The Pen

The biggest battles for spots on the club this Spring may well be here. Even with all of the every day position battles going on, the bullpen is the most in flux area. Gone are Randy Flores, Russ Springer, Jason Isringhausen, Ron Villone and Johnson. The bullpen has moved towards youth more than any other area with pitchers like Jason Motte, Chris Perez, Josh Kinney, Kyle McClellan joining Ryan Franklin, Brad Thompson, Trever Miller, Royce Ring, Charlie Manning and mabe Jamie Garcia(depending on his health). And even though he’s slotted in to the fifth spot of the rotation, don’t be surprised if Joel Pineiro ends up in the bullpen as well. The Cards wanted a big time closer, namely Brian fuentes, this Winter but their advances towards him were spurned. Personally, i’m happy they didn’t get him. I think bringing in an established closer would have hurt the competition somewhat in the fights for slots. Franklin has more major league experience as a closer than the rest of the prospective staff as a whole, but i don’t look for him to get the job. I think he is more valuable as a seventh inning guy. We hafta replace Springer’s contributions and in my mind Franklin is the best suited for that. Long relief will fall to Thompson and possibly Pineiro, with Pineiro being the swing man.
The left side of the bullpen is completely new. This may well be the most needed area in all of the roster. Miller, Manning, Ring and Garcia will be battling to shore things up. Josh Kinney’s health is vital to the bullpen this season. While he will be given a shot to be closer, i feel he is a sure thing as the set up man from the right side. Thompson of course is still here and it feels to me that he needs to repeat his rookie season to stick on the club. McClellan is an interesting pitcher. While he had a fine season last year, he ran out of gas towards the end. also, he has been told to come into the Spring to be ready to start. I think he’s best suited as a starter and if Pineiro falters, McClellan could well be the one to take over that number five spot.
While there have been rumblings and grumblings about closer by commitee, of which i do not like, the likely pitchers with the best shot at being the everyday closer are Perez and Motte. Perez is the most polished and has the better secondary pitch. But Motte has a fire that i equate with a closer. He just looks ready to take your head off each time he gets the signal. Both throw fire with Motte just a couple of miles an hour faster. Both will strike out hitters at a good clip, but which will show the developement needed to be the man on a consistent basis in the ninth inning…Spring may tell. Don’t be surprised if Motte starts the season off in Memphis. He needs more developement on his secondary pitch than Perez and may be asked to do that in triple A.

My pick for closer is Chris Perez. We’ll see if LaRussa and Duncan are comfortable with the youngster taking the ball.

Backstops

We all know who will be the starting catcher this season and the foreseeable seasons to come. And it was a happy day when i saw the scroll on ESPN News that Jason LaRue had resigned as the back up. Though it is conceivable that he won’t be…at least in my mind it is. It’s conceivable that Bryan Anderson is that guy. It is coming to that point that Anderson needs to break from being a minor league catcher and become that skilled catcher and hitter we’ve seen and heard about in the minors. Then there is a sentimental favorite of mine, Matt Pagnozzi. It’s about 99.999% certain that he won’t make the big club, but that doesn’t matter. Just the thought of another Pagnozzi behind the dish brings back fond memories of younger days. One day i hope to see that happen. Just like i pined for Tommy Herr’s son to break into the majors with the Cards. That never happened, but there is still a glimmer of hope for Matt. I know he’s not his son, but being his nephew is close enough for me.

So with all of this said, who will be that catching tandem this year? Yadier Molina and Jason LaRue of course. But look for Bryan Anderson to push LaRue this Spring.

