Rarely if ever do I use this blog platform for the sole purpose of pointing to an article on the main The Cardinal Nation site, but today is a bit different.
Memphis reaching the playoffs on the final day of the 2010 minor league season put an exclamation point on a historically-good regular season for the St. Louis Cardinals organization, with the post-season still ahead for four clubs and one championship already won.
Having maintained a detailed database of the results across the Cardinals minor league system going back to at least 1966 allows me to put this season into a perspective that few others can – because the data does not readily exist in one place.
Please go and check out the full article, but here is the Cliff’s Notes version in three, quick points.
One has to go back 45 years, to 1966, to find a season in which the aggregate won-loss percentage of the Cardinals minor league system was better than its 2010 mark of .569.
With five teams in the playoffs this year, the Cardinals have the most clubs active following the regular season since at least 1966.
Not since at least 1966 have the Cardinals seen more than two of their affiliates win their respective leagues. In 2010, the Cards already have one championship on the books and four more opportunities still to be played out.
Those who bash the Cardinals system will point out that the relative dearth of high-impact prospects, but in a way, doesn’t that make these winning baseball teams all the more extraordinary?
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Lineup: Lopez 2b Jay RF Pujols 1B Holliday LF Molina C Rasmus CF Feliz 3B Greene SS Lohse P
And congrats to the Baby Birds!
Good to see Greene again. Hard to argue rewarding a salami so Yadi fifth. Flip leading off? Well, its not like anybody else has siezed the day in the leadoff spot.
I wonder if Albert has had that talk with Colby yet?
Q: I wonder if Albert has had that talk with Colby yet?
A: Ask WestCoast
It is surprising how much success the minor league teams are having since all we ever hear about in the mainstream press is that our system sucks and we have nothing anybody wants.
I take it there are a lot of good but not ready for prime time players in the pipeline. Hopefully, some of them will emerge. As I understand it, Mr. Dewitt hopes so too.
Yeah, I’m rather surprised by the Cardinals’ minor league success this year. I’m encouraged!
I’m also glad to see Greene back up with the major league team.
Was Jon Jay, as a minor leaguer, considered a “high-impact prospect”? It seems that the Cardinals’ farm is loaded with such unsung players. What is suggested by the fact that so many teams, from various levels of the system, are being so successful? I suspect that the farm will yield more “low-impact” prospects the calibre of Jon Jay.
Not a good start with Albert and Matt whiffing with Jay in scoring position. Niether one got pitched around.
Lohse has had some rough first innings I believe.
I hope this isn’t a blowout.
Just put Suppan in there.
He might have two or three good innings now, then if Tony leaves him in, trainwreck.
AP olay’s a drive………………………and Lohse is dog meat? He does suck though. Where’s the change up…………..why not bounce a breaking pitch on the plate 1/2…………….Molina is calling the game…….
His ball doesn’t move using Dave’s new set up………………. junk it..
We already have a train wreck.
All the hitters dig in hard against him. Even the pitcher.
I suggest our guys slide straight into the bag. Assuming we get somebody that far.
You have to admit that he is giving some pleasure to the
Brewers BB………………………..He is too stable, trying to create motion from finger pressure. He’s meat…………..they need to take him out…………..
In case your not watching the Brewers feed………….AP isn’t even present tonigt according to the closeups……………he didn’t care about the run…………only the dinger and rbi……..Holiday even worse.
Lopez looks sick at the plate…………
He’s not getting $10M to pleasure the Brewers. Ought to plunk a couple of them.
“In case your (sic) not watching the Brewers feed………….AP isn’t even present tonigt (sic) according to the closeups……………he didn’t care about the run…………only the dinger and rbi”
The condescending megalomaniac, based on his ability to read the thoughts of Albert Pujols, gives us an assessment of his character. Amazing!
Maybe Lohse does better with DD ejected.
At least it’s not boring. UmpYouSuck night.
Good idea BB. Lose with panache.
“Panache”! I love it! crdswmn is evidently a classy wordsmith!
Marty Mason needs to get ejected this inning.
Notice how everyone cut down their swings………….and it worked………….ya think……… Feliz is going to get a rest soon………….Greene will play some third.
I like bling’s attitude too. Lohse needs to not be a doormat. He needs to WIN. The Brewers arent going anywhere.
The Dave move was clearly a tactical one………..Lohse is following his plan………………Dave takes one to get his attention…………….more change ups works for me..
Lohse has niether velocity nor movement on the fastball. Curve is nothing special. I don’t understand why he isn’t getting clobbered. Keeping it on the edges I guess.
With Feliz at third and Lopez at second we have our ‘hands’ team in there Westy. Greene and Miles would be our ‘bats of thunder’ team.
