Included in row order below are Allen Craig, Kyle McClellan, Kyle Lohse, David Freese, Carlos Beltran and Skip Schumaker.

The Cardinal Nation subscribers should check out on the main site where I loaded the comments from each of the above speakers. I did the same Saturday and Sunday as well. Over two dozen interviews are posted.

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Pictured in order by rows: John Mozeliak, John Vuch, Lance Lynn, Matt Carpenter, Tyler Greene, Zack Cox, Rafael Furcal, Adam Wainwright.

The Cardinal Nation subscribers should check out my article on the main site where I posted audio from each of the above and others. I expect to do the same for Sunday and Monday as well.

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I put a lot of thought into those selections and take them very seriously. As a result, they end up being solid choices, but conservative in nature, by definition hardly bold. In conjunction, I have been encouraged to take another run at the subject – from a much different perspective.

I would not call the following “predictions” as much as I might label them longer-shot, lower-importance (non-top five), but still interesting potential stories of 2012. I have no idea if none or all seven of the ideas detailed below will actually come to pass, but they each represent ideas that have been bouncing around my head.

Cox passes Adams

Coming off his superb 2011, during which he was named Texas League Player of the Year, Matt Adams is being viewed by some as the heir apparent to Lance Berkman at first base for 2013. While that may happen, I have an alternative thought.

What if Cox continues to hit in Triple-A and Adams slows down? David Freese seems locked at third for St. Louis and Daniel Descalso can cover as a reserve. Matt Carpenter may be a secondary competitor for a bench spot down the line as a third baseman or maybe even a corner outfielder.

So, where would Cox fit in St. Louis? How about a move to first base, where he, not Adams, could become the starter in 2013? An alternate scenario would be for Freese to take his questionable ankles over to first, but I remain skeptical that Cox’ defense at third will be satisfactory at the major league level.

The possibility also exists for either Cox or Adams to be traded, but if the race is close, Cox has a major league contract and a spot already on the 40-man roster. For that reason, under the right conditions, I could see him making his MLB debut ahead of the more-heralded Adams.

Miller forces his way into the bigs in 2012

Many observers see top prospect Shelby Miller’s name penciled into the Cardinals 2013 rotation as a replacement for either Kyle Lohse or Jake Westbrook. Here is how it might happen even sooner.

The identity of the team’s current unofficial sixth starter is unclear. Lance Lynn would perhaps be the most likely candidate, but it appears that he will go to camp with a good shot at holding down a relief spot in St. Louis.

My current projected Memphis rotation is uninspiring – Brandon Dickson, Nick Additon, Brian Broderick, Michael Blazek and Maikel Cleto. Then, there is Miller.

I can envision a scenario in which Miller pitches well in the first half for Memphis and if/when a second-half opening appears in St. Louis’ rotation, the 22-year-old receives the call. Would it be aggressive? Yes. Would I recommend it? Maybe not, but I could see it happening.

In recent years, the Cardinals have typically let young starters acclimate to the majors in a relief role before subjecting them to the pressures of starting. Then again, Miller isn’t a typical pitcher.

Motte becomes team’s oldest reliever

That title seemed more eye-catching and exciting than the original title, “Romero sleeps with the fishes.” The Cardinals’ second bullpen left-hander was with four organizations last summer and couldn’t make the major league roster of two of them.

I don’t have to go too far out on a limb to suggest a Brian Tallet-like year is ahead for the 35-year-old, one in which he is gone no later than mid-season. It could be sooner.

Where I might be reaching a bit more is to suggest the Cards may go with an in-house right-hander to replace Romero. This would depend on a bit of a rebound from Kyle McClellan, especially recovering his past ability to retire left-handed hitters.

As the opening day roster currently looks, there is not enough room for all the experienced relievers. One pitcher from the group of Eduardo Sanchez, Lance Lynn and Mitchell Boggs may have to go back down to Memphis – at least until there is an opening.

None of the non-Romero relievers on the roster have yet reached 30 years of age, but Motte is closest. A Romero departure would make Motte the grand old man of the pen – not counting 65-year-old bullpen coach Dyar Miller, that is.

Speaking of Motte…

Sanchez becomes closer

Anyone who has read my minor league writings over the past few years knows that I have been a big backer of Venezuelan right-hander Eduardo Sanchez. Unlike almost every other reliever who has come up in recent years, the 22-year-old was not shuttled back and forth between St. Louis and Memphis in 2011. When he arrived, he was ready.

Only a shoulder injury kept Sanchez out of the second-half relief picture. He came back to pitch briefly at the end of the season and also threw a few innings in winter ball to ensure he is sound.

Jason Motte did a spectacular job in a set up role last summer before taking over the ninth inning role for the final month of the season and the playoffs. He comes into 2012 camp as the incumbent closer and should leave Florida with the job.

I just have the funny feeling that when Motte’s inevitable bump in the road is encountered, Sanchez will be ready, and this time, won’t relinquish the job.

Komatsu lasts longer than expected

As of right now, the Cardinals bench is sorely lacking in veteran presence. With Allen Craig slated to start the season on the disabled list, the five position player reserves will look something like this:

C Tony Cruz or Bryan Anderson
MIF Tyler Greene
IF/OF Skip Schumaker
1B/OF Mark Hamilton
OF Erik Komatsu

The only other player close would seem to be outfielder Adron Chambers. When the Cards selected Komatsu in the Rule 5 Draft, they said they would prefer to keep Chambers in Memphis playing every day.

I do think the Cardinals will end up inviting a few on-the-way-down major leaguers to camp on minor league contracts to compete for bench jobs, but I have no idea who they might be. So here, I am going with the guys we know.

In this scenario, Komatsu would get to hang around at least until Craig comes off the disabled list. He might even last longer if he hits and Hamilton doesn’t. An injury or two to others would improve his chances even more. Hamilton has the advantage of long-ball potential, though that was strangely missing in 2011. (A variation on the theme would have Matt Carpenter making the team instead of Hamilton, but it wouldn’t change Komatsu’s standing.)

Komatsu has no career at-bats above Double-A, so is hardly a lock for anything. Yet, if he plays well enough, he may log more major league service time than anyone might expect. Remember Brian Barton?

Dry powder used on second base

As folks know, the 2011 mid-season adjustment approach taken was to sacrifice offense (Colby Rasmus) to strengthen both the rotation (Edwin Jackson) and bullpen (Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski). While that remains a possible scenario in 2012 as well, my gut tells me there will be a higher priority elsewhere.

I suspect that second base will become the Cardinals 2012 trade deadline target for improvement. While I recognize Daniel Descalso’s 2011 contributions, especially in filling the David Freese injury gap at third base, I am less convinced the steady but unspectacular Descalso will hit enough to be an above-average MLB second baseman.

The other in-house options are not necessarily better. Schumaker has given the job his all, but would be better deployed as a reserve outfielder and utilityman than a starting second baseman. Greene has the potential, but we’ve been saying that ever since he was drafted number 30 overall in 2005, just two picks after Rasmus.

Kolten Wong is the best second baseman in the system. Since the 2011 first-rounder is still a few years away, following the Rafael Furcal model again would not be out of the question. In other words, take a chance on a veteran, perhaps in the final months of his current contract, and if he works out, try to convince him to hang around for a year or two more.

Skip logs most starts in center

How this one might come to pass is actually pretty easy to envision. Carlos Beltran’s body, specifically his aged knees, overrules his head. As a result, the hopes of him playing centerfield on a semi-regular basis, at least against left-handed pitching, are scuttled.

While some will call for Allen Craig to play there, think about how Chris Carpenter and the other pitchers would feel about an outfield behind them that consists from left to right of Matt Holliday, Craig and a hobbled Beltran? Trying the Musial statue out there might be comparable.

The centerfield incumbent, Jon Jay, has shown the ability to handle the position defensively, but goes through long stretches where his offense is sub-par.

My thought is that when all is said and done, given the current roster, Schumaker ends up making the most starts of any Cardinal in center in 2012. We don’t yet know the managerial tendencies of Mike Matheny, so I readily admit that I would feel more strongly about this idea had Tony La Russa remained at the helm.

It would take much of the second half for this to play out, and require the club to remain in playoff contention to unfold. (Otherwise, we might see Adron Chambers receive more time.)

OK, so there they are. Seven ideas of potential 2012 stories that should generate some discussion, if nothing else. Vote for your most likely and least likely from this list and comment below.

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Outfielder Allen Craig and infielder Daniel Descalso had made their major league debuts with the 2010 Cardinals, though neither had enough at-bats or time in the bigs to exhaust their rookie designation. On the other hand, outfielder Jon Jay had appeared in 105 games the season prior, but seemed destined to join Craig in a reserve role for the 2011 club. Descalso was projected by some to be ticketed for a return to Memphis.

