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!

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.

The 15

I’ve got a bit more to say about jersey numbers today.  Bear with me.  Last week, Troy Glaus chose to wear 8, rather than Mark McGwire’s 25.

“I’ve been 25 a long time.  I’ve known Mark for a long time,” Glaus said.  ”He’s an icon in this city and I’m not going to do that.”

Last season, 8 belonged to Cardinals hitting coach, Hal McRae.  I just found out that this season, McRae will wear 15, the number worn by departed fan favorite, Jim Edmonds, since 2000.  The news didn’t sit well with me.  I don’t expect 15 to be retired by the Cardinals, but I’d at least like to see it put away for a while.  Why can’t McRae say something like Glaus did?  Jim is an icon in St. Louis.  I know what some of you are thinking, so to better explain my thoughts on this, we’re going to do a little role playing (you play the part of You, and I’ll be Me).  Ready?

YOU:  Mike, it’s just a number.  What’s the big deal?

ME:  Just a number?  It’s not just a number.  It’s the number I’ve been staring at from the bleachers for the past eight years.  It’s Jimmy’s number.

YOU:  Yeah, okay, but it’s not like it’s retired or something.

ME:  Who cares if it’s retired.  McGwire’s number isn’t retired and it hasn’t been re-issued.  Jimmy’s done a lot more for the Cardinals than Big Mac ever did.

YOU:  You’re taking this too seriously man.  I’m sure Edmonds doesn’t care if someone in St. Louis wears the number fifteen.

ME:  What?  Pull your head out of your ass!  He named his St. Louis restaurant F15teen.

YOU:  That’s probably just a clever marketing gimmick.  He’s rich.  Do you really think he cares?

ME:  Yeah.  Check out this page from a magazine my mom sent me.

YOU:  (After checking out the page here)  Wow.  That’s pretty heartfelt.  He even signed it #15.  I guess he does care.  So now what are you going to do?

ME:  I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.  I’m going to tell my friends, my family, and everyone I know to petition against this move.

YOU:  I’m sure you and a few handfuls of people aren’t going to make Hal McRae change his number.

ME:  You’re missing the point here.  If everyone I know tells everyone they know, soon we’ll have a hell of a lot of pissed off people and then Hal McIdiot can find himself a new damn number!

Thanks for playing.  Check back for a second post later today.

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?

Happy New Year

So, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything new.  What the hell?  Well, it’s been a crazy couple of months. Here’s the short version:

The second biggest Card’s fan and I recently broke up, and although I haven’t stopped following the team’s day to day happenings, lately I haven’t had the energy or drive to do anything with this blog.  So, after a few weeks of burying my head in the sand (I still live in South Florida), trying to get my mind right, and with the advice of family and friends, I’m back to give it another go.

Meanwhile, instead of trying to recap on everything that’s been going on in Cardinal Country over the last two months I think it’s best to direct you to a few others around the Cardinal’s blogosphere for their insights on all the latest Redbird’s news.  The biggest stories include the Jim Edmonds trade, the signings of Cesar Izturis and Jason LaRue, the non-signings of David Eckstein and So Taguchi, the Rule 5 pickup of Brian Barton, and the minor league deals for an infielder and a few pitchers.  Catch all of the news from C70, Cardinals GM, and Cardinal Nation Globe.  Also, I stumbled across a video that really got me excited for the ‘08 season, and you can check it out here.

Well, let’s hope the Cardinals continue to improve the squad before Spring Training.  Also, I’ve got a couple of other interesting fill-in stories, so check back tomorrow.  In the meantime, Go Cards!