Written by Mike on September 8, 2008 – 8:24 pm -
The United Cardinal Bloggers are back, and this time, we’re looking at the system’s top prospects. Each of the participating blogs are weighing in on what they believe to be the seven highest ranking youngsters. Here’s my take:
1. Colby Rasmus
I’d be surprised to see Rasmus anywhere but the top spot on these lists. Despite having a rough season for AAA Memphis, he was still ranked among the top prospects in baseball at midseason by Baseball America. He’s considered a five-tool player at a premium position, and we Cardinal fans haven’t anticipated a rookie’s arrival like this in a while.
Rasmus has been known to struggle for a short period following each promotion, and that certainly was the case this season. Unfortunately, his injury kept us from seeing him bust the slump. Depending on what the Cardinals do with their glut of outfielders this winter, Rasmus’ arrival may have to wait even longer. Either way, he’ll be a great major leaguer.
2. Chris Perez
We’ve all seen enough of Perez to be excited about the back end of the bullpen once again. His high nineties fastball and plus slider can make a deadly combination, and it’s nice to see Tony La Russa finally trusting the kid to get the job done.
3. Brett Wallace
I’ve got to be honest here. I haven’t seen this kid at all, and aside from a couple of swings I found on Youtube, I don’t know anything about his play. So, I have to stick to the stats on this one. Wallace is a big time hitter, we know that from his peripherals from college. He burst onto the Cardinal map with his very first professional game for Quad Cities. His jump to AA Springfield clearly shows that he’s on the fast track, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a September call-up next season. If we compiled another one of these lists next year, Wallace’s name would be at the top.
4. Bryan Anderson
Good hitting catchers don’t grow on trees, so the Cardinals are lucky to have one. Anderson was raking for Springfield before cooling off late in the year for Memphis, but he can still hit. I think his defense is improved, and will only get better with time (and some more tutoring from Mike Matheny). I’d think Anderson would be ranked higher for other teams, but the Cardinals already have one of the best catchers in the league, and it’s not like he’s nearing retirement. I look for Anderson to be playing another full season in AAA before he can break camp with the Cards. On the other hand, he’s probably one of the club’s best trading chips.
5. Jason Motte
After seeing his major league debut, I was sold. Motte throws very hard, and is quite capable of handling big league hitters. He still has a lot of work to do with his secondary pitches, but remember, he’s only been pitching for a couple of years. With time, Motte will be deadly. I’m already envisioning a late inning trio of Kyle McClellan, Motte, and Perez. Exciting!
6. Jaime Garcia
I was considering leaving Garcia off this list because of his injury. We won’t see him pitch again for a year, and chances are, he could get passed by other arms by then. But, because he’s so young, it’s easy to still envision him competing for a spot in the rotation down the line. Aside from a couple of bad outings, I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Garcia, and he gets bonus points for being a southpaw.
7. Daryl Jones
Jones has figured it out, and put together a great ‘08 campaign. He was hitting .326 in 87 games for Palm Beach before his promotion to Springfield, where he hit .290. He’s still only twenty-one years old, and now has the confidence with something to build on. I’m sure we’ll be talking a lot about Jones next year, when he’ll probably be ranked in the top three.
Since we’re stopping at seven, my honorable mentions would include Jess Todd, Jon Jay, and David Freese. With some hesitation, I’ll include Mitchell Boggs too, solely on his minor league resume.
Find the links to all the UCB prospect lists over at C70 at the Bat. You’re sure to see most of the same names, but likely in a completely different order. Check back for updates on this project in the near future.
Posted in Anderson, Boggs, Freese, Garcia, La Russa, McClellan, Minors, Motte, Perez, Rasmus, UCB, Wallace | 3 Comments »
Written by Mike on August 17, 2008 – 10:13 am -
First off, I’d be remiss to not point out a debate going on over at Viva El Birdos this morning. houstoncardinal, one of the regular posters at VEB has sparked some heated conversation on the subject of Cardinal prospect Colby Rasmus. He claims that it would benefit the team to call up the youngster and play him in the outfield everyday in place of Skip Schumaker. I think it’s an asinine idea, but rather than hash out why again, I’ll let you read my comments, as well as many others, here. There’s nothing like a baseball debate, and if nothing else, the author did get me in the mood for some baseball today.
