The Roster Dilemma
by chuckb on Mar 14, 2009 11:27 AM EDT
in St. Louis Cardinals News
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PrintWith a 7 man bullpen, that leaves 13 spots for position players – 2 of whom will be Yadi and (gulp!) Jason LaRue. Many of the bullpenners aren’t exactly doing a lot to pitch themselves onto the roster, though we’re dealing w/ ridiculously small samples, of course. Perez has a 5.40 ERA and 3 BB in 5 IP. KMac has a 7.56 ERA and 3 BB in 8.1 IP. Thompson has a 5.19 ERA in 8.2 IP and has, w/o question, the worst stuff in the pen. The other guys have been ok but Dennys Reyes hasn’t even reported yet. He has, however, given up 6 ER in 1.1 innings in the WBC. Franklin, Kinney, and Miller have all been ok, though Kinney’s walked 4 in 4 IP, and Motte’s been terrific – 5 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 7 K. And Motte’s the one who might not make the roster? At Brad Thompson’s expense? WTF??????? Whatever the composition, there’ll be 7 in the pen, which will leave 11 spots for OFs and IFs.
| Definitely | Maybe |
|---|---|
| Pujols | Thurston |
| K. Greene | T. Greene |
| Mather | Ryan |
| Skip | Duncan |
| Ankiel | Rasmus |
| Ludwick | Barton |
| Jay |
We seem to have 6 of the 11 set, w/ 7 candidates for the other 5 spots. Among those 5 players, we definitely need to have someone who can spot Mather at third, though probably Thurston, Ryan, and T. Greene could all do that. They probably could all play SS in a pinch as well, though I’d have the least faith in Thurston. Still, Khalil Greene figures to play just about every day while Glaus is on the mend so we probably will only need a little help at SS at least for the first month or month and a half. The real question mark is at 2B – will Skip stick? If not, who becomes the "regular" 2B? If so, who backs him up?
The guys at the p-d did their little Algonquin roundtable about who becomes the team’s 2B and, for the most part, seemed to think that Brendan Ryan will be the opening day 2B b/c we’ll be facing the Pirates and a lefty will be on the mound. That’s reasonable, I guess, except for the fact that Ryan’s been given just 9 ABs so far this spring and hasn’t exactly taken the world by storm. Aside from that, there still seems to be a lot of belief in the likelihood of Skip sticking at 2B for the long-term. So what can we discern from their spring stats?
| AB | H | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skip | 36 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .306 | .359 | .472 | 4 |
| Thurston | 34 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .294 | .333 | .529 | 1 |
| T. Greene | 32 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 6 | .250 | .333 | .344 | 2 |
| Ryan | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .222 | .300 | .222 | 0 |
It appears as though Thurston has a leg up on a spot – he’s hit and fielded better than Ryan or T. Greene – but, like Skip, he’s a lefty. He seems to be superfluous if Skip sticks at 2nd. I guess I could see him making the roster as the backup SS and 3B but we’re still going to need another middle infielder who hits from the right side in order to spell Skip at 2nd. Skip’s struggles against lefties have been documented often and Thurston, another lefty, offers nothing in the way of platoon protection. That seems to leave us again w/ 4 middle infielders on the roster and Ryan or T. Greene on the roster. Though Greene was lauded in the p-d the other day, his offense has always left something to be desired. He’s always been a low OBP, high K guy at the plate and his spring training stats aren’t doing a lot to dispel that notion.
As I look at the numbers, I wonder why Brian Barden and Jarrett Hoffpauir aren’t getting more of a look. Barden can play any of the 3 positions, play them well, and has been very good offensively in his 20 ABs (.350/.409/.450). Hoffpauir may be limited to 2nd, but if Thurston’s going to make the roster is that such a bad thing? We need a right-handed hitting 2B and Hoffpauir’s been better at the plate this spring (.333/.409/.389), and in the past, than both Ryan and Greene. I’m not saying he’s played his way onto the roster, but he seems to deserve more of a look than he’s getting. Still, if I were a betting man, right now I’d bet on Pujols, Mather, K. Greene, Skip, Thurston, and Ryan making the team and the others heading to Memphis.
