One of five candidates interviewed but not selected, Oquendo was faced with a major career decision this week as a result. Should he remain with the organization that has been his only home in 15 years of coaching as well as his final ten years as a player or should he move on?

To their credit, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak and Matheny made it clear during Monday’s managerial press conference that they hoped Oquendo would return in 2012.

The Puerto Rican native’s experience as third base coach and infield instructor, not to mention his Spanish-language skills, had clear value to the organization. So would be his continuity on Matheny’s new staff as the team’s second longest-serving coach after pitching master Dave Duncan.

Just after his interview with the Cardinals search committee last week, Oquendo said the following to the Post-Dispatch.

“This is home, If nothing works out, hopefully, I can stay around and coach here. Hopefully, they like what I’ve done in the past.

“Sometimes, a new (manager) might want to bring in a new guy to coach. I’ll have to wait and see what decision they make. If I’m not back, then I have to find another way to bring in income.”

Job security seemed an important objective.

By taking this approach, Oquendo may have given the Cardinals the easy way out. They did not have to name him manager to continue to benefit from his contributions. They could hire another manager and have the best of both worlds, which is of course precisely what they did.

Further, while Oquendo appeared happy to take the top job had it been offered, he did not create the impression that he was particularly aggressive in pursuing it and was overly concerned if he did not get it.

“If it’s not going to be me, I’m not going to be saying, ‘Why not? Why not me?’ If it happens, it happens,” he told the Post-Dispatch.

Oquendo, 48, lives in St. Louis County with his wife, four children and granddaughter and is apparently comfortable there. After a quarter of a century of work with the Cardinals, setting deep roots in the community is understandable, but it may not be the best career move to remain.

Though Oquendo had also been considered for managerial openings in San Diego, Seattle and with the New York Mets in recent years, he has reportedly never been offered the top uniformed job.

If he was primarily focused on becoming a major league manager, this would have been the time to thank the Cardinals for the good times and move on to another MLB staff to better position himself for a future managerial shot elsewhere.

By remaining, I think Oquendo has explicitly limited his future MLB managerial opportunities and indicated he is content playing a supporting, rather than a lead role.

After all, since the organization that knows him best chose not to give him the top job, would another club now seriously consider hiring him off the Cardinals staff? Previously, Oquendo had the mystique of being perceived by some as the one chosen and specially groomed to follow La Russa. Any benefit that provided him is now gone.

Of course, as long as Oquendo is comfortable with the ramifications of this week’s decisions made by the Cardinals and himself, the club should be the winner over the long haul.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.
Follow TCN on Google+.

Here on 11/11/11, just days after the club won its 11^th World Championship, it seems only natural to acknowledge the longest holder of the number, Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo.

A versatile middle infielder, Oquendo was acquired from the Mets in 1985 and spent that season in Triple-A. With St. Louis, “The Secret Weapon” wore 11 from 1986 until his retirement as an active player. That occurred after he failed to make the team in Tony La Russa’s first spring training with St. Louis in 1996.

After two years coaching in the minor league system, Oquendo returned to St. Louis and his number 11 in 1999 as the team’s bench coach under La Russa. He moved to the third base coaching station the next season, where he has remained ever since.

Interestingly, three players wore 11 in between Oquendo’s two decade-long stints with St. Louis.

One of the most controversial players of La Russa’s early years with the Cardinals, shortstop Royce Clayton, picked up the number 11 in 1996. Incumbent Ozzie Smith took exception to how the manager handled the starting competition between himself and Clayton and continues to hold a grudge to this day. Clayton kept the number until his trade to Texas at the July 1998 deadline as part of the Fernando Tatis acquisition.

Tatis donned 11 briefly after the trade before assuming his more familiar number 23, which he picked up in a swap that season with reserve infielder Luis Ordaz. Oquendo reclaimed the number 11 from Ordaz upon his 1999 return.

Now held most famously by World Series MVP David Freese, 23 was also the number worn by Tito Francona as a reserve outfielder/first baseman with the 1965 and 1966 Cardinals. Tito is the father of current Cardinals managerial candidate Terry Francona (who sported number 47 as the Red Sox skipper).

If Oquendo, another of the six candidates to replace La Russa, does not get the top job, he may not be wearing his familiar number 11 for St. Louis in 2012 after 23 years. It remains to be seen if the son of a former number 23 would be the cause.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

St. Louis Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo was recently granted a first-round interview for the managerial opening with the New York Mets. It was his first reported shot at a MLB top job since interviewing with Seattle and San Diego several years ago.

