St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols now says he wants to get a new contract done before the 2011 season begins.
Having been in Arizona watching prospects for the last week meant I did not remain current on all the Twittery regarding the St. Louis Cardinals. In catching up on Monday morning, a late-week exchange between MLB Cardinals beat writer Matthew Leach and several other media members regarding Albert Pujols’ public remarks caught my eye.
The flashpoint was Pujols’ Dominican Republic interview last Thursday.
There was at least one time in the past when Pujols’ translated remarks from a similar interview were disputed by the player and/or his representatives. That was in 2006 when Pujols was widely quoted as saying the league’s Most Valuable Player should come from a playoff team, remarks considered to have been critical of the Phillies’ Ryan Howard.
As such, Leach checked with the Pujols camp about the new comments from Thursday and gained assurance that the first baseman’s words were accurate.
Among Pujols’ comments:
“I hope that before the season begins I get an extension.”
Pujols said he wants to spend the rest of his career with the Cardinals, “but that is something that I cannot control.”
Regarding the timeline, Leach stated at least twice that he considers this “a change from his (Pujols’) tone last winter, which essentially was, ‘When and if it happens, that’s cool.’”
Though I would call it more a refinement in tactic rather than a change in tone, Leach makes a good point.
Prior to this past week, Pujols had granted a number of interviews over time during which he consistently expressed a desire to be a career-long Cardinal. At least once, during January’s Winter Warm-Up, Pujols even mentioned the possibility of a “discount,” but specific time frames had been avoided – with one exception.
Once the 2009-10 off-season ended and spring training began, Pujols shut off all contract discussion, internally and especially externally. This approach makes a lot of sense, especially for a player whose intensity and focus on the game is well-documented.
Fast forwarding to today, the “discount” concept could be history and Pujols’ recent words were intended to put pressure on the Cardinals to come forward with a specific offer. Even if so, the end result would be good for everyone.
The sooner the specifics can be put on the table and a deal hammered out between the player and the organization, the better. And if the two sides can’t see eye-to-eye, they have more time to prepare for the life after, whatever that might entail.
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Brian wrote, “Pujols said he wants to spend the rest of his career with the Cardinals, “but that is something that I cannot control.”
Meaning give me my 30 mil a year over 7 years or I’m not gonna be able to control how far I have to move from St. Louis.
The discount talk was obviously thrown out there in order to cause the Cardinals to think they had time and there was no rush to push Albert on a new contract. This was a mistake imo that allowed Albert to grab hold to a real strong negotiating position.
Now a 10/5 player Albert holds all the cards
As far as I’m concerned Pujols can take his “something I can’t control comments” and shove them up his greedy behind on the way to Boston.
If you want to be the highest paid player in the game I have no problem with that (though I might not pay it to you if I’m BD) but be a man and take responsibility for your decisions.
stl needs to have their best offer on the table this offseason in an effort to know whether it will be accepted or not. that knowledge could change the FO approach from opening day onward, a full 180 degrees.
if we don’t contend, will AP accept a trade to a contender and allow stl to restock as much as possible at the deadline? if he plans on chasing the $, he’ll probably allow for chasing a ring in 2011 also.
if we do contend, should stl target deadline players who have long term salary commitments, as a last hurrah w/albert knowing his salary doesn’t limit future budgets?
or target short term rentals, because he has been extended?
if stl doesn’t know their position w/albert, their decisions for the season are limited, to a budget that doesn’t know whether to include AP or not in 2012. that could affect dozens and dozens of decisions in a negative manner.
Brian……………………. what chance do you think there is ……….that Lozano doesn’t have a blackout on AP…………..save for these timed release postural designations……….that would be a big 0%…..This is big money time……….Lozano will have a staffed war room, at least (2/3) doing nothing more than watching this situation. They will be reading this blog (high fellas)……..
Pagnozzi release was about way more than offing a minor league lifer………. signal flare………
Fact is Molina is a great defensive catcher, great with the rotation…………other than than, he is very vulnerable………… Is this an invitation to a retiring brother…a friend in case you lose a friend….is that good? How about a real hitter? How long would that take till Molina was the object of the TLR double switch? Or to have somebody with an ego (not LaRue) raising the bar on your “jog to first” DP efforts…………Are they filling that spot early, before the AP talks? or after……. the catch, Molina likes his privileges. He likes to hit 6th……….Tony knows that makes him feel good………how would he feel if someone was taking a little playing time……….not just occasional rest?