That leaves us w/ 5 OF spots – 2 of which are spoken for w/ Ankiel and Ludwick. Many have tried to play this spring’s roster dilemma as being Skip against Rasmus, or Duncan against Rasmus – that Rasmus only makes the team if Skip sticks at 2nd, or Rasmus only makes the team if Duncan is shipped away. I think those are probably false choices. Rasmus’s chances for making the roster are increased at least as much by the fact that Mather seems to have taken control of the hot corner as by Skip’s move to 2nd. Take 2 OFs and move them to the infield and that opens 2 spots for OFs. I initially saw Freese taking 3B and Barton never being on the roster. Now I see Barton’s inclusion as likely. Let’s look at their spring numbers.
| AB | H | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan | 34 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 9 | .353 | .410 | .618 |
| Rasmus | 36 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 10 | .250 | .341 | .389 |
| Barton | 26 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 9 | .192 | .323 | .538 |
| Jay | 29 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .379 | .419 | .483 |
Jon Jay’s certainly making a case to make the team, isn’t he? I really think, however, that all he’s really doing is becoming the OF’s version of Allen Craig (.500/.583/.750). He’s showing Tony that he can play and that he has a future in the big leagues, but do we really need another lefty in the OF? Rasmus is a legitimate CF (Jay probably isn’t) and a very good one. Add Duncan and Ankiel, and Jay would be a 4th lefty in the OF, not counting Skip. It’ll be hard for the skeptics to say that Duncan’s only on the team due to nepotism after his performance this spring. Barton’s hardly been great, except for 1 game, but he does hit from the right side and offer some speed, which the team could desperately use. I just don’t see a spot for Jay at this point, and that’s ok. He probably needs a year at Memphis anyway.
We’ll find out more as we get closer to opening day of course. As starters get stretched out and the regulars get more PAs, we’ll be able to see more who’s hitting against whom. Thurston has 34 ABs, for example, but if they’re all against minor league scrubs, then he may not be as close to making the team as we think. I’d like to see Craig get a shot at 3rd. Considering his power, he seems to offer more than at least 1 of those MIs and, if he plays third, Mather could play the OF. Mather’s certainly a better player at this point than Barton and I’d like to find out if Craig is, too.
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Unless TLR decides to keep 13 pitchers
for some reason, I think the best bet will be that neither Rasmus nor Jay makes the team, but TGreene does. After all, you can never have too many MIs. The real decision will come when Glaus is ready to play as one of Thurston, TGreene, Barton, or Ryan will have to go.
Skip will split time between OF and IF until Glaus returns. At that point, he will either become primarily an IF with Mather becoming the fourth OF/Duncan platoon partner or it will get really interesting. I am pretty sure TLR will want to write Skip in at the top of the order, but I can’t see him getting playing time at the expense of a healthy Duncan and Ankiel. I sure hope Luddy gets things straightened out so TLR isn’t tempted to platoon Skip with Lud.
Chuck, I don’t understand why you label the Rasmus vs. Duncan and Rasmus vs. Skip a false choice. I think it is a near certainty that if Duncan is healthy he will play virtually all the games in LF vs RHPs. Do you think TLR will keep Rasmus on the roster as a bench player or do you think Duncan would be a bench player so Rasmus can start?
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
I'm in a bad mood
I’m going to lose my mind if Motte doesn’t make the team over Brad Thompson. What more can he do? He’s walked no one, he’s striking people out, he’s not getting hit—-you know, what he’s been doing for a year and change now. If he doesn’t make it then TLR can shove the notion of his “competitions” right up his ass, it’d be outright lying.
Not afraid to nitpick
by joker24 on Mar 14, 2009 12:17 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I didn't see anything about Motte not making the team what are you guys talking about?
*Rasmus is to CF as Longoria is to 3B*
Just commenting on
5 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 7 K. And Motte’s the one who might not make the roster? At Brad Thompson’s expense? WTF???
Not afraid to nitpick
the need for a long reliever
it’s been speculated at the p-d and stlcardinals.com that perez or motte will be sent down b/c tony will want a long reliever. that leaves thompson w/ the cards and (likely) motte w/ the redbirds (B/c, as you know, Perez has more major league experience).
