Cards Kill Mets

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.

UCB Roundtable Discussion

The United Cardinal Bloggers Group is winding down the roundtable discussions, with one more debate to be posted on Monday.  Yesterday I posted three questions to the group for open discussion.  In addition to me, we had four other Cardinal bloggers participate:

• Daniel from C70 at the Bat
• Haedar from Redbird Ramblings
• Bryan from Rockin’ the Red
• Michael from Stan Musial’s Stance

Here are the questions, and everyone’s thoughts:

1.)  Yesterday, there was some talk about who you’ve been impressed with up to this point in Spring Training.  What about the opposite?  Which players are you surprised to see having a disappointing spring? Do you think they’ll turn it around?

Daniel:  There haven’t been a lot of disappointments.  There’s disappointment in the same old same old with injuries, as noted with Tyler Johnson still not throwing.  Izturis, to me, has been the biggest on-field disappointment, though.  I know he’s not much of a hitter, so the average wasn’t that disappointing, but the fielding?  He’s making an error a game, it seems like, and I know TLR is big on him, but right now, it’s not looking so good.

Haedar:  Gotta agree with Daniel and say Izturis.  He was never known for his offense, but he is supposed to be a high caliber defensive player and at least put up an average of .250, but he’s made tons of errors this spring and is hitting around .150.  Tony is being stubborn and  stating that he is the starting shortstop to avoid the “Spivey 2008″ tag.  If Cesar keeps this up, he will be relegated to the bench in no time.

Bryan:  Cesar Izturis has definitely been the most disappointing player this spring.  And to add to it, Tony La Russa has been equally as disappointing with his rigid position that Izturis is still doing well defensively and should still start.  I’m not sure Cesar has anything left in the tank anymore.  Molina’s slow start is disconcerting, but I think he’ll turn it around at some point.  Blake Hawksworth really disappointed me this spring, as this was a chance to make a good impression on the big league club.  I’m not too optimistic about him.

Michael:  Duncan’s horrible spring at the plate was a surprise to me.  Also to see Molina regress at the plate, after the progress he showed during last season, has been disappointing.  The other disappointment was Clement’s physical readiness not being what we expected/hoped it would be at the start of spring training. I hadn’t been aware of Izturis’ struggles with the glove until I saw your guys’ comments.

Daniel:  I’d like to see Molina hit better in the spring, but I wouldn’t say I was worried enough to call it a disappointment.  If it continues well into April, then that might be a different story.

Me:  Of course Izturis is the big one.  I was okay with the signing when it happened, and was willing to watch a sacrifice in offense for a defensive upgrade at short.  Turns out Izturis sucks with the glove too.  Tyler Johnson disappoints me too.  Last year, despite changing his jersey number and his hairstyle, he still got knocked around a bit.  I read that he had a baby, and was maturing quickly.  To hear that a little more work in the off season might have prevented his injury was very disappointing.

Daniel:  The only thing I’ll add is that I’m not sure that more work would have prevented his injury.  It might have helped, but this seriously sounds like a surgery thing coming pretty soon, in which case more work might have blown it out earlier or at best delayed the problem.

2.)  Opening Day is just ten days away.  There are a lot of new faces on this year’s team.  How would you grade John Mozeliak in his first off season as GM?  What were his best and worst moves?

Daniel:  Still a little hard to judge Mozeliak since a few moves were made while he was interim GM and some still haven’t really panned out.  All in all, though, I think he’s doing a pretty good job.  If he’s one of the reasons so many young guys are still in camp or got long looks this spring, he jumps up another notch.  His next big test will be the amateur draft.  If they can get a quality draft in, he’ll move even farther up.

Haedar:  Can’t really grade him accurately at this point but he’s made some good and some bad moves.  The two worst moves of the offseason were signing both Izturis and Miles to guaranteed deals instead of minor league deals with invitations to spring training.  The best move came a day or so ago locking up Wainwright long term.