Oquendo has long been considered a prime candidate for the eventual opening in St. Louis to replace Tony La Russa. La Russa is heading into his second consecutive one-year contract, just 126 wins away from owning second place on the all-time managerial list. That quest may keep the now-66-year-old skipper in place through the 2012 season.

Despite his many years of service as a player and coach in the organization, Oquendo may remain a dark horse candidate. The reason why? The club is signaling they prefer an experienced manager to one day replace La Russa.

But how can Oquendo, or any other new manager for that matter, gain that initial experience?

13 of the 30 managerial jobs across Major League Baseball became open since September. Now that all have been filled, let’s see how they were sourced.

Slightly over half of the openings were filled by experienced managers, including three returnees, Tony La Russa, Ozzie Guillen and Joe Girardi. The other four are former managers receiving a second chance. In other words, Oquendo and those like him lost out.

That leaves six jobs, all of which went to first-timers. Four of them exploited a leg up by remaining with their current organizations.

Three of the four were in what seems to be the ideal situation for a first-timer. They took advantage of their previous managers having left during the season, opening the door for them to prove their mettle via the “interim” tag. Of the four interim managers that ended last season, only Seattle’s Daren Brown did not get to keep the job for 2011. He was replaced by a veteran manager, Eric Wedge.

For the interim approach to work for Oquendo however, would mean that La Russa would have to walk away during the season. That seems an unlikely happening in any year.

The fourth first-time manager, Don Mattingly in Los Angeles, did not actually begin to manage in 2010, but his promotional announcement was made prior to the end of the season. This was possible since Joe Torre clearly signaled his departure in advance. It allowed the Dodgers to keep Mattingly, a desirable candidate, from potentially being lost to one of the other openings.

That leaves just two of the 12 jobs which went to first-time managers hired into a different organization from which they worked in 2010. Red Sox pitching coach Rick Farrell has been given the reins in Toronto and Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke got the top job in Milwaukee.

That was the type of competition in which Oquendo found himself and will remain until further notice. Mighty tall odds, indeed.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Uggla interest

The Post-Dispatch has a bit more optimistic take than the earlier Matthew Leach blog post (“a long shot”) on the Cardinals’ potential interest in Marlins star Dan Uggla. Both include the same concern over the acquisition cost of the second baseman in terms of players required. The P-D story does acknowledge the Cardinals believe they could cover Uggla’s 2011 salary.

An MLB.com Monday report said the Marlins are asking for a pitcher and catcher in return for Uggla with the Nationals, Blue Jays, Braves and Tigers among the interested.

Other infield options

Over the weekend, Buster Olney of ESPN suggested the Cardinals would vigorously pursue infielder Juan Uribe, late of the San Francisco Giants. In the same P-D article that discusses Uggla, it is mentioned that Cardinals GM John Mozeliak will meet with Uribe’s agent this week in Orlando.

The club also has continued interest in Miguel Tejada, says the article, while painting a picture that the Cards may not pursue Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka. The cost of the latter will include both his contract and posting fee paid to his Japanese club.

Pujols contract timing

Mo tells Joe Strauss he plans to engage the Albert Pujols camp on contract discussions before Christmas.

One of the posters on The Cardinal Nation message board, TheEckFactor, ran into Albert on Monday in Springfield, IL, where the first baseman is apparently involved in the opening of a sports facility. He shared a photo.

Westbrook odds improving

In a bit of a surprise, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that “Cardinals growing more optimistic on signing (Jake) Westbrook. A week ago, team thought odds were only 50-50.”

In other news, the early winter price of pitching remains high. The Dodgers re-signed free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year, $12 million contract that includes an additional $500,000 in incentives and full no-trade protection.

Oquendo interview

Despite dealing with the death of his father over the weekend, new Mets general manager Sandy Alderson spent two hours in Orlando on Monday interviewing Jose Oquendo for the open managerial role in New York.

The Post-Dispatch report notes that Tony La Russa spent time with Oquendo, helping him prepare for the interview.

One report had Oquendo being the last of ten first-round interviews, but SI’s Jon Heyman tweeted there may be more candidates added to the mix. The original schedule was said to lead to a decision by the early December Winter Meetings.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

One of the St. Louis’ Cardinals players that bridged the gap from the awful 1970’s to the fantastic 1980’s was their second/third baseman Ken Oberkfell. The now 54-year-old has managed the New York Mets’ Triple-A affiliate for the past six seasons, except for a brief stint as first base coach for the major league team in the second half of the 2008 season.

