wallace in the minor leagues, but his defense is far from major league ready. I was kicking around some ideas. Lets play "What if this situation doesnt work?" game. Meaning, what if David Freese doesnt pan out at third base liked we thought he would? What would you like the Cardinals to do? Here are some possible options:

Options
1.) Stay with Freese
2.) Take a flyer on any capable player out there
3.) Make a trade

I think the most illogical option is option number three, making a trade. Even though there have been some rumors about trading for Ryan Raburn from Detroit, that would not be a wise decision. If we were to trade for a player, they would have to be more than adequate at defense at third base. Meaning, basically trying to obtain an everyday third baseman. This is the last thing that we should do for two reasons: (1) That player would only be a rental due to Freese and Wallace waiting in the wings. We would also have to give up pitching most likely and that is the last thing we need to be doing right now. And (2) There is no way that we will try to obtain an everyday third baseman because that means he will be a proven, older player who will be expensive. For instance, a guy like Melvin Mora who would probably be available due to the fact that the Orioles have close to zero pitching. The next option posed that I am a little mixed about is taking a player through waivers. I dont think this would help, nor do I think it would hinder our current situation. For instance, Dallas McPherson who was just released by the Marlins. He hit 42 home runs last year in AAA along with 98 Rbi, yet nobody seems to be giving him a look. So why dont we take a waiver on him? I think our hands are tied. I personally dont want to pick up McPherson because then we would have a logjam at third base which is something that we are already dealing with in the outfield. Lastly, I think the most logical decision would be to stay in house. I know, I know you are saying, "NO! NO! God we are so cheap if we do that" etc... which may be the case, but in our recent penny pinching ways, the way that I see it, will only help us in the future. If we are able to fill the holes on our Major League club with the guys that we have that are ready to make the jump from the minors, we are at a huge advantage. An advantage that not many clubs out there have. We are going to have to buy into what the Cardinals are doing right now because it is the way of the future. We could look back a few years from now and talk about the major mistakes that we made, but by that time, especially in this instance, this decision will not be one of those mistakes.

FOR UCB

2009-03-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

AL - EAST - Rays
CENTRAL - White Sox
WEST - Angels
Wild Card - Yankees
ALDS - Rays v. White Sox, Yankees v. Angels
ALCS - Rays v. Yankees
AL Champions - Rays

NL - East - Phillies
Central - Cardinals
West - Diamondbacks
Wild Card - Cubs
NLDS - Phillies v. Cubs, Cards v. D'Backs
NLCS - Cubs v. Cards
NL Champions - Cards

World Series - Cards v. Rays
W.S. Champs - Cards

Will Rick Stick?

2009-03-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

Everybody knows that Rick Ankiel is at a crossroads in his career. Who would have thought that he could actually come to a crossroads when his career looked more like Highway 1? What could possibly be going through his mind during the 2009 season? Does he take the money and run to the highest bidder after the 2009 season (depending on how his season goes)? Hometown discount for all the years the Cardinals stuck by his side and let him revive his career as on outfielder? Do we trade him at the trade deadline? There are a few possibilities floating out there to say the least. I would love for Rick to stay in a Cardinals uniform, but then you have to look at The Kid (Colby Rasmus) who is on the cusp of making the big league roster this year. I think the decision will become clearer as soon as we see Rasmus play and see what he can do. If it looks like he can hit and handle his own at the ML level and that his future is as bright as ever, then we should explore the opportunity to trade Ankiel because we already have our answer in house. I hate thinking about Ankiel playing in a different city, with a different uniform on, but as they all know and as we all know, baseball is a business and even the players have to look out for whats best for themselves as well as their families.

Rick Ankiel has definitely exceeded expectations on what his abilities are as an outfielder. There were some skeptics at the beginning of his comeback, but I was there that night when he hit his first home run as a Cardinal Outfielder and you could just tell he was going to be able to hold his own. Jim Edmonds said that he was not surprised at all because they used to see Rick do all of the things that he is great at during batting practice and while taking fly balls in the outfield and we saw him hit a few home runs as a pitcher too. Are we surprised at his freak-like abilities helping him become of the top Centerfielders in the National League? Absolutely not. Should we be surprised on what sort of situation we could be in because of this? Absolutely. We could trade Rick and finally get what we have always wanted: Young, top of the rotation type prospects. But what if we try to keep him. What will it cost? Do we try to resign him to a possible 3 year, 27 million dollar deal in September? Is that too much? If he hits .280+, 25 + home runs and 90+ Rbi's he is definitely worth it. But what if Duncan hits 25+, Mather holds his own and proves to us that he can hit ML pitching and Rasmus has a great year, would Rick's absence be that big of a loss when we have two to three other capable OF's to make up for his slack? I am way too interested to see what happens with him because we will have to wait until the middle of the season, but that is still a few months away. Tim Dierkes at MLBTradeRumors.com said that Rick Ankiel is the second most intriguing name on the trade market behind Roy Halladay. Now if that doesnt tell you on what his potential value might be, then I dont know what else to tell you, but no matter how you look at it, we are in a win-win situation. What do you think?