Bryan:  I would give Mozeliak a B so far.  It was probably a B- before the Lohse signing, but the signing was such a good deal that he has to get a B.  On the other hand, the Miles re-signing was a very questionable move (and still is, considering Miles’ terrible spring so far).  Trading Rolen was good for the team, trading Edmonds was neutral (although it opened up a position in our already crowded outfield), and the Izturis signing was just plain bad.  Overall, however, I’m very satisfied with the direction this team is going.

Michael:  Mozeliak:  average or slightly better than average so far, but it’s still too early to tell.  I’m not a big fan of Lohse after watching him get torched in Cincinnati for the past few years, but with our starters in disarray again Mozeliak didn’t have much choice but to sign another pitcher.  He at least got Lohse on the relative cheap.  Hell, he can’t be any worse than Kip Wells, right?  Managing to move Rolen for more than a used glove and a bucket of baseballs was a victory.  The Miles signing, I agree with all, is a head scratcher unless viewed through the “Tony wanted him” prism.  Signing Wainwright yesterday was a great move.

Daniel:  The middle infield situation definitely is Mozeliak’s biggest drawback.  Especially when he himself admits he’d have signed Adam Everett if he had thought he’d been nontendered.  (Though that wouldn’t have helped with the offense, it’d done wonders defensively.)  Adding Miles to the mix was really unnecessary save to appease La Russa, I’d guess.

Me:  Overall:  B+.  With the exception of Miles and Gonzalez, I think the Cards made all the right moves. The Molina and Wainwright deals are by far the best.  Payroll flexibility is much better than it has been in recent years.  We’ll see what they do come draft time.

3.)  How much better (or worse depending on your answer to question 2) is this team compared to last year’s squad?  How many wins will the Cards have at the end of the season, and where do they finish?

Daniel:  I think this squad might be a little better than last year.  I think the pitching will be better, at least on the whole.  The offense is pretty intriguing.  If Kennedy hits like he has this spring and Molina hits like he did last year, there’s only Izturis as a “OK, nothing is happening here” spot in the lineup.  I’m still holding out hope for a .500 season.

Haedar:  I think the starters are a little better, the offense is better, or at least has more potential to put up better power numbers, but the bullpen will not be as good because people will be moving in and out and therefore some integral parts will not know their main role.  I think most bullpens can be decent as long as the guys in it know what their main role is and in what situation they are called upon to pitch.  With a lot of injured players coming back from the DL, there is going to be a lot of shifting around and some pitchers will not get comfortable in their temporary role.

Bryan:  I think the team is better than last year, but a few injuries could really turn this season into a disaster.  I think 80-85 wins is a very optimistic prediction, but I’ll go ahead and make it.  I’m confident in our outfield and returning pitchers.  Still don’t think that’ll be good enough for anything but third.

Michael:  Even with all the moves the team has tread water overall since last season ended.  The bullpen is still a plus but didn’t improve; the starters overall are still a minus and didn’t improve; the lineup is a wash; the bench is slightly better.  It seems all our eggs for a good team are in the respective rehab baskets of Carpenter, Mulder, and Clement.  I expect they’ll finish within +0, -10 games of .500 with the team they have now.

Haedar:  I think the Cardinals’ record will get worse before it gets better.  That’s to the tune of 75 wins this season.

Me:  I think it depends on how you look at it.  Before Opening Day ‘07, the Cards looked good.  The pitchers all had good springs (even Wells), and no one thought they’d finish under .500.  A ton of injuries changed the outlook dramatically.  I’m optimistic about the offense.  I think the potential to score a lot more runs is there.  The starting pitching may be a wash, and I agree that the bullpen could be worse this year.  I’m also wondering if the clubhouse will miss Edmonds, Rolen, and Eck.

That’s it.  Lots of good points from everyone, and I’m sure they’ll be a lot more in the next installment.  I love talking baseball!

Cards Pass on Bonds

There were confirmed reports from Cardinals camp today that manager Tony La Russa was quietly lobbying for Barry Bonds.  Spring Training games start this week and the home run king still remains a free agent.  There has been little interest in the 43 year old slugger, as an investigation continues with possible perjury charges hanging overhead.

La Russa discussed the notion with his coaching staff, where he received a mixed response, then took the idea to general manager John Mozeliak.