Everything the Cardinals do at this point is focused on appearance…….more than usual? Who Knows……………… that includes doing nothing……..or stalling…..just below public perception……
All effecting the AP negotiation……….. this is about MLB politics and precedent…….
BD is a leader and activist…………….. He either knows the outcome, thus herding AP toward a designated trade partner…………or into a colluded market………..or he has measured his losses, and like the Brazilian, will let go of AP , playing the victim of greed and bad luck…….as predicted 18 months ago…………
Only Westie could construct the Pags release into a strategic step in the AP negotiations. You should listen to your friend — it was inconsequential.
Yes, Westie over the last 18 months you’ve predicted that they will let AP walk. You have also predicted the fix is in for him to sign in STL And I predict you will be right one way or another and will be sure to let everyone know.
Shut up (edited)……………. or I will squash you again…………..
Which leads me to another observation, the people who succeed in business always remember that they are not just managers but also are doers. It seems to me that those who just manage and do not get their hands dirty eventually get replaced.
I can tell you from personal experience Rupert Murdoch, the chairman and largest stockholder of the company I work for, does not just manage. Here is a man with businesses throughout the world, spearheading one of the largest communication companies in existence, and who makes sure he does his homework and understands where the strengths of his assets are.
I remember once in a big budget presentation going through the following years’ projections before all the News Corp senior management, and Rupert interrupts to ask what kind of team the Dallas Cowboys were going to have that next year. Trust me, this was not a question asked lightly by a fan well-versed in NFL football. This was a very pointed question. If the Cowboys are good, the TV ratings are much better and, therefore, revenue is much stronger and, therefore, maybe our projections were too low. Of course, he was right.
Then there is the final ingredient that separates the great business person from the good ones: that passion and the willingness to make the big bet. To see the bigger picture, come up with a strategy to paint the picture, and to find the right people to take up the brushes and fill in the canvas.
In the case of FOX, the big picture was to launch a new fourth broadcast network to compete with the big three, CBS, ABC, and NBC. The most important strategic move to build the network was to make an incredible bet by buying the rights to the NFC package for the NFL in early 1993. At the time Fox paid $1.6 billion, roughly $600 million more than anyone had ever paid. The effect was immediate. Fox was able to instantly trade weaker uhf stations for much stronger stations in some markets, increase the reach of our network from 92 percent of the country to 100 percent, and greatly increase the value of all the stations owned by Fox in NFC markets such as New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia, and St. Louis.
The interesting question posed here……………what is the number in the Cardinals private broadcast rights with Fox Midwest???????? Maybe its not, will Fox help cover AP with a contract renegotiation????, …………. maybe they have been circulating “capital” in these contracts all along……….. Rangers weren’t worth twice as much………… but Fox bleeding losses to the Rangers and writing it off, was a convenient way for RM to movie off shore capital on shore………..maybe he’s been doing that for BD for a while…………. (this is not Def-Con 1) sounds interesting though doesn’t it…….. anybody know the numbers for ST. Louis???????
again? That’s funny.
Attribution (lacking) for post #5….
http://apps.olin.wustl.edu/discovery/feature.cfm?sid=542&i=25&pg=8
That’s post 6 Tex…………….. see if you can find any obscure references to Fox/Cardinal numbers. You can key word it seems…………. gotta be somewhere…………
So Westie is either Larry Jones or he continues to plagiarize without attribution and possibly misrepresents the experiences of others for his own personal experiences. I wonder which it is? She we call Westie “Larry” ? I doubt it. This owuld be funny if it wasn’t sad.
I don’t recall Albert ever uttering the phrase ‘discount’. But I do recall him saying, before the 2009 season, (paraphrasing) that money wasn’t his key objective, winning was. We don’t hear him saying that now, so I think Brian is right to question if Albert’s public position has changed.
Brazilian, either go back to scout………..or I’m going to suspend my activities here……….. You can’t have it both ways Brian………. I’ve shown you twice what that looks like. Deal with it.
To all: Stop the name calling, profanity and threats.
When posting content from other sites, always include the link to the source. This has been listed among the rules here from the very start and is standard protocol on any site, not just this one. If you have trouble with any link, just copy it into your post and I will help you make it live.
I will announce my own blog elsewhere shortly………….. not so smart for a business man Brian. I wish everyone well.
Good-bye, Westie…………….No doubt your ……………………..blog will …………………………….be very……………….popu……………….lar!