Great………………….how about just bad weather team…………….. Lopez is busted…get him out.
Its getting hard to tell the fastballs from the changeups.
Very interesting to leave Kyle in this long. Russian roulette
Tony saw it coming and watched…………..not so good.
Balkin Bob is on a roll.
Lohse comes back after the humiliation………disgusted……… throws some nasty low stuff………..he is mental……………..
It could be worse.
Kyle Lohse is arguably improving…
5 innings 7 hits 0 walks and 4 earned runs – This game
5 innings 8 hits 5 walks and 8 earned runs – Last game
Lucroy read Molina’s book: It was a perfect throw!
holiday is looking in the whole way……………Molina misses the sign…………playoff caliber
With 8 K’s in 6 innings and allowing only 2 runs, Narveson has pitched a commanding game.
Braves getting shut out by the Pirates 5-0. The Braves and the Pads are folding like a chinese laundry.
Atlanta is getting worked by Pittsburgh again………….. that’s good. Colorado is holding Reds………but we are just fooling around……………
It is difficult to call Lohse a “loser”: The tag doesn’t stick upon a millionaire. Conversely, P.T. Barnum would surely estimate him to be a “winner” and the Cardinal front office to be the sucker.
Balkin Bob just ejected a fan.
If we had a few bats……….we should use them……….plenty of defensive help.
Stav was it as far as bats.
Schumaker was 1 for 3 when he was replaced by the over-used Lopez last night (who failed to get a hit). The over-used Lopez was rewarded by leading-off tonight and going 0 for 4. The poor Cardinal manager has been making himself look silly with such maneuvers the entire year.
Putting the best spin on it, I am thinking that Schumaker and Miles are injured.
Now 4-2 Rockies.
This is the first time that I have seen John Axeman and I am very impressed by the way that he challenged and overpowered Albert Pujols.
Molina’s looking for something to turn on………………………………… you must be kidding.
With Axford pitching perhaps part of next inning, this just may be the historic night of Hoffman’s 600th save. He is really the kind of closer that the Cardinals ought to have.
Hell’s bells!
If Hoffman shuts us down . . .
With an impressive base hit, Colby Rasmus is apparently oblivious and impervious to the moment.
I wouldn’t have been a bit surprised if Mo had gotten Hoffman.
I believe if Aaron Miles had started the game (at 2nd base and Lead Off), we would not be witnessing this moment.
The Brewers started a southpaw, Schumaker sat. Its not all that complicated. Schu is not good vs. lefties.
I am very happy for Trevor Hoffman and very sad for the Cardinals.
Nice job by Trevor. Nice career. I hope 57 got to see it.
If it’s any consolation for Cardinal fans, Joey Votto struckout twice and Scott Rolen struckout once tonight. It’s just a shame that the Cardinals can not captitalize on the prospect of a Cincinnati loss.
Ruh roh. Reds just scored a run.
The Reds played like they had nothing to lose tonight and they still had 3 more hits than the Cardinals and scored 1 more run than the Cardinals.
Reds officially lost.
Colby went 2-4. Can’t blame him.
Its ok to be 57…………………..57…………………..
I pull Lohse when he walks Weeks…………. Tony went out……….its no time for social work…….. This loss took the pressure off everyone…………………..
Lopez should be set down………………..
RC………….there is every indication that Pujols is going to tunnel from here on out………if Colby were to go “team” and ” average ” at all costs……….you can shut this thing off………..I would…….you can get to Atlanta a number of ways…………current course isn’t the good one………… marketability is a hard rock to polish once it gets scratched…………….everyone is selling it.
Tony defending Lohse as a target is interesting. He knows the waters I would guess. Dave took one for Lohse because KL is doing everything he asks. Mechanics and pitch selection especially. The Brewer’s have enough since to take reasonable swings in counts where predictability on location becomes apparent…………… McGee’s touch was good hitting on a perfect Dave location. Fielder turned a pretty well located pitch away. He kept the ball in the park…………………….
That said………… it appears that the extended rehab has given Lohse too much time to make Dave points…………. the stabilized wind up with is cross-plate characteristics has removed all movement from the ball. What little nastiness that remains is manufacture and unimportant. He is better than Soup………..and that is hardly a complement………..
Bottom line…………..Tony knows Lohse could become a target in the larger battle being that he is so closely representative of Dave and his input. Keep in mind as you watch that, how expensive that target really is. He knows that should he stay, there is another 10 million off the table in the player procurement business……………………..
Solutions are simple………… KL needs to look at some tape from a different period……. use both sides of the Rubber………..and start looking for the pitches he isn’t using…….that got him 40mill.
The positive side for Lohse is that he is likely to pitch another 5 yrs…………..and make a lot of money…………….but he needs to grow some hair in a number of locations.