At this point I would rather see Perez go to AAA and continue to work on his control problems.
or package him in a trade.
*Rasmus is to CF as Longoria is to 3B*
If Motte continues on like this
and doesn’t make the team, I will be severely disappointed in MO for the first time.
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
Mo is the one that sets the 25-man roster?
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't think it is
quite that simple. I think MO found out last year with the Reyes debacle that he has a limited ability to force TLR’s hand. I would say that MO’s role is more to fill the 40-man and work with TLR to decide who goes on the 25 man. If Motte doesn’t make the 25-man roster I doubt it will be because TLR wants to keep him and MO thinks he needs more seasoning.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
It was only a debacle because LaRussa held his breath
when it came to Reyes.
He won’t have the same luxury with Motte as Motte is a career reliever who has shown he can pitch at this level. Tony can’t say “He needs extra rest” or “He can’t get ready fast enough”, etc, etc.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions
True
but I still think if Motte is not on the roster it will be TLR’s doing, not Mo’s.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
it might be TLR's doing
but I will still be disappointed in MO, because in the end, it is his job. If Mo can’t, or doesn’t , have the authority to make sure the best bullpen is put together, especially after what happened last season, I am gonna think less of him as a GM.
In the grand scheme of things, I will be disappointed in TLR, Duncan, MO;the whole effing organization.
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
Good Analysis
Thanks for the in-depth analysis. There are too many questions left to be answered to know how this is going to pan out. With that said it is hard to argue that the outfield right now is Duncan, Ankiel, and Ludwick. I don’t like Duncan in LF like many other posters, but he is hitting well and provides power that Tony likes. If Duncan plays LF then you have to have a solid defensive replacement. If Schumaker stays at second then I think he is eliminated from that mix. I understand that Schumaker could move from 2B to the outfield in the late-innings, but I don’t think you want to do that if he is your starting 2B. Eliminating Schumaker from the mix clearly leaves Rasmus as the best defensive option and I think that also sets up a 4 man outfield rotation.
On the infield I think that Tyler Green makes the team simply because of his defensive ability. He has the most defensive range of any of the candidates and can back-up SS and platoon with Skip vs lefties.
It is to early for me to make a call on the other two position spots but I really like the way Jay and Craig have hit the baseball. They are obviously not the best choices from a defensive perspective, but they clearly seem to be the best hitters. I know they are long shots but it is going to be hard to leave them off if they continue to hit the way that they have. Jay has gotten a ton of playing time and that has to mean something. It is also important to remember that Glaus will be returning and that someone will go back down.
In the pen it appears that Motte is ahead in the fight for the closers job. Miller and Reyes are definates as the two lefties. Franklin & McClellan are proven. Kinney has been impressive and rebounding well and well liked by Duncan. That leaves the final spot coming down to Perez or Thompson. I think Perez has to much talent and will get the nod.
A couple of points -
I doubt Rasmus will stay up if he’s not starting. Let him play every day in Memphis and keep that arb clock at bay before keeping him based on a “defensive replacement” rationale. If Rick/Dunc get traded or hurt, then bring him up.
I’ll bet Ryan stays up and fills the job you left for Greene (but Ryan better get healthy). Greene should play everyday at SS in Memphis and can replace K. Greene next year if K-bot leaves in FA.
Jay and Craig go to Memphis and start there. Both need AAA time and there’s no glaring need to keep them up.
When Glaus comes back, Mather will probably platoon with Dunc (or give Rick a break in CF) as well as getting some corner infield time. That moves either a MIF (Thurston?) or an OF (Barton?) back down to Memphis.