Corner Infielders

The two most certain positions, other than catcher, going into this offseason were first and third base. Barring a blind siding trade or injury, Albert Pujols and Troy Glaus were locks to be at each respectively. No trade was made, but injuries did happen. No, they weren’t new injuries, but rather nagging ones that finally needed repairing. Pujols’ elbow was finally deemed worrisome enough by him and doctors that instead of blowing out his arm, they got ahead of the game. No one expects anything less than full recovery, especially Albert himself. Glaus on the other hand is a different story all together. I was shocked when i read that he had undergone right shoulder surgery. The first thing that entered my head was, why did they wait so long into the offseason to have it done. But the second thing was even more daunting. Is this going to be a rerun of Scott Rolen’s shoulder woes? Lets hope not.

So who are the principles in the mix for first and third? Albert Pujols, Troy Glaus, Chris Duncan, Joe Mather, Brian Barden, Brendan Ryan, David Freese, Brett Wallace, Tyler Greene, Joe Thurston and Allen Craig. That’s a lot of names with very few of them really having a shot.

First Base is as locked up for the forseeable future as any position on any team in the majors. Albert Pujols will be patrolling his accustomed turf as always. What is in some doubt is who will give him his five games off this year. I think the likeliest competition comes from Chris Duncan and Joe Mather. Duncan has played first more than Mather and it seems to be his more natural position. Once again though, Duncan’s playing there is all predicated on his health and possible trade. Mather on the other hand is very intruiging. His versatility is extremely coveted by a manager such as Tony LaRussa. Able to play all three outfield positions, third and first makes Mather a very attractive roster guy. I’m looking for Joe to be that guy with Duncan to be sent down to Memphis to get at bats until needed or eventually traded. I could be wrong though and Chris has a great Spring raking with the bat and either making the club or traded before the season starts.

Third base is much more of an open battle. With Troy Glaus being sidelined with shoulder surgery, there are many candidates for playing time. David Freese, Brett Wallace, Joe Mather, Allen Craig, Tyler Greene, Brendan Ryan and Joe Thurston are all eager for a chance to hold down third until Glaus returns. Freese seems to be the odds on favorite to get most of the time, but Wallace and Craig are both on his heels. Freese and Craig are both natural third basemen with Wallace still improving his skills there. Mather once again shows his value by being able to play third as well. The others are more of the utility ilk. Ryan didn’t look comfortable there last ear, but then again didn’t really look comfortable any where. Thurston has played some, but once again, i know little of his skills. If Tyler Greene can show that he’s comfortable there it will go a long ways to his making the club. My pick is Freese. He’s the most polished and accomplished of the candidates and we’ll need stability and consistency at the hot corner.

Now you are probably saying to yourself, what about Brian Barden? Well in my mind, while he is an excellent third baseman, there are just too many options there to include him seeing as how i’ve annointed him the front runner for the every day second base job.

Third should be fun to watch this Spring.

Middle Infielders

Todays edition that no one will read is concerning middle infielders. Through the decades the Cardinals middle infielders have been positions of strength and stability. Then the middle 90′s came along and the one thing that has been the norm is that they have become positions of flux and rapid turnover. Gone are the days of players like Ozzie Smith and Tommy Herr, replaced with names like Caesar Izturis and Adam Kennedy. I know, both of those are gone as well, but my point is that there has been so little stability up the middle that our defense has become sporadic in these places.

Who are the candidates for this years tandems? Khalil Greene, Brian Barden, Joe Thurston, Brendan Ryan, Tyler Greene, Jarrett Hoffpauir and even Skip Schumaker.

Khalil Greene seems to be the most sure thing at shortstop. Traded for during the offseason he’s coming off a less than stellar season full of swings and misses as well as injuries. I like KG a lot. He is a very exciting shortstop that makes both the routine and acrobatic plays. If he can get back to what he did at the plate a few years ago, i think we are in store for something we aren’t used to seeing out of our shortstops. Power.

My pick for second base is Brian Barden. With the release of Kennedy a few days ago i think this has opened the door for Barden to lay claim to the position. A third baseman by trade he has really become more of a second baseman over the last year or so. The cardinals have a logjam at third in the minors and with Barden proving he can not just play second, but play it exceptionally well, he has done no less than give himself a golden opportunity. He is also a very good hitter with a little pop. Imagine getting 30 or more home runs from our middle tandem.