Carioca, are you trying to say Jerry Jones? Or Moe, Curly, and Larry Howard?
No, Larry Jones was the guy Westie quoted w/o attribution.
As regards Pujols, I don’t think his quote says anything new. Everything is phony right now. MLB and the Union do not want a negotiation this winter, because they want the Big Deal of Albert in free agency next winter.
Albert knows the stock line its not under his control. This is probably true. MLB and the Union want him to wait.
Mo and DeWitt will make some kind of vague offer this winter. Albert will say its not really in his control. The big excitement will be next winter, when the bids will fly fast and furious and DeWitt will get down on his knees and beg King Albert to return.
I didn’t think Rupert Murdoch needed a guitarist.
Quite an interesting article discussing each NL Central team.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/tim_marchman/11/05/nl.central.hot.stove.forecast/index.html
The writer thinks the Reds are poised to dominate the division and says Walt has targeted Westbrook. The capsule on the Cards is spot-on, and rather amusing a couple of times.
bb, thanks for sharing. I think the SI author is making up the targets and if so, it is very misleading. I have not seen anywhere else that the Cards are targeting Wood, Sheets and Webb or that Jocketty has targeted Westbrook for that matter. It seems a fairly basic analysis to me…
I wouldn’t think Mo is looking at Wood, Sheets, Webb in particular, but I wouldn’t be surprised about Westbrook. Fresh off of DD’s staff would appeal to Walt.
Anybody have an idea what the Mets are up to with all the moneyball guys in the front office. Alderson, then Ricciardi, now DePodesta. Who’s next, Billy?
Poor Westy-the trials and tribulations of a self proclaimed smartest guy in the room.
My god, that is an awful analysis. Truly awful. Who is Tim Marchman?
P.s. Is Westie really gone?
Is it my birthday?
“Poor Westy-the trials and tribulations of a self proclaimed smartest guy in the room.”
Correction:
‘Poor Westy-the trials and tribulations of a self proclaimed smartest guy in the mental hospital.’.
Brian, how do you deal with this crowd? I can’t say this is the worst I’ve ever seen, but it ranks right up there. WC has left I don’t know how many times and then come back. CC and WC are like a married couple going through a divorce.
If Albert wants to stay with the Cardinals he will stay. If he just wants to be the highest paid player in MLB then he will go. Seems pretty simple to me.
crdswmn, in running a blog, it seems a fine line between encouraging participation from differing viewpoints and refereeing squabbles. I wish anyone well in managing their own blog. I really do. If they get a lot of eyes on their content, they will find out soon enough that valuable time is drained away from writing and insightful commenting because of the need to deal with misbehaving posters. I have tried to make this a welcoming place with few rules other than what I consider to be common sense items anyway, but if that is still too restrictive for some, then so be it.
Cardinals baseball discussion, anyone?
This is cardinals baseball discussion Brian………on steroids, complete with the dick measuring and roid rage that go along with it.
Brian, do you think Westbrook is off the table for the Cardinals? If so, then the 2011 starting rotations will be Carp, Waino. Garcia, Lohse and ? McClellan? Or will the Cards pick up a starter on FA or trade? We really need a lefty reliever. Who is available that would fit the Cards? Mo says an up grade at 2B or SS is a priority. I am in the the camp that believes that Ryan should be our starting SS. Getting a good 2B to replace Skip and putting Skip back in the outfield seems the wise move. A backup for Freese would also be wise, budget allowing.
How’s that for basebal discussion?
I have no dick to measure, RC so leave me out of it.
Brian-FWIW this is a damn good site and well worth the cost.Many greatfans and quite a bit of great information.IMO not everybody sees a worldwide calamity or conspiracy behind everything that happens.Like Crdswnn says………what happens happens.The sun will come up tomorrow and everybody here will still be a Cards fan.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the nice comment, Bw52. Of course, it wouldn’t take much for this blog to be worth its cost to the reader since it is free! Instead, if you were referring to subscribing to the main site, that is especially appreciated. Covering the Cards as a full-time vocation without being on the regular payroll of a major media entity means cash flow is an ongoing challenge.
I’m not Brian, but I will take a stab at that with my thoughts.
I believe the cardinals want to sign Westbrook, but the Lilly signing upped the price in Westbrooks eyes. So now Westbrook will entertain any and all offers in hopes of making more money. Its like we stated earlier, its not like the Cardinals are a World series contending team that Westbrook will be joining. He has witnesssed this finely tuned engine from up close so he knows whats available in St. Louis.
