Glaus out for a long time no matter what you call it
After the big summit meeting this morning that included the Cardinals, doctors and Troy Glaus, the “fresh approach” to treat the slow-to-heal muscle in his right shoulder was set.
Glaus is heading to Arizona to work with a physical therapist. The Cardinals announced the third baseman’s next medical check up would be scheduled around June 1. In case you missed it – that is two months from now.
Even if he would be ready then to pick up a bat and ball, most of June would be lost in rehabbing. Our original estimate of somewhere between June 1 and mid-season for Glaus’ return looks more and more accurate every day.
Glaus had begun to throw as well as hit from a tee but had to cease all baseball-related activities two weeks ago. Yet the Cardinals had recently been playing word games, insisting the recent problem was a “plateau” instead of a setback.
What would you call it when a mid-April return turns into a “sometime after June 1” estimate? How about “disappointing”?
Glaus himself said early in camp that his goal was to play in Florida and be ready to start the season. How about mid-season, Troy?
Assigned to Memphis in the first cuts of the spring, catcher Justin Knoedler was upset when he learned of his release Tuesday morning by checking the posted minor league rosters and noticing his name was missing.
The Cardinals must have had a mix-up as I know from personal experience that they do not release names to the media until after players have been contacted. I would imagine that also applies to posting rosters.
It is a shame for Knoedler, but that isn’t business-as-usual for the organization.
“Cardinals Backing Colby Rasmus into a Corner”
It is an interesting title, designed to grab reader attention, I guess. The whole focus of the P-D article is how Colby Rasmus, a centerfielder his entire career, is now being asked to play the corners as well.
I am not sure of the news here, as it has been going on all spring. Surely some of Rasmus’ defensive bumps in Florida have been due to playing left and right, but he needs to be versatile enough to handle all three positions if he wants to be a major leaguer, IMHO.
The Memphis paper appealed to local civic pride in asking residents to come out to games with the Cardinals on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Two years ago, the last time the Cards played there at AutoZone Park, attendance was over 15,000. Current pace is about half that.
Redbirds president Dave Chase implied the low level of activity over the winter by the MLB club is what is behind the slow sales, rather than the economy, as other local sports are still drawing well.
“This year it’s been so quiet. That same energy’s not there,” Chase told the Commercial-Appeal.
My take is that if there is no energy, then someone needs to create it. The Redbirds should have their best team in some time and are coming off a very good 2008 season.
Over on Scout.com this morning, I wrote about the Friday pitching match up of Chris Carpenter and P.J. Walters. If that won’t generate local interest, someone should check their collective pulse.
Update: Carpenter has been scratched from Friday’s start due to a mild and previously-unknown calf injury that does not put his game four start in jeopardy. Interesting. Walters will still start on Friday, but for St. Louis instead, against a bullpen crew for Memphis. Saturday is Joel Pineiro versus Mitchell Boggs.
Second baseman Junior Spivey, attempting a comeback after apparently being out of baseball last year, was released by the New York Mets from their minor league camp on Tuesday. He played for Memphis in 2006.
2008 Cardinals left-handed reliever Ron Villone was released by the Mets earlier in the week.
I ran across an interesting article in the Palm Beach Post that says only 21 players who hit right-handed and throw left-handed have appeared in MLB over the last 40 years since baseball split into divisions.
Two of them are active today and both are outfielders currently training in Jupiter, Florida – Cody Ross of the Florida Marlins and Ryan Ludwick of the Cardinals.
Yadi hitting second – not an April Fool’s joke
Tony La Russa told MLB.com that he might consider continuing to use Yadier Molina in the number two spot in his batting order during the regular season. Given Molina’s lack of foot speed, it seems a most odd choice to hit him behind leadoff man Skip Schumaker and in front of Albert Pujols.
Batting sixth or seventh much of last season, Molina ground into a team-leading 21 double plays in 2008 and has 68 in a career that began in 2004.
“It’s an issue,” La Russa said to MLB.com. “But everything’s an issue in front of Albert [Pujols]. If he moves him over to second and the base is open, then you need a fourth-place hitter [to protect Pujols].”
I have to admit that I don’t understand La Russa’s logic and hope he forgets the idea quickly.
This is the question the Post-Dispatch posed to a group of their writers the other day. Is Jason Motte the one to be the Cardinals closer?
One of the columnists actually said the following. Honest.
“TLR could test him in the “Marmol Role” a few times while seeing if Ryan Franklin is more prepared this season to close. If Franklin gets it done, the veteran could stay there for a stretch.”
Raise your hand if you think Franklin’s preparation is the reason why he failed as closer in 2008.
Not a single one of the writers mentioned what I believe to be the most important factor behind La Russa not naming Motte.
