Yesterday's loss to the Braves was cringe-worthy, to say the least. Trevor Rosenthal, working for the 4th straight day, didn't have enough gas left in the tank to finish off the Braves and they were able to score two runs in the 9th to beat the Cardinals.
Many are questioning why Mike Matheny would even use Rosenthal again in that situation, when he had Carlos Martinez warming up and Pat Neshek needed just 3 pitches to end the 8th inning.
I can understand Matheny's reluctance to use Martinez, who has a 5.87 ERA in May. But Neshek has been excellent so far this year and was making his first appearance since May 13th, so he was well rested.
Sometimes I think managers rely to much on the closer label than just going with what makes the most sense for that game.
In any case, things should get better soon.
Jason Motte is scheduled to come off the DL Tuesday and should quickly step into a prominent role in the Cardinals bullpen. Matheny indicated that he would not be afraid to use Motte in a "high-leverage situation."
It will be interesting to see who they send down when Motte is activated. I have long thought that Martinez would be the one to go, so that he could be stretched out as a starter again. However, with the bullpen issues, its more likely that Sam Freeman will be sent down and the Cards will go with their best relievers.
If that happens, Motte will ease some of the pressure on Kevin Siegrist, Neshek, Martinez and even Rosenthal, by giving Matheny one more reliable option to choose from late in a game. In addition, Seth Maness appears to have found his sinker again (0.00 ERA in 5.2 IP in May), Randy Choate will go back to being just another LOOGY (.167 average against vs lefties this season versus .400 vs righties) and all will be right in the world.
In any case, having Motte back can do nothing but help the Cardinals beleaguered bullpen.
Showing posts with label seth maness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seth maness. Show all posts
Monday, May 19, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Does Cardinals manager Mike Matheny trust his bullpen?
One week into the season, you get the sense that Cardinals manager Mike Matheny does not trust his entire bullpen.
In the first 7 games, Matheny has leaned heavily on holdovers Trevor Rosenthal (3 games), Carlos Martinez (4 games), Pat Neshek (4 games) and Kevin Siegrist (5 games).
However, rubber-armed LOOGY Randy Choate has appeared in just 2 games, while last year's ground ball specialist Seth Maness and this year's "last spot in the bullpen" winner Keith Butler have appeared in just one game apiece.
I can understand the reluctance to use Butler, who was rocked for 5 runs in his lone inning of work, however, the lack of use for Maness and even Choate is unexplicable.
Using Maness and Choate more would help ease the burden on both Neshek and Siegrist, who, at this pace, would appear in a whopping 93 and 116 games for the season.
Martinez is another problem though.
My initial thought was that, once Jason Motte gets healthy, he would replace Martinez in the bullpen, so that Martinez might be stretched out again as a starter. However, now I'm not so sure.
Maybe the plan is that Motte replaces Butler in the pen and then Motte and Martinez split the setup duties.
Its not the best case scenario for Martinez' development, but it probably would be best for the team this season.
The bullpen is still a work-in-progress at this point and things may become clearer as the season wears on.
However, one thing is for sure, Matheny needs to find some other guys he can rely on this season or were going to have a lot of tired arms come September.
In the first 7 games, Matheny has leaned heavily on holdovers Trevor Rosenthal (3 games), Carlos Martinez (4 games), Pat Neshek (4 games) and Kevin Siegrist (5 games).
However, rubber-armed LOOGY Randy Choate has appeared in just 2 games, while last year's ground ball specialist Seth Maness and this year's "last spot in the bullpen" winner Keith Butler have appeared in just one game apiece.
I can understand the reluctance to use Butler, who was rocked for 5 runs in his lone inning of work, however, the lack of use for Maness and even Choate is unexplicable.
Using Maness and Choate more would help ease the burden on both Neshek and Siegrist, who, at this pace, would appear in a whopping 93 and 116 games for the season.
Martinez is another problem though.
My initial thought was that, once Jason Motte gets healthy, he would replace Martinez in the bullpen, so that Martinez might be stretched out again as a starter. However, now I'm not so sure.
Maybe the plan is that Motte replaces Butler in the pen and then Motte and Martinez split the setup duties.
Its not the best case scenario for Martinez' development, but it probably would be best for the team this season.
The bullpen is still a work-in-progress at this point and things may become clearer as the season wears on.
However, one thing is for sure, Matheny needs to find some other guys he can rely on this season or were going to have a lot of tired arms come September.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Cardinals Spring Training Battle #2: The Bullpen
The good thing about having a solid team, like the Cardinals, is that there is not a lot of unsettled positions heading into the season. A little over a week ago, I took a look at the Cards 5th starter competition.