On your second question, it seems to me that the Cardinals may agree to place McClellan in the rotation to save more money. The only surplus available in the cardinals organization would be the relievers so they could replace McClellan from within without much drop off imo. There are some innings eaters that are out there that may be reasonable but they most likely won’t be much better than Mac could be.
I am in the camp that believes that if Skip is on this team he will be playing …….alot. If a 2b is found and Skip is moves from that spot and into the OF, there is a good chance he is starting somewhere. Orlando would be an upgrade at 2B as was brought up by Easton in a previous post. The only way to upgrade at SS would be to trade somebody imo.
A backup for Freese would be a good move but that brings us back to trying to figure out Albert and how much he wants to stay in St. Louis.
Not a good time to be Mo in my mind. The only good choices seem to be tough choices and its hard to pull the trigger on those toughies.
Any sports media entity would be lucky to have you. You talk more sense than any of the sports talking heads I’ve had the misfortune of being exposed to. (though I do like Rick Horton).
Ref #30, crdswmn, I have no inside info on Westbrook. However, if I was him, I would look high and low for a minimum three-year deal. He is 33 years old and may not have another chance for a decent payday. The Ted Lilly contract in Los Angeles (3 years/$33 million) may have heightened expectations of all free agent pitchers across MLB. I predict that when all is said and done, Westbrook will leave.
Edit: I agree with most of RC’s comments on the rest of the roster challenges. I would only add that if KMac enters the rotation, it thins out the reliever trade pool.
What kind of package would it take to get Stephen Drew from AZ?
Boggs,Brendan Ryan and Motte?
Bryan Anderson,Brendan Ryan,Mitch Boggs?
Matt Carpenter,Boggs,Brendan Ryan?
Brian wrote, “The Ted Lilly contract in Los Angeles (3 years/$33 million) may have heightened expectations of all free agent pitchers across MLB. I predict that when all is said and done, Westbrook will leave.”
I agree, This will be Westbrooks last hurrah most likely, as far as contracts go, so he had better make as much as he can. Like has been written, if he was up in years and wanted to try to make a World Series you could see him taking less money to sign with some team. But the Cardinals are far from a World Series shoe in as they are currently constructed so no reason to take less money to possibly finish in second place in the Central for the cardinals.
He may take less money to sign on to be part of the TLR second place in all time managing wins tour.
Or he may agree to less money just to be on the team and be able to watch Albert rack up HOF numbers year in and year out. You never know.
Count me as one person who doesn’t want McClellan in the rotation.
I’d rather have Walters in that spot – with McClellan, Motte, and/or Boggs used as trade bait, if need be.
BW wrote, “What kind of package would it take to get Stephen Drew from AZ?
Boggs,Brendan Ryan and Motte?”
You just may be able to pry him away for this package.
I agree wit the Westbrook assessment, unfortunately. I was hoping for a deal to be made but knew it would be a long shot.
BW–I wouldn’t mind parting with Anderson, but the others, no way. Brendan Ryan has too much defensive talent and the ability to bounce back from his offensive woes. And why trade off our two potential closers? I don’t think Drew is worth the price you are willing to pay. We could get Orlando Hudson without sacrificing so much.
Crdswnn
Drew`s defense is a bit less than Ryan.Drews offense is way better than Ryan.Its a pick your poison situation.Cards have a multitude of potential RH releivers.That is one area Cards have a bunch of.
Well, my “poison’ as you put it is Brendan Ryan, hands down. Drew’s offense was better than Ryan’s in 2010. No argument. I think Brendan will make adjustments in the offseason and will come back a better offensive player.
Easton, why don’t you want to see McClellan in the rotation? You worry that he would be overexposed?
I wouldn’t trade away Stephen Drew for a couple of relievers and a shortstop who may no longer know how to hit…
crdswmn– i’ve wanted mcclellan in the rotation since ST. and then again, when lohse/penny went down the same week. and also thought we shot ourselves in the foot, w/the jake/ludwick trade.
so again, kyle to the rotation. flip skip for a similar salaried reliever. anderson as yadi’s backup.
with the available offseason funds, address 3B, 2B, loogy and SS, in that order. if 3B and 2B are legit offensive players (and we should have 15mil+ to spend) i’m fine with brendan at SS.
i can not look at freese as a starter, he’s burnt that bridge with me.