He has been under consideration for the Mets’ top job several times in the past and is again among the candidates to replace the fired Jerry Manuel. Obie reportedly interviewed for the position in the Dominican Republic on Friday, where he is managing in winter ball.

One of his competitors for the job is current Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo, who came up with the Mets as a 19-year-old back in 1983. The 47-year-old is scheduled to sit down with new Mets general manager Sandy Alderson in Orlando on Monday.

While the two candidates were both infielders for St. Louis and their MLB playing days overlapped, the two were not teammates.

Oberkfell was a free agent signing by the Cards in 1975 and remained in the organization for almost the next ten years. He made his major league debut via a brief cup of coffee at the age of 21 in 1977. In two more seasons, the Highland, IL native had taken over at second base before moving over to third in 1981 when Tommy Herr came onto the scene.

Obie, who never hit more than three home runs nor drove in as many as 50 in a single season during his time with the Cardinals, was known most for his solid fundamental play and especially, his glove. He led the NL in fielding percentage as a second baseman in 1979 and at third both in 1982 and 1983.

In June, 1984, the Cards traded Oberkfell to the Atlanta Braves. He then moved on to the Pirates, Giants, Astros and Angels. Oberkfell was a member of the 1989 NL champions from San Francisco that fell to Tony La Russa’s Oakland A’s in the infamous “Earthquake Series”. He ended his playing days with the then-California Angels at the conclusion of the 1992 season.

Oberkfell has 15 seasons of experience as a minor league manager in affiliated ball including six leading the Mets’ Triple-A team, first in Norfolk, then in New Orleans and now in Buffalo. He began his managing career in the independent Northern League in 1995 and 1996 before joining the Philadelphia Phillies the next season. Obie skippered Phils farmhands in the Sally and Florida State Leagues from 1997 through 2000.

The Mets hired Obie in 2001 and he first led the Capitol City Bombers of the Sally League. In the second of his two seasons with St. Lucie club of the FSL, his 2003 team was the league champion. An assignment up the ladder to Double-A Binghamton for the 2004 season ensued.

Oberkfell was recognized as Baseball America’s Minor League Manager of the Year in 2005 when he was leading the Norfolk Tides, but he has never received the call to manage in the big leagues. He interviewed for the top job with the Mets several times, including when Willie Randolph was hired prior to the 2005 season. Previously, he had also been passed over for at least two other coaching spots on the big league club in Flushing.

In terms of minor league managerial experience, Oquendo’s resume is much shorter. His strength is in 12 years of major league coaching for St. Louis. Oquendo had just one season as a minor league manager, in short-season ball back in 1998. He has also managed in more short-term assignments, including winter ball in Puerto Rico, the Olympics, World Baseball Classic and Futures Game.

I recently wrote about Oquendo’s background in detail here: “Is Oquendo on the managerial carousel?”

Neither man may have the inside track with New York. Ten or more men have been or will be interviewed for the opening. They include current Mets employees Dave Jauss, Bob Melvin, Wally Backman, Chip Hale and Terry Collins in addition to Oberkfell. External candidates along with Oquendo are Don Wakematsu, Clint Hurdle (reportedly taking the Pittsburgh Pirates job instead) and DeMarlo Hale.

The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports that Alderson favors hiring an MLB-experienced manager. The same article quotes the GM as saying “a fiery manager is actually quite desirable.”  If both are true, a number of the candidates would be ruled out, including Oberkfell and Oquendo, low-key guys without major league top jobs on their resumes.

After a decade, Oberkfell must be wondering if or when he will ever get a chance with the Mets if those are the ground rules.

Further, why even interview Oquendo, the last name on the list to be contacted? Is it any more than a courtesy move by Alderson, a friend and a former co-worker of La Russa in Oakland?

A recent rumor out of Cardinals camp had the organization holding a similar position that the La Russa’s eventual replacement must have MLB managerial experience. For Oquendo to compete, he has to earn that first managing chance somewhere. If not with the Mets, where?

As La Russa’s career approaches its end, Oquendo may be running out of time to show what he can do.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Two years ago, St. Louis Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo was a hot managerial candidate, securing interviews for jobs in San Diego and Seattle that went to others. Since then, his name seemed to drop out of the news.

For example, in an article at SI.com entitled “Assessing managerial carousel,” Jon Heyman called out a wide variety of current skipper candidates for the numerous available openings. Heyman cited 29 names to be exact, from Tim Bogar to Tim Wallach, but not once did Oquendo’s name appear.