If I was Tony and Dave Duncan, I would want to see how the unproven Motte reacts to the inevitable blown save. How does he handle it on the mound, in the clubhouse and the next day?
There is no stat line or radar gun that measures how a player deals with adversity.
This Glaus thing is a silly fiasco. Salute to Brian who predicted it! No business would want an $11MM employee missing for a half-season. Its a pity a more aggressive diagnosis was not undertaken in September.
And the Rays put Izzy on the DL to start the season plus they sent Adam Kennedy to Durham
Thanks, UConn. I saw the Izzy item, but missed AK. Izzy is apparently too proud to pitch in the minors but at some point the Rays are going to have to make him either fish or cut bait.
I just looked at Kennedy’s spring line – .302/.393/.415. Not bad, but he knew when he signed with the Rays that they were full at second base already.
Jumbo–
You and Brian are right. They should have an “exit exam” at the end of the season that goes just like a pre-signing physical. Anything that can be taken care of should be done. They knew about the injury but trusted in rest instead of a more aggressive approach. This is not the first time that being conservative has bitten them in the ass. I know medical philosophies differ, but something isn’t right with the process. This is not to blame George Paletta or the trainers, who I think do an excellent job.
I think they might have an exam Red, for players of concern. I think they were more aware of Troys situation than we might think. Things none of us know. Is he insured? Probably. He is defiantly not in future team plans. A brief return to the team and a pronouncement of good health could net a player and salary bail at the the break to a contender. All moves showing a higher profit than paying him to play baseball. Just a thought. If the offense is struggling, probably, they can say Troy is coming Troy is coming for two months, as logic against making any moves. I believe we are and have been pursuing the profit motive concerning this. Mo will be shopping him in May.
Shopping injured players early in the season doesn’t usually end up succeeding. I’m gonna go ahead and disagree that that is likely to happen.
molina’s GIDP rate batting 2nd, just won’t fly.
jeff gordons “marmol role” comment is in LINE with his baseball opinions, the mendoza LINE.
motte as being named closer? i want motte vs the top/heart of the order during the last two innings, and franklin vs the bottom of the order, however it shakes out by game/inning.
Quietly shopping. Fielding inquires with a toothy smile.
WC–
They aren’t even going to activate him until June 1 at the earliest. No one would make a rental trade for a player that may not even play for over half a season. And from the Cardinals’ standpoint, if they are still in the hunt (and why wouldn’t they be?), they will view Glaus as an important cog in the machine. If Brian is right, then Wallace isn’t your everyday third baseman until late 2010 at the earliest. I think if Glaus gets himself healthy, instead of a trade you will see a one-year extension to bridge the gap to Wallace. Also, Glaus has a no-trade clause.
Maybe thanks to his opportunity, Freese will do well and become the 3Bman of the future. When healthy, Glaus probably commands more than a 1 year deal, so he will probably depart after this year.
Why does Rasmus need to be versatile in defensive positions? Did the Indians ask Sizemore to play a corner position when he came up? The Cardinals have a fetish with their youngsters being “versatile” that I simply don’t comprehend.
azru, if Rasmus can only play center, he will need someone to do a Gillooly on Ankiel to get considerable playing time this season. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but that seems the rule of the road.
Red, they will talk up a storm, but I can’t see him returning. If the cards are contending it will be because of surprises like Freeze and maybe Rasmus. If not contending, they will be even more likely to cash in both Ankiel and Glaus. They have already written him off. Someone will think offense at a half season price before we do. It would serve no purpose for him to press no trade. He will want to reestablish his reputation somewhere. Everyone should be trying to avoid free agency at this point. DeWitt will not break his business plan. Glaus having his own doctor doing the work was a indication of his confidence in St Louis. If you believe that Glaus has been a decisive contributor to this team you will be vulnerable to the Carpenterization of Glaus as a returning savior. Don’t forget, this decision guarantees Rasmus a good long run at pressuring an outfield trade. All playing into DeWitts payroll plan. Tony’s lineups are going to be interesting. Watch Duncan end up hitting second again next week. Thats the end of the world for me.
Ankiel’s value as a player or a trade demand his CF status. It could all change if he doesn’t hit. If Tony moves him to cleanup, its just a matter of time before he becomes too frustrated to make adjustments. I would love for him to hit third behind Rasmus and in front of Albert. Hit and run, steals, all trouble for Albert to straighten out.
WC–
Glaus’s doctor did his original labrum surgery in 2004. He also just so happens to be the single greatest expert on shoulders in baseball. It’s no knock on Paletta at all. In fact, Paletta suggested Yocum do it.
As to the rest, the club will not dump salary mid-season. Tony would have a cow.
IIRC, Duncan batted 2nd in the order a lot in 2006 and 2007, so it would be no surprise if he returns there in 09.