The Deal with Khalil

2009-03-24T09:34:00.001-07:00

Coming into this offseason, we knew that we were going to need a shortstop with the departure of Cesar Izturis. I liked Cesar defensively, but at the plate you might as well mark an out on your scorecard for the ninth spot in the batting order. When we decided to trade for Khalil Greene, I couldnt have been more satisfied, especially with what we ended up giving up for him. A lot of people dont believe in our Front Office, but this will be the steal of the year when we look back on the 2009 season. I have always thought that Greene was one of the top offensive and defensive shortstops in the National League. Just watching him play that position with ease is enought to tell you what he is capable of and not to mention what he can do at the plate. He has a plus arm with above average range and he can make the plays in the hole with confidence. He has average to above average power for a short stop with a knack for driving in runs. In his first three full seasons with the Padres he average 15 home runs and 63 Rbi's, but the thing on him is that he strikes out too much and he cannot hit for average. It was apparent that his biggest weakness got the best of him in 2007. Although he put up ridiculous numbers in 2007 (27 Home Runs and 97 Rbi's) he only hit .254 with 128 strikeouts. These are eye-popping numbers on both ends of the spectrum, but you have to understand that when a hitter depends on their power, they are going to strikeout due to the lack of plate coverage and strike zone discipline. Therefore, these types of hitters are going to strikeout a lot and have an average hovering around the Mendoza line, although I doubt that Khalil will be around the .200 mark or below. For me, Greene is going to have another break out year. He is going to be playing for a contender so his renewed passion for the game will speak volumes in his play, defensively and at the plate.

Since I moved out to San Diego in June of '08, I have met numerous Padres fans, which is odd because this city is definitely considered a transient city and you rarely meet people that are actually from San Diego. Most, if not all, of the fans that I have met loved Khalil Greene. He was the easy choice for fan favorite and with his departure he also left a lot of broken hearts behind. This can only tell us one thing: That Khalil Greene is the real deal. If you have the ability to be a fan favorite, wherever you play, you are doing something right and if you look back at his career in a Padres uniform, he did exactly that. He is as close to a defensive wizard as I have ever seen with his highlight reel defensive plays up the middle or in the hole to his right. If he can thrive in San Diego, he will definitely thrive in the best baseball environment in St. Louis as most players do. There are countless players who have done it in the past, so why would that stop us from thinking that it wont happen again? And some of the players were not in their prime career years like Khalil Greene is right now. The thing that I am most excited about is his offense. The last power hitting shortstop (if you want to call if that) that we had was Edgar Renteria way back in 2004. I am mystified by Greene's power and wonder where he gets it from. He doesnt have a huge body frame, nor does he look like he has the muscle. This just shows how much ability he has as a hitter and that he knows he can hit. For instance, Alfonso Soriano does not have the muscles or the body type or the legs where most power hitters derive their power from, but that guy is good for 25+ home runs per year. I am not saying that Greene and Soriano are identical, but the way they uncoil themselves and drive through the zone definitely could draw some comparisons. If Khalil stays true to his form and sticks to his abilities, we should see a drastice improvement from 2008 in regards to his power numbers. He also hit in one of the most unfriendly hitting parks in all of baseball (Petco Park), so moving to St. Louis should only help, not hinder.

Khalil Greene has had an above average career so far. He has had three above average years (2004-2006), one way above average year (2007) and one down year (2008). Of course, the skeptical fans out there look at the 2008 season because that is the most logical thing to do, right? WRONG. He had an injury plagued year in 2008 when he broke his hand and only played in 105 games. Which ever way we look at it, he is going to love playing in front of the fans that we bring night in and night out and in the environment that we create. Khalil will give us what we have not had in a long time which is a mainstay on the left side of the infield and a true defensive magician. By the end of the 2009 season, we will be calling him the "Highlight Reel Khalil".

The Biggest Concern in 2009

2009-03-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

What is the biggest concern for the Cardinals in the 2009 season? Many feel that it is Skip Schumaker making the conversion from an above average outfielder to a second baseman. The Skip Experiment is coming along, but some fans, deservedly so, still lack the optimism needed in order to see how successful we can be if Skip is successful in this transition. Some others might feel it is our situation in the bullpen and who will be tabbed as our "closer". This, for me, is the second biggest concern due to the fact of how many blown saves we have had in the past two seasons and how much that has affected our regular season succes. If we would have cut the amount of blown saves that we had last year in half, we would have been drinking champagne and Bud Light in October. The other biggest concern is our starting pitching which basically hinges on the health of Chris Carpenter. This has only become an issue since he has returned and has shown us that he can still pitch and can still be successful. This is where I have casted my vote (I have yet to vote on the poll on the left hand side though). I hope Chris Carpenter does not feel the weight of the world on his shoulders, but a lot of our success hinges on his health. If he stays healthy and pitches the way he is capable of pitching, we are a very successful ball club with the ability to do major damage in the playoffs (i.e. 2004, 2005 and 2006). If he is not healthy and he misses starts on a consistent basis, we are unsuccessful and we have to depend on our bullpen, which equals disaster (i.e. 2007, 2008). This has been another downfall for the Cardinals the past couple of years. With the inconsistency of our starting pitching to reach six innings, we have had to rely on our bullpen pitchers for three to four innings per game which does a lot of wear and tear on them throughout the course of a six month season. I guess you could say that about any team, but after our results the last two years, we need to let up on our guys in the bullpen if we want to go deep into the regular season, as well as the postseason.

I have analyzed our issues. In order they go:

Least Concern - We lost two potential back up plans to play second base in Aaron Miles and Felipe Lopez to free agency. If Skip fails at second base, we can always go in house or acquire a second baseman via trade which is very possible due to the fact that we could escape this situation with minimal damage to our farm system. Has Skip been our number one option all along? I would assume so as seeing that the front office was OK with how things were unfolding in the offseason.