I don’t see SS as a priority for 2011. If Ryan screws the pooch again in 2011, then we need to reevaluate.
I am not as high on Anderson as backup as everybody else. Hill or Cruz, or a FA who is affordable.
Since Mo has said he prefers the trade route for improving the offense or 2B etc; who is a viable trade option?
Stephen Drew SS
Kelly Johnson 2B
Omar Infante 2B
Who has a young speedy 2B and are willing to trade?
Nutlaw,
Yes, overexposed. His stuff seems to fall off if used regularly. He has lots of pitches but only one is above average out of the pen..and even that is non consistent. In the rotation, when all pitches dial back a notch, I’d be a little worried.
Plus, I prefer other options better.
And I think he, Boggs, and Motte would be our most realistic trading chips.
Similarly, BIP, I am not sure I would trade for a reliever – unless left-handed. We need right-handed relievers about as much as first basemen, left fielders, and center fielders.
If, with our money available, I could sign/acquire TWO of a mid-rotation starter, a third baseman, and a second baseman (plus sign/acquire a LOOGY), I am pretty sure I would leave third base unfilled – but it depends entirely on the players (and contracts, etc.).
Now…if the medicals appeared okay…what if you used that $15MM to bring in Hudson, Uribe, and Brad Penny?
Interested?
One guy I would like Mo to get would be Brandon Wood. He has the innate ability to be a good 3Bman. He needs a change of scenery from LA and is down on himself.
A problem is some other teams would also like to see if Wood can get his confidence and composure back, in their uniform. It might be hard to land Wood. The more possibilities we can recruit for 3B, the better.
crdswmn, I am proposing you either be banned to Westie’s blog or to arguing with Jumbo for 72 hours for insults to others. Implying that I could be married to Westie (even in a fantasy world) is the most insulting thing anyone has ever said to me
714– hudson and uribe, fine by me. one year w/an option helps us with a mending freese, and getting to matt carpenter and cox. i’d view uribe as a 3B with the hope freese pushes him to SS. craig deserves his shot in RF with JJ as the 4th OF.
pass on penny. adam, carp, jaime, kyle and kyle will get us to the deadline contending, if we add the two bats. my biggest concern is will lohse hold up? lynn doesn’t get much hype here, but i think he could help if lohse goes down after a dozen starts.
skip for a loogy? fine. i robbed mcclellan from the pen to the rotation, and reyes is a goner. skip for a reliever helps address that. skip has to come off the roster, to save tony from himself.
if the org is going to be able to afford to keep a solid lineup intact, seems we must commit to mcclellan, lynn, miller types so we can afford to wave goodbye to chris carpenter type salaries. jaime didn’t disappoint, and i don’t expect mcclellan to.
Sorry CC but that is the way both of you sound.
The imagery was meant to invoke a simile not a literalism. The two of you feed off each other and frankly it is not helpful in maintaining an optimum blogging atmosphere. We can disagree, but name calling and insults are distracting and IMO boring. All opinions should be respected no matter how out there they may seem to some.
Well put, crdswmn. Now, back to our regularly-scheduled program…
Yeah. The discussions have been good lately, but they would be much better without all of the insults thrown in. We can have differing opinions yet still respect one another.
I’m more than open to changing my behavior if one wants to show me where I have insulted anyone in the last 2-3 months. Prior to that, I only fired back and as bad as it got was saying that Westie should be washing the team jock straps.
crdswm, you seem to not have liked the last few exchanges but what did I talk about that wasn’t a direct rebuttal to a (weak) argument made by another poster? Is not responding to someone’s argument’s and posting fair game? There were no insults in there (by me).
I’m sorry Westie is gone. And that is not because I dont have him to argue with. I think hidden in all the rantings and coded messages there is a lot worthwhile there. However when they hide logical argument they only confuse the issues and add no positive value. Most people respond to someone questioning their argument with more evidence or a clarification of the evidence presented. All Westie would provide is more ………. .
There’s a lot of taunting involved, CC. If you look back at your posts made over the past four or five days, you can probably find quite a few that were meant solely to rile up WC. It’s a shame that that sort of thing can distract from the insightful commentary you add to these discussions.
Thank you Nut. That is what I meant.
Nobody should be overly sensitive to anything written on the internet. The jabs and information are all part of the fun experience.