As fate would have it, all three not only remained on the major league roster the entire 2011 season, they cemented their futures as big leaguers in the process and earned championship rings.

Craig, 27, had been up and down several times in 2010 after making the opening day roster. In spring training 2011, he batted .359 with 11 RBI and a share of the team lead with three home runs, making his St. Louis return an easy decision.

As Matt Holliday dealt with a series of minor maladies during the season, Craig received time in the outfield. He appeared in a couple of games at both infield corner spots and even was given an intriguing eight-game trial at second base.

His good fortune came to an end when he suffered a fractured right kneecap upon making a sliding catch in foul territory in Houston in early June. Craig missed over two months until his August 10 return to action.

When available to play, Craig offered a tantalizing power bat that could also hit for average. He knocked in 40 runs and homered 11 times in just 219 plate appearances. His slash line was .315/.362/.555. Projecting that return over a full season would cause excitement in anyone.

In the post-season, the right-handed batter launched four more home runs, including three in the World Series, and plated eight. Craig’s playoff OPS was a robust 1.013.

The knee problem from June lingered, however, and Craig needed a procedure to put stabilizing screws in his right kneecap shortly before Thanksgiving. He may miss as much of the first month of the 2012 season as a result of the recovery process.

The 2012 Cardinals had already needed additional outfield depth with the move of Lance Berkman to first base to replace Albert Pujols, but the uncertainty of Craig’s situation may have increased their urgency. Depending on the health of others on any given day during the coming season, Craig may start or be a super sub.

Descalso also performed well in spring training, batting .308. The 24-year-old had made his MLB debut the previous September. Descalso made a credible showing, which was a bit surprising since he was thrown in at third base, a position for which the natural second baseman had not been prepared.

Due to injuries to David Freese and projected top infield substitute Nick Punto, Descalso was pressed into semi-regular duty this season. The left-handed hitter ended up making 81 starts across third base (61), shortstop (11) and second base (nine) and appearing in 148 games in total.

His infield defense was considered steady and his bat was perhaps better than expected. Descalso’s line was .264/.334/.353 in 375 plate appearances. In the post-season, he was ready when called upon, going 3-for-9 (.333) and crossing home plate all three times.

Descalso is expected to report to 2012 camp with a chance to earn the starting second base job. He could be a platoon starter there or serve as the club’s top infield reserve, the role for which Punto was intended last year.

If I had asked who played in the most regular-season contests for the 2011 Cardinals, how many of you would have guessed Jay, at 159 of the 162 possible games?

Despite hitting just .221 in Florida, Jay tied Pujols for the club’s spring lead with 14 RBI and also made his first opening day roster in 2011. As the ups – and especially downs – of Colby Rasmus’ play became more extreme, Jay began to see more and more time.

On the day Rasmus was dealt to Toronto, July 27, Jay was batting .311 with an OPS of .801. His defense in center was steady, easing some of the concern of trading Rasmus. Yet Jay’s offense dipped over the final two months. From July 28 through the end of the season, his line was .277/.320/.403/.724.

In the post-season, Jay struggled mightily. Over 63 plate appearances, his line was .182/.262/.218/.480. With typically better numbers against right-handed batters, Jay is a potential platoon candidate going forward but if so, he would be on the busy side of the platoon.

As noted in the previous countdown article on young relievers, these then-unproven position players were key contributors to the Cardinals’ special 2011 season and should be around a long time into the future as well.

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It isn’t as if they hadn’t pitched well in spring training, because they did. Augenstein had an ERA of 0.77 while Batista was at 1.59. It is just that we have seen many times before when a period of short-lived success passes and what remains is not nearly as interesting. Not surprisingly, such was the case for these two.

Augenstein was injured in mid-April and after a long rehab, remained in Memphis for the rest of the 2011 season. He was removed from the 40-man roster in July and released in November.

Batista lasted longer, but was given his release on June 23. He then signed with the Mets and pitched in both the majors and minors over the remainder of the summer.

At least three inexperienced pitchers (in MLB terms) took advantage of the opportunities given them, contributing to the Cardinals’ recovery that culminated in a playoff berth and two cases, the World Championship as well.

They were each ranked among our top 14 Cardinals prospects one year ago, so their emergence should not be considered a surprise. They are Lance Lynn (number three prospect), Eduardo Sanchez (number four) and Fernando Salas (number 14). Each should be in the middle of the mix for a pen spot in 2012.

The pitcher taking Batista’s spot on the Cardinals’ 25-man roster in June was Lynn. The 24-year-old right-hander, a successful starter in the minors, quickly established himself as a reliable reliever before suffering a left oblique injury on August 10.

That injury kept him out until his surprise return in the NLCS. Lynn pitched in five games in both the CS and World Series, tying him for the team lead. He yielded four earned runs in 11 innings for a 3.27 ERA.

When Augenstein went down, Salas received another chance with St. Louis. After having been sent down six times in 2010, this time he stuck. The right-hander from Mexico spent several months as the closer, logging 24 saves in 30 opportunities. Appearing in 68 games overall, he fanned one batter per inning (75 in 75) and walked just 21. His ERA was 2.28.

In the post-season, Salas was called upon a total of 11 times. He gave up five earned runs in 13 1/3 innings for a 3.38 ERA. Salas fanned 12 and walked four.

Sanchez, a 22-year-old Venezuelan, made his MLB debut in April, after coming up from Memphis at the same time as Salas. Like Lynn, the hard-thrower seemed ready, but needed the opportunity to show his stuff in the majors.

Sanchez threw 30 innings over 26 games for St. Louis. He struck out 35 and walked 16. The right-hander won three games, lost one, and was 5-for-7 in save opportunities. His ERA was 1.80.

Unfortunately, Sanchez’ season was scuttled when he was placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 13 with what was called at the time a “mild right shoulder strain.” His original late July estimated return ended up extending well into September. Sanchez made just one token late-September appearance. The injury likely cost him a shot at post-season action.

The emergence of these 2011 rookies will help the Cardinals go younger and cheaper in their bullpen going ahead. That frees up salary to potentially strengthen other positions as necessary. With other notables on the horizon such as Adam Reifer, Maikel Cleto, Brandon Dickson, Chuckie Fick and Adam Ottavino, some of the team’s right-handed relief surplus could also be used as trade chips.

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For 2009-10, the Cardinals had that in shortstop Brendan Ryan, one of the game’s very best defenders. Yet the organization could not deal with Ryan’s personality and sent him packing last winter.

Shortstop Ryan Theriot had bounced from the Chicago Cubs to the Dodgers in 2010 and didn’t perform particularly well at either stop. Arbitration-eligible, he seemed destined to be non-tendered last fall. Instead, the Cardinals acquired him for reliever Blake Hawksworth and named Theriot their 2011 starting shortstop.

Theriot contributed some key hits for the Cardinals, but his defensive shortcomings became painfully obvious. Manager Tony La Russa initially refused to move Theriot to second base, perhaps because he felt he had no better options at short.

Solid-fielding veteran Nick Punto had been signed prior to last season and could have been a credible alternative to Theriot. The problem was that the former Minnesota Twin could not stay healthy, missing big chunks of the season during three disabled list stints.

On July 31, GM John Mozeliak made another deal with the Dodgers, this time shooting much higher in acquiring veteran shortstop Rafael Furcal.

The 34-year-old solidified the middle infield and served as the Cardinals’ new leadoff hitter. Furcal began slowly with the bat, with a .667 OPS in August before posting a strong .819 OPS in the final month of the season. He struggled in the post-season, with a paltry .569 OPS, but overall was considered a key ingredient in the World Series push.

An energetic performer and enthusiastic teammate, Furcal was re-signed by St. Louis for $14 million for the next two years in a deal announced ten days ago. With few obvious alternatives on the market, the Cardinals are considered by some to have overpaid.

Dogged by injuries in recent seasons, Furcal is no longer an offensive force. Once having stolen 46 bases in a season, his total dropped to nine in 2011. The switch-hitter’s on-base percentage of .316 as a Cardinal was 50 points lower than his .366 mark in Los Angeles the season prior. His career OBP is .348, with the overall annual trend downward.

The club’s main alternative at short is 28-year-old Tyler Greene, a strong performer in Triple-A. After three years of trials with the Cardinals, however, he has yet to prove he should remain in the bigs, let alone be given a starting job. Greene is out of option years, so would either need to stick in 2012 or his time in the organization may be over.

The two veteran middle infield reserves departed following the season. Theriot, again eligible for arbitration, was cut loose by the Cardinals earlier this month. Punto signed with Boston for 2012, doubling his Cardinals salary in the process. Essentially, their role on the team will be assumed by some combination of Furcal, Greene and Daniel Descalso.