Second Biggest Concern - In regards to the closers role, we have many capable, young pitchers that could fill this role. If Perez cannot close for awhile due to injuries, Motte could step in and get the job done. We can also call on Josh Kinney or Kyle McClellan (who is more suited for long relief or as a set up man). Then we have Ryan Franklin who I hope we only resort to in dire need of a closer. We have many options here, but to have a reliable "closer" would be huge for us because that has been our achilles heel the past two seasons. As previously stated, if we cut our blown saves by a minimum of ten games, we are playing in October.

Biggest Concern - Chris Carpenters health remains number one in my book. We do not have a back up plan if Carp goes down. We can only hope that our starting pitching did what it did last year in his absense. We cannot replace him unless we acquire another ace via trade (i.e. Roy "Doc" Halladay), but that would require giving up many top prospects, as well as losing everyday players (I dont even want to imagine what they would ask for). This would be our last option due to the fact that a trade for an ace to replace Carp would absolutely deplete our farm system. Hence, being the biggest concern for the '09 season.

This Spring Training for Carp has been absolutely encouraging. I think the fact that he has pitched fourteen consecutive innings without letting up a run speaks for itself. Hopefully Carp can continue his success into the regular season which would make us a very dangerous ball club in the early going. If he stays healthy he has the ability to add another ten to fifteen wins for us (maybe even more). If you add that to our potent offense everybody will be watching us and saying that we are the team to beat, which is totally in the realm of possibility for the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals.

What a Difference a Year Makes

2009-03-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

If you look back where we were a year ago from right now, you can absolutely say, without hesitation, that we have made strides in the right direction. Some might call it a 180 degree turn, but whatever you want to call it, it is working. This newfound sense of direction shows us that we have a fountain of youth in our minor league system (due to better drafting philosopohies) that are a year away from heading north with the Cardinals from the minor leagues, as well as some other great players added since the 2008 campaign to our major league roster. But there was a time last year when we had a lot of question marks. For instance, is Chris Carpenter going to have a comeback type of year? Is Mark Mulder going to be healthy? What can Caesar Izturis do for us offensively as our new shortstop? Who is Kyle Lohse and why did we sign him? Can Ankiel and Ludwick produce at the rate like they were at the tale end of 2007? What kind of drop off from Rolen to Glaus can we expect defensively? Those questions seem to have subsided for now after a rough, injury riddled year for Carpenter in 2008, another disaster year for Mark Mulder and we finally let him go, Caesar Izturis having no offensive credibility (but defensively was great) and now we replaced him with a better all around shortstop in Khalil Greene, we can depend on Kyle Lohse to be a very solid 3 or 4 starter for us, Ankiel and Ludwick had a stellar 2008 campaign and Glaus played a gold glove calibur third base. Ok. Take a breath. Now we are heading into 2009 with a very positive, optimistic attitude about the core players that we have, along with some young players (most notably Mather and Rasmus) that are up and coming and that can contribute right away.

Since the issues deemed "lets not beat this horse to death" have settled down and have disappeared out of sight and quickly into the past (i.e. The Mark Mulder Saga), we have decided to move into a new direction with our new front office management. Yes, last year was less than stellar on the free agent and trade market, and yes, last year was the front offices' first full year together, but they were still dealing with some of the "leftovers" from the Jocketty Administration. Some people strongly disagree with the decision making of the new regime and that they dont spend the money or that they havent explored any trade possibilities to bolster our starting rotation, added another power bat etc... Well if you look at the history of our organization, we have spent the money and we have made the moves at the July trade deadlines. And that is it right there. As opposed to making trades, which we heavily relied on in the past, and spending money from our shallow pockets, we are reaching into our own crop of players. Yes, you can look at that as being cheap, but we cant say that we have the money to pay overrated and/or past their prime free agents. We are investing in these young players that we have and making sure that they are groomed and ready to make the jump to the big leagues at the drop of a hat if need be. To think that we can practically turn this organization around in less than a year and change our philosophies, is simply astounding. How many organizations do you see doing that? Especially for the better. I am not saying that we were in ruins and a reviving was in order, but the Dark Age of the Cardinals was on the horizon just like the majority of the 1990's were and we all know how they felt. Not to mention missing the postseason the past two years. We have filled many holes by tinkering around with certain players within our organization to save money and to hold the fort until further notice. For instance, the Skip Experiment. I think that this was a great idea from the start. The only problem is can he be ready by the season opener? Many people, along with myself, think that he definitely will be ready and will only get better as the season goes on. Also, Joe Mather playing third until the return of Glaus. These guys have helped us stay calm and collected and to give us confidence for the future. These are signs of a transition, both internally and economically.

I am very impressed by this front office and what they have done. To be where we are right now, at this point and time, is nothing less than amazing. I do not want to look past 2009 before it even starts, but the future is exciting for this organization. It is very hard to imagine what kind of position we will be in a year from now, but the direction that we are headed in really speaks volumes of what this front office is all about.

