blasphemy

1 a: the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God b: the act of claiming the attributes of deity 2: irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable
heresy
1 a: adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma b: denial of a revealed truth by a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church c: an opinion or doctrine contrary to church dogma 2 a: dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice b: an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards
excommunication

1 : an ecclesiastical censure depriving a person of the rights of church membership 2 : exclusion from fellowship in a group or community
I have an idea for the Cardinals which might be considered blasphemy, heresy and which might be grounds for excommunication from this and other Cardinal related blogs which I enjoy reading and (occasionally) commenting on.
I think the Cardinals should leave Rick Ankiel in center field and move Colby Rasmus to right field. I know this idea will not be very well accepted for a number of different reasons. Colby Rasmus' positional value being much higher as a CF and Ankiel's arm being a greater weapon in RF are two reasons of many. However I think there is a compelling argument to leave Ankiel in CF and here are my reasons:

Talent  Ankiel has more athletic talent than any Cardinal player or prospect. To be able to be the Clayton Kershaw of 9-10 years ago and then have the quick bat of a Carlos Beltran is unbelievable. The talent it takes to go from that type pitching prospect to that type of hitter in less than 1K atbats is incredible.

Potential  I believe that Ankiel might have more potential than Rasmus. In less MiLB AB's and limited MLB AB's, Ankiel has proven that he has incredible power and a very quick bat. Furthermore, Ankiel has already proven that he can make adjustments at the MLB level.

Mental State  I think the most compelling reason to leave Ankiel in CF and move Rasmus to RF has to do with the mental makeup of both players. Rasmus is a baseball rat. So long as he is playing in the Major Leagues, I doubt he would care what position he is playing. He will hit and play like he has done at every level of baseball he has played. Ankiel, on the other hand, is clearly mentally fragile. For all his talent, he seems to get rattled by things he cannot control. Right now he seems very comfortable in CF and he is a much better defender there. I worry that putting him in RF where he makes more mistakes, might distract him from his hitting and send him into a funk. This is something the Cardinals cannot afford.

Defense  I think the Cards will be a better defensive club with Ankiel in CF. Ankiel is clearly more comfortable getting jumps on balls in CF. Furthermore, Ankiel's arm would be a serious weapon in CF throwing to all bases. While Rasmus' arm is very good and would play well in RF, it is clearly not the match of Kershaw's Ankiel's. With Rasmus' range in RF, the Cards would cover a ton of ground in the OF. With Ludwick/Schu in LF the OF defense might be the best in baseball. With Barton/Duncan out there it would be merely very good.

Ankiel may be the single most important player to the Card's near future. If he learns some plate discipline he will become one of the 10 most feared hitters in the NL. If he teams with Pujols and Rasmus to form the new MV3, the Cards could start another long run of excellence. That is why I believe it is the club's best interest to leave Ankiel where he is comfortable.
I know this post will be considered both blasphemy and heresy to most but I hope to avoid excommunication from this community despite my heretical beliefs.
Anyway, GO CARDS! I look forward to the journey this year.

Looks like the Cards won't have to offer arbitration to Troy Percival to get draft pick compensation. I would love to have him back but if there is an area the Cards can afford to let someone walk and still have a strangth, it is the bullpen. I would guess that if this deal is still not finalized by the 12/1 deadline to offer arbitration the Cards will offer it then...unless they have an agreement with Percival not to do so. Anyway here is the link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3132471

I think that the Cards should pursue Miguel Tejada to fill the anticipated SS vacancy.

The pros:

1. Only has two (2) years remaining on his contract. Contract would come off the books after 2009.
   
2. Owed "only" 13mil/year for those years. This is not big money for his offensive production. Yes he is not quite the hitter he was a few years ago but he is a definite upgrade to the Cards lineup and he might rebound with a chance to contend.
   
3. He is a defensive upgrade. While it is clear that Tejada's range is diminishing, he is an upgrade over Eckstein.
   
4. Probably would not take a ton to get him. I'm thinking Haerther, Hamilton and two minor league relievers (O's desperately need bullpen help).

The Cons:

1. Range on defense diminishing. Clearly Tejada would be better served to move to third base but with Rolen that ain't happening. On the other hand, Rolen's glove at third reduces Tejada's range deficiency.
   
2. 13mil/year is still alot of money. No doubt but the SS hole is closed for two years and the Cards can wait and see on Ryan and Jose Martinez to see if either can fill the hole long term.
   
3. Another older player who could get hurt. While true, Tejada has been amazingly healthy throughout his career. Furthermore, it is not like the Cards have an abundance of MI prospects.

I think this makes the most sense of anything the Cards could do with the SS position. The team really needs another impact RH hitter and Tejada fills that bill in the one obvious open spot on the roster. Kennedy can leadoff and Tejada can hit 4-6 depending on the pitcher and how well Rolen and Jimmy are hitting.

Anyway I'm sure y'all will let me know if I am being crazy.

Go Cards! Forgot to add links: Contract: http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/baltimore-orioles_112321768568552760.html Stats: http://www.baseball-reference.com/t/tejadmi01.shtml