For the five years following the Fernando Vina era, which ran from 2000-03, the Cardinals’ second base position was a revolving door of players on low-cost, short-term deals. Tony Womack, Mark Grudzelanek and Adam Kennedy each had their days, augmented by journeymen like Scott Spiezio and Aaron Miles to help hold down the fort.

That changed prior to the 2009 season when La Russa announced Skip Schumaker would become his team’s starting second baseman despite the outfielder’s lack of infield experience. After three years of maximum effort but below-average results defensively, the club seems ready to take another direction in 2012.

Descalso, a 25-year-old rookie in 2011, proved himself as a solid reserve at third base and second last season. If the left-handed hitter proves worthy in spring camp, he seems positioned to take over for Schumaker at second, his primary position as a minor leaguer.

In that scenario, Schumaker, also a left-handed batter, would probably spend more time as an outfield reserve. His roster spot was assured when the Cardinals rewarded him with a new, two-year contract announced earlier this month.

Though Allen Craig also saw action at second base in eight games last season, he would seemingly be considered more of an emergency option than a primary solution there.

Time still remains in the off-season for the Cardinals to acquire another second baseman either as a free agent or via trade, propelling Descalso into a utility infield role along with Greene. Still, given the club’s recent history of low-budget choices at second base, they may just as well decide to ride with what they have up the middle.

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Every time the team seemed to struggle behind one pitcher throwing regularly in the ninth inning, a new hurler stepped up to handle the job.

Of their 90 wins, the 2011 Cardinals accumulated a save in 47 of them, fifth-most in the National League. The history books will forever indicate that eight different hurlers recorded at least one save. Five of the relievers unofficially held the job at one point over the six-plus months.

In terms of raw numbers, Fernando Salas led the way with 24 saves, followed by Jason Motte with nine, Eduardo Sanchez with five and Mitchell Boggs with four. The other stray saves were picked up by non-closers Octavio Dotel (two), Trever Miller and Lance Lynn (one each).

Then there was Ryan Franklin, also with one save. I would hazard a guess that coming into the season, no one would have forecast the incumbent closer if healthy would end up with just a single save. Yet, that is precisely what happened.

The 38-year-old had entered 2011 with 82 saves accumulated over the previous three seasons and a firm hold on the closer’s spot. Before June was out, Franklin not only had lost the ninth-inning job, he was unemployed, his playing career over.

Franklin’s bookend in the role was Motte. After an impressive run of 29 consecutive outings without having allowed an earned run, Motte picked up his very first save of the season on August 29th. He held the role during the final month and through the post-season despite never having been named the closer by manager Tony La Russa.

In a clear departure from La Russa’s coyness, new skipper Mike Matheny stated the obvious when he recently identified Motte as the incumbent closer heading into 2012 camp.

In between, here is how a most eventful 2011 unfolded for the Cardinals’ ninth-inning corps.

The Cardinals stumbled on opening day in 11 innings versus San Diego as Franklin blew the save. He absorbed two defeats and blew three more saves through game 16 as the Cards lost their first three series. At that point, Franklin was removed as closer. His appearances dramatically dwindled over time until his June 29 release.

Boggs’ reign as closer passed in the blink of an eye. The right-hander logged three saves at home in late April but lost the job after a meltdown in Houston on April 26. In an odd move, Boggs was optioned to Memphis on May 23 to become a starter and work on his secondary pitches. After three weeks in exile, he returned to St. Louis’ bullpen, but never had another shot at closing, or starting, for that matter.

Sanchez, the youngest of the group at 22 years of age, next held the job briefly. His first save was on April 27, the very next night after Boggs’ Waterloo. Sanchez added four more saves over the next four weeks, but also took a loss and two blown saves.

Sanchez was placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 13 with what was called at the time a “mild right shoulder strain.” His original late July estimated return ended up extending well into September. It cost him another shot at the closers job and kept him off the post-season roster.

Salas, St. Louis’ version of Rodney Dangerfield, was next in the barrel. After being sent down to Triple-A Memphis six times in 2010, Salas did not make the Cardinals out of spring training in 2011, either. He did all he could as his ERA in Florida spring games was 0.73.

After being recalled in mid-April, Salas saved his first game of the season on April 28. It also happened to be the third game of that fateful Houston series. Over the last 12 games of May, Salas was a perfect 6-for-6 and had a total of 10 saves heading into June.

By August 11, the native of Mexico had converted 22 of 25 save opportunities (88 percent) and had a record of 5-4. Then came two blown saves in his next two outings. Though he allowed just one run in each game, Salas was out. He was given just three more opportunities the rest of the season as Motte took control.

Despite Motte ending the year as the club’s closer after that very strong stretch as set-up man, Salas actually logged a higher save percentage (80%) than Motte (69.2%) over the course of the regular season.

Still, Motte was a big part of the Cardinals September resurgence as he saved nine of ten opportunities and added two holds, two wins and three no-decisions in his final 17 regular season appearances after taking over.

Overall, the pen had evolved to the point it was a strength in the post-season. Motte appeared 12 times. He went 5-for-5 in save opportunities, though he took one loss, in Game 2 of the World Series. His post-season ERA was 2.19.

Heading into 2012, it is clear the job that no one could seem to hold is now Motte’s to either solidify or lose.

Note: To view detailed stats of all the Cardinals’ 2011 relievers, click here to be taken to the article “St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Reliever of the Year” at TheCardinalNation.com.

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For the first time in Tony La Russa’s three World Series since joining St. Louis, I am actually enthused by the opportunity for the use of the designated hitter. (Of course, this is required in the AL home parks.)

Based on past history, that would be a crazy thing to say. After all, in La Russa’s other two World Series with St. Louis, his designated hitters have been more than bad. They were a combined 1-for-14 (.071) with three walks and a whopping eight strikeouts.

In 2006, Scott Spiezio and Chris Duncan received the starts at DH. In the latter case, that pushed light-hitting So Taguchi into the starting lineup in left field. In 2004, Reggie Sanders and another weak-hitting infielder, Marlon Anderson, started as the designated hitter. The Cardinals lost three of the four DH games.

2011 offers promise, however. Allen Craig, a powerful bat, is ready to come off the bench. He can either play right field for Lance Berkman or more likely, become the designated hitter himself.

In fact, with his pinch-hit during Sunday night’s NLCS Game 6, Craig collected more RBI (two) than the aggregate of the Cardinals’ four games worth of World Series designated hitters this decade (one RBI in 17 plate appearances).

Beyond Craig, there are no other good DH candidates on the Cardinals roster. The latter part of that statement is one I recall making about the Cardinals’ options in the previous two Series – no solid DH candidates.

Here are the stats of who served as the DH in the past two World Series and how they fared.

Designated hitters, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series, since 1996

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The combination of not being overly superstitious and the fact that Salas keeps getting the job done in one of the most difficult jobs in baseball means the 26-year-old receives another call out here.

On Tuesday night, on the road in Houston, Salas was asked to clean up a major mess, with no outs in the eighth and two runners on base. The Cardinals led by only 6-3 at the time.

After a walk, Salas faced the Astros’ 1-2-3 hitters, collecting a harmless fly ball in between a pair of strikeouts.

With a shaky Cardinals pen, Salas was asked to pitch a second inning. Though he gave up a pair of hits and a run in the ninth, the eighth-inning escape was the difference-maker in St. Louis’ victory.

All told Tuesday night, Salas threw 44 pitches, 31 strikes. He collected his 11^th save of the season.

While Salas can pitch multiple innings, his heritage is not as a long man or a converted starter. Prior to 2011, the right-hander appeared in 145 minor league games since joining the system in 2007. His only starts were four games with Palm Beach in his first season. Salas also had two starts in 43 Mexican League appearances in 2005-06.

I asked researcher Tom Orf to pull the list of the most pitches thrown by a Cardinals reliever when securing a save. Only ten pitchers have tossed more than 44 pitches in this kind of situation since the save stat came into being.

Salas is among a group tied for 11^th – a list that includes ex-closer Ryan Franklin, who also threw a 44-pitch save in 2008. The record of 51 pitches is held jointly by a pair of hurlers – Mike Matthews in 2001 and Juan Agosto in 1991.

Some, though not all, are hurlers more known for their time in the rotation – names like Bob Tewksbury, Joel Pineiro, Matt Morris and Kent Bottenfield. Former closer Todd Worrell made the list twice with two 40-plus pitch saves in 1988.

St. Louis Cardinals, relievers, most pitches thrown in a save

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Instead of facing Albuquerque at AutoZone Park, Lynn will be making his major league debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night at Busch Stadium against the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants.

The 24-year-old will be pitching on three days of rest for the first time this season. With Memphis, he usually went on the standard four days of rest, but also had one six-day break in 2011. In one positive perhaps, that six-day-rest start was Lynn’s worst of the season.