The Closer

2009-03-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

As we approach Opening Day we still find that there are a couple of holes in our future roster projections. For starters, the second base predicament is the number one problem. Following up in a close second, and I mean close with starting pitching in third place, is the closers role. We find ourselves, yet again, without a "closer". I put closer in quotation marks because I dont believe that it is totally necessary to tab a pitcher as a "closer". It is kind of hard not to have a closer nowadays due to the closers statistical information and how important of a stat that is to a team. I know TLR thinks that the last three outs are the toughest three outs due to certain circumstances in any given game, but give the ball to whoever you think is capable of getting the job done. If it is two or more guys (like it is shaping up to be for us in 2009) then whoever has the hot hand, give it to them. You cannot rely on guys that continue to fail on us night in and night out just because they are our "closer". For example, in recent history, Jason Isringhausen. Just because Izzy was our closer didnt mean that we had to give him the ball every night, but we did because I assume TLR felt compelled to and we know how that ended up. I think that we have three capable guys of closing out a game for us this year. That would be Perez, Motte and Kinney. We need someone who can throw hard, along with good breaking pitches and it sounds like these are the three guys that we can count on. And NO, I did not forget about Ryan Franklin. I have yet to be impressed by him, especially as our "closer". Yes, I know we probably used him a little too much last year, but I cannot see him as a guy that we can depend on in the ninth inning. Last year, Franklin had a 6-6 record along with 17 saves in 25 save opportunities with a 3.55 ERA and 55 K's in 78.2 innings. He also gave up 86 hits over those 78.2 innings of work as a reliever. Now does that sound like a guy that you can depend on with the game on the line let alone a save opportunity?

I am pulling for Jason Motte, Chris Perez or Josh Kinney and maybe even McClellan to help bolster the back end of our bullpen this year. I know that we cannot carry all of them due to certain restrictions and the need of having left handed relievers, but all of these guys are capable of nailing down the 8th and/or 9th inning. I was very impressed with Perez and Motte last year. I am leaning more towards Motte who has the most potential in being a for sure closer. He is a converted catcher with raw pitching ability. The few times that I have seen Kinney pitch, I have also been very impressed especially in the 2006 playoffs. He came in and was absolutely solid during the 2006 playoffs and also at the tale end of last year. We all know McClellan's capabilities, plus, he is one year older with a lot more experience. I know TLR is very keen on naming a relief pitcher our closer, but if it is one of these young fireballers, then we should let it happen and see where it takes us. We will never know what these guys are made of or capable of unless we put them in certain situations. I dont know about you, but I think that we are looking good in the bullpen with a few pitchers capable of being our "go to" guys in the 9th inning. These guys might be inexperienced, but as history has shown us in the past, it does not mean that we will not be a successful ball club.

Who's On Second

2009-03-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

I dont mean to sound obsessed with the idea about who is going to be our second baseman, but I for one, among many of you out there, am very interested in seeing where this second base odyssey will take us. In the past, I have never thought highly of the second base position probably because of the fact that we have had so many capable players walking in and out of that position like a revolving door and that second base is always a position that is looked over. The only reason that we hear about a second baseman is if they put up good numbers offensively. For instance, the Marcus Giles and the Jeff Kents in the baseball world. I have definitely taken that position for granted. I am at a loss trying to figure out how we are going to solve this mystery. I dont know if we are trying our best to react to (ironically) this very own situation that we have gotten ourselves into or that the front office new where we were going to be come Spring Training in regards to second base. But I have been thinking about some possible options and the most intriguing idea is acquiring a second baseman via trade. We have the players, mainly outfielders, to do this. We have to take advantage of what we have in order to catapult ourselves into the future and make our team better overall and finally solidify the second base revolving door. Getting a good/great second baseman would make us a great baseball club. Here are some trade possibilities that I have thought of. Ranked from 1 to 7.

1.) Blake Dewitt - Los Angeles Dodgers - Due to the signing of Orlando Hudson, as well as Mark Loretta, this cuts Blake's playing time in half. You then look at 3B where he has played quite a bit and you find Casey Blake with Mark Loretta (again) and Doug Mientkiewicz behind him. At shortstop, Rafael Furcal and I think its safe to say that Blake is not going to beat him out at SS. This is a perfect situation for us to get him. He is young (23 years old) and the fact that he is from Missouri (Sikeston) could be very appealing for him. He hit .264 along with 9 home run's and 52 rbi's last year which is an upgrade from anything that have ever had.

2.) Kelly Johnson - Atlanta Braves - .287 avg., 12 home runs and 69 Rbi's last year. We are very familiar with him due to his name popping up with the Ankiel trade rumors. .980 fielding percentage in 144 games in 2008 and he is an above average second baseman with 425 assists.

3.) Robinson Cano - New York Yankees- 14 home runs, 72 Rbi's and batted .271 last year. A definite upgrade. They have been asking too much for Cano, but I have always been a big fan of his. It would be hard to get him because the NYY will ask for too much, but it is definitely worth it. Only 13 errors in 159 games last year.

4.) Dan Uggla - Florida Marlins - I dont see this happening. I understand why his name keeps coming up, but I dont see the logic in trading for him. Lets say we do get him, then he hits the open market. He will run to the highest bidder. We will not be able to afford him and you can kiss all of those prospects that we traded for him good bye. Also, his defense is well below average.

5.) Brendan Harris - Minnesota Twins - .265 avg., 7 home run's and 49 Rbi's. With Alexi Casilla at 2B as well as being the future for them at that position, Brendan Harris might be available. I have seen this guy play and he is very impressive.

6.) Howie Kendrick - Los Angeles Angels - .306 avg., 3 home run's and 37 Rbi's. This would be a reach, but another option well worth taking a look at. 13 errors in 206 career games at 2B with a career .989 fielding percentage (.991 last year with 4 errors in 92 games at 2B).

7.) Asdrubal Cabrera - Cleveland Indians - 6 home runs, .259 avg., 47 Rbi's . 4 errors in 134 career games with a combined .994 fielding percentage. Another guy worthy of taking a look at.

These are all possible options especially if the Skip Experiment doesnt work. I am not saying that it will fail, but we need to take a look at possible options if worst comes to worst. The next question is who would we give up. We have to look at this from a financial perspective as well as our needs. Here is who we could give up.