I’d probably disagree that McClellan is “proven” (whatever that means). I seem to remember him starting out good and then faltering last year. He hasn’t lit it up yet this year in ST either. If Carp’s healthy, does KMac start at Memphis until he or Boggs or Todd or Hawksworth comes up to replace an injured starter? Still leaves P-kicker as mop-up man – a role he is suited for. As well, Motte and Perez stay up. If someone goes back down between Motte and Perez, it would not surprise me if it were Perez, not Motte.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Mar 14, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions
more certainty than dilemma
Mather opens at 3rd
Skip is at second until or if he implodes defensively
Rasmus will open be kept to be everyday CF – they don’t see him as ready
Thurston/Ryan fit better on roster than Hoffpauer/Greene/Barden who fit better in Memphis
Dunc is a lock
Barton is 4th OF
Jay will be in Memphis along with Stavo and Colby
the only question is the Motte/Thompson dilemma…..TLR will gauge the popular preference, choose in the opposite direction and then stubbornly defend it all season
here’s a hint….Motte has options, can be told “go close everyday” and Thompson is close to Miles status as favorite son (for some unknown reason)
think you have that wrong
I think Thompson is more akin to brendan ryan in TLR’s mind. It seems like he’s always in the doghouse/being optioned down/spot starting after throwing 3 innings the day before etc.
As much as we disagreed with TLR’s treatment of Reyes, Thompson got it much worse over the last couple of years.
"i have a feeling the answers are bigger than the questions" -Dr Heyward Floyd
There's a difference in
shuffling around someone like Thompson (who has never projected as more than middle relief/backend rotation filler) and Reyes (who was projected as front of the rotation starter). I’d rather have my superstars coddled at their respective positions and the replaceable parts used with less mercy.
(Yes; I’m aware these are people. No; that doesn’t change how I’d use them much.)
yeah, but you are a robot, you don't have a soul
that does not change the fact i completely agree with you
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
Thompson's just bad
he’s a replacement level player. His bouncing around has more to do w/ inability to consistently get people out. The fact that Motte has options should absolutely not be a factor. We should send a better player, by far, to AAA and keep the worse player, by far, simply b/c we can?
nope.
I’m just saying that TLR dopes not have any kind of irrational love for Thomson, because if he did, he’d have treated him better over the last 3 seasons. Although I am a Thompson fan, I’m absolutely NOT saying Thompson should make the team over any of Motte, Perez, KMC, Kinney, etc.
Probably not Boggs or Todd, at this point.
"i have a feeling the answers are bigger than the questions" -Dr Heyward Floyd
even i know PK shouldn't take a spot from YP,AppleSauce, KMac &Kinney
i disagree with chuck about why he’s bounced around though. i don’t think it’s because he inconsistent. i think it’s because the Cards don’t know what to do with him. they can’t decide if he’s long relief, short relief, mop up, etc, etc, etc. the kid has some talent, he doesn’t hold the single season scoreless innings record in the minors by accident.
his problem is he’s a one trick pony. and if his sinker isn’t tricking, he’s pretty much useless.
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
agreed
sleepy……I agree with your point….I suppose I just find it odd (irrational love but he has been jerked around and he is no miles) that despite Thompson’s one trick pony (thank you gdm), he always finds himself in the mix….and probably will again
I still say that TLR will always pull one contrarian move that makes people howl and then stubborny stick with it…..in this case, it will be Motte to Memphis
but like skip, he's a lefty (thurston)
if thurston can hit lefties as well as he did in 2008, it shouldn’t matter which box he stands in. his splits vs lhp’s have seen an improvement over the last 4 yrs.
the nice part of the bench equation is, the players competing all have option yrs left. if it turns out to be the flavor of the month roles, it may well be the most effecient approach in hindsight.
I am more intrested
in what the roster will be a month or month and a half into the season when you really find out who is going to have a good year and who is not. Who is healthy and who is not. The roster could be a lot different from what it looks like now because of the so many options.
If all fails at 2nd base, I have a sneaky idea that Hofpauir can be adequate and contribute to the offense.
The one guy that intrigues me the most is P.J. Walters. I want to get a good look at him. His stats have fascinated for some time. He is supposedly a soft tossing righty with good control. but no fastball. Yet he strikes out a ton (like a fireballer).
He had control problems last year and his ERA went up but he was still striking out hitters at a high rate. He pitched three innings last night and struck out five (he struck out the side in his 2nd inning after giving up hits to first two hitters he faced. Gameday listed him as throwing 24 strikes and 0 balls in his 3 innings. Was this a mistake? Can a guy throw 24 straight strikes without throwing a ball. I want to see this guy.