Lynn has been pitching consistently since that six-day-rest outing. He is 4-0 with one no-decision in his last five starts, averaging 6 1/3 innings per start with a 3.73 ERA. His strikeout to walk ratio in those most recent 31 1/3 innings is 31:11.

Known as a dependable workhorse, Lynn has gone less than six innings just once this season. You know which game that was…

At least since arriving at Memphis at the end of 2009, he has never started on three days rest. I didn’t go back further as recent history is clear as to his usage pattern.

Lance Lynn, Triple-A, days rest between starts

Lynn’s 2011 game log

5/30 (on five days of rest): Earned his third straight win and fifth of the season after yielding four runs on seven hits in seven innings against Omaha.

5/24 (four days): Picked up his fourth win allowing only one run on five hits at Salt Lake. Matched his season-high while striking out seven batters.

5/19 (five days): Earned his third win of the season against Tacoma giving up two runs on eight hits while walking two and fanning five.

5/13 (four days): Allowed two runs on eight hits in a no decision against Sacramento.

5/8 (four days): Fanned a season-high seven batters picking up his second win at Albuquerque.

5/3 (six days): Allowed a season-high seven runs on eight hits in only 4 1/3 innings against New Orleans, walking four and striking out five while taking the loss.

4/26 (four days): Received a no decision against Iowa, allowing two runs on seven hits in six innings while walking one and striking out four.

4/21 (four days): Pegged with his second loss, giving up the lone run against Omaha while walking four and fanning five in 7 1/3 innings.

4/16 (five days): Suffered his first loss of the season after six innings of work against Iowa, allowing four runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out six.

4/10: Gave up only one run on six hits while striking out three en route to his first win of the season against Oklahoma City.

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Thanks to researcher Tom Orf, the others follow.

Consecutive saves to start a season without a blown save, St. Louis Cardinals

Note that despite Salas having been the team’s fourth choice as closer this season, after Ryan Franklin, Mitchell Boggs and Eduardo Sanchez, he logged at least ten perfect saves to start a season in the shortest elapsed time in team history. Salas collected his ten pack in just one month and three days, over a span of just 32 Cardinals games in total.

In 2005, Jason Isringhausen collected his first ten saves without a miss between games 1 and 41. Izzy went on to log 16 straight before suffering his first blown save on June 2, 2005 at Colorado. That was the second-longest streak to open a season in team history. Tom Henke picked up his tenth save in the Cardinals’ 33rd game of the strike-delayed 1995 season on his way to a franchise-best 22-save run before suffering his first blown opportunity.

To be completely accurate, Salas is actually 12-for-12 this season as he picked up two saves with Triple-A Memphis prior to his April 13 promotion to St. Louis.

His streak ends there, however.

Though Salas was a perfect 19-for-19 in saves for the Pacific Coast League Redbirds last season, in his sixth and final call-up to St. Louis in 2010, he blew his first and only major league save opportunity. Last September 18 against San Diego at Busch Stadium, Salas allowed three earned runs in 1/3 of an inning of work.

These rates may not sustain in 2011, but Cardinals fans would probably be delighted if Salas would log 19 saves in every 20 opportunities as he produced last summer.

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Just this past weekend, an excited Shelby Miller used Twitter to declare to the world his promotion to Double-A Springfield. The word was not unexpected, though its timing had been unknown – until Saturday morning, that is.

Within minutes, the news that the Cardinals top prospect was on the move was quickly amplified, not just across Twitter, but it also quickly spilled into the mainstream news channels as well.

While the announcement elicited excitement from most every corner, there may have been a few exceptions. For example, it eliminated the rumor reporting element of “who knew first” emphasized by some in the media.

Further, consider the players already on the Springfield roster and especially the pitchers that were currently starting at Double-A.

They almost had to have been wondering what possible ramifications Miller’s impending arrival would have on them. Will someone be promoted, or worse, demoted? Will somebody be given his release? Who will be taken out of the rotation to make room?

Ideally, organizations would prefer to control the release of all information, but keeping all the fingers in that dike is becoming a greater and greater challenge by the day.

The reality is that social media is clearly not going away. In fact, it should continue to grow in importance for instant dissemination of information, whether or not all the “I”s have been dotted and the “T”s crossed first.

Though Miller’s promotion and its associated roster moves at both Springfield and Palm Beach have not yet been formally announced – after all, he isn’t starting in Springfield until Friday – we have all known the big news for days now…

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After Descalso’s Tuesday hit, catcher Gerald Laird was shown in the dugout rubbing the fingers on his non-broken hand together in the universal symbol for money.

“We call him D-Money,” manager Tony La Russa said about Descalso after Tuesday’s win.

This season, Descalso has now driven in nine runs from the seventh inning on with the game tied or the Cardinals down a run. This is generically called a “late and close” situation.

I asked researcher Tom Orf to put Descalso’s early-season, late-game feats into some historical perspective.

In the last 60 years, only ten Cardinals had collected at least seven late and close RBI through the end of May. Descalso makes the 11^th player to do so.

With six games to go in the month, Descalso needs just two more late and close RBI to pass his teammate Albert Pujols and join his hitting coach Mark McGwire at the top of the list as the most productive early-season, late-game Cardinal since at least 1950.

Big Mac collected 11 RBI to kick off his record-breaking 70-home run season of 1998. Pujols had ten early-late RBI in what went on to become the Cardinals World Championship season of 2006.

Descalso may not reach those kinds of heights this season, but his success in crucial situations still deserves notice.

St. Louis Cardinals, late and close RBI, through end of May, 1950-present

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From RogerDeanStadium:

One-on-One with Shelby Miller – Pt. 5

Chat with Cardinals No. 1 prospect and Palm Beach pitcher Shelby Miller. Find out what playing high school football in Texas meant to Miller, and how he dealt with the pressure of professional scouts at his baseball games.

While you are there, you can check out parts one through four of the interview as well.

Palm Beach (RogerDeanStadium) has continued to add to their new weekly feature called “Player on a Roll.”

From RogerDeanStadium:

Week 5 “Player on a Roll” – Edgar Lara

Each week we select a Cardinals player with outstanding performance as the “Player on a Roll,” and Week 5 was Edgar Lara.

The Quad Cities channel presents nice summaries of home games, though the club was on the road in recent days and hasn’t yet posted Friday or Saturday highlights.

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To open the seventh, all three batters reached against Miguel Batista, two of whom scored. Trever Miller walked his only batter.

Later on, Eduardo Sanchez allowed three baserunners in the ninth, including the tying run. In the tenth, Jason Motte had almost the same line, two hits and a walk. His run allowed was the walkoff game winner for Cincinnati.

In between?

Continuing to work in relative anonymity, Fernando Salas was called upon in what was the most crucial point in the game, in my opinion. There were no outs in the seventh, two runners on base with two having already scored.

Salas not only escaped the jam, stranding the two runners, but also stayed in to throw a scoreless eighth.

The seven members of the current Cardinals bullpen now have an MLB-leading have nine blown saves among them. Sanchez picked up his first on Friday night. Only one St. Louis reliever has not yet blown a save through the first 39 games in 2011 – Fernando Salas.

The relievers have also absorbed eight losses on the season. Only two pen members are yet to be tagged with a loss – Miller and, you guessed it – Salas.

While I am total agreement about when Salas was deployed on Friday, he would not have been used at that point of the game – no matter how crucial it was – had he been tagged with the closer’s label.

Despite not possessing the heat of Boggs and Motte or the slider of Sanchez, I believe Salas has proven he should be deployed in the most crucial situations, regardless of inning.

Motte has been used recently to get out of mid-inning jams. In the table below, you can see that 57 percent of his inherited runners have scored. Only Ryan Franklin and Sanchez, both with very few opportunities, have worse rates on the team.

In terms of retiring the first opposing hitter, Motte has a lower success rate than even Miller, whose troubles in securing outs have been well-documented.

The reliever who has been best at getting his first batter out? That would be none other than Salas.

In summary, Salas is the only Cardinals reliever to not lose a game or blow a save, has been the most proficient at retiring his first batter faced and is among the best at keeping inherited runners from scoring.

Salas rode the Memphis shuttle in 2010, going up and down six different times. When Brian Tallet and Bryan Augenstein are ready to come off the disabled list, this time Salas deserves to stay.

St. Louis Cardinals relievers, through May 13, 2011

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Out of time and forced to make a decision, we reluctantly put three on our short list, but couldn’t choose. I suggested a compromise to make our pick. We would each eliminate one from the list and the final one left standing would become our new dwelling. It was agreed.

The house that I liked best, she hated. I too was against her favorite. The one for which we both had the fewest serious objections became the winner by survival.

I wonder if the selection process the St. Louis Cardinals follow for their utility infielder to replace injured Nick Punto could take a similar path. Perhaps manager Tony La Russa and general manager John Mozeliak will play the roles of the opposing decision-makers.

Let’s look at the three combatants.