1.) Rick Ankiel - As much as I do not want to trade him, we have to maximize our ability in trading the players that we have that will help us. Bittersweet I know, but this is the reality of a great player in a walk year. Rather than letting him walk to, lets say, the Yankees, we could definitely trade him for Blake Dewitt, Kelly Johnson or Robinson Cano. Unless he gives us a hometown discout (which he should for the reason that we stuck by his side all of those years) we need to trade him.

2.) Ryan Ludwick - Another guy who's price could be rising from one year to the next. He is arbitration eligible for the next three years. If he keeps producing at the rate like he has been in the past one and a half years, who knows how much he will be asking for come arbitration time. If he leaves it will definitely be bittersweet. I love watching this guy play. But If he has a great first half, we should definitely look at the possibility of trading him in the case that he falls off next year. Another reason to trade him is that he will be quite expensive come next year. Another guy who we could trade to maximize the amount of return players as well as one of the second baseman mentioned above.

3.) Joe Mather - With Wallace waiting in the wings and a crowded outfield, we should look at the possibilities of trading Mather. A young player who we could trade in order to solidify ourselves for the future. This guy has tremendous upside which would be a great loss to the Cardinals, but we have to take advantage of the surplus of outfielders that we have. I for sure thought that we were going to trade him last year because we pulled him up from AAA and "showcased" him to other teams. Another bittersweet situation because I would love to have him on the Cardinals and be apart of our future.

The Youth Movement

2009-03-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

Due to the Cardinals stubborn philosophies in the past in respect to drafting young players with high ceilings and low risks, we are now behind in the youth movement. We can definitely see this by taking a look at our draft history. Rarely do we see our top draft picks make a splash in the big leagues. Just to name a few that did: J.D. Drew, Adam Kennedy,Rick Ankiel and the best pick ever, Albert Pujols. On the flip side we see that the majority of our best/star players as of recent memory have been acquired via free agency and/or trade. For instance Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Reggie Sanders, Larry Walker, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, just to name a few. We have never relied on drafting which has been one of our biggest downfalls. As we move into the future, we see that there is a movement towards drafting young players, mainly high school players, and I am happy to say that the Cardinals are partaking in this trend. But once upon a time, as said before, the Cardinals relied on getting "that guy" at the July trade deadline (i.e. Larry Walker) who could put us over the top or sign "that ONE" starting pitcher in the off season that will put us over the hump in the N.L. Central. Not that what we did during that stretch was bad because it led to a World Series Championship, another World Series appearance in 2004 and numerous NLCS and NLDS appearances. But because of that success, we have definitely paid the price for the the lack of drafting young players with bright futures up until a couple of years ago. For the most part, the majority of the other teams have believed in the youth that is available out there and they have taken strides ahead of us. There are some teams out there that still rely on their check books, for example the most obvious ones, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs. Boston is a little different because they dabble in both worlds drafting very well, but also signing some of the top free agents. For us, the Cardinals, we do not have that luxury to write everything off in our checkbook especially with the way that the economy is looking. We are tightening up our payroll as well as drafting young, low risk and very high reward players and it is about time.

When we received Mark McGwire at the 1997 trade deadline, we didnt realize how much of an adverse affect it would have on us. We were very complacent of where we were. We were also submersed in the world of the long ball and who could reach and ultimately smash Maris' record of 61 home runs, that we forgot what our main goal was and that was to win a championship. Take a look at some of the players we drafted during the McGwire Era.

1998 - 1st Round - J.D. Drew - 5th Overall - OF - Highest Level: MLB
1st Round - Ben Diggins - 32nd Overall - Pitcher - Highest Level: MLB
2nd Round -Chad Hutchison - 48th Overall - Pitcher - Highest Level : MLB
2nd Round - Tim Lemon - 55th Overall - OF - Highest Level : A
3rd Round - Gabe Johnson - 78th Overall - IF - Highest Level: AAA
4th Round - Robert Smith - 108th Overall - OF - Highest Level: N/A
5th Round - Steve Stemie - 138th Overall - Pitcher - Highest Level:

1999 - 1st round - Chance Caple - 30th pick overall -Pitcher- Highest level: A
Supplemental: Nick Stocks- Pitcher- Highest level : AAA- Chris Duncan - 1B - Highest Level: MLB (Carl Crawford was still available - 2nd Round - 52nd Overall)
2nd Round - Josh Pearce - Pitcher- 82nd pick- Highest Level: MLB
3rd Round - B.R. Cook - Pitcher - 102nd overall - Highest Level: AAA
4th Round - Ben Johnson - OF - 127th overall HighestLevel: MLB
5th Round - Melvin Williams - CF - 162nd overall - Highest Level: N/A

2000 - 1st Round (2 picks)-Shaun Boyd-IF-13th Overall-Highest Level: AAA (Chase Utley was picked 15th Overall. Was signability a factor? I hope so because why else would we not draft him?)Blake Williams - Pitcher - 24th Overall - Highest Level: A
2nd Round - Chris Narveson - Pitcher - 53rd Overall - Highest Level: MLB
3rd Round - Chase Voshell - IF - 83rd Overall - Highest Level: A
4th Round - Yadier Molina - C - 113th Overall - Highest Level: MLB
5th Round - Josh Axelson - Pitcher - 143rd Overall - Highest Level: AA

2001 - 1st Round- Justin Pope - Pitcher - 28th overall - Highest level: AAA
2nd Round - Dan Haren - Pitcher - 72nd overall - Highest Level: MLB
3rd Round - Joe Mather - 3B - 104th overall - Highest Level: MLB
4th Round - Josh Brey - Pitcher - 134th overall - Highest Level: A
5th Round - Skip Schumaker- OF - 164th overall - Highest Level: MLB