“When you look at somebody dangerous to hit behind Albert, Barry was the guy I thought of,” said La Russa. “For whatever reason, at the general manager or ownership level, they didn’t agree.”

Barry Bonds doesn’t fit into the plans of Cardinal team trying to get younger.  Certainly he would be asking for more than the club would be willing to pay, and would take away precious at-bats from the young outfielders already in camp.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of Bonds.  However, I think he was one of the best baseball players of my generation.  Bonds has always carried an intimidating bat.  His on-base percentage is one of the greatest, and combined with his power potential, it’s hard to imagine him not yet having a team for the upcoming campaign.  Unfortunately, Barry’s bat is the only part of his game that is still attractive to teams.  A National League team like the Redbirds would have to stick him in right field, where he would be a defensive liability.

Although it’s fun to speculate the production of a lineup that includes Pujols, Bonds, Troy Glaus, Chris Duncan, and Rick Ankiel, the reality is that it just doesn’t make sense for the ballclub.  Joe Strauss and Jeff Gordon have more on the story.

My Visit to Cardinal Camp

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.

2008 Team Projection

As we all know, the Cardinals finished under .500 in 2007, with a record of 78-84.  It was the team’s first losing season since 1999, when they went 75-86.  Most Cardinal fans aren’t expecting a World Championship in ‘08, and many aren’t holding out for a division title either.  I’d guess most of us would be happy to be in the hunt come September, and finish with at least 81 wins to avoid back-to-back losing seasons.

Springtime always brings new optimism and a clean slate.  Every team is even.  Every team is a legitimate contender.  Then Baseball Prospectus releases their team projections, based on PECOTA, a sabermetric system for predicting player performance.  The system is rather accurate each year, and picked the Cards to finish third behind Chicago and Milwaukee last season.  They’ve done it again.  This time, they predict a 72-90 record for this year’s Birds, finishing only ahead of Pittsburgh in the division.  For some, the optimism dwindles.  Not for me.

Sure there’s a lot of question marks penciled throughout the Cardinals’ roster.  We don’t know what to expect from guys like Clement, Mulder, Reyes, Izturis, Kennedy, and maybe some others.  What if Albert needs surgery and is shut down for the year?  What if Looper or Pineiro can’t continue to improve as major assets in the rotation?  What if Ankiel and Duncan can’t better their plate discipline?  The questions could go on.  They way I see it, however, is that if a few things can go right this season, the 2008 Cardinals will be a better team than the one that lost 86 games last year.  Don’t count this club out before the games are played.  Look for a few surprise performances from some unexpected contributors.  No team in the Central is going to run away with the division.  I’m still optimistic.  The Cardinals will contend.

Check out the full projected standings from Baseball Prospectus here, and view each of the Cardinal players projections here.

Odds and Ends

First and foremost, Cardinals’ outfielder Rick Ankiel was kind enough to take part in a live chat with fans earlier today courtesy of mlb.com.  Although I was unable to participate, I did manage to pull some of the highlights:

• He will not pitch again
• He prefers hitting home runs over than giving them up
• He and Chris Duncan plan to hit a combined 60 homers this year
• The return to the big leagues as an outfielder is his greatest achievement thus far
• He has a strong and respectful relationship with Tony La Russa
• He loves playing in St. Louis and feels a strong connection to the fans there

Update (02/13):  Find the full transcript of the Ankiel chat here.

In my opinion, the highlight of the session was the plug by Ankiel for his new website, rickankielonline.  I previewed the site earlier today and really liked what I saw.  I highly recommend checking it out, and be sure to view all the pictures.  Great stuff.

Next, Derrick Goold has been blogging from Cardinals camp for the last few days.  Today, he reports the progress of pitchers Matt Clement and Mark Mulder.  Here’s the link to his blog.

This got me thinking.  Since I’m off work later this weekend, I’m thinking of making the short drive up to camp in Jupiter for my first visit of the spring.  By then, most of the players will have arrived, although the first scheduled full squad workout isn’t planned until Monday.  Of course I’ll post all my thoughts, along with pictures from the complex, so be sure to check back.

Finally, the folks at Fungoes have an interesting analysis of the different outfield combinations.  I was a little surprised with their results.  Check it out here.