Next, check out the odds of who’s going to win the National League Wild Card in an article in the Post Dispatch from Joe Strauss. I still like our chances.
And finally, for those like me that were wondering if we’d see the “B team” out there today for Tony La Russa, here’s the Cardinals’ starting lineup:
- Skip Schumaker CF
- Ryan Ludwick RF
- Albert Pujols 1B
- Rick Ankiel LF
- Troy Glaus 3B
- Adam Kennedy 2B
- Yadier Molina C
- Kyle Lohse P
- Cesar Izuris SS
It’s nice to see the regulars in there while the Cards go for the sweep. With only 36 games left in the season and so many off days coming up, I think it’s time to play the best nine every day.
Posted in Ankiel, Glaus, Izturis, Kennedy, La Russa, Lohse, Ludwick, Molina, Pujols, Rasmus, Schumaker | No Comments »
Written by Mike on July 11, 2008 – 7:31 pm -
Kyle Lohse is at it again. In game one of the final series before the All-Star break, Lohse shutout the Pirates for seven innings, allowing six hits and striking out three, before handing it over to the bullpen. Lohse now sports an 11-2 record, and lowered his ERA to 3.39, putting him neck and neck with the best pitchers in the National League. If he keeps this up, the Cardinals should look very seriously at a long-term extension for him.
Following Lohse was left-handed rookie Jamie Garcia, making his Major League debut. Garcia just turned 22 three days ago, and the kid made a nice first impression. He allowed just one hit and a walk in the final two innings. He also struck out a pair. The Cards have now had 10 players make their big league debut with them this season. As George Von Benko points out, that’s a staggering number for a team in contention.
Thanks to the stellar pitching, the Cardinals could have won with just a single run. Instead, they plated six, including home runs from Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick. Both Ankiel and Troy Glaus had three hits a piece, while Yadier Molina chipped in with a pair of RBI. The Redbirds had 13 hits in all.
So a well played game on both sides of the ball ends in a Cardinal victory. Here’s the complete box score. The win puts the Cards back at 10 games over .500, but still trailing the Cubs by 4.5 games. If Milwaukee can hang on to win tonight, they’ll remain a half game ahead of St. Louis.
In game two tomorrow night, the Cardinals will face yet another left-handed starter. Phil Dumatrait will start for the Bucs, making it the seventh consecutive game the opposing team started a lefty. The last right-hander the Cards faced was Carlos Zambrano, back on July 4. Todd Wellemeyer will start for the Redbirds tomorrow.
An interesting trade rumor popped up today. According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, both the Cardinals and Diamondbacks are looking at Pittsburgh outfielder Jason Bay. Apparently, top prospect Colby Rasmus is the target for the Pirates. Hat tip to Tim Dierkes from MLB Trade Rumors. I think Rasmus for Bay would be an asinine move, but luckily, I’m sure John Mozeliak does too.
Posted in Ankiel, Garcia, Glaus, Lohse, Ludwick, Molina, Mozeliak, Rasmus, Wellemeyer | 1 Comment »
Written by Mike on March 23, 2008 – 9:02 pm -
The Cardinals got off to a hot start against the Mets today in Port St. Lucie, scoring three runs in the first. The Cards kept up the hot hitting throughout the game, scoring in five different innings, including a six run ninth.
The Cards’ bats were booming, scoring 14 runs on 21 hits. Skip Schumaker, Brian Barton, Albert Pujols, Rick Ankiel, and Rico Washington all had multi-hit games. Ankiel and Colby Rasmus each hit home runs, and Chris Duncan contributed with a two RBI single in the first.
I was forced to watch the Mets’ telecast, but it turned out to be not as bad as I thought it would be. The best comment from the New York announcers: ”If you take the joy out of Reyes’ game, there’d be no Jose Reyes.” Isn’t that the truth.