I do not need to reiterate the fact that our philosophies about drafting has set us back a few years. The majority of these picks, even though some they say highest level: MLB, have come nowhere near to being regulars for the Cardinals. Although for four straight years we had below average drafts, we decided to go a different direction and it is paying off. Ever since the 2005 draft, we have picked Colby Rasmus ('05), Tyler Greene('05), Daryle Jones('05), Bryan Anderson ('05), Mitchell Boggs ('05), Adam Ottavino ('06), Chris Perez ('06), Jon Jay ('06), Clayton Mortensen ('07), Brett Wallace ('08). All of these guys have a chance to help us in the near future. I can think of a few reasons why we are drafting well. The first one being, as previously stated, the need to involve ourselves in this "youth movement". The second reason is the downturn of the economy which has forced us into tightening our budget and therefore, drafting young, low risk, high reward players who are relatively cheap which makes them more appealing. Lastly, the cracking down of PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) which has elongated the careers of some players to play into their 40's and who have suckered most teams into believing in them and therefore, giving them lucrative contracts (not that the Cardinals have done a lot of that), but this has become a catalyst in the youth movement. I really do believe that the Cardinals have a bright future ahead with the players that we have in our minor league system. Is it due to the transition of Walt Jocketty to John Mozeliak? Who knows, but it really seems like we are headed into the right direction.

2009: The Outfield

2009-03-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to write a piece just on Colby Rasmus, but I think everybody has mixed feelings about him being on the Opening Day roster and where he should be at this point of Spring Training. My main focus right now is on our outfield, but I will get to that in a bit. I believe that he (Rasmus) is really pressing and that "heart-to-heart" that TLR had with him might do the trick to let him break out of his shell and to just relax. I hear nothing but great things about this kid so I hope that he has a breakout year with us in 2009. A little while back Keith Law compared him to Grady Sizemore with better defense and more if not the same amount of power.The speed, defense and power are there, but I am left to wonder what his ceiling is at the major league level? I have never seen him play, but I am not sure if bringing him up right now is the best decision. His teammate, or competition for lack of a better word, Chris Duncan seems like he is really turning things around. It seems like his power is back with 2 home runs thus far in Spring Training with a two run dinger today against the Tigers. I hope Duncan turns things around because he was such a force (offensively) ever since his rookie year. As for his defense, well, a work in progress I guess you could say. Do you remember him in the second half of the regular season in 2006? And in the playoffs? An absolute masher with no fear. I think that if Rasmus doesnt get the call this time around its due to Tree Trunk Dunc's improved play. But the thing is they are both playing very well.

Chris Duncan is a proven player at the Major League Level and even though he is Dave's son, I doubt nepotism is playing a big role in regards to him being on the Opening Day roster despite his injury riddled 2008 season. On one hand, I want Rasmus to be on the Opening Day roster and I want to see him hit that first bomb deep into the rightfield bleachers and get the first of many curtain calls of his career while wearing the birds on the bat. But on the other I also want Duncan to be on there too because we know what he can do. Does Duncan have to prove himself to us in order to obtain our acceptance, again? Would having both of them be a bit much?

I think that I am very excited just about our overall team this year, except the second base predicament (see the previous post). I havent felt like this since the 2005 season. We have one of if not the best outfields in all of baseball. Look at who we have out there, well potentially have out there. In left we potentially have a tandom of Rasmus and Duncan. We know Duncan is good for 25+ hr's and has the potential to be a run producing machine, if he stays healthy and thats a BIG IF, I know. Rasmus, well we don't know yet, so that is a wait and see situation. Then in center we got Ankiel who we all know is good for another 25+ hr's. Lastly in right field we have Ryan Ludwick who hit 37 bombs last year. A lot of people out there are very skeptical about Ludwick due to his history of injuries, but I believe that he will have another monster year since his coming out party a year and a half ago. Then, we have Joe "Joey Bombs" Mather in right or left, if/when he is not playing third base. You could also throw in Skip Schumaker if the let's-convert-him-to-second-base project doesnt work. I would like us to look into making some trades due to our surplus of outfielders, but the question is: Who? We dont know what a full season of Mather is capable of and we need him to man the third base position while Glaus is gone. Personally, I would not trade Mather. The player most likely to be traded is Ankiel which I dont like, but I know we have to look into trading him at the July trade deadline, rather than letting him hit the open market after this year. (Side Note: On mlbtraderumors.com, Tim Dierkes said that Ankiel is second behind Roy Halladay for the most intriguing trade deadline name). No way we will trade Ludwick or Rasmus. So there are two possible trade candidates with the other one being Schumaker, but what about second base? As of right now, everybody is saying he is our Opening Day second baseman. So what do we do? We will have to wait and see as the season continues I guess. There could be injuries and/or there could be disappointment which could lead to the departure of one and the entering of another, but either way, we are in a good position.

2B or not 2B? That is the question

2009-03-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

If you would have told me that we would not have a second baseman with a little bit under a month left of spring training to go, I would have told you that you are crazy. The Cardinals and TLR pride themselves on defense, but to not have a second baseman yet (especially for this organization) is very hard to understand. It is not like there weren't/aren't any second basemen out there. There was Orlando Hudson (who I think is overrated), but he signed with the Dodgers. Ray Durham is still without a team, but way too old. I dont even think that I would want him for a minor league deal regardless of his numbers against the Cubs (to have that as a reason to want him to be the starting second baseman, as some people are, is absolutely ridiculous). I know that everybody liked Aaron Miles, but I was pretty glad to see him go. Besides his defense I was getting pretty sick and tired of watching him use his bat as a pool cue and poking the ball down the left/right field foul lines right to the third or first baseman. He was as close to a guaranteed out as one could be. I would definitely rather have him than converting Skip to 2B if I knew our situation a few months back. Now, lets take a look at some second basemen that we have had in the past starting from the 2000 season.

