Does Ludwick wish for Team USA do over?
On Friday, Colorado’s Brad Hawpe injured his hand when it was stepped on and spiked on a play at second base. (Note to Skip Schumaker: Please stop sliding head-first!) As a result, Hawpe, previously named a starting outfielder, bowed out of the World Baseball Classic.
Hawpe’s move was on the heels of Cleveland’s Grady Sizemore also suffering a injury that will keep him out of the WBC. With two of Davey Johnson’s starting outfielders out, do you suppose Ryan Ludwick regrets his decision to not join Team USA because he was not guaranteed a starting role?
Villone joins Mets
On Saturday, free agent left-handed reliever Ron Villone signed a minor league deal with a spring training invite from the New York Mets. Was it just coincidence the contract was announced the day after the Cardinals spanked the Mets staff for one run per inning?
It is a deal just like he signed with the Cardinals last spring. To make the Mets, Villone may require another break like he received last spring when Tyler Johnson couldn’t answer the bell.
Mulder still looking
With the Villone signing, only Mark Mulder remains unsigned from the group of six Cardinals free agent pitchers. The list included Braden Looper (Milwaukee), Jason Isringhausen (Tampa Bay), Russ Springer (Oakland), Randy Flores (Colorado), and Tyler Johnson (Seattle).
In January, ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote that Mulder could be a “hidden gem” among this year’s crop of free agents. Apparently the cost of diamonds is depressed as Mulder is still jobless. Returning to his initial club of Oakland is rumored once the lefty actually throws for scouts.
Choi gets NRI
A repeat of the embarrassing situation that resulted when Tony La Russa publicly complained about not having enough arms in camp to the point he floated the idea of borrowing pitchers from his team’s opponent was apparently averted when Hyang-Nam Choi was added to major league spring training.
The 37-year-old Korean was signed just last month. He previously pitched in the minors for Cleveland in 2006.
I’ve kept my Cardinals NRI list up to date, which notes seven additional pitchers since the original rosters were announced. With that, there are now 61 players in camp, which is just one away from the team’s average from 1996 through 2008.
Mortensen’s MRI was negative
Choi’s NRI was due to Clayton Mortensen’s MRI. OK, not exactly, but the former supplemental first rounder is on the sidelines indefinitely due to elbow discomfort. Choi was added to offer another arm.
Harris salutes Cards
13th round draft pick Mitch Harris, a right-handed pitcher from Navy, signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals on Saturday. Currently on active duty and committed to four more years of the same, Harris and the Cardinals have to hope the Navy changes their policy sooner. Otherwise, Harris will have quite the challenge as a pushing-30 year old first-time professional.
17 “agree to terms”
The Cardinals “came to terms” on 2009 contracts with 17 players with less than three years of MLB service time. These players technically can negotiate, but realistically were obligated to take what was offered as long as they receive the major league minimum. That will change when they become arbitration eligible in a year or more down the road.
In a subscriber-only article at Scout.com on Saturday, I listed the service time of all 17 and forecasted when each will become arbitration eligible.
Spring training schedule update
On Saturday, I updated the master Cardinals spring training radio and television schedule to include additional XM satellite radio broadcasts. Keep checking back there all month long as more games are added to Gameday audio, XM and MLB.TV.
My opening day roster predictions
I went on record last week at Scout.com with my forecast for the opening day Cardinals roster (subscription required). Rather than list all 25, here are the players I have on the outside looking in:
Pitchers: Boggs, Hawskworth, Manning, Motte, Ostlund (NRI), Scherer
Infielders: T. Greene, Hoffpauir, Wallace (NRI)
Outfielders: Barton, Stavinoha, Rasmus (NRI)
Photo day
I’ve posted the results of 2009 photo day for the Cardinals pitchers/catchers and position players. If you’re not a Scout.com subscriber, you can still access the new photos from each individual player profile page.
Interesting predictions.
I’m going to agree on all of the pitchers except Charlie Manning, whom I think will push himself in front of Ring for the second LOOGy spot. Motte? Hmmm…. Here are the five implied righties: Thompson (spot/long); McClellan (7th/spot); Franklin (7th); Kinney (set-up); Perez (closer). Why not cut Brad Thompson and just carry McClellan, with Motte as primary set-up? Is it because McClellan is too valuable to do long work, or is it because Kinney is more effective than Motte? This is a very tough call, regardless of whether Motte has an ML-ready breaking ball.