It can be difficult to obtain sufficient value from trading a significant player at mid-season when he will become a free agent in just a couple of months. For instance, though they dangled him in the trade market last July, the Rockies could not trade Brian Fuentes, but just waited to harvest draft picks after he signed with the Angels this winter. The Indians showed it can be done when they traded CC Sabathia, so it cannot be ruled out as a mid-season possibility. Right now, Mo is giving July trade strategies zero thought.
He is instead focused on getting out of the gate. Ankiel, Duncan, and the mature rookies Freese and Motte will all be important ponies in the race ahead.
Freese will be the most significant baseball product out of Meramec Community College since T J Matthews. Via trade, TJ contributed to bringing aboard Mark McGwire.
The Cardinals will not dump salary mid-season because they are expected to be in contention, as they always are. This is a very simple concept, proven every year in the DeWitt – La Russa era. To suggest otherwise is totally unfounded and inherently assuming the 2009 season will be a disaster.
I updated the St. Louis-Memphis pitchers for the weekend in the main post above.
lets run an experiment. I’ll arrange some games starting next week. The justification for the trade or dump would be the modest success off Freeze. There’s a reasonable chance of that.
WC, you are really hung up on this Albert batting fourth idea. Given that every spot in the lineup bats about eighteen times less (162/9) than the spot in front of it, I don’t see the logic. Why would you want to take the bat out of Albert’s hands eighteen more times?
Even batting fourth, opposing teams are going to pitch around him whenever possible. If you don’t think so, look at the all-time leaders in walk. Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams rank 1-3-4. What do they have in common? They were undeniably the best hitter in the game during their era. Albert Pujols now wears that crown and will be treated accordingly. Get used to it.
By the way, number 2 on the all-time walks list is Rickey Henderson, he of the six inch strike zone.
One other thing Bonds, Ruth and Williams had in common; they all batted third for nearly their entire careers.
3rd is the catbird seat, no doubt. Cardinals do not have a lineup that will support him as a third batter. The way you characterize the 18+ at bats, sounds like your interested more in his personal statistics than team dynamics. Tony playing with Greene as 4th is a pretty negative statement on his appraisal of Duncan or Ludwick’s state of mind. In the end, if Albert excepts the walks, someone will have to step up. Pitching around the 4 hitter is asking for trouble, both in scoring and pitch counts.
“Mozeliak, Glaus, Yocum, Cardinals medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta, and head trainer Barry Weinberg are among those who will participate in the teleconference.”
A big public appraisal? This meeting had more to it than deciding a rehab course. Sound like the the insurance carriers were on hand. Someone is paying for Yocum’s time. This being done publicly is about something. There is organizational posturing going on for a reason. What benifit can you see in this posture? I’m just watching, not being a Glaus fan anyway. He is just another player that can’t hit 4th.
One way to look at it, you can’t accuse them of stringing anyone along about his return time. They collect money against his Salary for two months and then go from there.
WC, why is pitching around the 4 hitter any different than pitching around the 3 hitter? The number one hitter doesn’t lead off every inning. What TLR has done with batting the pitcher eighth gets the desired idea of Albert batting cleanup with three everyday hitters in front of him after the first inning. Besides, the guy that bats behind Albert is going to feel pressure. Period.
As for the extra 18 AB’s, I’m not sure what I written that suggests I’m interested more in his personal stats. Each spot in the lineup figures to make the last out of a game about eighteen times a season. If Albert hits fourth, that means the Cardinals best hitter bats about eighteen times less than he would if he batted third. That’s three times a month.
It seems to me no matter where you place Albert, he’s going to be pitched around. He will ACCEPT the walks because swinging at pitches out of the zone will decrease his value. Ludwick had more than 300 plate appearances last year in the 4 hole with a line of .295/.369/.587. Not many teams had better numbers out of that spot than what Ryan did. Of course, if they release him before opening day, he won’t have a chance to replicate that, will he?
WC – what is their motive? To try to stave off public uproar about one more bad medical decision and timetable.
WC – Do you know for a fact that they have insurance on Glauss? That it covers his shoulder since he’s had trouble with that before? That there isn’t a 60 or 90 day waiting period before they can collect?
Brian – normally I’d agree with you on this as the history shows the Cards are almost never sellers but this seems to be a different environment.
Guys, the likelihood that the Cardinals dump salary at the deadline is remote. Remember the dominos: Front office gives up => LaRussa leaves => Pujols leaves. The perception that the club is a “quitter” is not one either of the two future Hall-of-Famers will accept. Besides, the only salary available for dumping is Glaus, and he has a NT clause.
1) Does it feel to you like there has been a public uproar? Why not? There might be, if they are planning to scapegoat a slow start on his absence. Stave off? Stave on? Posturing?