Gameday is in Spring Training mode
It doesn’t keep pitch counts or balls and strikes. Every strikeout is 3 straight swinging strikes. Regular season Gameday is being used for the WBC though.
by cardsgirl95 on Mar 14, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Agree with Ridgesee
that Hoffpauir could end up being this year’s answer to the 2b problem. Although his defense is considered to be weak he is the only one in the mix who is actually a professional full time second baseman. I suspect that his weak D tag is in comparison to other full time professional second basemen. None of the rest of the candidates has actually played enough 2b to be assumed to be better defensively than Hoff. Other than Schu they have also proven themselves to be weaker hitters than he is. I suspect that a month or two into the season it will be obvious that we need to find a 2b who doesn’t make the pitcher’s nervous, doesn’t make consistently wild throws to the most valuable player in baseball, and is not a black hole at the plate. Barring an acquisition I think that wil put Hoff in the big leagues by June.
Might be small-fry bias
But I don’t see Hoff doing much other than getting the bat knocked out of his hands against ML pitching. I don’t think he has the pauir (ha!) to scare big league pitchers into walking him.
For a player like him, I’d take the under on his MLE.
HI CARDSGIRL
glad to see you respond. I know what you are talking about but this was in the summary box in the left corner and it was listing other pitchers with x amount of ball and x amount of strike as normal but showed Walters with 24 and O. I agree it was probably a mistake though.
It counts four balls for a walk and three strike for a K...
that’s it. You will notice that strikes thrown is always divisible by three and balls by four. It’s pretty hard to throw 24 pitches in three innings especially with five K’s.
Sometimes I wonder,
"Why is that frisbee getting bigger?"
...and then it hits me!!
barden
Keeping Barden and Thurston makes the most sense to me … but who can say how Tony looks at it. As you pointed out, Barden plays all 3 infield positions well. This is important because Thurston is not really a SS. And B. Ryan has had trouble making the throw from 3B for whatever reason (and hasn’t hit in over a year). And Barden is right handed. He should be on the roster ahead of B. Ryan. Ryan has more speed but really is not a base stealer. He has more experience in the MLB … but he’s still green enough that this shouldn’t be a huge factor.
why don't we give Jay and Craig a shot at 2B?
I am unsure if that is a joke, or not…
The St. Louis Cardinals- 11 time World Champions!
YESSSSSSSSSS!
I wasn’t sure if here in Columbia I would get to see the game today, but thank goodness my local affiliate changed to KSDK.
GO TIGERS!
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 14, 2009 1:02 PM EDT reply actions
Missouri
not Detroit, that is.
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 14, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm a huge Mizzou fan, and I'd always heard that too, but its not true
It may be embarassing to admit, but Mizzou won the 2008 women’s soccer tournament championship, and the 1997 regular season and tournament softball championships.
by Ray Lankford on Mar 14, 2009 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
What's embarrassing about
Women’s soccer? I love women’s soccer, coached it for 3 years at my college back in the late 70’s/early 80’s. No school should be embarrassed just because their women’s teams are more successful. Come on, man up.
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 14, 2009 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions
nothing embarrassing
i just don’t care. i’ve never seen a mizzou women’s soccer game, and i probably never will (unless my unborn daughter plays there)…. i wasn’t trying to be rude.
I'm fairly excited about
the women’s professional soccer league that’s starting in a few weeks. Lots of alumni from my university are in it.
Why is it that
no matter what the conversation is here, someone always tries to hijack it w/ something like this. Sometimes it’s a conversation about a movie or something wholly irrelevant like that. Today it’s the Missouri game against Baylor. I’m glad Missouri won, but why is there always some irrelevant conversation taking place here that has nothing to do w/ baseball or the Cards? I’m just asking.
by chuckb on Mar 14, 2009 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Chuck
I don’t want you to think that I’m being rude, but part of the reason is that some of the main bloggers sometimes go off topic as well. I’m not saying its right or wrong, or that you do so at all (because you don’t), but I think it starts from the top.
it's like that with all forums
Every forum usually has a random lounge type place for people to bullshit OT. Mizzou being the flavor of the month is certianly bound to come up in a st. louis sports blog. It’s just people with commonalities having rapport. (I personally hate the mizzou trend…because, well, i didn’t go to mizzou so I’m not going to pretend I did and I’m not a townie)
shrugs it is what it is.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
one of the things
I like best about this blog is that usually, the posters don’t take themselves too seriously. Baseball is an amazing sport because it ties so well into other aspects of life. Therefore, on a blog of stat-minded but also fun loving people, focusing on baseball, other topics are bound to come up. Typically, these threads are short-lived, and often, at least for myself, have been educational or down-right hilarious. If a thread is offensive to me or not of my interest, I move my eyes on down to the next response to the main post.