On the infielders, I think the last week is starting to illustrate why Tyler Greene may edge out Ryan. I’m not sure about Thurston, though my initial read is he won’t make it. It’s way too early to say what will happen with Rasmus, but given Chris Duncan’s pitiful average thus far, it’s conceivable Rasmus may join the club anyway. The outfield is looking less crowded with Mather and Schumaker finding homes in the infield and Rasmus and Duncan stinking it up at the plate. Maybe a trade isn’t necessary after all.
Its early for Rasmus and Duncan. Both may swing for the fences. If so, it takes a while for guys like that to warm up. The Cards should have enough OFs, they will not go with an underperforming Duncan for as long as last season. Chris will have to collect some hits after the opening bell. Baseball is a tough gig and if a guy cannot perform, someone will take his place.
The signing of Mitch Harris is nifty. He may get through Navy service in June 2013, age about 27/28. He could begin at Quad Cities in 2013. In 2014, he could be assigned to AA. In 2015, Memphis. So he could be in the AAAA mix by 2015/16, nearing age 30. Time spent on ships is going to save wear and tear on his arm, so it will be fresh when he can get back to pitching. Lots of pitchers can throw into their late 30s, so he will be limited by his abilities, not age.
It’s early for everyone, IMHO. The first week of an elongated spring training tells even less than usual.
The Ring-Manning question was simple. I have limited experience with either, so I went with the guy who has no options or outrights remaining. Obviously what happens over the next month will answer all the questions.
I don’t think Greene will edge out Ryan for a roster spot. If he beats out anyone, which I still think is a long shot, it could be Thurston or maybe Barden. Ryan’s experience should trump the others.
With Greene, an irony is the better he were to look during spring training as a prospect, then the stronger the case for him to play everyday SS at Memphis, so as to develop as a ML candidate for 2010, at a valuable position.
Thurston could be in a competition with Ray Durham or someone else the Cards could add to play 2B. If Thurston cannot play well, we are not stuck with having to rely on him.
RedC, I’d rather have Motte in AAA ready to fill in after the first injury than cut Brad Thompson and go with the next guy once someone gets hurt.
Personally, I’d put Motte on the team over any of the very shaky potential second left-handers, as you don’t end up with much of a strategic advantage by carrying a LHP who would do a worse job against lefties than the RHP he’d be replacing.
Jumbo, good points on your last post. Remember though that Thurston is the only left-handed hitting infielder in camp other than Wallace. (No, I am not counting Skip as an infielder yet.) All things equal, that gives Thurston an advantage.
Nutlaw, I agree with you on Motte-Thompson. One of my concerns about the 2009 club is that I fear the pen will get overworked again with little proven depth ready in Memphis. Past experience reinforces my opinion that there isn’t much of a chance that they will go North with just one lefty, however.
I will put this post here, without suggesting it fits tightly with today’s essay.
Hypothetically, what if Freese goes on the DL, Mather becomes starter at 3B, and Schumacker establishes defensive acceptability at 2B?
Some other OFs must gain if Mather and Skip move to the IF. Yet not necessarily Rasmus, because there is not an everyday job. The gainers could be under-rated Jon Jay and Barton or Stavinoha.
Jay is most like Schumacker. He can hit for average, play CF/LF. He might be more ready to hit in the majors than Rasmus at this point. It would not hurt Jay’s development to be a part-timer in the majors. Given a choice between Rasmus or Jay coming off the bench, Jay would seem a serious possiblity.
Barton and Stavinoha could compete for a role platooning with Chris Duncan. Barton has already done this, while Stavinoha could hit ok, if he got enough at bats. Whoever shows better in ST could win the role.
I will float another question unrelated to today.
What could be behind TLR’s amusing idea of a lend lease program with the orange Birds?
You would have thought Mo would know how many pitchers Duncan needs to support spring training. Why are the Cardinals so short of pitchers that TLR is eyeing other teams and not asking Mo for pitchers directly? Maybe it is theatre and a game between TLR and Mo.
Maybe it goes back to last summer, when the Cards did not get TLR veteran pitching reinforcements. While the Marlins landed LHP Arthur Rhodes in trade, the Cards brought up LHP Jaime Garcia and his elbow finally went bad.
TLR wanted a veteran closer, but the Cards did not land one this winter. The Cards let Isringhausen leave, when he would have taken a minor league deal probably.
So maybe TLR is testing what happens when he asks for more pitchers now. Perhaps the Cards will sign Beimel, Reyes or Ohman.
Or, maybe TLR is positioning himself to lobby for more pitchers in July, by starting a lobbying campaign during spring training.
