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Nick Punto, infielder and shredder of jerseys, retired yesterday after a 14-year career, including one memorable season with the Cardinals in 2011.
Infielder Nick Punto, who sat out last season, has decided to officially retire. Enjoyed 14-year career with MIN, PHI, LAD, STL, BOS, OAK.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 18, 2016
Memorable not necessarily for how he played, he only saw 166 plate appearances that year (although he hit a solid .278/.388/.421), but because he was a constant presence during the Cardinals' playoff chase and subsequent and improbable World Series victory. Game 5 of the NLDS versus the Phillies is one of the all-time greatest games of any our lifetimes, and Chris Carpenter, naturally, is the first person that comes to mind when I think about that game. I'm not sure if Punto is the second but he's close because he fielded the groundout from Ryan Howard that ended the game (and Howard's Achilles), and then shredded Carpenter's jersey in the middle of the celebratory mob. I'm smiling just thinking about it.
Congrats, Nick, and enjoy retirement.
Here's what you missed yesterday at VEB:
Trevor Rosenthal
- The 2016 VEB projections continued yesterday with Trevor Rosenthal. Be sure to have your voice heard. Also, you can vote for how you like your potatoes fried. In the interest of transparency, I voted for waffle fries.
- Joe Schwarz noted that the Cardinals might have the type of bullpen which, if used correctly, is built to preserve Rosenthal over the course of the season. As Joe highlights, Rosie throws hard and is one of the best closers in baseball, let's get him some rest when we can.
Alex Reyes (and Carlos Martinez)
- A surprise to no one, Alex Reyes tops the Red Baron's list of Cardinals' prospects. From the piece:
And yet, it remains undeniable that Reyes has the potential to dominate. Not just survive, not just succeed, not just thrive, but dominate. The fact he has reached Double A at such a young age, with that gulf of development still ahead of him, is a testament to that potential.
- As you see in the first picture here, Reyes is pretty excited about the news.
Kevin Maitan and the handshake agreement
- What, if anything, does Venezuelan prospect Kevin Maitain's handshake agreement with the Atlanta Braves mean? Craig Edwards explains.
A good tweet
Red. Spring No. 72 with a big league club #cardinals #stlcards pic.twitter.com/hdXPQcwtBG
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) February 18, 2016
Red is a treasure. Have a great weekend, everyone.