A few other observations from today’s game:
- El Duque was not good at all.
- Aaron Miles isn’t a third baseman.
- Cesaer Izturis was very sharp with the leather today. Very sharp.
- Ankiel’s homerun was all torso, after he double clutched.
- Barton loves the first pitch.
- Bobby Knight was dressed in red, hanging out in the Mets’ dugout.
- Kyle McClellan is ready for the major leagues.
- Todd Wellemeyer looked good.
- Colby Rasmus will be in St. Louis sooner than you think.
14-4 was the final. For a full recap of today’s game, along with the box score, click here.
I may even have a third post for you today, so keep your pants on. Less than eight days now until the games count. The Redbirds may surprise some people.
Posted in Ankiel, Barton, Duncan, Izturis, McClellan, Miles, Pujols, Rasmus, Schumaker, Wellemeyer | 2 Comments »
Written by Mike on March 17, 2008 – 11:05 pm -
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s days like today that I miss living in a drinking town like St. Louis. People here in Miami don’t even know it’s a holiday.
Anyway, the Cardinals played host to the Braves for the second straight day today. The Cards wore the traditional green jerseys and caps, but didn’t need any luck to beat Atlanta 4-2. Anthony Reyes got the start, and pitched four solid innings, allowing no runs on three hits, and striking out two. On offense, Rick Ankiel drove in two with a double, and Aaron Miles and Joe Mather each had an RBI as well. For those still keeping track, shortstop Cesar Izturis committed his sixth error today, and was 0 for 2 at the plate. Here’s the full
box score.
As predicted, with another round of cuts today, the Cards sent six players back to minor league camp, including top prospect Colby Rasmus. Joe Mather was also sent down, leaving Brendan Ryan to make the team out of camp. The final outfield spot is technically still open, but as discussed briefly on
Saturday, it will go to Rule 5 pick Brian Barton. Matthew Leach has more on
today’s cuts.
That’s it for today. Enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day. I need to go find some green beer!
Posted in Ankiel, Barton, Izturis, Mather, Miles, Rasmus, Reyes | 2 Comments »
Written by Mike on March 11, 2008 – 10:59 pm -
My vacation is over and it’s back to business as usual. Over the past week I saw the Cardinals and Marlins play in Jupiter, the Cardinals and Dodgers in Vero Beach, partied heavily in Key West, and spent a couple of days on the beach in Fort Lauderdale. It was a great time. I’ll have the pictures from the ball games up tomorrow, so be sure to check back.
Meanwhile, there’s been plenty of news from Spring Training, including a few more Birds on the mend. C70 gives quick summary of the
latest Cardinal buzz, as well as a wrap from yesterday’s game against the Braves.
Today, the Cards were back at Roger Dean to play Baltimore. Some of the regulars didn’t play, as they were earlier involved in an
intrasquad scrimmage. Not much for highlights from the Orioles’ game. Although Colby
Rasmus was 1 for 3, with two walks and two stolen bases, he also misplayed a ball in center, and struck out with the bases loaded in the ninth. Todd
Wellemeyer got the start, and went four innings, giving up two runs on five hits. Here’s the
recap.
According to Derrick
Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the pitchers during the morning scrimmage were impressive. Check out his notes over at
Bird Land.
Finally, in some non-Cardinal news, the New York Yankees have given a one day contract to Billy Crystal. The actor/comedian turns 60 this Friday, and will wear jersey number 60 in tomorrow’s workouts and in the game on Thursday against the Pirates. He was the director of my favorite baseball movie, *61. Brian
Hoch has the full
story.
Posted in Rasmus, Wellemeyer | No Comments »
Written by Mike on February 29, 2008 – 2:04 am -
The Cardinals opened their Grapefruit League play with a win over the New York Mets today by the score of 7-0. After yesterday’s beating of St. Louis University, the Cards are now 2-0 in the early going.
I was at the opener for the second straight year. It’s a fun time to be a Cardinal fan. A fresh season brings new hope. Although the Redbirds aren’t predicted to contend for the division title, I can never discard a team in the spring, especially one managed by Tony La Russa.