Matt Carpenter has yet to play a game above Double-A, yet was the organization’s Player of the Year in 2010. The third baseman has been very effective in the first two weeks of spring training.

Ramon Vazquez is an older, well-traveled veteran who does not hit much, but can play major league-quality defense at three positions. The latter virtues are much like Punto.

Daniel Descalso is in between. He has a little MLB experience, can play two of the three positions adequately and is likely a better hitter than Vazquez.

Here is a summary of some of the key factors.

All three are left-handed hitters, so there is no benefit to any one of the three.

While La Russa’s glowing comments about Carpenter on Saturday were widely reported, he also said about Carpenter, “If he gets sent out, he has still had a great camp.”  The manager also noted, “He may be ready and doesn’t fit our club,” a reference to multi-positional needs.

In the same conversation, I asked the manager what Vazquez would have to do to make the team. La Russa said they know what the “solid player” can do. He noted that when others go to the minors, the vets get their at-bats over the final ten days of camp, perhaps said as a reminder that it is still early.

Descalso? No one said anything. Daniel is quietly hitting .304 with a .385 on-base percentage and added a pair of stolen bases.

Descalso has one advantage in that he is the only one to have a place on the organization’s 40-man roster. This is a potential issue for the other two, but not an insurmountable problem.

Descalso has option years remaining as well so could easily be moved back and forth between St. Louis and Memphis as necessary. What to do with Vazquez when Punto returns could be an issue. Starting Carpenter’s option years one season earlier than planned could be a minor concern, coupled to the 40-man issue noted above.

While there is a lot of baseball to be played, could Descalso end up being the easiest alternative, just as was my house selection? As La Russa noted, it may be just a one-month decision.

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Based on a combination of factors, including untimely surgery for Nick Punto and a long recovery for oft-injured David Freese, third baseman Matt Carpenter has received more playing time than expected in the first ten games of spring training.

The non-roster invitee, yet to play even a single regular-season game at the Triple-A level, has delivered in the early going. Carpenter has tallied a hit in the last seven games in which he has played. Carpenter is batting a team leading .455 (10-for-22), with two doublse and two triples and is tied for second on the club with six RBI.

It is not as if this is a fluke. Carpenter has a pedigree as a very good player. After all, based on his 2010 season with Double-A Springfield, he was named both The Cardinal Nation Player of the Year and later, the Cardinals followed with their top award as well.

As a result, a group of excited fans are not only penciling Carpenter onto the Cardinals opening day roster – a major feat in itself – some are leaping into projecting him as a platoon partner for Freese. Due to ongoing ankle concerns, Freese is expected to play only two of every three games in 2011 even if he can remain off the disabled list.

With roughly two-thirds of spring training ahead, all I can think of is this: “What would Tony do?”

We have no way of knowing if the manager:

a)     Will value another third baseman more than a utility player.
b)     Will prefer the biggest/hottest bat he can find.
c)     Will want major league experience given a bench that is already projected to include youngsters Tyler Greene, Allen Craig and Jon Jay.

While we don’t know what he WILL do, we know what he will NOT do. The manager will not declare winners for any open jobs at this early juncture.

If you have any doubt, just go back two years ago. Freese would make his first opening day roster, but before that could happen, he had to be recalled from minor league camp. He had sent out in early March because of a slow recovery from foot injuries suffered in an automobile accident over the winter.

While that was clearly an unusual situation, there are other players in competition to cover for Punto besides Carpenter.

Another non-roster infielder has received nearly as many spring plate appearances as Carpenter so far, though he hasn’t done nearly as much with them. Along with Greene and Daniel Descalso, the group is likely competing for two reserve infield roster spots to open the season. It would likely drop to one job as soon as Punto is ready, perhaps as much as two months into the season.

Who is this other NRI infielder?

Ramon Vazquez.

Hardly an exciting name, the left-handed hitter will celebrate his 35^th birthday before the regular season opens. The native of Puerto Rico is well-traveled, having played for six different major league clubs, most recently the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Vazquez has also bounced around the minors as well and in fact didn’t have a single at bat in the majors last season. His career MLB average is .254, but in his last big league action, he batted just .230 for the 2009 Bucs.

He does offer infield versatility and steady defense such as Punto was signed to provide. Vazquez has logged between 165 and 275 major league games at second base, shortstop and third base.

Vazquez has started this spring slowly, at 2-for-16 (.125) with a single and a double though he has also walked three times.

So where’s the déjà vu, you ask?

Back in 2005, another generally anonymous utility infielder who also had previously been discarded by the Pirates, Abraham Nunez, made the Cardinals out of camp as an NRI. The primary assets of the Dominican Republic native were his ability to play three infield positions and switch hit.

Nunez has the same defensive profile as Vazquez, with from between 258 and 293 major league contests at each of the positions of second, short and third. His career batting average when invited to 2005 spring training was an uninspiring .238 and in 2004, he also batted exactly .238 for the Bucs.

In other words, Nunez hardly came into Cardinals camp on a high note.

He batted a surprising .315 that spring, beating out former phenom-for-a-month Bo Hart and ex-major leaguer Wilton Guerrero among others and joined Hector Luna as infield reserves to open the 2005 season.

It wasn’t long after having made the team before Nunez was thrust into the spotlight. When starting third baseman Scott Rolen went down due to injury, large segments of the Cardinal Nation cursed their luck as well as the choice of the man to step in for the star third sacker, who was coming off his MV3 season of 2004.

Nunez ended up receiving 467 plate appearances in 2005. He delivered solid defense and career-bests in nearly every offensive category. A .285 batting average, five home runs and 44 RBI were among his highlights.

In 2006, he translated that into a nice, two-year deal with Philadelphia, where he promptly reverted to the pre-Cardinals Nunez. He is now a baseball vagabond, but that isn’t the point.

I have always believed that one can look back at the Cardinals past and gain insight into what might happen in the future.

Don’t get me wrong.

I am not throwing water on the candidacies of Greene, Descalso and Carpenter. Further, I am not predicting Vazquez will make the 2011 Cardinals, let alone suggesting he will pull a 2005-vintage Nunez season out of his cap.

On the other hand, at this point of the spring, I am not yet discounting Vazquez’ chances of getting hot and at least coming north with the team, either.

Wherever he is now, I bet Abe Nunez agrees.

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As the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approached, the St. Louis Cardinals were still in the National League Central Division hunt, holding a slim half-game lead over eventual winner Cincinnati. Their 15-11 July was their best month since having gone 15-8 to open the season.

With third baseman David Freese apparently nearing his return from injury, the organization placed a major bet, trading offense for pitching. The view was that Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Jaime Garcia did not offer enough in the rotation to carry them down the stretch. Brad Penny’s return seemed increasingly unlikely, Kyle Lohse was still out following a first-of-a-kind surgery and the minor league hurlers given trials had not impressed.

On July 31, with 58 games remaining, general manager John Mozeliak pulled the trigger on surprise trade, a move that would define his club’s 2010 season. Popular right fielder Ryan Ludwick was sent to San Diego in a three-team deal that netted the Cardinals starting pitcher Jake Westbrook from Cleveland and Class A left-hander Nick Greenwood from the Padres. Mozeliak had received a three-year contract extension just two weeks prior.

Along with the addition of starting pitching in Westbrook, at least three other potential contributing factors to the trade were discussed in the media and among fans. The relative importance of each remains open to debate.

1) Opening up time for youngsters. One by-product of dealing Ludwick was the creation of more playing opportunity for outfield prospects. Jon Jay became the primary beneficiary. First called up in late April, the 25-year-old had not stood out in his Major League debut and was soon returned to Triple-A.

Jay not only was back in July, but he stuck in the majors. During the month, he was absolutely red-hot, with a .431/.500/.667 line. To suggest he would adequately fill Ludwick’s void in right field seemed true – but only for awhile.

Though collectively he batted .300 in 105 games overall in 2010, Jay hit just .244 following the trade, putting his starting mettle into question.

2) Ludwick’s salary. In his second of three arbitration-eligible years, Ludwick made $5.45 million in 2010. Some felt the Cardinals did not want to pay that much money for a right fielder, let alone adding to that a likely raise for Ludwick that could net him several million additional for 2011.

That line of thinking might have held water until the club signed Lance Berkman in December for $8 million to play Ludwick’s old right field post next season. The move returns Jay and potential platoon partner Allen Craig to reserve roles.

While Berkman is considered a more accomplished player than Ludwick, he is older and his salary is higher. Further, Berkman has been injury-prone and is on the downside of his career. Several projection systems have suggested the two’s home run and RBI production in 2011 may not be dramatically different.

3) Ludwick’s desire for regular playing time. It was reported that just prior to the trade, the outfielder had approached manager Tony La Russa to express dissatisfaction with not being in the lineup every day. Ludwick previously had a groin injury which led to caution in deploying him. Yet even after he was cleared by the medical staff, Jay had continued to cut into his playing time.