This article out of Seattle includes a pining for Tony La Russa in the M’s head job along with a well-organized list of known candidates for the six open spots across MLB. With new management in Seattle since his 2008 interview, Jose is not included this time, nor is his name linked with any of the other openings.

The dry spell may have changed earlier this week when Pittsburgh-focused writer John Perrotto mentioned in a Baseball Prospectus article that he expected Oquendo would receive an interview with the Pirates. I have yet to see any confirmation elsewhere, however.

Perhaps the reason “Secret Weapon’s” name hasn’t appeared in conjunction with other jobs is the assumption that he is the heir apparent to eventually replace La Russa with the Cardinals.

Another possibility is that La Russa is a mold-breaker and as such, maybe one of his closest disciples just isn’t what others want. Despite all the winning, the manager clearly has his detractors as well.

Oquendo recently received a great compliment from Marlins interim manager Edwin Rodriguez. His long-time friend and countryman achieved a milestone that Oquendo had hoped to experience himself – becoming MLB’s first manager to have been born in Puerto Rico.

“Oquendo is in Puerto Rico for Winter Ball, so I’d talk with him a lot,” Rodriguez told MLB.com. “He’s always giving me pretty good insights on how Tony would handle situations. Not only the in-game situations, but how he handled preparation, and how he handles the staff.”

So, as long as a La Russa-style strategist is wanted, Oquendo is your man. No Dave Duncan clone would be included in the deal, however.

In a two-part piece last year, I researched La Russa’s coaching staffs since his early days in Chicago and found surprisingly few that worked under Tony later became skippers in their own right.

Even the thought of Oquendo succeeding La Russa is far from a sure thing. The rumor mill has the Cardinals preferring to hire an experienced man – whenever the time to address the need arises, of course.

Speaking of which, I wonder why some are surprised that La Russa is perceived to be taking his time to tell the Cards whether or not he will accept their offer to return in 2011. For me the reason is simple – he wants to see if there is a better deal out there. After all, any contact during the season would have been considered tampering.

One year ago, La Russa announced his return on October 26. It was 16 days after St. Louis was swept by the Dodgers in the National League Division Series, though that time may have been elongated due to the controversial hiring of Mark McGwire as hitting coach, announced on the same day. It also marked La Russa’s first-ever one year contract with the Cardinals – done at the manager’s request. He is currently at 11 days and counting since the disappointing 2010 season concluded.

With Tony at age 66, less than two seasons away from reaching second on the all-time managerial wins list and being able to enjoy at least one more summer of Albert Pujols, it would all seem to signal a continuation of the marriage for a 16^th year.

In the meantime, Oquendo waits for his chance, whether here or there.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Can you believe the number is four of seven?

Along with La Russa, Dave McKay, Jose Oquendo (pictured making the turn in a 2007 minor league spring training workout) and Joe Pettini, ex-middle infielders all, the Cardinals staff includes one ex-catcher in Dave Duncan, a pitcher in bullpen coach Marty Mason and of course, the new hitting coach and former first baseman in Mark McGwire.

La Russa, 65, signed his first pro contract with the Kansas City Athletics on the night he graduated from high school in 1962. He made his major league debut with Kansas City just one year later. La Russa did not return to the majors again until 1968, this time with the Oakland A’s.

Tony went on to play parts of four seasons in Oakland before concluding his big-league playing career with Atlanta and the Chicago Cubs. Overall, his professional career spanned 16 seasons as he finished, ironically, as a player/coach with the Cardinals Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans in 1977.

La Russa played at second base in 786 of his 1,028 minor league games and 63 of his 83 major league contests at second.

First base coach McKay, who turns 60 next month, was originally signed by the Minnesota Twins in 1971 and spent four seasons in the minor leagues after breaking in during August 1975. After the 1976 season, McKay moved to Toronto in the expansion draft, where he was in the lineup for the first game in Blue Jays franchise history.

After splitting time between Toronto and Triple-A Syracuse in 1979, McKay signed with the A’s in 1980. He played for Oakland through 1982 and returned to the minor leagues as a player-coach for the 1983 season before becoming La Russa’s bench coach in 1984.

McKay was primarily a second baseman in the majors, playing 385 of his 653 games there, also spending time at third and shortstop.