It was cold in Jupiter today. With the temperature only getting into the mid sixties, I had a hard time holding onto my beer. I got to watch the end of the Cards’ batting practice and all of the Mets’. Anthony Reyes took the mound for the first pitch at 1:05. Knowing how much is riding on a productive Reyes, I was anxious to see how he’d do today. He did great. Reyes went 3 innings, allowing two hits, and striking out one. He escaped trouble in the first when Mets’ third baseman David Wright drilled a ball to deep center, but was robbed of extra bases by Rick Ankiel’s acrobatic catch at the track. Reyes walks away from today’s game with something good to build on. He needs to continue to boost his confidence throughout the spring, and today was certainly a step in the right direction.
The defense to start the game for La Russa could closely resemble the one we’ll see on opening day. Yadier Molina was the only regular who didn’t start. Backup catcher Jason Larue took his place, hitting ninth. Old timer Juan Gonzalez was penciled in as the DH, and went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.
The most exciting part of the day was when Colby Rasmus came into the game. Rasmus reached base in all four of his plate appearances in yesterday’s game. He entered today’s game as a pinch runner for Albert Pujols in the fifth. He doubled in his first at-bat, and walked the next time up. Rasmus has now reached base in all six of his appearances. He’ll be with the big club sometime in ‘08, but if this keeps up you’d have to think he’ll be heading for St. Louis when the team breaks camp at the end of March.
A few other notes from today’s game:
- Troy Glaus had a nice barehanded play but the throw wasn’t in time - three people around me simultaneously said, “Rolen would have made that play.”
- Skip Schumaker was 3 for 4 with a stolen base.
- Hugo Castellanos pitched well but I wouldn’t mind seeing the radar gun on him - looks very slow.
- Girls that drink beer are more attractive than ones that don’t.
- Mets fans were pleasant.
Aside from the cold, it was a great day at the ballpark. Feel free to check out some of my
pictures. For all the stats from today’s game, check out the
box score. Tomorrow the Cardinals will head to Port St. Lucie to play the Mets again. The starting pitchers will be Adam Wainwright and Johan Santana. Go Cards!
Posted in Ankiel, Castellanos, Glaus, Gonzalez, La Russa, Larue, Molina, Rasmus, Reyes, Rolen, Schumaker, Wainwright | 3 Comments »
Written by Mike on February 22, 2008 – 3:14 am -
I spent some time at Cardinals camp yesterday, and as promised, I’ll use this post to share my experience.
There was more traffic than I anticipated, so I didn’t arrive at camp until 9:45. Although it was raining when I left my place, the weather was great in Jupiter (Today I can really feel the sunburn). I easily found a parking place in front of Roger Dean Stadium and made the short walk around to the back fields. If you’ve never been to the
complex, it’s a beautiful place to see. Behind the stadium, there are twelve full-size ball fields, and a couple of small ones, all shared by the Cardinals and Marlins. When I arrived, the team was just finishing their stretching and throwing.
I quickly found the workout schedule, made by Tony La Russa, posted on one of the backstops. Upon first glance, I thought I’d need Tony’s secret decoder ring to decipher the mess on the page, but after a little studying, I figured it out (at least in part). The schedule is complex and precise. Every player and coach is put into a group. The groups rotate between fields and stations at certain times. Everyone has a place to be, and everyone really hustles from field to field. It’s fun to watch.
I started by watching some fielding practice. All of the catchers, and Mike Matheny of course, gathered in the small field between fields 1 and 6. The catchers took turns blocking balls in the dirt fed from a pitching machine. Matheny painted a half-circle in the dirt, and the idea was to keep the ball within the arc. The machine was putting some serious spin on the balls, and bouncing them several feet in front of the catchers. It was funny to see the guys block the ball and then dive after the ricochet. Molina even threw his mask at a ball.
During this same time, the pitchers were also doing fielding drills. Most of the big leaguers were on field 1, while the younger guys were on 6. Both groups were fielding ground balls after a simulated delivery, and throwing them to either first or second. Then there were rounds of grounders to Pujols, with the pitchers covering first.