Brendan Ryan is most likely coming into this Spring with the knowledge of it being his last best chance to impress the Cards staff. Eratic as well as energetic sometimes can be infuriating to the powers that be. We as Cards fans love that energy and hustle. Nothing more exciting than seeing a player enjoying himself on the field with the energy of a kid, but sometimes that same energy will get you in the doghouse. Brendanb needs to learn how to harness that energy and become a more disciplined hitter as well as not over play the field. He has shown in the past that he has all the tools, now he needs to show that he can be consistent.

Tyler Greene is interesting. Seemingly stagnate in his progression for a few years in AA ball it looks as though he may have finally started putting it together last year. He’ll likeley have to show that he can play second and third with little drop off this Spring to make the club, but i am not going to put it past his ability. An excellent athlete if not the best hitter as far as average. It may well be that this is his one shot to wear the birds on the bat for the big club.

The one true second baseman that we have is Jarrett Hoffpauir. I wish i knew more about him to make a more informed assessment of his skills. I’m putting Joe Thurston in this same category. Maybe i’ll come back sometime in Spring training and be able to give more on both.

And then there is Skip Schumaker. While it has been said that he’ll get several looks at second this Spring, i think the likelihood of him playing there during the regular season is highly doubtful. I think this is a project perhaps spurred by Albert Pujols having to be shifted there for one game in late innings last year. The absolute most worst thing that could happen to the Cards is for Pujols to go down with an injury turning a double play at second. Look for Skip to only ever see, at least for this season, time at the keystone in an emergency. Time will tell if he’ll be viable there in the future.

One last note. I’m not completely writing off the chances of a second baseman being brought in as a free agent or via trade this Spring.

My Picks For Outfielders

Because i have time on my hands, the next several blogs will be on position players and my picks on who they should be. Of course i reserve the right to interrupt these blogs willy-nilly.

Today i am focusing on what may well be the most congested position(s) i’ve ever seen on the Cardinals roster heading into Spring training. I’m talking of course about outfielders.

The list is comprised, in no particular order, Skip Schumaker, Rick Ankiel,  Joe Mather, Ryan Ludwick, Brian Barton, Chris Duncan, Nick Stavinoha and Colby Rasmus. That’s a whole lot of players for four or five positions.

Everyone wants to find out if Rasmus’ game will transfer to the big league and most, myself included, believes that it will. I think we are at that crossroads with Colby that it’s time to fish instead of cutting bait. He may well be the most heralded prospect since a young Rick Ankiel and honestly i’m looking forward to seeing him prove his skills.

Nick Stavinoha is a bit more of a wild card to me. He seems to be locked in as a left fielder and of the three outfield positions, i think this is the deepest if not the most glamorous. He seems to have mostly line drive doubles power with a bit of home run pop. Not the fastest of the core either, so that means he is not as transferable to the other two outfield positions.

When Chris Duncan first came up i felt that it may have been at least to some extent who his father is. Maybe that was the case, but i soon saw the heart and will in Chris that i love seeing in ballplayers. Is he a great outfielder? No. And he’s likely to never become one either, but you can’t deny that he gives every ounce of his being into playing the game hard and right. I’m excited to see if he can reestablish himself as a bonafide threat at the plate. However, i truly don’t believe i’ll get to see that with him in a Cardinals uniform. I think of all the outfielders, he is the most likely to be traded. Especially if he can prove in Spring training that he is healthy and able to play at full swing.

Brian Barton is something of a mystery to me. He has such great speed and seems to be a decent prospect as a lead off guy. But his over all skills seem very raw. Like he’s learning on the fly. Several times he showed flashes last year of his athletic abilities, but more often were the times that he looked completely over matched. It’ll be interesting to see how much he has developed over the Winter. Whether or not he honed his skills or if he wasted an opportunity to enhance his worth to the club.