IMO, the offbeat topics add to the flavor of this amazing place, not take away from it.
mel
mel
It's spring training
It doesn’t happen nearly as frequently except in some of the game threads maybe during the season.
Not afraid to nitpick
I'm going to blame it on my ADD
With the maniac in my head changing the channel every 2 seconds, I’m lucky to maintain a coherent thought long enough to post about it. [/slight exaggeration] I feel like the father of Harrison Bergeron sometimes, then the headphones blast and I don’t remember anymore.
That said, the Cubs do deserve my pity, but never my support.
Sweet!
broadcasting today’s game in Spfd!!! I finally get see Skip at 2B and Joey at 3B!
Patiently awaiting the day Colby Rasmus does this: .275/.381/.551/.932, 29HR, in St. Louis...
Today's Cards, Braves
was listed as being on MLBTV until yesterday late when it was taken down. Does anybody know why? I understand it is being telecast in ST Louis.
Yes
I was very disappointed to see today’s game taken off the roster of televised games. Oh, well, at least we have Mike and John on Gameday Audio.
By the way, ridgesee, I don’t know callgirl95. ;)
i think he owes her some money
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
I see
(on MLB.com) that the Nationals have added our favorite dugout phone puncher, Julian Tavarez, to their bullpen mix with a minor league contract.
Screw you guys
I asked for someone to tape this game for me but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. No one is recording this game on KDSK?
I need a copy.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 1:30 PM EDT reply actions
I'm offering any game from 2006 thru today on DVD
for a copy of today’s ST game.
Hook a brother up!
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm housesitting
and trying to get it on their DVR, so I’ll see what I can do about getting a VCR and taping it afterwards, but am not sure if I can make it work.
Sweet
If you get the whole game somehow, and get it to VHS, let me know.
Like I said, I’ve got every game from the 2006, 2007 and 2008 seasons on DVD and any of them are yours.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I can use them
but they are rather expensive for you and only hold 45 minutes.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions
I think I found a VCR
but won’t be able to do anything till tonight or tomorrow. I’ll let you know what’s going on.
I didn't even know the game was on TV
I have the perfect set up for this too. Wish I would of known earlier
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 14, 2009 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't really understand why have the pitcher in the lineup...
I’d rather see what some young guy has to offer than a futile attempt to get production from the pitcher. I guess one merit I could see is it’s good to work on sacrifice bunts potentially.
It does seem odd
We’re using a DH but Atlanta has a pitcher in the 9-hole. Not that this game matters, but…
Isn’t that a bit imbalanced?
It's agree upon before the game
the SNY guys talked about it during that Mets/Cards game on MLB Network a few weeks ago.
The Mets want to get their pitchers some live batting action, the Cardinals need the extra at-bats for the position players and don’t want a pitcher to get hurt swinging the bat.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't know if anyone else caught that yadi commercial
but it was pretty sweet. Fredbird….not so much.
Five innings, one run allowed
Looks like Adam may be on track for the start of the season. I am starting to feel really good about the status of the St. Louis rotation this year…
Ohh I love the rotation if they are all able to pitch
I don’t doubt Carps ability to pitch if he is healthy.
I'm just remembering 2007
when in Spring Training Anthony Reyes and Kip Wells looked like World Beaters. Then Carp gets rocked on Opening Day, goes on the 2-year DL and Kipster/ARey blow chunks. (well, ARey didn’t suck at first but got no run support…then he blew chunks).
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions
no one here ever would
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
I do
I expect Pinata to win 14 this year.