As a major league infielder, third base coach Oquendo is the most-known of the bunch for his playing exploits. Now 46, “Secret Weapon’s” professional playing career spanned 17 seasons, including big league time with the New York Mets (1983-84) and Cardinals (1986-95).

In 1990, Oquendo established single-season major league records for the highest fielding percentage (.996) and fewest errors by a second baseman (three). He also led the league in fielding in 1989 and compiled a .992 fielding average at second base for his career.

While Oquendo is famed for having played every position on the diamond as a Cardinal, his primary home as a major leaguer was second base. He played 649 of his 1163 career MLB games there.

Pettini’s professional career began when he signed with the Montreal Expos as a non-drafted free agent in 1977. In 1980, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants, where he played for four seasons. He was signed by the Cardinals and played for Triple-A Louisville from 1984 through 1986.

The Cardinals current bench coach breaks the mold as he was a shortstop, having played there in 106 of his 180 major league contests.

Follow me on Twitter.

On Monday evening, manager Jose Oquendo’s Team Puerto Rico was clearly “in dutch” with the Dutch. With less than two innings remaining, his club was down 1-0 and en route to an embarrassing and potentially damaging defeat at the hands of a lightly-regarded Netherlands team.

Up stepped Molina to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning. Always a player to be relied upon in tough situations, the catcher came through again as he shot a two-run double sharply down the left field line and into the corner.

After the Puerto Ricans won the game by a 3-1 score, advancing to the second round of the WBC, cameras focused on Molina. Normally a stoic sort, his grin was so wide it put the late Heath Ledger’s portrayal of Batman’s nemesis The Joker to shame.

In this case, however, the only people who saw Molina as a bad guy were the citizens of the Netherlands.

The big hit evoked memories of 2006, as the Cardinals were on the verge of being eliminated from the NLCS by the New York Mets. Molina’s two-run home run saved the Cardinals season and propelled them into the World Series.

One of the most divisive issues across baseball this spring is this second World Baseball Classic. Fans either love the competition or see it as a major distraction to preparation for the 2009 MLB season.

What many Americans do not seem to understand or appreciate is how important this WBC is to these players and to the nations of the world. At a time when baseball seems to be losing ground in terms of overall popularity, this tournament draws global attention to the game like no other event could.

Molina is the only Cardinals front-line player in the 2009 WBC, playing for his homeland. The youngest of the three catching Molina brothers wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, his comments after his winning hit Monday placed this event ahead of his 2006 Mets’-killing blow.

“To play before your family, before your own people, there are very different emotions than playing a World Series before almost 50,000 people. It is really exciting, but here in front of your own people, your family. I believe this is my World Series and I enjoy it more here,” Molina excitedly said.

That doesn’t make Molina any less of a St. Louis Cardinal or any less committed to his professional duties. It does however underline the importance of these games to the players.

Personally, I am disappointed that some MLB clubs openly discourage their players from participating and serving as worldwide ambassadors for the game in the process. No, the timing isn’t ideal, but there isn’t a better time. Sure, players risk injury, just as they do in spring training.

With the Olympics having decertified baseball, these games stand alone as the true Series of the World.

The memory of what happened Monday night will be with Molina forever.

“It’s one of the greatest moments of my life. The double that I hit tonight is going to be in my heart all my life,” Molina exclaimed.

Good for him. Good for baseball.

What I will do here is share some of those searches and respond directly to them in case they could not find the exact answer they wanted the first time. It’s not really spying though, since I cannot tell who originated the queries.

P.S. I enjoyed doing this so much that I may decide to make it a regular feature.

“joel pineiro wbc”

As many probably know by now, Cardinals starting pitcher Joel Pineiro (pictured) wanted to compete as a starter for his native Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. The Cardinals wanted him in camp instead. Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo had to make the decision in his other role as Team Puerto Rico’s manager.

Oquendo selected three others to start instead of Pineiro. The pitcher took the news badly.

This was a very difficult situation for Oquendo. He was in for trouble either way. If he chose Pineiro, his Cardinals bosses would clearly be unhappy. Instead, this way, he has just one player mad at him compared to those who may directly influence his next job.

Pineiro probably felt that he needed to speak up to ensure he did not take heat back home. Most Americans do not understand how important these international competitions are to Latin Americans. Yet, Pineiro should have left out the “disrespected” remarks, expressed his disappointment and left it at that. Tenuous number five starters should generally be seen and not heard.

Bottom line, I will be delighted when actual games (on the field) begin.

