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.