2000 - 2003 -Fernando Vina
2004 - Tony Womack
2005 - Mark Grudzielanek
2006 - Aaron Miles/Ronnie Belliard (Acquired through trade)
2007 - Aaron Miles/ Adam Kennedy
2008 - Aaron Miles/Adam Kennedy (Lopez played a little 2B)
2009 - ??????????

With the exception of two seasons, we have always had a consistent and proven second baseman. I just dont understand why we are trying something different when we know how to be successful like we have been in the past at this position. Now is not the time to try and convert a very good outfielder to play second base. Granted, he played infield in college, but that was in college. The last time I checked, there are quite a few levels you have to succeed in in order to reach the major leage level, especially at a certain position that you know you can play which will be your ticket to the big leagues. I know we are out of options and I know TLR and Co. lack confidence in certain players (i.e. Brendan Ryan) or straight up didnt like them (i.e. Adam Kennedy), but there comes a time when you have to stick with what you know. Yes, Skip's offensive production would be a big plus at that position, but I would rather have a second baseman with above average defense (like we have in the past) than one who was better offensively and Skip's defense is not good enough yet (3 errors in 8 games thus far in Spring Training). I am not saying that Skip is a lost cause, but to throw him in as our Opening Day starting second baseman doesnt make any sense. I hope Skip proves everybody wrong because I have heard of his athletic abilities, foot speed etc... and that he can make the transfer from outfield to second base, but to be a second baseman you have to have more than that. There is a certain type and that is exactly what we lack.

Scary, but True

2009-03-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

As I was reading this month's issue of ESPN The Magazine, I stumbled upon an interview with Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants. It covers everything to where he started to where he is now, the way he warms up, to the kind of car he drives. If you havent read it yet, I highly suggest it. As I was reading the interview I caught myself thinking, "Man, what I would do to have a pitcher like him on my team". Then a light bulb went off. I know that all of you will not agree with what I am about to propose, but we might have to face this reality in a couple of years. If you haven't figured out what I am trying to get across, I will give you a couple more seconds...still no? Ok, well it has to do with trading Albert Pujols before his contract expires in two years, with a third year if we do indeed decide to exercise that option. Lets say, hypothetically, that he still puts up the typical numbers of 35+ hr's, 130+ RBI's and .330+ avg. for the next couple of years and his comments from a few weeks back about taking a hometown discount becomes a distant and I mean a DISTANT memory to him. I hope to God that he takes a hometown discount for the reason that he is the best in the game and that he plays for the Cardinals, but lets get serious. Lets say in a couple of years when his contract is coming to a close with the Cardinals, that we look to trade him. Rather than giving him $30 mm per year or whatever he asks for because whatever he is going to ask for we will not be able to give him, especially with the amount of years that will be attached. Then this is where the answer to my light bulb comes in. So we trade him in the last year of his contract, but what could we get in return? Albert Pujols, if he stays in shape and remains healthy, has a lot left in the tank and will keep putting up those sick numbers. Could we trade him for Lincecum? Even if we dont get a first baseman in return, we could always use one of our own to move to the 1B position. These are the top five teams that I have researched and have considered definite possibilities to pull this off.

#1.) San Francisco Giants: They ask for Pujols. Then we respond with, "Ok. Give us Lincecum, Fred Lewis and John Bowker". Or Jonathan Sanchez, Fred Lewis and Emmanuel Burris. Yes there is a downgrade at 1B with Bowker (anything is a downgrade from Pujols), but our SP would be bolstered and Burris is their projected starting SS which would also be an upgrade at that position for us. I am very high on Fred Lewis, but I doubt that they would give all of that up. Jonathan Sanchez is no joke either. I would love to have him on my staff. Or they can also throw in Madison Baumgardner somewhere in there who is one of the best SP's in the minor leagues (#9 in Top 100 Prospects). This is where the logic of trading him comes in. Rather than giving Pujols $30 mm a year, we could use all of that money towards these other young, up and coming players who have very bright futures ahead. The Giants also have the money to do this.

#2.) Angels - SP Joe Saunders, RP Jose Arredondo (unbelievable stuff, potential closer, K-Rod clone), 2B Howie Kendrick and top pitching prospects Jordan Waldan and Trevor Reckling. Another team that has the budget to pull this off.

#3.) Boston Red Sox - Another team that has the payroll to obtain Pujols. SP Clay Bucholz, top prospects 1B Lars Anderson and RHP Daniel Bard. I would also ask for Josh Beckett but at the same time taking Bucholz and/or one of the top prospects off of the return players.

#4.) Baltimore Orioles - OF Adam Jones or OF Nick Markakis, top prospect RHP Chris Tillman and top prospect LHP Brian Matusz. No way in getting Matt Wieters who is the #1 top prospect in all of baseball.

#5.) Los Angeles Dodgers - 1B James Loney, SP Chad Billingsley or SP Clayton Kershaw. We will have to see how we are looking in the outfield by 2011 with the possibility of Ankiel leaving to free agency or trading him and if Ludwick drops off. So we could look at OF's Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp. Obviously we wouldnt be able to get all of these guys, but they definitely have a lot and enough to give up. Again, another team with the money to be able to pull this off.