On idea #1, with four games of spring elapsed, I can’t get too excited about what seems to me to be a very low odds scenario.
On idea #2, there are probably many events that define the manager-GM relationship. I have no idea about the weight of any one of them, but all is clearly not as perfect as it could be. That stuff should occur behind closed doors, not in the public eye. It does not reflect well on the individuals or the organization, IMHO.
Re 1: I agree it is long odds. But I am beginning to accept that the Cards are serious about trying Mather and Schumacker. I once laughed at the Looper idea, but it happenned. If it happenned again, then Jay could be a surprise beneficiary.
Re 2: TLR is aggressive. Its just the way he is, relentless, restless, ever thinking about how to land more talent. DeWitt and Mo have to accept it as part of TLR. When he stops lobbying for more help, he will be retired. Maybe his lobbying is good for publicity purposes too, because it gives fans the idea of a battle behind the scenes.
One more irrelevance for the thread…..
There is an NRI southpaw Fiske who closed out the game today. I wondered his background. He went to a junior college in the Dallas, TX area. Then he went to Texas State, a university between San Antonio and Austin. It generally does not turn out high draft picks, but its in the Southland Conference. Fiske pitched two years, having a strong senior year. But he must not throw hard and is rated 5’11″, so he got passed over in the 2007 draft. To fill out the Batavia roster, the Cards later added Fiske as an UDFA.
In 1.5 pro seasons, Fiske has progressed to AA, where he did well. That is impressive and got him to the Arizona Fall League. He gets outs as a junk throwing lefty.
I like the Cards trying him at AA. They could have let him spend a couple of years at the A level, as they would have a few years ago. But they instead challenged Fiske, even letting him start games at AA. He may not be a big talent, but he seems a natural in terms of getting outs.
Its one thing to move top draft picks up the ladder. Its nice to give additonal guys a chance to show what they can do.
No irrelevant topics here at all. I realized I probably need more of these general threads just to allow everyone to talk. Not too much to be said about the history of Johnson City!
Well if you say there are no limits to the nuttiness…..
Scott Linebrink may be the best player out of Texas State.
Fiske reminds me of Joe Almaraz signing Jamie Landin out of Corpus Christi and the OF we traded to the Red Sox for Pineiro, out of San Antonio. All three guys were college seniors from non-famous baseball schools in Texas. They were not drafted, maybe because not physically imposing. But they played well in college this carried over in pro ball. They have skills, even if not toolsy.
Fiske tends to be said to be an indy ball guy out of Joliet. I more believe he was followed in Texas, just signed out of Joliet, when Freeman declined to sign in 2007.
Its been a battle for Norrick and Furnish. Fiske is sneakng into the picture. I dont see why he cant become as good as Manning or Ostlund. And if so, he could become AAAA.
Fiske would not become AAAA, if the Cards assumed his ceiling was the Midwest League, like they once did with Joe Rogers, during his first period with the Cardinals. Nowadays the Cards say, ok, if you are old enough and have enough pitches, we will promote you asap, not just bonus babies, but UDFAs. It seems to be working.
So why promote a guy like Fiske? If the Cards get more of their own signs at AA/AAA, they can rely on fewer minor league free agents. This also helps make the system younger at upper rungs. Its probably good for morale in the system as whole, which is probably important.
Chris Lambert spent 1.5 years or so at Springfield. Admittedly he was dedicated to the tougher job of starting, but he got knocked around. Fisked had an ERA two runs lower and cost $1.4MM less to sign. When Lambert got to AAA, he must have had a terrible attitude, because he was unbelievably bad at Memphis
The Cards can side-step some of this nonsense, with more competition. If a bonus baby does not have a good attitude, you have other guys like Fiske who just want to make plays.
There is a niche in baseball for the junk throwing lefty. I have no idea how hard Moyer threw in his early 20s, but he has survived for a long time spinning junk.
The Cards have tried harder throwing southpaws in Eric Haberer and Adam Daniels, but gave up on them.
Lately they have tried knuckleballer Joe Rogers and Fiske. Higher up Manning and Ostlund. None of these folks have a power arm. But its not impossible for a junker to advance.
Because of the extra week of spring training we probably get another week where the young guys get a shot at showing what they can do. So far Jay and Greene have done well. Greene only striking out once is very significant.
The real crunch is in the last two weeks. The veterans are getting more playing time and the quality of competition is tougher. The are also in better playing shape and the cream starts rising to the top. The guys who are still there and still producing have a good shot. But in the final analysis the numbers game kicks in and the guys with the options are most vulnerable.