Some wondered whether Ludwick’s ongoing concern was a contributing factor in the trade.

Westbrook cements spot

Upon donning the Cardinals uniform, Westbrook did his part to justify the transaction, exceeding expectations on the mound. With St. Louis, he tossed nine quality starts in 12 outings with a 3.48 ERA. The already-struggling offense did not rebound from the loss of Ludwick, however. One indication is that the team went just 5-7 in Westbrook’s 12 starts.

Still, Westbrook was impressed with the club and they were happy with him as well. Though the 33-year-old right-hander reached free agency, in mid-November he agreed to terms on a new, two-year contract with a mutual option for 2013.

The first two guaranteed years of the deal are worth $16.5 million in total with an additional $1 million if Westbrook wants to return for the third season but the Cardinals instead choose to buy their way out. The annual salaries are $8 million in 2011, and $8.5 million in both 2012 and 2013. Westbrook also received full no-trade protection.

After the trade, Ludwick struggled mightily in a San Diego uniform, posting a line of .211/.301/.330 in 59 games. He was offered arbitration following the season and is expected to be the Padres’ left fielder in 2011.

Impact on the team

While there were likely many factors in the Cardinals disappointing finish beyond this trade, the bottom line is that the club played far better prior to the deal than afterward. In fact, the team logged a sub-.500 record during the final two months while losing 5.5 games in the standings.

With Westbrook on the staff and Ludwick gone, you might suspect that the offense declined while the pitching improved. It turns out that is only partially the case – at best.

The offense actually improved their run scoring by a quarter of a run per game, yet the Cardinals hitters’ collective average, on-base and slugging all declined post-trade. That may indicate the higher scoring rate would not be sustainable.

The Cardinals’ post-trade pitching was substantially poorer in key measures. Opposing offenses scored three-quarters of a run more per game compared to the first 104 contests. Enemy hitters also had more robust batting averages, on-base percentage and slugging against Cardinals pitching following the trade.

One might wonder if the post-trade numbers would have been even worse without the swap, but the bottom line is that while the Ludwick-Westbrook move was bold, Mozeliak’s big gamble did not pay off in 2010.

Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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That’s right. The Cardinals’ third sackers collectively managed just a .655 OPS this past season.

Third base, a spot in the lineup from which offense is traditionally expected, has instead been a black hole for the Cardinals since Troy Glaus’ standout 2008 campaign. By position, only Cardinals shortstops and pitchers had a lower OPS in 2010.

A fast start by David Freese (.765 OPS) was more than iced by poor play from Felipe Lopez (.664 OPS as third baseman) and Pedro Feliz (.482 OPS) through the final two-thirds of the schedule. A September cameo by unlikely rookie cornerman Daniel Descalso (.648 OPS) wasn’t even enough to raise the position’s aggregate output.

For the second consecutive year, Freese’s season was scuttled by injury. He suffered what was originally called a bone bruise on his right ankle on June 5. The injury at the time was thought to be minor, but proved not. Before being placed on the disabled list, Freese tried to play through it for three weeks, during which time his average dropped from .316 to .296.

Freese’s next injury was a freak one, a broken toe sustained in the weight room. On August 2, during his very first rehab game, he suffered tissue and tendon damage to his right ankle that required season-ending reconstructive surgery. In September, a clean up procedure was needed on his left ankle, making three ankle surgeries in two years.

Signed at a bargain price in late February, veteran switch-hitting infielder Lopez was expected to be a versatile reserve. Instead, because of Freese’s injury, Lopez was pressed into regular duty. He played third base almost daily from late June until mid-August, struggling both with the bat and the glove. Lopez was summarily released in September amid concerns over his attitude and approach.

After failing to secure other alternatives, the Cardinals acquired the 35-year-old Feliz from Houston on August 19. He would prove to be better than Lopez defensively but a further step down offensively for a club that badly needed consistent hitting. Feliz showed his offensive fuel tank was bone dry.

Having seen enough of Feliz after 40 games, manager Tony La Russa turned to September call up Descalso. The 23-year-old was thrown into the fire at third base, not his regular second base spot. In limited action, nine starts, Descalso performed credibly, especially so considering it was his MLB debut.

Looking ahead to 2011, Freese is expected to be back and ready to go from his surgeries. Recent media reports are predictably rosy as to his rehab progress, but who wouldn’t continue to be concerned about his lack of ability to remain on the field?

La Russa announced a plan for Allen Craig to come to camp to compete to be the reserve at the position. An offense-oriented player, Craig was a third baseman in the minors but was later moved to the outfield due to concerns over his defense at the hot corner. Descalso could also figure in the mix and Tyler Greene can play third in a pinch as well.

Third basemen at the upper levels of the minor league system have not yet proven their readiness to contribute in St. Louis. Matt Carpenter had a strong season with the bat in Double-A but has no higher level experience. 2010 first-round draft pick Zack Cox has just four games of regular season professional play under his belt, but does posess a 40-man roster spot.

In other words, the Cardinals seem willing to forget about the offensive horrors from third base over the last two seasons and put their eggs in Freese’s basket once again in 2011. One must hope Freese’s ankles will prove to be stronger than those proverbial eggs.

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In recent years, the St. Louis Cardinals have been accused by some of being too cautious with their early draft picks. Reasons suggested include reluctance to pay over slot and a preference for finished collegians with higher floors but lower ceilings.

With two sandwich round selections in the 2010 draft due to the free agent losses of Joel Pineiro and Mark DeRosa, the Cardinals added a high schooler plus three college players, two sophomores and a junior, in the first 75 picks.

Three are right-handed pitchers, Seth Blair, Tyrell Jenkins and Jordan Swagerty, along with the organization’s top pick, former Arkansas third baseman Zack Cox. Cox, taken 25^th overall as a draft-eligible sophomore, was considered by some to have been the top college hitter in the draft, yet fell to the Cardinals due to signing concerns.

On the August 16 deadline, Cox and the Cardinals agreed to a major league contract that will reportedly guarantee him a total of $3,200,000 over four years. It included a signing bonus of $2,000,000, ranked fifth all-time for an amateur with the Cardinals. It was the first major league deal given by the organization to a draftee since J.D. Drew in 1998.

To avoid using one of Cox’ three or four allowable minor league option seasons in 2010, the organization assigned Cox to the Gulf Coast League, a level of play far below his skill level. With so little time remaining in the season, he suited up for just four games there. The left-handed hitter went 6-for-15, .400, with five singles and a double. Cox drew one walk and collected one RBI.

The organization then assigned Cox to the Arizona Fall League, where his hitting coach was Springfield’s Derrick May. The AFL is considered a showplace for players on the cusp of the majors, with the vast majority having Triple-A or Double-A experience.

Initially, I questioned the Cardinals for making this aggressive move with the 21-year-old, but they really did not have other good options available. Without a fall instructional league camp, getting meaningful professional playing experience elsewhere in 2010 would have required Cox to play in an international winter league. That environment is far less controllable and therefore presents an even higher risk.

After a very slow start, Cox improved as he went along, with a .324 average and a .993 OPS over his last ten AFL games. Overall, his slash line was a middle-of-the-road .262/.333/.446 in 65 at-bats. Cox’ 14 RBI in 18 games tied for 22nd in the league. He also received defensive instruction there from Cardinals minor league field coordinator Mark DeJohn. Fielding remains the biggest question about Cox’ future.

With few third base prospects in upper reaches of the system other than Matt Carpenter, who seems slated for Triple-A Memphis, Cox’ initial 2011 destination remains up in the air. If he has a good spring camp and the Cardinals continue to be aggressive, Double-A Springfield may not be out of the question.

After all, what differentiates Cox from the organization’s first-rounder two years prior, Brett Wallace, is that major league deal. By definition, the sand will be flowing through Cox’ hourglass more quickly.

Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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Following Saturday’s signing of free agent outfielder Lance Berkman, St. Louis Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak declared his 2011 club to essentially be in place. Here are a few of the players who may have impacted in the short term, either positively or negatively, by the moves made by the front office since the conclusion of the season.

Risers

Matt Carpenter. The system’s Player of the Year in 2010, named by both The Cardinal Nation and the Cardinals organization, appears set to become the starting third baseman for Triple-A Memphis in 2011.

With the addition of Berkman, Allen Craig was displaced from the starting outfield picture. Mozeliak announced the ex-minor league third baseman would be returned to his former position in spring camp, ostensibly to become the back up behind fragile David Freese.

If the Cardinals do not move to bring in other reinforcements at the hot corner and if a full-time replacement for Freese is needed during the season, Carpenter could find himself in the mix in St. Louis.

Fernando Salas. I am pretty sure Salas set a Cardinals record with six trips back and forth between St. Louis and Memphis as the extra bullpen man in 2010. Generally, the right-hander did a good job in his MLB introduction.

