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".
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
The Biggest Concern in 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
What a Difference a Year Makes
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.
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.
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Closer
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.
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.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Who's On Second
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Youth Movement
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
2009: The Outfield
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.
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.
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