RCW, its good not to be excited or strident, too. I happen to be inured to it, but this blog has a better mood than some others and it would be nice to preserve this characteristic.
I thought of some more southpaws. John Curtis was signed from amateur ranks by the BoSox, traded to the Cards and was a starting pitcher here in the mid-1970s. The Sox also signed John Tudor, who had some brilliantly effective years for the Cards in the late 1980s. Tudor had to have had one of the best winning percentages in team history. And the Sox had Bobby Ojeda too in the 1980s, three guys who learned to pitch at Fenway by keeping the ball away and spinning offspeed pitches to strong righthanded hitters who want to pull.
Two more words: Rick Ankiel. Power arm, fantastic ascent, then lost confidence and had an arm injury. Ankiel had brilliant talent as a pitcher, but brilliant talent can be a curse. Soft tossers like Curtis, Tudor, and Ojeda had much longer ML careers as pitchers. Not everyone is a Koufax, Sam McDowell, Herb Score, or CC Sabathia. They are unusual guys. Most Ml teams will also have use for some less brilliant pitchers to eat all the innings that must be pitched.
I think the point everybody is trying to make to you Jumbo is that Addition may very well pitch in the Big Leagues one day but today he is really nothing more than a tall soft tossing lefty. There is no arguing that the Cardinals don’t have many left handers of note in their farm system which puts Nick closer to the top, not because of his stuff but because of the lack of competition in the system. Nick probably couldn’t carry the equipment in the Braves system but their system is stacked with arms, and in their top 20… 86 mph couldn’t get you a spot throwing BP.
But today there couldn’t be very many teams that would take a chance on a soft tossing lefty in the rule 5 draft……and that being the case, there is no need to protect him.
whew…….there it is Jumbo.
But I’m willing to give you that he may very well be a prospect one day and may very well pitch in St. Louis. He could be like the Rookie, where the guy came back as a mid to late 30′s pitcher throwing 98. Anything can happen, I may very well win the lottery tomorrow or walk out the back door and break my leg. But the odds are that he is what he is and will ever be.
I believe I speak for at least a few people in saying there is no need to research the historical documents searching for those other few diamonds in the rough.
Yes. Good summation, RC.
RC, the point I am trying to make is that the Cards may protect Additon this fall. They also may not. He is worth considering. Its up to Mo.
Some fans like to be negative about their team or about the potential of minor league players. Its just the way some choose to be. I occastionally contribute a bit of balance, amid the gloom.
John Curtis, Dave LaPoint, John Tudor. Glad to recall their names.
Are we sure Additon is eligible for the rule 5 draft?
The fur was flying around here. The occasional eye gouge and groin kick are all part of the fun.
I have run into an interesting rumor. It goes like this. Shortly, very shortly, before the Luddy trade, he and Albert had an altercation which involved a physical aspect. I first heard it from a long time acquaintance whose close family member is an MLB umpire. This was last Oct. 10th, when we ran into each other at a local sports themed establishment while toasting Bill Wambsganss. I didn’t bite at the time. Today, I spoke to my brother who is in Phoenix for some AFL action. He ran into a mutual acquaintance who has been in or around the game for decades, and this fellow told the same tale. He added that the incident did not go over well at all in the clubhouse or front office.
If there is anything to it, which I have no idea, its been kept burried deep. It would explain some things though. The trade itself. The team flat-lining. Change of attitudes.
I want to make clear that I am not vouching for the info, its just an interesting story that has me scratching my head, so I thought I’d tell it.
Jumbo, don’t forget about Steve Kline, one of my favorites. A colorful character.
For all you Pete Kozma bashers out there……………….During 2009, in the FSL and at AA, SS Starlin Castro racked up 39 errors. This must have so impressed the Cubs, they were in a big rush to install Starlin at Wrigley during 2010, inducing Sweet Lou to head home to Tampa.
During 2010, Kozma made only 34 errors for Springfield. Lets see how many Pete can make for Memphis during 2011. If he can up the error count to 39, Kozma will be ML ready.
Jumbo, I don’t know from where you hail, but I am guessing you spent some time in Washington, known as the cherry picking capital of the USA!
Bling, good point about Kline.
Do you recall Steve was a starting pitcher at AA? How did he do, you ask? The year was 1996, the place Akron. OH. In 146 IP, Steve had a WHIP of 1.52 and K’d 6.57 per 9 innings, ERA of 5.46.