With the trade of Blake Hawksworth to the Dodgers for Ryan Theriot, a spot in the 2011 Cardinals pen has opened up. Salas would seem to be the favorite entering camp to seize that spot.

Fallers

Allen Craig. With the signing of Berkman, Craig went from the right-handed hitting part of a right field starting platoon to a reserve third baseman/outfielder. While it remains to be seen, my above comments about Carpenter indicate my skepticism that if a full-time third baseman would be needed in the event of a Freese injury that Craig would get that job.

Brendan Ryan. The acquisition of Theriot spelled the end of Ryan starting at shortstop. He does have limited experience playing at the other infield positions and could become a defensive-oriented super-sub if not traded.

Lance Lynn. The re-signing of Jake Westbrook killed off any non-injury hope of a Triple-A starter cracking the 2011 rotation, as did Jaime Garcia the spring prior. Recent vibes from the major league coaching staff indicate they do not consider Lynn ready for the unofficial “sixth starter” role, though that could change with consistent results on the mound.

Kyle McClellan. McClellan is a most important part of the bullpen, yet each spring the club holds open the promise of letting him be a starter, only to snatch it away from him every time. McClellan is a team player and while he has expressed his preference to start, he has proven he will do any job asked. In my opinion, it has reached the point that the organization needs to let McClellan be as good of a reliever as he can be and stop with the “one day he will be a starter” storyline, as it seems clear that isn’t going to happen.

In limbo

Bryan Anderson. Though defense-first catcher Matt Pagnozzi is gone, Anderson, his former job-share partner with Memphis, seems destined for a return to Triple-A for a fourth season. This will not become semi-official until a veteran reserve catcher to replace Jason LaRue is signed, but this seems highly likely. At that point, Anderson will move to the “fallers” group.

Tyler Greene and Daniel Descalso. Unless the Cardinals add another veteran infielder to the roster, there remains a chance that either could make the 2011 club as a reserve. If Ryan is dealt away, their chances obviously improve.

Another factor is who is designated as the reserve second baseman behind Skip Schumaker. If Theriot is restricted to short exclusively, being the only natural second baseman in the mix, Descalso’s chances of making the team could improve. Greene is more interchangeable with Ryan.

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Theriot joins St. Louis

On Tuesday, the Cardinals acquired infielder Ryan Theriot from the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Blake Hawksworth. GM John Mozeliak immediately anointed the former Chicago Cubs shortstop as Brendan Ryan’s replacement as his starter there. According to the Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss, Ryan is rumored to be headed out of town. Once they pull him out from under the bus, that is.

Theriot is arbitration-eligible and is under team control for two more seasons. More details on his signing are available at TheCardinalNation.com.

Tallet signed

The Cardinals picked up what appears to be a situational lefty in 33-year-old Brian Tallet. He was let go by Toronto after five seasons of both starting and relieving. With decent numbers against left-handed hitters in his career, Tallet looks like he could be ok if not overexposed.

You can find more on him in the same article linked to above. The roster matrix here is current with Tuesday’s moves.

No Type A free agents likely

The Cardinals are not likely to sign a Type A free agent who was offered and declined arbitration, Mozeliak told MLB.com. Otherwise, they would give up their first-round pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, currently sitting at number 22.

Though the final decisions are not yet in, here are the names likely out of bounds as a result. No major surprises. Paul Konerko (CWS), Adam Dunn (Was), Adrian Beltre (Bos), Jayson Werth (Phi), Carl Crawford (TB), Cliff Lee (Tex), Carl Pavano (Min), Rafael Soriano (TB), Scott Downs (Tor), Jason Frasor (Tor), Frank Francisco (Tex), Grant Balfour (TB).

Fat Elvis sighting

Former Astros first baseman Lance Berkman has been told that Houston, who traded him to the Yankees this past summer, does not want the free agent back. In comments to The Houston Chronicle, Berkman included the Cardinals among a number of clubs kicking his tires. Apparently, they considered him a viable corner outfield candidate.

FOX Sports reports that Berkman wants $7 million for 2011 and will likely get it, perhaps from Oakland. The rub is that despite having bad knees, Berkman does not want to be a designated hitter. It appears that getting in better shape could help his cause.

Pags gone

Catcher Matt Pagnozzi, who saw time with St. Louis in September with both Yadier Molina and Jason LaRue injured, has been signed by the Colorado Rockies as a minor league free agent. Pags declared free agency after having been removed from the Cardinals’ 40-man roster following the season.

A pair of Pirates cut loose

Two Pittsburgh Pirates, third baseman Andy LaRoche and switch-hitting second baseman/outfielder Delwyn Young, cleared waivers and became free agents. Both had been removed from the Bucs’ 40-man roster after being designated for assignment. The two were former Dodgers top prospects. LaRoche had been Pittsburgh’s starting third baseman in 2009, but didn’t hit enough to keep the job.

La Roche could offer third base depth for the Cardinals, but they may spend more for a stronger option such as Miguel Tejada. If they stop at LaRoche or someone like him, it would seem another high-risk gamble on David Freese’s health.

Another chance for Big Mac

33 players are up for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. 14 are repeaters, including Mark McGwire, joined by 19 first-timers. Former Cardinals are in bold.

The complete ballot includes: Roberto Alomar, Carlos Baerga, Jeff Bagwell, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Bret Boone, Kevin Brown, John Franco, Juan Gonzalez, Marquis Grissom, Lenny Harris, Bobby Higginson, Charles Johnson, Barry Larkin, Al Leiter, Edgar Martinez, Tino Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Raul Mondesi, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, John Olerud, Rafael Palmeiro, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Kirk Rueter, Benito Santiago, Lee Smith, B.J. Surhoff, Alan Trammell and Larry Walker.

link to bios for each candidate

Cardinals post-season shares

With a second-place finish, the 2010 Cardinals get money even though they didn’t make the playoffs.

Share of Players’ Pool: $549,021.64; value of each full share: $9,679.42 – The Cardinals awarded 44 full shares, 12.05 partial shares and 4 cash awards.

Link to MLB press release

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St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has taken heat from many, including me, for often playing infielders out of position. The most recent example occurred following the Memphis Redbirds’ defeat in the Pacific Coast League finals when Daniel Descalso was called upon to make his MLB debut with St. Louis.

As a part of his transition to the majors, the 23-year-old was immediately thrown into the fire at third base, not his regular second base spot. Apparently La Russa was more comfortable with Aaron Miles and Skip Schumaker at second than seeing more of all-glove, no-bat Pedro Feliz at third.

Heads all over the Cardinal Nation were repeatedly scratched as the season neared its close with Descalso continuing to see time at the hot corner exclusively.

After he had made a couple of early token pinch hitting appearances, Descalso was given the start at third base in nine of the Cardinals final 11 regular season games. He was moved to shortstop late in one contest, but curiously never took the field even once at second base, the position at which he had been named the 2010 PCL post-season all-star.

To his credit, Descalso performed adequately at third, but no one knew ahead of time what to expect.

There were some whispers from the St. Louis media about organizational concerns over Descalso’s range, yet if that was the case, why had he been kept almost exclusively at second for the last three years?

This reminded me of an item from last winter’s hot stove. Back in January, I had a dialogue with Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch after the writer made the following comment about the lack of depth at third base at the time during a web chat.

“Descalso and David Freese are the only LISTED third baseman so far due in camp.” (caps are Strauss’ emphasis)

Though I blogged about it at the time, “Descalso to get shot at third base?”, it turned out to be much ado over nothing. Descalso, a non-roster invitee to major league spring camp, was among the very first cuts, announced on March 7.

Though he was called back from minor league camp repeatedly and ended up participating in 14 spring games for the Cardinals, during all nine games in which he took the field in Florida, Descalso was always the second baseman.

Descalso does have some prior experience at third, but it was some time ago, during his 2007 professional debut. That year, he spent about 2/3 of his time at third base (47 games) with the rest (23 games) at second for Batavia and Quad Cities. That was the last time until now that Descalso had meaningful innings at the hot corner.

La Russa’s expectation of young infielders when they come up from the minor leagues is defensive versatility. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, as we have seen the same pattern time and time again.

When natural shortstop Brendan Ryan made his MLB debut in 2007, La Russa played him more games at third base (24) and second base (17) combined than at short (28 games) that first year.

The downside? Ryan had never before played second base and had logged just one game at third in four previous years as a professional prior to arriving in St. Louis.

Two years later, another shortstop, former first-round draft pick Tyler Greene, reached the major leagues. He topped Ryan by appearing at five different positions defensively in his rookie year, with a total of 20 games at third, second, first and centerfield plus 30 at short.

Greene’s preparation? A four-year minor league career spent entirely at short other than four games at third in 2008.

