This particular Cardinal club is built to have speed, high average hitter in the 1st or 2nd slot

Don’t we already have that? Don’t we also have 2 other OF in the minors who have those skills plus power potential? Why are having an argument about Robinson then?

I didn’t see how Robinson could could be considered no more than a fringe prospect when his record tells me that he could be for the right club.

Why is he a fringe prospect? Perhaps because he doesn’t appear in anyone’s top 20 prospects for the Cardinals. Does that mean he can’t be a major league player? No, it doesn’t, but it does make him a “fringe” prospect. I think that you’re confusing the fact that he could be a useful major league player with that fact that he’s a prospect that nearly every team in the majors has in their minor league system. If you look at the AA and AAA teams for most MLB clubs you’ll find someone with Robinson’s skills, so why would anyone consider those guys to be anything more than “fringe” prospects? Barton had similar skills with a couple of differences (can’t play CF, better OBP, better power) and the Cardinals just traded him for a recently DFA’d reliever, so someone like Robinson really doesn’t have much value.

Yes in my 60 years of following baseball I have seen speed win as much as power.

I used to think this way, but I disagree with it now because it’s been proven sabermetrically that having high OPS guys is more valuable than having high average/speed guys. Yes, the Cardinals of the 80’s were very successful with this strategy of speed and defense, but that was a different era of baseball, and the Cards were beaten regularly in the playoffs by teams built the other way.

I’ve stated everything here as an “opinion”, look at the way I’ve worded things. I’ve put “I’d rather have” in front of the points that I believe to be my opinion. The reason that I don’t put “opinion” qualifiers in front of statements like “OBP is the most important thing in the 1 and 2 spots” is because that’s a fact. It is the most important thing for those lineup spots for the Cardinals because it helps to ensure that Albert will come to the plate with runners on base. It’s been shown time and again to be factual, therefore it’s not an opinion.

Lastly, you don’t know me, so calling me a “wanna-be GM” is pure speculation, and unfounded speculation at that. Arrogance would be me saying that he has no future with the club and not showing evidence as to why I think that way. I provided ample reasons as to why Robinson doesn’t have a good shot at being in the mix for the Cardinal outfield of the future. What’s more, you agree with me! You called me arrogant for pointing out something that you yourself believe to be true: that Robinson really doesn’t have a future with the Cardinals. Just look at your own first statement that I quoted here.

I have yet to misrepresent anything you’ve said. In fact, I use quotes out of your posts to ensure that I am not misrepresenting things. Just because I don’t think he’s much of a prospect doesn’t mean I don’t value speed, it just means that I value things in addition to speed, and Rasmus, Jay, and Jones can all run but they also hit for power, play above average defense, have good plate discipline, and get on base a lot. They have other skills that I don’t feel that Robinson has, and they’re all younger than he is which means he’s further down the development curve than they are.

You have a right to disagree with me, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t state facts to argue my position. The scouting reports that I’ve read, from people far smarter than I (Sickels, BP, BA, Future Redbirds), feel like he’s approaching his ceiling as a player right now, when his MLE numbers would be similar to someone like Willy Taveras or Michael Bourn with fewer steals. I don’t think that’s someone with a future in an organization with a large amount of outfield prospects at it’s disposal.

If you can’t stand people disagreeing with you than you are in the wrong place. There’s plenty of us that disagree with each other on this board, but I enjoy reading other arguments when they’re backed up by facts, stats, and descriptive opinions that are well researched. I’ve learned a lot since becoming a member of this community and it’s changed the way I see the game.