How does Additon compare? Nick threw 150 IP, had a lower WHIP and ERA, and about the same K rate, while a year younger.
Kline was better on HRs allowed, 16 versus 22.
Head to head with Kline, I can’t help but notice Nick compares favorably to Steve, who went on to make 795 ML appearances.
Go Nick. God Bless.
Brian, I live near the State of Michigan, which produces the most cherries grown in the US. Moisture rising off Lake Michigan provides precipitation conducive to growing fruits in western Michigan. Travere City calls itself the cherry capital of the US. Cherries must like cool weather, for the State of Washington also produces cherries.
You may be suggesting our Nation’s capitol, where Japanese cherry trees blossom in April. General Washington’s biographer Parson Weems reported about young George, a cherry tree, and not telling lie; ironically, this account was a lie made up by the good Parson. As Pierre L’Enfant used to say, c’est la vie.
When Kline went down during the NLCS it was the beginning of the end in 2004. The finger had been injured previously and he came back late in the season but was not himself, then he went down for good. He was never the same from there on out. I think that left Ray King the only loogey. Kline had a superb sinker, and was lights out against righties, which would have come in handy at Fenway.
“Some fans like to be negative about their team or about the potential of minor league players. Its just the way some choose to be.”
Again with this garbage? You are right. Everyone else is wrong. Yada yada yada.
Sharing the opinion of every person in the free world not named JumboShrimp on the internet does not automatically make one negative.
Objectivity is okay, I promise. Try it sometime. I like to think I am consistent in my evaluations of our prospects and I have a fairly respectable track record in that regard. Saying that I don’t think someone projects to the major leagues does not mean I am negative or otherwise hope he won’t succeed.
The Cardinals will not protect Additon. There is no reason to. Simple as that.
“For all you Pete Kozma bashers out there”
Sigh.
If someone disagrees with your rosy posy optimism, they hate the player. Got it. Check.
Bling wrote, “I have run into an interesting rumor. It goes like this. Shortly, very shortly, before the Luddy trade, he and Albert had an altercation which involved a physical aspect. I first heard it from a long time acquaintance whose close family member is an MLB umpire. This was last Oct. 10th, when we ran into each other at a local sports themed establishment while toasting Bill Wambsganss. I didn’t bite at the time. Today, I spoke to my brother who is in Phoenix for some AFL action. He ran into a mutual acquaintance who has been in or around the game for decades, and this fellow told the same tale. He added that the incident did not go over well at all in the clubhouse or front office. ”
Bling, ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Thats top secret classified information you are throwing around Bling. Alberts PR team will likely be sneaking up on your house tonight around midnight. Not only that but the Cardinals PR machine can’t have stuff like that flying around either……you know….ticket sales….3 million….$$$$$. Be on the lookout for men in suits and sunglasses with an earpiece.
For the record Pete Kozma is the kind of guy I would like to have on my high school team. I believe him to be a solid baseball player. Was he an overdraft? Most definately. Does that make him a bad player? No it doesn’t.
Pete is just not the high ceiling type of player. I’ve had a number of guys similar to him. I actually had a guy last year, Tyler Dial, who was a spot on match for Pete, he is at Auburn University this year. Tyler had a 92-94 mph arm, played shortstop, 6.8 runner, but what you see in terms of body is what you get. No projectability.
But I say good for Pete. Its not his fault that the Cardinals drafted him as high as they did. It is tough to be a prospect in this organization it seems, maybe because every fan now expects Albert Pujols to pop up after each draft. And unfortunately there may never be another Albert Pujols. But every highly rated cardinal prospect seems to have that AP ball and chain attached to him and it makes the going tough.
I believe every Cardinals fan hopes Pete ends up having a HOF career in St. Louis, and he very well may, but he is not progressing as fast as many fans would have hoped to this point.
But Jumbo, in regards to your shortstop comparison, Castro and Kozma are not similarly talented players. Castro had huge upside while making 39 errors, Pete is what he is. When you have a long way to go to reach your potential the errors are meaningless but if you have already reached your max in terms of ability, then those same errors are troublesome.
True, RC, but Jumbo does know that. He thinks they are the same because he found one number that was comparable.
Same with Additon and his comparison-of-the-hour.
He doesn’t understand the upside/stuff/skills angle, apparently.
I shudder to think what would happen if we started using a 5.50 ERA or 39 errors as the measure of good players. We would need to expand the 40-man roster by at least another 40 players. 80 man roster sound good?