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 14, 2009 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions
c'mon, you can't really expect that
you can hope, dream, really want it to happen, but expect it? After what he has done for the last 5 or 6 years? If you really expect 14 wins, I want some of whatever has put you in that mindset.
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
ditto
it’s a sucky saturday night in the o h i o & i want some of whatever he’s taking
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
When Pinero was good
A long time ago, and then briefly here in StL, he was a strike-out pitcher. If that comes back, I think you can look for something good. If not….
Sign someone who can pitch, then let this team play.
by IL and StL Fan on Mar 15, 2009 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions
for the teams he pitches against?
Sorry, I’m out of JP faith pills
An optimist is a man who upon discovering that a rose smells better than a cabbage concludes it will make better soup.
HL Mencken
when he stopped pitching in the 9th?
I dunno. This is the first time i’ve seen him this spring. And it was pretty impressive.
Anyone else read this Organization Ranking on Fangraphs?
They gave the Cardinals a Ranking of #21 and Moz a ranking of C. Dave Cameron goes on a rant about the Cardinals that made me think of Ed Wade.
Stat Whore
#21 ??? I can see slamming Dewitt but Mo has done great...
Lohse
Glaus for Rolen
Freese for Edmonds
Khalil could end up being a great move also…
I am a big fan of Mo so far. Also he got a good deal on Reyes.
*Rasmus is to CF as Longoria is to 3B*
I knew those Rankings were a Farce from the get go
He wanked the Marlins as the 29th best organization in baseball. His grade of Moz as a C like you say is a joke also.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 14, 2009 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
The worst contract
after reading your post, is still Chris Carpenter. That, however, was Jocketty’s doing.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
In my post I tried to limit it to Moz signings
Dave Cameron should stick to stats cause he doesn’t seem to grasp how baseball organizations need to be run to win long term.
Stat Whore
by FlimtotheFlam on Mar 14, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
"you don’t like to see good baseball men leave because of internal power struggles"
“Mozeliak, as a new GM taking over a franchise already in position to win”
“There’s some good young arms in the bullpen, but the manager doesn’t like arms.”
lol. If only fire joe morgan was still around.
"i have a feeling the answers are bigger than the questions" -Dr Heyward Floyd
Yeah
I thought WJ left because DeWitt told him to get the hell out.
Seems like Dave wanted to go one more step and say TLR was a hindrance to the future success of the organization.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
I thought there was an internal power struggle
A guy who used to post here regularly seemed to think so:
Jocketty opposed the front-office rise of Jeff Luhnow, an MBA who never played baseball and didn’t work his way up through the ranks; when Luhnow became the Cards’ head of player development in late 2006, displacing longtime Jocketty ally Bruce Manno, the organization split down the middle. A story came out in the Post-Dispatch on the last weekend of the 2007 regular season in which unnamed figures in the Cardinals’ minor-league hierarchy said they were afraid to be seen talking to Luhnow or his underlings, because there’d be reprisals against them if word got back to Jocketty. Two days later, Jocketty was fired.
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
Good Analysis
Moz has made some good deals, but failing to do enough last year or this year to develop a playoff team is a real failure. When you have Pujols on the roster, you need to find a way to make the playoffs. It’s not he deals he has done, but the deals he hasn’t done. We’ll see a lot more of “can’t miss” prospects like Reyes who crater in the ML or never get there. I like the jocketty approach of trading those chips for blue-chip talent. Once in a while you lose like on the Mulder deal, but it worked pretty well.
LaRussa does run players out of town but frankly ozzie smith, scott rolen, kennedy, reyes, and a few other guys were either past their prime or of no real value. I like a guy who calls the weak members out and gets rid of the poison. Good players respect that. So i disagree with his logic there.
But let’s face it — without Pujols this team is bottom quartile. Frankly, the front office and management have been underwhelming. And that is the main point in the article.
Just win
Pretty much every Jon Jay AB this spring has been super impressive
He has no chance of making the team, but it’s good to see.
"make the routine plays"...
that’s half the battle!