2) I know that BD has an insurance fetish. I know that Troy probably was insured in Toronto and that his policy providers would have been happy that he was headed for grass. The question is, you pay a 1000 dollars for a half hour with Yocum in a teleconference for what reason? Was Troys agent present? The need for surgery and the resulting timetable for recovery in relationship to his contractual obligations, would be of great importance to the insurance provider for legal reasons. The timetable for payouts is relative eventually, to the time he missed I would think. There would be complications here on an 11 million dollar policy. I personally don’t need to know the answers here. I am watching with interest. I’m not a Glaus fan. I’d rather watch the kids play.
3) I agree completely.
It feels like you could be open to answering those questions yourself. Anyway. First time through the line up is crucial in so many ways. Attacking a starter’s pitch count early and applying pressure to the bull pen in a series is huge. The mental aspect is huge for his team mates, being able to play to their leaders advantage. Being able to be more active in the at bats of players like Ankiel and Rasmus with hit and runs etc;. Rasmus can steal bases. Pitching around the 4th hitter in the first makes for a long inning, or at least a runner in scoring position. Pitching around him as a lead off often yields that huge advantage. This isn’t even mentioning the combinations of two or three on in front. We need to make it harder for teams to play around him, easier for us to run plays in front of him. Tony knows you place your best hitter 3rd. He has been campaigning for a player strong enough to protect him since I’ve been hanging around. The solution is to move him for the benefit of the team. That fact that of all the permutations Tony has used, Albert hitting 4th isn’t one of them. Is that a protest against against management? Does he know that Albert goes mental as the clean up? Or worse both of them. Would he lose the platooning logic and privileges he likes so much if the experiment was successful and Albert was then unhappy? With this team, it is the obvious solution. Its got to be a protest against BD’s choking off the cash. All the points you made are valid. Can you say 4th place.
I think I did answer those questions myself. You’re absolutely right that the first time through the lineup is crucial and I would add that the first inning is crucial. That’s why you bat your best hitter third, so he’s guaranteed an AB in the first inning.
You’re also suggesting that we hit and run or steal with the guys ahead of Pujols. Last year, Albert had 87 PA’s with runners on and first base open. He was walked 42 times and hit twice. So, more than half the time, he wasn’t pitched to. Yet, you are advocating strategies that would likely have him coming to bat even more often under those circumstances. By the way, 34 of the 42 walks were officially call intentional.
I realize that TLR has been campaigning for a stronger bat but I would refer you back to my earlier line about Ludwick’s performance in the four hole. Those numbers fall right in the middle of the career lines of Alex Rodriguz and David Ortiz.
Please don’t ruin a decent discussion with the protest against management garbage or choking of cash. We know your position on these subjects and until they actually take place, you are unlikely to convince anybody here of their existence.
Are you predicting a fourth place finish? I’m not. I see this team as one that could challenge for the division title. We’ll see, starting Monday.
Dizzy, you need an opponent of some kind. It not me. I know that he is choking money. I know why. I don’t care. If Ludwick stands up, let it be. Soon I hope. 4th place is what your strategy earned last year. You need to realize the psychological damage this is all having on Albert. He will be informing you of this soon enough I think. I’m happy that your happy with your statistical imagery. I like the game at conception, the human drama. It feels like you went on a vacation but could take your eyes off your GP devise to enjoy the scenery. In the end, if I found that your estimations were best, I would embrace them…………………………. I am not lost here.
Alls well that ends well. After Westie verifies that Dizzy’s “estimations” are best, he promises to “embrace them.” No one is lost at all.
For an encore, WC understands all about DeWitt’s moola issues. Everything seems hunky-dory.
Let the season begin!!
So MY strategy is what got us fourth place, despite 86 wins, tied for fifth most in the NL? Izzy’s ineffectiveness, Carp’s absence, injuries to Duncan and Ankiel had nothing to do with it? OK, fine by me.
I am glad to see that you can actually write a paragraph in English, with about 98% of it correct. All that journalism schooling wasn’t wasted.
I dunno. I’m moderately hopeful for the Cards’ chances in the NL Central, at least.
I forgive you Dizzy Dean 17. I hope everyone can be fulfilled. I hope we win the pennant and they do it just like you like with Albert overcoming the existential angst of Godhood, finally not having to go to the plate at all, or wc finally writing a real paragraph instead of these endless sentences.
By the way, check out Gordon’s column today. The team propagandist. His purpose in shaping the dialog certainly serves someones purpose. Goodness gracious, contempt for big contracts, bad Troy collecting you ticket money in AZ. Big contracts are bad. Sounds like a portent to me. Don’t say I told you so. Say it was Jumbo.