I agree that there will be two lefthanded relievers on the team no matter what. I think Kinney will make it and that probably means that Motte or Perez goes back to Memphis. Since he needs more work on secondary pitches Motte is the likely candidate unless he seriously outperforms Perez.
I think the infield is seriously up in the air. It looks like Mather is able to handle third defensively and seems to be having good at bats in spite of only having two hits. That probably means Freese is back to Memphis. Schumaker is still too up in the air. If he makes it at second and Mather holds at third then an outfielder gets a shot. May be Jay instead of Colby simply because the Cardinals will probably want Colby to get everyday action and Jay looks very advanced as a hitter.
Hoffpaiur is fighting hard but probably will be one of the first infielders to go. I’m a little suprised that Thurston has not seen more action. Ryan’s health will be key. Greene has to continue to hit well. I expect Craig to go out as soon as the minor leaguers report. Looks like he is going to get some first base action.
Its ominous when Mulder’s photo advertises an article.
With a global panic over the economy, precious commodities like diamonds should be high. The value of Diamond Mark is not, however, because unable to throw as yet. IIRC, Cordero had a throwing session in the low 80s for scouts. No acceptable offers, but at least Cordero was able to throw.
Brian, you refuse to count Schu as a second baseman. As someone who probably knows TLR better than any of us, do you think he can look at the situation objectively and admit his idea didn’t work out or is he more likley to leave a weak Schumaker at 2B as matter of pride (both his and Schu’s)?
CC, if my refusal to count Skip as a second baseman would hold him back, then I would gladly throw my support behind him as Ray Mileur did in his Sunday Coffee column when proclaiming Skip the regular season starter after just four spring games. It is the same kind of unconditional support TLR is showing and will continue to show until one minute before he would call off the experiment.
To more directly answer your question, yes, I do think La Russa can look objectively. I don’t think he always says words publicly that indicate it, however. Here is how I think it could play out if the direction heads south. Defense is very important, especially up the middle, and if/when Skip’s defense starts to affect the pitching staff’s morale, then TLR will be forced to act. He can’t lose the respect of his team over this experiment and won’t.
Though other infield instructors are there, including Joe Pettini, an MLB second baseman himself, I don’t think TLR would do anything until after Oquendo is back from the WBC. I get down there to camp in about 2 1/2 weeks and will be able to quickly assess the vibe – if the situation still seems tenuous from our distant vantage points.
Sooner, a solid summary as always. I agree with about everything you said, though I believe Freese has time to play himself into the 3B job if he can just get onto the field. I have to admit that I am concerned that an accident that occurred almost two months ago is still holding him back. I think the push to get Skip ample playing time is really hurting Thurston, but as you said, there is that extra week. Wallace is another guy I expected to see get a few more garbage time at-bats, likely shut out by Mather for the same reason.
The way I look at it, in a regular spring training, there wouldn’t have been any games at all yet. To announce any competition as being over this soon is unwise, IMHO, despite how badly it is wanted.
Jumbo, I have all these Mulder photos sitting around. Knowing I will never be able to use them again, I figured I could slip one in here. It is quite an attention-getter, isn’t it?
Brian, I know some of the topics that bother you, for a variety of reasons. Mulder’s last contract and the way he was given starts when unlikely to succeed must be among these. His agent spins fantastic tales. Yet if and when Mulder is able, then he can throw for scouts. Only seeing will be believing.
Regarding Skip: its a great political move by the Cards to try him at 2B.
If Schumacker were in the OF, then he would take at bats away from Colby, Jay, and others. We already know what we have with Schumacker, so there is no need to play him in the OF. If Colby is not in the OF, then there will be all sorts of whining from young fans about TLR not giving Colby a chance, boo hoo, sob sob.
If anyone could convert to 2B in 5 weeks, it would be Schumacker. So its fine to give him a shot there.
It probably does not hurt Thurston badly, because he has been umpteen years at AAA. If Thurston does not know how to play by now, he never will. He does not need a lot of playing time.
If Schumacker makes many errors or if Rasmus does not hit much, then the Cards have a great excuse to move Skip back to the OF.
Trying Skip at 2B works in many ways. Mo was smart. Again.
A little more about where Fiske has come from…..
Joe Almaraz lives, IIRC, near San Antonio. He presumably scouts 9 months a year and is the manager at Johnson City for June-August.