Quick Reading

Pitchers and catchers will report to Jupiter, Fl for Spring Training in just over three days now.  There are already a few members of the ball club in camp, including Chris Carpenter, Rick Ankiel, and Chris Duncan. The anticipation has been building all winter.  As we wait just a few more days, I’ll direct you to a couple of good articles about our beloved Birds.

Three different journalists wrote about the Cardinals roster turnover this weekend.  First, Tony La Russa believes the team is going to contend this season and shrugs off the “transition” label.  Read all about it from Mathew Leach here.

Next, a great story in the Post Dispatch by Joe Stauss answers all the big questions surrounding the club, including those about Albert’s elbow and who bats lead-off.  Here’s the link.

And then, Brian Walton compares the 2008 roster turnover to that of years past over at The Birdhouse.  With the loss of fan favorites Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, and David Eckstein, it seems like the clubhouse will be full of unfamiliar faces, but it’s easy to forget how many more players were lost before other seasons, including the two National League Championship years.  Check out the full story here.

We’ll have to acquaint ourselves with some new faces this spring, but one that is most familiar, Rick Ankiel, is now the only player on the roster that was playing in St. Louis in 2000.  Bizarre.

2008 Team Outlook – Part 3

I think it’s time to continue our piece by piece analysis of this years ball club.  I’ve already discussed the bullpen and the infield.  It seems now that the outfield is pretty well set, so let’s take a look.

Going into this offseason, many, including myself, thought that the Cardinals had a surplus of outfielders, and that one would have to be moved in a package to acquire a decent pitcher.  As it turns out, the shocking trade of Jim Edmonds to San Diego was more of a salary dump type of move, as they received only a minor league infielder in return.  I’m sure I won’t be the only one who’ll miss Jimmy patrolling center this summer.

So, without Edmonds, it’s much more clear what this season’s outfield will look like. Basically, there are six guys competing for five spots.  Chris Duncan, Rick Ankiel, and Ryan Ludwick seem to be the givens, while Skip Schumaker, newly acquired Brian Barton, and top prospect Colby Rasmus will be competing for the other two roster spots.  The guys over at Viva El Birdos make an excellent argument as to why Rasmus should start the season at AAA Memphis. Check out that write up here.

Chris Duncan is the only one on the list that can’t play center.  He should get most of the playing time in left field.  Last season, Duncan hit .259 with 21 homers in 375 at bats, and had limited playing time against lefties.  I expect much of the same from Dunc this year offensively, while I believe his defense will be slightly improved.

Rick Ankiel, according to Mozeliak, is currently atop the centerfield depth chart.  While I agree that Rick would be a fine centerfielder, I think his tremendous arm is better suited for right field.  Also, I don’t think it makes much sense to move him to center to start the year only to have to move him back upon Rasmus’ arrival.  If I had to guess, I’d say Ankiel gets plenty of starts at both positions.  Last season, he hit a combined 43 home runs between Memphis and St. Louis.  I love his power numbers, but would like to see him cut down on his strikeouts. Regardless, he’ll receive plenty of curtain calls in ‘08.

The remaining outfield at bats will be shared in a platoon of Ludwick, Schumaker, and Barton. We know that Ryan Ludwick is a good 4th outfielder that can provide some right handed power coming off the bench.  Last season, he hit.267 with 14 home runs and 22 doubles.  Skip Schumaker is a good defensive outfielder, and has been deserving of a more important role with the team.  Last year, he hit .333 in 177 at bats, and may be a candidate to bat leadoff.  As for Brian Barton, we don’t really know what we’re getting.  He’s had success at each level he’s played, even playing through a knee injury.  As a Rule 5 draftee, Barton must remain on the roster all season, or be relinquished back to Cleveland.  He’s supposed to have above average speed, and also could be considered to bat leadoff on occasion.

I think I’ll hold of on discussing Colby Rasmus.  His status could garnish it’s own post. However, let’s not forget that Scott Spiezio will probably get a little playing time in the outfield as well.

Overall, I think this is an exciting group, and should be very fun to watch.  Now how many days until Spring Training?