“cardinal nation”

Yep, this is the place! By the way, I am now the proud sponsor of the 2008 Cardinals team page on Baseball-Reference.com as well as multiple pages of several players past and present, including Kyle Lohse, Trever Miller, Brendan Ryan, Mitchell Boggs, Nick Stavinoha and Brian Barden. For nostalgia purposes, I also picked up sponsorship of Whitey Herzog and Al “The Mad Hungarian” Hrabosky. So there!

“cardinals adam reifer”

On Monday, I posted a free article on Scout.com noting just how significant the accomplishments of the 2008 Batavia Muckdogs were. Among them were the contributions of the club’s closer, Adam Reifer. The 22-year-old led the New York-Penn League in appearances and game finishes and was second in saves. He picked up our Scout.com Rookie Reliever of the Year award and the same for Batavia.

For the few readers in the Batavia area, the club’s annual Hot Stove League Dinner and Auction is this Friday night. The club has also just rolled out a new website that looks like a big improvement over the prior one. I am also pleased to mention that my above article on the 2008 club will be gracing the pages of the team’s 2009 Official Program.

“cardinals full spring training roster 2009”

Go to the article entitled “Cardinals non-roster invitees – an update”. There I have posted the 23 players in camp as non-roster invitees. In the comments that follow, I also listed the 34 players names currently on the 40-man roster. In total, 57 players are in camp. Those sources listing 58 have forgotten that Adam Kennedy was dropped prior to arrival.

If you want to see all the players in the entire system, check out my Cardinals roster matrix.

“whitlock race steroids”

There were several different queries made on this subject. Frankly, I probably fell into the trap by giving this non-topic as much of my time as I already have. Time to move on – at least until Jason Whitlock’s next absurd article gets me riled up again…

“ian ostlund chances”

The lefty is not on the 40-man roster and to make the team, he probably needs three of these four things to happen in March.

1. Pitch impressively

2. Trever Miller to get hurt

3. Charlie Manning to pitch poorly

4. Royce Ring to pitch poorly

However, even if Ian Ostlund misses the cut in spring training, if he goes to Memphis and does well, the 30-year-old should make his MLB debut sometime this summer.

“fox sports north twins tv schedule”

Hmmm. Well, I do have a small connection in that the Cardinals game against the Twinkies on Sunday, March 29 will be televised on Fox Sports North, along with Fox Sports Midwest.

My count of Cardinals spring games to be shown on any network, information not easily found anywhere else, is up to 11. Remember that the first two TV games will be on SportsNet New York (SNY) on February 27 and March 3 – just around the corner!

Speaking of television and Al Hrabosky, I have been asked by several readers about Fox Sports South’s Cardinals telecast schedule for 2009. It is still a couple of weeks away, I have been told, but I will share it as soon as it is released. If you are in the relevant subset of FS South’s viewing area, western portions of Kentucky and Tennessee and the northern portion of Mississippi, you already know how this example of MLB’s ridiculous territorial rules limits your viewing options.

“2009 spring training cardinals games on the radio”

At this link, the same one posted above, I also have included the confirmed spring radio schedule from KTRS 550. 20 games will be broadcast, primarily on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays as has been customary in recent springs.

“pujols comments on arod”

Here is the link, but to be honest, this subject makes me weary.

One thing Albert Pujols-related that I do want to rant about is the dumb things being said about Pujols’ contract. First of all, we have national concerns like the AP not even knowing how much time is on the player’s contract and making a big deal because he wants to be on a winning team. What a newsflash that is.

Then we have others ready to jump out of the window because Pujols can be a free agent in three seasons. Even others are playing Chicken Little, wanting to see Pujols traded as soon as possible. Take a pill, folks.

“chris carpenter spring training”

I agree that Chris Carpenter‘s health is the single most important story this spring for the Cardinals. However, I have decided at this point that good news is no news and unless there is bad news, I am going to wait and watch how the ace does on the mound.

If Carp looks good in March and seems ready to go in April, I like the 2009 Cardinals one heck of a lot better than I do without him. Until then however, for me, less is more.

What I will be watching is Carpenter’s pitching partner during March, Kyle McClellan. They are supposed to be on the same pitching schedule with the younger player the unofficial sixth starter. Carpenter’s injury status might not be the only opening for McClellan. Pineiro, take notice!

I hope the bullpen pitches so well that McClellan is not needed to return there and can concentrate on starting. If he can handle the role, it is a more valuable one for the team. Remember that both Pineiro and Todd Wellemeyer are now in their walk seasons. (No, I do not think they will pitch better in 2009 because of it!)