In 2005, Almaraz signed lots of guys, including McCormick, Darryl Jones, Jaime Garcia. He found Trey Hearne and an OF from the same school, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He wanted to also hire 2B Jamie Landin, but Landin could not be hired until the former farm director got the heave-ho by 2007.
Landin was a short kid, rated 5’8″, but I have doubts. He played huge for Corpus, but was too short and slow for scouts. He became a UDFA whose pro debut was delayed until 2007, only owing to internal politics of the Cards.
The second UDFA was rated 5’8″, but was a switch hitting CF, with speed, and good arm, Sean Danielsen. He was found at Univ. of Texas at San Antonio. In 2008, he played for Boston’s AAA team.
Fiske, signed in 2007, is a lot like Landin and Danielsen. He graduated from Texas State, in San Marcos, north east out of San Antonio, not so far as Austin. Fiske pitched well for Texas State.
The common thread is three college seniors from the greater San Antonio area. All smallish baseball programs. They played well in college, but Landin was short and slow; Danielsen is small; and Fiske is short and did not impress a radar gun. But if we have roster room, we like guys like these. Danielsen has reached AAA already, Fiske should follow, Landin suffered an injury or he might have played at AA already.
FYI, Almaraz has returned to scouting full-time: link.
Almaraz had a spell as baseball manager at Howard University, in our nation’s capitol. He must be flexible between coaching and scouting.
This scouting/managing combination may be more common than one would imagine. Manny Guerra out in the Vegas area manages in a collegiate summer league. Steve Gossett and Chuck Fick have served as manager of amateurs, while being scouts for the Cards.
The December article reports Steve Turco, a scout for Florida, is going to branch out to manage the GCL team. Perhaps Turco can continue to scout this spring, before this team takes shape.
Turco was a long-time manager in the lower levels of the system though most of the decade of the ’90s, primarily at Johnson City. Apparently, either he wanted to get back into coaching or the Cards convinced him to try it or a combination of the two.
The dual scouting-coaching role is common. For example, the new JC manager, Mike Shildt, also scouts.
The Cardinals seem to be relatively expansive in viewing amateurs. For instance, Shane Robinson is small for a 5th rd draft pick. Scott Gorgen in the 4th round is just 5’10″. The pitcher Todd is 5’11″. Degerman has a strange delivery, but was drafted anyway in the 4th round. Descalso was termed “thick bodied”, but he demonstrated he could hit in northern California collegiate ball. The general rationale for signing these guys is results matter, not just how the kid looks in a uniform.
Fiske makes an interesting test. He pitched well, as a starter, at Texas State. He throws junk, went to a non-elite college, so went undrafted. The test comes in, if the team gives Fiske genuine opportunities to move up, as the Cards seem to be doing. He got bumped up to Springfield without a lot of A ball, turned into a starter, and sent to the AFL. That is a lot of positive opportunity. If he enjoys good luck by staying healthy, then maybe Fiske could become a AAA/AAAA player, someone on the cusp of the majors, he could play in the majors or he could play AAA, either one, all depending on where the roster slots turn out to be.
If so, this would suggest that somebody who plays well in college, but who is not especially toolsy, can still advance to the majors, if given sufficient opportunties. It would illustrate the value of development and opportunity. Its one thing to develop a big fireballer, which teams routinely aim to do. It would be a different thing to develop a guy like Fiske with fringy tools into a ML player. If a team can do this, every now and again, it gives the team more players for the development bucks.
Josh Kinney too was a college senior passed over in the draft. Josh reached the majors the hard way, by pitching remarkably well, but over a long period. IIRC, Kinney may have spent a couple of years at AA and a couple at the A level. Two differences with Fiske: 1) Kinney probably has more velocity; and 2) Kinney did not get to the AFL after 1.5 years as a pro. The advantage for Fiske is he is getting earlier opportunity. Time is money, so if Fiske can be perform at a higher rung, there can behoove the team to move him up.
For a guy to go from UDFA college senior to the AFL in 1.5 years does not happen often. Fiske is an odd case.
Fiske is not a toolsy guy like Brian Barton, who scouts thought was not even willing to turn pro at all after college, explaining how Barton became an UDFA.
Fiske may illustrate ways that the Cards are trying to do business. First, they attach some value to good college statistics. This can get a guy into pro ball. Second, they are open minded about giving a chance to a guy who is not a bonus baby. This second aspect seems unusual.
Instead of “a chance”, I might have better said, “acclerated promotion opportunity to a guy who is not a bonus baby.” Its Fiske’s promotion to AA after scant innings at A, and then his selection for the AFL that is unusual for an untoolsy UDFA .