Why hadn’t the organization learned from this by the time Descalso’s number was called to join the bigs?

This season, wrapped around a month missed due to injury, Descalso’s name was written on the Memphis lineup card 110 times at second base with his only diversion being six games at first base. Not once was he given time at short or third base.

Obviously, the Memphis coaching staff felt Descalso is a solid second baseman as the only time former MLB second sacker Ruben Gotay started there was during Descalso’s time on the DL. Instead, Gotay received the call 106 times to play out of position at third base for the Redbirds despite the obvious fact that he would not be a part of the St. Louis picture.

Bottom line, I find it very difficult to blame La Russa for Descalso not having played third for Memphis. My question is why the minor league staff and player development organization didn’t fully prepare Descalso for what would await him in the majors?

Former first-round pick, shortstop Pete Kozma may be next in line. With 421 games of minor league experience up through Double-A, Kozma has a grand total of one game in the outfield in 2007 and two games at third in 2008. All the rest were at short, where his defense has been erratic.

If and when Kozma reaches the majors, and if La Russa is still the manager, any guesses as to how the youngster will be deployed? More importantly, will everything possible have been done to ready him?

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St. Louis Cardinals rookie catcher Matt Pagnozzi executed a squeeze play in the sixth inning on Friday night, driving home the last of the Cardinals’ three runs in their win over the Colorado Rockies.

It was the first successful suicide squeeze for an RBI by a member of the Cardinals in almost three years. The last was been in April 2008 by pitcher Brad Thompson.

In the last 51 years, since 1960, the Cardinals have executed 146 sacrifice bunts that delivered an RBI. That averages slightly fewer than three per season. As recently as 2005, the Cardinals had 11 such plays, executed by 11 different players.

Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith led the way with 20 sac bunts for RBIs since 1960.

St. Louis Cardinals team leaders, sacrifice bunt RBI, 1960-2010

By a considerable margin, the 1980′s era Whiteyball was the most prevalent decade for this play.

St. Louis Cardinals, sacrifice bunt RBI by decade, 1960-2010

The list of the previous 145 sacrifice bunts that delivered RBIs follows, all courtesy of researcher Tom Orf.

St. Louis Cardinals, sacrifice bunt RBI, 1960-2010

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Depending on your point of view, there is either much concern or much interest in the St. Louis Cardinals third base position. With incumbent David Freese out for the season, Allen Craig, moved from the hot corner to the outfield two years ago, made his first MLB appearance at third base Tuesday night.

Whether that is an indicator of a change ahead or a novelty like Aaron Miles pitching in the 18-4 home blowout administered by the Houston Astros remains to be seen.

However, with the bat, despite considerable focus on his low batting average, Craig has shown an early proficiency in plating runs. In fact, he has been among the most productive Cardinals in their first 15 career games in that stat since 1980.

Cardinals since 1980-7+ RBI in 1st 15 career games
(name, RBI, batting average)

J.D. Drew 13 (.385)
Adam Kennedy 12 (.291)
Albert Pujols 12 (.389)
Andy Van Slyke 10 (9-of-61 .173)
Bo Hart 9 (.412)
John Morris 9 (.204)
David Bell 8 (.280)
Tom Pagnozzi 8 (.219)
Luis Alicea 8 (.235)
Chris Duncan 8 (.294)
John Mabry 8 (.302)
John Rodriguez 8 (.356)
Eli Marrero 7 (.256)
Andy Rincon 7 (.206)
John Gall 7 (.222)
Stan Royer 7 (.375)
Allen Craig 7 (6-of-42 .158)

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for the above table.

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For those waiting for St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay to come back to earth, 50 games into his career, it hasn’t happened yet. Certainly the club’s comfort with Jay playing a regular role over a longer period was a factor in the trade of Ryan Ludwick this past weekend.

To that end, researcher Tom Orf pulled the stats from the top 20 players in Cardinals history in the last 90 years, since 1920, in terms of batting average through their first 50 career games. During that time, Jay’s .378 mark is third highest.

Several very familiar names are down the page from Jay, including Albert Pujols, Stan Musial, Jim Bottomley and Enos Slaughter. There are plenty of long-since forgotten players and ones who didn’t pan out, too.

Which will Jay become?

St. Louis Cardinals, highest batting average, first 50 career games, 1920-2010

Footnote: For those who wonder, after his first 50 games, 2003 phenom Bo Hart’s average had already fallen to .301 on his way to a .277 mark over 88 career games in that season and the next.

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In his 38^th career MLB game on Tuesday night, outfielder Jon Jay continued his stellar play. The rookie hit two doubles, walked, scored and drove in a run, raising his average to .372.

It was his second career two-double game and the pair of doubles increased his career total to nine.

In the former stat, Jay joined nine other Cardinals hitters since 1920 with two two-double contests in their first 38 career games.

St. Louis Cardinals, multi-double games, first 38 career games

Jay became the 17^th Cardinals hitter since 1920 to collect at least nine doubles in his first 38 games. Joe “Ducky” Medwick is on top with 14 two-base hits during the earliest stages of what would become his Hall of Fame career.

St. Louis Cardinals, doubles, first 38 career games

Special thanks to Tom Orf for the data tables above.

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The excitement is so high, a respected poster on The Cardinal Nation message board asked if Jay might be considered a legitimate contender for the National League Rookie of the Year. That is most likely out of the question, but there can be no argument that Jay has suitably impressed in his first season as a major leaguer.

In the minors, the former second-round pick from the University of Miami was touted as having the ability to become a future MLB batting champion. To date, Jay has been very good – a career .300 hitter in the minor leagues with a solid .800 OPS.

Jon Jay, career stats

Not even watering down his minor league numbers by applying major league equivalencies, one has to expect that Jay will cool off substantially as a major leaguer, however. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a productive player, of course.

“If he keeps that up, he’s going to earn a lot of playing time,” manager Tony La Russa said after Jay doubled twice on Thursday.

Just to continue the legend of Jay one step further before moving on, Tom Orf offered a list of the top 30 Cardinals in team history in terms of slugging over their first 30 games. Well, truth be known, he gave me a list of over 300 names, but “30 in 30” has a nice ring. I wonder if that is registered.

Anyway, Jay is currently sixth all time in that narrow slice. There are some very familiar names and others who quickly slipped into obscurity listed below. Where will Jay fall?

Cardinals history, first 30 games, ranked by SLG

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During Wednesday afternoon’s four-hour snooze-a-thon that ended with the Arizona Diamondbacks stopping the St. Louis Cardinals’ eighth attempt to sweep a three-game series this season, the Twitterverse came alive with discussion about the possibility of the Cardinals trading 2009 first-round draft pick Shelby Miller.

Whether for Cliff Lee, Dan Haren or anyone else, a question was posed as to whether or not a drafted player could be dealt within his first year as a professional. (Trading picks prior to draft day remains against MLB rules.)

Previously, some had thought the restriction lasted until a year after draft day. Others, including me, recalled the “Pete Incaviglia Rule”, aka Rule 3(b)(7). Explained on MLB.com http://bit.ly/bSmjdi and at Scout.com http://bit.ly/bru5BU, it basically states a team must wait until a year has passed after a player has signed before he can be traded.

That led to a tweet from Derrick Goold (Twitter @dgoold) of the Post-Dispatch questioning whether a player could be dealt as a “player to be named later” (PTBNL) before his initial year was up. This is especially relevant since Miller’s signing by the Cardinals was not announced until August 17, 2009. He is currently pitching for the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League.

In his searching, Goold came to the conclusion such a trade could be allowed if the player was playing for the drafted organization until he was announced as the PTBNL and moved.

Regular reader CariocaCardinal (@cariocacardinal) found an example which proves that such a trade would be within the rules. It involves pitcher Jeremy Bonderman, now of the Detroit Tigers.

Here is Bonderman’s chronology:

• June 5, 2001: Drafted in the first round, 26^th overall, by the Oakland A’s.

• August 22, 2001: Signed with the A’s but did not play that season.

• April 2002: Began playing career in A-Advanced ball with Modesto.

• July 5, 2002: Three-way, seven-player trade announced among the A’s, Detroit and the Yankees including Jeff Weaver, Carlos Pena, Ted Lilly and others. The seventh was a player to be named later to go from the A’s to the Tigers.

• August 22, 2002: On his one year signing anniversary, Bonderman was announced as the PTBNL and moved to Detroit. He was assigned to A-Advanced Lakeland, where he made two appearances to close out the season.

One other small point. Players to be named later must be identified within six months of the trade date.

Conclusion: It appears there is nothing that would preclude the Cardinals from dealing Miller if they so choose. While that point is apparently not debatable, the wisdom of such a move clearly remains fodder for debate and discussion.

Others who participated in the Twitter discussion included @C70, @sporer and @MatthewHLeach.

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