We all know the heart of Ryan Ludwick is of a man that doesn’t give up. He is the epitome of what a man that loves the game is. Most would’ve given up prior to two years ago on his dream and we as Cardinal fans are lucky that he didn’t. That said, am i the only one that it seems as though the brass of the Cardinals would rather trade him for pitching, prospects or both? Every team needs a player like Ryan on their roster. I’m afraid that eventually he will be shuffled out for more youthful players. Lets hope that one of them has Ryan’s desire to play this game.

Joe Mather may well be that player i just spoke of. I like Joe’s skills and versatility a lot and the fact that he can play third, is at this time, very valuable to the Cards roster. I’m not sure he would be a good fit as an every day third baseman, but it does nothing but help his chances at making the club. He also can play, like Duncan, first base. But what he has that Duncan doesn’t is an ability to move all over the outfield. Lets just hope that his broken wrist is healed and won’t hinder his showing his wares.

Center fielder? Right fielder? No way with his arm is he a left fielder. Rick Ankiel is still learning this game as an every day player as opposed to taking the mound every fifth day, but isn’t it moving to watch him do just that. In some ways he rivals Albert Pujols for the hearts of Cards fans every where. Every one wants to see Rick succeed and finally be completely healthy enough to fulfill his athletic set of skills. If Ludwick is traded, it certainly will leave a sure sign of Rick being the uncontested right fielder…at least in my mind.

Does Skip Schumaker have the ability to be an every day player? He certainly helped to answer that question somewhat last year. His biggest hurdle is hitting against left handers. Even if he can hit .255 to .265 i think he’d be a great asset to the roster. With that pedestrian average against lefties, his hitting against right handers becomes even more valuable. In my mind Skip may always be a fourth or fifth outfielder at best, but there is no denying that he has put in the work to be one of twenty five. Adding play at second will do nothing but help prolong his career.

Soi, through all of this what have i decided? I’ve decided that Stavinoha will likely be back in Memphis. That this is Colby Rasmus’ time to shine. That Rick Ankiel can not be traded away for the little that he would garner the club back. That sadly i see Chris Duncan and Ryan Ludwick plkaying elsewhere. That Joe Mather is the future in left. That Skip Schumaker and Brian Barton are fourth and fifth outfielders respectively.

It’s gonna be a fun Spring in the outfield of the Redbirds.

Not Another A-Rod Blog

With the sports world consumed by A-Rod’s admitting to the use of steroids today, i’d like to veer far from that subject. There is after all, more in the sports world and baseball specifically.

For instance, the Cardinal’s unconditional release of Adam Kennedy. In my opinion, this action is about three months too late. I understand that the game has become more of a business through the last three plus decades, but by waiting this late to release him, they missed out on a possible resigning of Felipe Lopez.

I know that they at least had a few discussions with Lopez about coming back and that he originally was looking for a multi year contract. But in the end, he signed a one year contract with the Diamondbacks. I wonder how much more likely it would have been that he would have settled for a one year contract with the Cards had Kennedy not been still with them. I guess we may never know.

Now, with this release of Kennedy, we are even more uncertain about who our every day second baseman will be. This will be basically a completely new middle infield for the Cards. Even if say Ryan wins the second base job, he’ll be working with the newly added Khalil Green. Personally, i think if we are going all out, then Brian Barden deserves as strong, if not stronger, of a look as any of the others there.

I like Barden and his defense is excellent. He also adds a little pop to the position. I think Ryan is more of a utility infielder and it may be the only way he can stick with the big club.

We also have our problem at third base as well. Until Glaus gets healthy we will need someone who can fill that position not just adequetly, but someone who may just be the future. In my opinion that future is David Freese. I know Craig and Wallace are right there too, but to me Freese has the more all around game

So many questions to be asked and answered this Spring…and it seems too little time.

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