On the far fields, the outfielders and infielders were also doing drills, but I didn’t make my way over there. Since the interior paths are blocked off for the players to use, the only way to get to the far fields is to walk around the outfield fences, or take a trolley, which has a few stops along the way.
After a short meeting with La Russa on the small field, the pitchers broke off into more groups, and a catcher or two headed to each station. Some pitchers were throwing bullpen sessions, some were doing more fielding, this time in front of a big wall, and others were practicing bunting. They had to lay several bunts down each line, then had to show bunt and swing away. There was a lot of smack-talking between the pitchers during the swinging away part.
Next, I watched a little situational infielding practice with the “B” squad. Included in the group was Brian Barden, Rico Washington, David Freese, and surprisingly, Brendan Ryan. The drills were about reading the batter for bunt coverage with runners on. If you’re wondering, Jarrett Hoffpauir was in the group with Cesar Izturis, Adam Kennedy, and Aaron Miles.
I spent most of the rest of my time watching live batting practice. I watched four groups. The pitchers were Adam Ottavino, Chris Perez, Tyler Herron, and Todd Wellemeyer. I know that early on in camp the pitchers have the advantage, and that was certainly the case with Ottavino. He pitched to a group of Colby Rasmus, Brian Barton, Josh Phelps, Cody Hearther, and Jason LaRue. I think I only saw one ball get hit fair, and it was a soft liner to short. The first time through there were several swing and misses.
There wasn’t a lot of excitement from the “power” group, which included Albert Pujols, Troy Glaus, Juan Gonzalez, and Scott Spiezio. Pujols smashed one back up the middle off of Wellemeyer, but it was pretty quiet otherwise.
By far, the most impressive hitting group was the outfielders Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan, Ryan Ludwick, and Skip Schumaker. Maybe they’re ahead of the rest because they were in camp early. All hit the ball hard, and all over the field. Edit (02/23): I thought the pitcher during this group was Herron, but I guess I was mistaken.
I noticed a lot of other interesting things yesterday too. Here are some:
- Chris Perez throws hard.
- Brian Barton is very athletic, but doesn’t look it.
- Troy Glaus is a much bigger guy than I thought he was.
- Ryan Franklin needs a haircut.
- They sell beer and hotdogs. Big plus in my book!
- “Professional” autograph hounds piss me off. Let the kids get a ball signed.
- Mickey the munchkin from The Wizard of Oz was there signing autographs.
- Red was cruising around in his golf cart.
- Chris Carpenter was jogging the neighborhood and nearly ran me over as I was leaving.
- The team store was open and I wanted one of everything.
Overall, it was a great day. I think it’s neat to see major league ballplayers doing the same kind of drills that you do in high school and Legion ball. Although nothing profound, take a look at the some of my pictures. I had a lot of fun, and would recommend it to any baseball fan. If you haven’t been to camp, go. It’s free. Six more days until the first Spring Training game.
Posted in Carpenter, Duncan, Kennedy, La Russa, Ludwick, Matheny, Miles, Molina, Perez, Pujols, Rasmus, Ryan, Schumaker, Spring Training, Wellemeyer | 2 Comments »
Written by Mike on February 16, 2008 – 3:27 am -
It was just as beautiful a day today in South Florida as it was yesterday. Day two of Spring Training went as expected. It was the first full scheduled workout for pitchers and catchers. As I’ve said before, there are a lot of new faces this spring, many of whom are getting their first taste of a big league camp. Tony La Russa took note of the many young players.
“Shouldn’t be any sleepy spring training games,” he said. ”Guys will be out there playing for their major-league lives.”
I know how much Tony prefers the veteran guys, and emphasizes the value of situational and pressure filled experience, but it would be nice to see a rookie or two break camp with the Cardinals this March. I think the younger guys, especially the ones playing for the league minimum, can really bring some much needed energy to a stagnant ball club. It was great during the stretch run of the ‘06 World Championship season to see some of the unseasoned guys step into big roles. Guys like Adam Wainwright, Anthony Reyes, Tyler Johnson, and Josh Kinney stepped up when the team needed them to, and the Cardinals wouldn’t have brought home the trophy without them.