“cardinals arbitrations”

I posted a summary the other day of all the club’s five arbitration-eligible cases. Financially, the Cardinals and the players involved all came out just fine.

“cliff politte”

I have seen no official announcement, but my guess is that the soon-to-be 35-year-old Cliff Politte may have decided to hang up his spikes. The Cardinals 54^th-round pick in 1995 (not a typo) had a fine career before arm injuries took their toll. The right-hander pitched in just seven games for Memphis last season.

“stavinoha catcher”

According to the most recent news out of Cardinals camp, despite what was reported initially, outfielder Nick Stavinoha’s move behind the plate is now being called a “tryout”. The soon-to-be 27-year-old is going to have to fight for playing time in Memphis no matter what position he plays defensively.

“adam kennedy release cardinals”

For me at least, I closed the book on this subject this morning with a free article at Scout.com. I will say that I think Kennedy made a big mistake, but he has to live with his decision.

I thought it would be interesting to look at the club’s arbitration record since the process began. While most who watch this area may be familiar with the fact that the club last went to hearing in 1999, when they defeated pitcher Darren Oliver and his agent Scott Boras, the Cardinals’ history in arbitration goes back much farther.

Fortunately, the late Doug Pappas, long-time chairman of SABR’s Business of Baseball Committee, kept detailed hearing records all the way back to 1974. The basics of what follows is sourced from his work.

Since the process began, there have been almost 500 arbitration hearings across MLB. Of course, many more players filed, but came to terms prior to the actual date. As one of 30 clubs now (though there were fewer teams back in 1974) one might expect the Cardinals to have had no more than about 3% of the cases. That is the approximate actual number, 15. The club’s record against players is very close to the overall MLB historical mark, around 60%.

Through 2008	Hearings	Club win	Player win	% club win
MLB	484	279	205	58%
Cardinals	15	9	6	60%
StL percent of MLB	3.1%	3.2%	2.9%

However, most of these Cardinals cases were held during the 1980s, nine of the 15 to be precise. Five more followed in the 1990s, but four of them occurred prior to 1995. Since then, there has been just one, Oliver.

Cardinals cases	Hearings	Club win	Player win	% club win
1970′s	1	0	1	0%
1980′s	9	6	3	67%
1990′s	5	3	2	60%
2000′s	0	0	0	NA

Gregg Jefferies: Last to beat the Cards in arbitration (Getty Images/Stephen Dunn)

Ironically, the busiest year for the club was at the end of the boom. In 1994, three players went to arbitration, with the club going 2-1. They lost to first baseman Gregg Jefferies (pictured) and defeated starter Bob Tewksbury and third baseman Todd Zeile. As a result, Jefferies holds the distinction of having been the last player to defeat the Cardinals in a hearing.

And here we sit today, with two players heading toward a showdown with the club over their 2009 salary amounts. The Cardinals could double their total number of hearings in the last 15 years over the span of just six days later this month.

Below are the detailed hearing results, offering a most interesting view of how salaries have risen over the years.

As you will see, some of the most prominent stars of the club during the 1980s and early 1990’s participated in the process – Ozzie Smith, Danny Cox, Jose Oquendo, Vince Coleman and Terry Pendleton among them.

Having just returned to the Cards from the Mets in the Joe Torre trade, pitcher Ray Sadecki was the first-ever case for the club back in 1975. On one hand, the difference between the two sides was just $5,000. On the other hand, it was about 10% of the player’s salary – an amount worth fighting for. The left-hander was traded to Atlanta just three months after winning his case.

In the table, I added to Pappas’ base data the date when each player last suited up for the Cardinals and how he left. There were rumors that some owners did not take kindly to players fighting them over salary. If only the arbitration process had existed in 1972, another lefty, Steve Carlton, might have become a Hall of Famer as a Cardinal instead of as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

I include that information not because there is any proven correlation between an arbitration case and the player leaving St. Louis.

Yet do pay special attention to the timing of trade activity, especially in the early years of arbitration. Four of the first five players that took the Cardinals to arbitration didn’t even last through that season before having to pack their bags. Later, the players exerted their financial independence via free agency.

Even as trade rumors swirled around both Ludwick and Ankiel this winter, this data is offered as an interesting conversation piece about which to speculate over what might have been.