This is all speculation, but it is definitely in the realm of possibility. I hope that I am wrong by the time the 2011 season comes to an end, but this a part of the game. The top players will continue to ask for more and more money which will only leave a few teams in contention for those types of players. This leaves teams like the Cardinals with a couple options. 1.) Trying to sign the player and (2.) Taking advantage of trading him and getting great players in return. I hope the day that we come to this realization never comes and Pujols stays true to his word, but that is two years from now. Who knows what could happen between now and then.

Projected Starters

2009-03-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

So, we are about a month out from Opening Day and I was kicking around some ideas about the projected starting lineup. Some of you have probably seen some games already, so I would like to know how you guys feel about what our starting lineup should look like. My main interests reside at SS, 2B, 3B and Colby Rasmus. How is Khalil Greene looking? The people out here in San Diego are P.O.'d that Khalil Greene was traded. He was easily THE fan favorite out here. I am very excited and optimistic about our OF's. A lot of pop out there and great defense to add on top of that.

P - Carpenter
C - Molina
1B - Pujols
2B - ??
3B - ??
SS - Greene
LF - Ludwick
CF - Ankiel
RF - Rasmus/Duncan/??

I want Carpenter as our Opening Day starter. He is too good to put at a number 2, but so is Wainwright. I know Wainwright was a little shaky on his first start of the spring, but hey, its spring training for a reason. Carpenter seems like he is on the right track to a healthy season. No more crossing our fingers Cardinals fans, its time we start over and have a renewed confidence in him.

I know that Schumaker has been playing second base and Mather has been trying a little third base. I live in San Diego and I havent seen these guys play yet. What are you opinions about them at these positions? Especially Schumaker. Mather sounds like he is holding his own at 3rd especially with what TLR said about Wallace yesterday. He simply said that he will not make the team this year. Also, I have never seen Rasmus play, but I certainly have heard of his abilities over the last two or three years. Is he capable of obtaining a starting OF position? Opening Day starter? A source that I have who has played against the Cardinals in Spring Training said that Rasmus could be a 30 home run guy.

Give me your thoughts Cardinal Nation. We are only one month away.

Pedro as a Closer? Are you Serious?

2009-03-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

I dont know if you guys saw the little piece by Joe Strauss on mlbtraderumors.com, but he said that Mo and TLR are going to meet along with some other staff members and talk about the possibility of signing Pedro Martinez as a closer. Does anybody know the logic to this? Why would we sign this guy? He throws 88-91 mph (91 most recently). We cant rely on this guy to throw lollipop offspeed pitches or mid to upper 80's 2-seam fastballs in the ninth inning. If we thought last year was miserable in regards to the closers job/role, this would be an absolute nightmare. I think we should stay in house to decide who should close for us (which was the plan all along, right?). Motte and Perez have very bright futures as closers. What is so bad in deciding to have a rookie close games for us? Does anybody remember what Wainwright did in 2006? He only dominated in postseason play and won us the world series. I know these guys dont have the offspeed stuff like Wainwright, but what happened to having confidence in these young studs that we have? This could only help them, not hurt them. What would hurt them is if we went and signed a washed-up starting pitcher who was good four years ago and rely on him in the 9th inning which has been our absolute downfall in recent years. We cannot stand for this as Cardinal fans. My friend once said, "It is not a Cardinals offseason or a Cardinals trade deadline if we dont try to get an old "proven" veteran". I am so sick of this. Please, voice your opinion about this.

Also, we signed Denys Reyes today. Now this solidifies the other left-handed reliever spot. I was very high on him and I was wondering if we were interested because he is a great left-handed reliever. Now we dont have to rely on the likes of Ron Villone and Randy Flores (thank God that they are gone anyway) or these other guys who are duking it out down in FL for the last lefty spot in the pen. I liked Flores, but last year he was miserable and there is no way that these other guys could come in and get the job done. Well, at least not this year. Great signing Mo.

Comments please.

Put Your Cardinal Passion Aside.....for a second

2009-03-05T11:30:00.001-08:00

Okay, this offseason wasnt anything close to exciting (like we hoped) for us Cardinal fans, but you have to look long term. I understand that the people that follow their teams, as well as the front offices, look short term i.e. Milwauke trading away their top prospect (Matt LaPorta) at the July trade deadline for C.C. Sabathia. They were looking to win the whole thing last year, short term. Were they good? Yes. Was that a good idea? No. Their pitching was average/below average after Sheets as their number two and they just traded their top prospect. So this is a message to Cardinal Nation. Just because we didnt go sign Oliver Perez or A.J. Burnett or make any major trades or sign the highly overrated Fuentes doesnt mean that we will not be good. I know that relying on Carp is hard, but you have to look LONG TERM which Mo is doing. We have to save money (which is no different from our traditional penny pinching ways) in order to keep some guys around. For instance, Albert Pujols' contract is up in 2 years with an option for a third. Ankiel is a free agent, but I doubt that we will keep him for the reason that he has Scott Boras as his agent. Do you really think Pujols is going to take a hometown discount? Yea right. He is the best player in baseball and he will be able to command $25+ million a year. But I will tell you one thing, Teixeira signing with the Yankees was the best thing to happen because that takes one of the potential suitors for Pujols off of the market so he might have to take a little less money, but the Angels and Red Sux (not a typo) are still out there.

So put your passion aside for a second Cardinal fans. We will be good and our pitching will be better than expected. Our short term outlook looks good as does our long term for the reason that we didnt make any irrational decisions in an inflated market.