Speaking of Kinney, today was his third time throwing off a mound this spring. Although his rehab is going well, it looks as though he might not see any game action for a while longer. Matthew Leach has
more.
Cardinals’ hitting coach Hal McRae was involved in drills with some of the hitters today decked out in his new #15 jersey.
Remember my thoughts on that?According to Derrick Goold, Colby Rasmus arrived to camp today. ”The Chosen One” has an outside shot of making the club, but more than likely he’ll start the year in Memphis. Don’t forget to check out Goold’s Bird Land, for all the inside happenings down (up for me) in Jupiter. Today he discusses a possible Mark McGwire appearance, as well as the “save the bullets” rule. Find it all
here.
And Chris Lee has more eye-popping photographs to share, this time of Mike Matheny instructing the catchers. Find them
here. It’s great to see Mike with the Birds on the Bat.
Posted in Johnson, Kinney, La Russa, Matheny, McGwire, Rasmus, Reyes, Spring Training, Wainwright | No Comments »
Written by Mike on February 12, 2008 – 2:59 am -
The talk of the town lately has been the health of Cardinal slugger Albert Pujols. Everyone knows Albert’s been dealing with elbow soreness in his throwing arm for some time now. He played through pain for much of the 2007 season. Eventually, he could require Tommy John surgery, which would cause him to miss nearly a year of baseball. For now, Pujols and the club have elected not to green light the surgery, although there have been reports that he may decide to undergo the procedure if the pain persists.
“I was in pain,” Pujols said. ”I’m telling myself that I ain’t going through the same pain that I went through last year.”
The obvious question here is how will the Cardinals fare without their most valuable player? I suspect a Cardinal team without Pujols would struggle badly. An easy comparison would be to look at how the starting pitching performed last year without staff ace Chris Carpenter. Not only did the Redbirds lose their best pitcher, but also a clubhouse leader. We know how it turned out for the rest of the starters in ‘07, so no need to revisit it. Pujols is the team’s best player, and a leader as well. I’d rather not see him on the DL.
On the other hand, if surgery is imminent, wouldn’t it be wise to have Albert miss the “transition” season of ‘08 rather than the far more optimistic looking season that follows? Not only should Carpenter be back at full strength by 2009, but top prospect Colby Rasmus will have cemented himself in the everyday lineup by then too. Any holes in that year’s team could be filled from a much better looking free agent class than the one we saw this winter. A healthy Pujols would be very important to a run at another division title.
It’s a tough call. I’d hate to practically concede the upcoming season by shelving El Hombre, but if we look at the bigger picture, maybe it’s best after all.
For now, let’s just hope Albert’s elbow stays together and the decision doesn’t have to be made. I’m looking forward to some exciting baseball this year, and would like him to be a part of it. Pitchers and catchers report on Thursday!
Posted in Carpenter, Pujols, Rasmus | 2 Comments »
The Cardinals got off to a hot start against the Mets today in Port St. Lucie, scoring three runs in the first. The Cards kept up the hot hitting throughout the game, scoring in five different innings, including a six run ninth.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s days like today that I miss living in a drinking town like St. Louis. People here in Miami don’t even know it’s a holiday.
The Cardinals opened their Grapefruit League play with a win over the New York Mets today by the score of 7-0. After yesterday’s beating of St. Louis University, the Cards are now 2-0 in the early going.
I spent some time at Cardinals camp yesterday, and as promised, I’ll use this post to share my experience.
The talk of the town lately has been the health of Cardinal slugger Albert Pujols. Everyone knows Albert’s been dealing with elbow soreness in his throwing arm for some time now. He played through pain for much of the 2007 season. Eventually, he could require Tommy John surgery, which would cause him to miss nearly a year of baseball. For now, Pujols and the club have elected not to green light the surgery, although there have been reports that he may decide to undergo the procedure if the pain persists.