Year		Player*	Club*	Club win	Player win	% club win	Left StL	Reason
1975	Ray Sadecki	52	47		X		May-75	traded
1980	Will McEnaney	125	65	X			Mar-80	released
1981	Tony Scott	225	180		X		Jun-81	traded
1982	Ozzie Smith	750	450	X			Sep-96	retired
1983	Doug Bair	450	325		X		Jun-83	traded
1983	Lonnie Smith	580	500	X			May-85	traded
1986	Ricky Horton	275	215		X		Feb-88	traded
1987	Danny Cox	875	600	X			Oct-90	free agent
1988	Jose Oquendo	360	275	X			Sep-95	retired
1989	Vince Coleman	950	775	X			Nov-90	free agent
1990	Terry Pendleton	1850	1000		X		Nov-90	free agent
1994	Gregg Jefferies	4600	3700		X		Oct-94	free agent
1994	Bob Tewksbury	4500	3500	X			Oct-94	free agent
1994	Todd Zeile	3250	2700	X			Jun-95	traded
1999	Darren Oliver	4150	3550	X			Oct-99	free agent
total				9	6	60%
2009	Rick Ankiel	3300	2350
2009	Ryan Ludwick	4250	2800
	* amounts in $K

All the 23-year-old did was take the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award for the entire organization last year and our equivalent recognition from Scout.com, too. That was earned while pitching across three levels, as he began 2007 with Quad Cities. We ranked him as the Cardinals’ #10 prospect in the system last off-season.

Walters started the 2008 regular season with Springfield, then quickly moved up to Memphis. There were some whispers of concern as his won-loss record was not great in the second half. So what? Here are his last three months of results with Memphis:

	IP	AVG	BABIP	WHIP	W/9	K/9	HR/9
June	25	0.327	0.431	1.80	4.32	9.72	0.72
July	30.3	0.248	0.284	1.32	3.86	8.60	1.78
August	36	0.203	0.262	1.31	5.50	9.00	0.75

(A tip of the cap to Minor League Splits.com.)

We can see his June was rough, as his opposing batting average and on balls in play were very high. Through July and August, the numbers moved back into more of an expected range. There was a momentary blip of home runs allowed in July and the walks are still too high. Other than that, it was a fine conclusion to the 2008 season for Walters.

He was asked to pitch in winter ball for Jose Oquendo and the Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Getting international experience and prolonged exposure to the coach rumored to be the leading candidate to follow Tony La Russa as Cardinals manager could only be a good thing – if the results followed.

For his part, Oquendo rewarded Walters with the opening night start for both Carolina and the entire league and kept him in the rotation for eight starts. Early on, before the arrival of catcher Yadier Molina, Walters had the additional enjoyment of pitching to a familiar target, Memphis catcher Bryan Anderson, who has since returned home.

Home is the next stop for Walters, too. He pitched his final Puerto Rican game on Friday night per the original agreement and will be home in time for Christmas.

Walters pitched to a Ponce club on Friday whose leadoff hitter was none other than last week’s big signing by the Cardinals, infielder Joe Thurston. His winter average fell to .288 as he went 0-for-4 against Walters and a quartet of relievers as Carolina breezed to a 7-1 victory.

P.J. picked up his third win of the season on 5 1/3 shutout innings of work on five hits, two walks and one strikeout as his pitch counts were carefully being watched. After all, between the regular season and winter ball, Walters has tossed just short of 200 innings.

Here is P.J.’s final line for the winter compared to his Springfield/Memphis regular season totals.

Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	G/AO	AVG
Spr/Mem	10	6	4.50	29	29	158	158	88	79	22	70	156	1.28	0.262
Carolina	3	3	4.34	8	8	37.1	42	21	18	3	11	38	1.83	0.290

Strikeouts better than one per inning, walk rate under control. Ground ball rate was up considerably compared to Memphis. Though opposing batting average was also up, the level of competition was too. Overall, a nice showing.

Importantly, Walters finished his Puerto Rican stint strongly, allowing just four runs over his last three starts, totaling 18 innings, including his longest outing of seven innings last Sunday.

On a footnote, word is that former Yankees great, outfielder Bernie Williams will be suiting up for Carolina soon as he tries to make the Puerto Rican club for March’s World Baseball Classic. Bernie last played in the majors in 2006. Oquendo will repeat as the WBC manager for his homeland.

Walton’s take: You’re going to see Walters listed too early in our Top 40 countdown currently underway at Scout.com, but it isn’t justified, in my opinion. While he will surely start at Memphis in 2009, Walters is clearly positioning himself to take a spot in the line of contenders for a call up to St. Louis when the need arises.