"i have a feeling the answers are bigger than the questions" -Dr Heyward Floyd
I don't think the ball was catchable
but he took he really bad route to the ball on a bouncer up the middle in the second.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
He caught an infield pop-up
something he couldn’t do in my MLB2k9.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't even tell the story of video game Chris Duncan
diving for an OF ground ball giving up an inside-the-park HR.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
No kidding.
That was a slick play.
Here’s my Jay story:
At ST last year, he was up against the fence on the backlots videotaping some of his teammates at-bats. A very young kid, too young to really grasp the whole concept of autographs, had him sign a baseball. Two minutes later, the kid went back to ask Jay for his autograph on the same baseball. He was nice about it, asked him to get him a glove or something to sign. Troy Glaus happened to be sitting about ten feet down the bleacher from me. I’m pretty sure both of us were there to watch Allen Craig’s fielding (but I was also keeping an eye on Mitch Boggs making the Marlins looks foolish in a scrimmage on the field behind me.)
Troy called the kid and his dad over and autographed all there stuff and spent twenty minutes or so talking to them. Nice guys we’ve got in this organization. And, obviously, Spring Training is the greatest thing on Earth.
You know its Spring Training when
A team (Braves) has played 21 people. That, or its a 15-inning game.
That's why the game on Thursday was important
for the USA team. Netherlands is a good story but an easy win.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 14, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I probably will be the only one here that wants PR to win tonight
Because it would be cool for our guys to play the USA once instead of PR for the third time
I want PR to win tonight.
Like I said earlier, I’m rooting hardcore for Puerto Rico.
Because of Yadi and JOquendo
Any team with Cardinals on it is a team that I am backing. Yes, I am that much of a homer.
And I rooted for them too.
But in the contests between the Netherlands and Puerto Rico, my love for Yadi swayed my allegiance over to PR. By the way, Adam Ottavino did a very nice job in his start for Italy. And Curt Smith had some good plays against the DR the other night too.
The entire Cardinals team is stationed in the US.
So doesn’t that make you less of a homer for rooting against their home country? Think about it . . .
On with the (good) youth movement!
Hmm...
But Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, so in essence I am still rooting for the US.
by cardsgirl95 on Mar 14, 2009 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Me too how can you bet against Oquendo?
Although I wouldn’t mind getting him back to work out Skip some more.
*Rasmus is to CF as Longoria is to 3B*
bleh, the guy's lived in potosi for god knows how long...
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
the candidate class for 2b just contracted by one.
jarett hoffpauir is joining the memphis squad.
and for all of you who were concerned that nick stavinoha would bump colby rasmus off the rost . . . oh, wait, none of you were? well, he’s joining the memphis squad too, and will be working on a pornstache.
i was going to post this
but glad u did cause the bit about th eporn stache was nice
I can't believe i gave up a homerun to that punch and judy hitter-major league 2
Rotoworld says Wagonmaker is on his way to starting opening day
if Carp’s healthy, shouldn’t he start opening day?
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
Carp's behind on pitch count
he hasn’t been stretched out as much as the other pitchers allegedly. Plus, if he gets hurt, we don’t have KMac in the first spot in our rotation.
R.P.O.F.Y.M.
Mizzou
wins the Big 12 basketball tournament! Woo-Hoo! Thank you, Baylor, Texas and Ok State for taking out the 3 other top 4 seeds.
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 14, 2009 8:32 PM EDT reply actions
Puerto Rico wins!
Decisively. Even invoking the mercy rule.
I know a lot of people here don't care about this tournament
but I do and the way the US played today is embarrassing. The entire roster construction and playing time being doled out is disgusting. Jeter over Rollins? Victorino over Granderson? Dunn as the LF and not the DH? Where is Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, Torii Hunter (who was upset he wasn’t asked), Matt Holliday, etc? I know a lot of guys didn’t want to play or their teams didn’t want them to play but when Shane Victorino is starting an American All-Star team, we are in deep trouble. On the brightside, at least Team USA is adding Brian Roberts for what could be their last game in this tournament.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 15, 2009 1:29 AM EDT up reply actions
very well written chuck
it was a great read… I’d like to see Barton, Duncan, Ryan and Barden make the team
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 15, 2009 5:54 PM EDT reply actions
Motte
I am more convinced now that Motte should get first crack at being the closer.
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