Tonight, I will look at the bullpen.
Sure Things
Given the way that they pitched last year, there are four pitchers who are virtual locks to open the season in the major league bullpen: Trevor Rosenthal, Seth Maness, Kevin Siegrist and veteran LOOGY Randy Choate.
Rosenthal is the Cardinals closer and should be for the whole season. Siegrist was nearly unhittable last season, posting a 0.45 ERA in 39.2 innings. Choate does was he always does, gets lefties out, holding them to a .176 average (.492 OPS) in 2013. Maness' performance this spring may give Mike Matheny some pause (9.39 ERA in 7.2 IP), but his 2.32 ERA and incredible 4.40 GO/AO ratio in 2013 is what probably matters more to Matheny.
The Almost Sure Thing
One of Joe Kelly or Carlos Martinez, whoever loses out in the 5th starter battle, will likely end up in the Cardinals pen to start the 2014 season.
Martinez performed well as the Cards eighth inning guy in the playoffs last year and could fill the same role this year. While Kelly was valuable to the team as a swingman last season.
The Battle
We can assume that the Cardinals will go with at least 7 relievers to start the season (maybe 8), so that leaves two spots open.
The leading candidates are Pat Neshek, Sam Freeman, Tyler Lyons, Jorge Rondon and Keith Butler.
Non-roster invitee, Neshek, has the advantage of experience, with a career 2.56 ERA in 9 seasons. He has also pitched well this spring allowing only 2 runs in 6 innings. He is likely going to earn one spot.
Freeman has a career 2.75 ERA in the minors and pitched well in his September callup last year (2.19 ERA in 12.1 IP). His main problem is his control (career 3.9 BB/9 in the minors).
Lyons has not pitched well this spring, allowing 8 runs in 6.2 IP. However, he did fare well in a relief role towards the end of last season (1 ER in 9.1 IP).
Rondon has yet to allow a run this spring in 6.1 IP. However, his minor league track record is less than stellar (4.86 ERA in 8 seasons).
Butler has the minor league stats (2.29 ERA and 265 K's in 212 IP), but has struggled with his control at the major league level, giving up 11 walks in 20 innings last year and 5 walks in 7.1 innings this spring.
Prediction
As of right now, I would have to go with Neshek and Freeman for the last two bullpen spots. Lyons will likely start the 2014 season in Memphis' rotation, while Rondon and Butler will likely ride the Memphis/St.Louis shuttle this season, whenever the Cards need a fresh arm.
Tonight, I will look at the bullpen.
Sure Things
Given the way that they pitched last year, there are four pitchers who are virtual locks to open the season in the major league bullpen: Trevor Rosenthal, Seth Maness, Kevin Siegrist and veteran LOOGY Randy Choate.
Rosenthal is the Cardinals closer and should be for the whole season. Siegrist was nearly unhittable last season, posting a 0.45 ERA in 39.2 innings. Choate does was he always does, gets lefties out, holding them to a .176 average (.492 OPS) in 2013. Maness' performance this spring may give Mike Matheny some pause (9.39 ERA in 7.2 IP), but his 2.32 ERA and incredible 4.40 GO/AO ratio in 2013 is what probably matters more to Matheny.
The Almost Sure Thing
One of Joe Kelly or Carlos Martinez, whoever loses out in the 5th starter battle, will likely end up in the Cardinals pen to start the 2014 season.
Martinez performed well as the Cards eighth inning guy in the playoffs last year and could fill the same role this year. While Kelly was valuable to the team as a swingman last season.
The Battle
We can assume that the Cardinals will go with at least 7 relievers to start the season (maybe 8), so that leaves two spots open.
The leading candidates are Pat Neshek, Sam Freeman, Tyler Lyons, Jorge Rondon and Keith Butler.
Non-roster invitee, Neshek, has the advantage of experience, with a career 2.56 ERA in 9 seasons. He has also pitched well this spring allowing only 2 runs in 6 innings. He is likely going to earn one spot.
Freeman has a career 2.75 ERA in the minors and pitched well in his September callup last year (2.19 ERA in 12.1 IP). His main problem is his control (career 3.9 BB/9 in the minors).
Lyons has not pitched well this spring, allowing 8 runs in 6.2 IP. However, he did fare well in a relief role towards the end of last season (1 ER in 9.1 IP).
Rondon has yet to allow a run this spring in 6.1 IP. However, his minor league track record is less than stellar (4.86 ERA in 8 seasons).
Butler has the minor league stats (2.29 ERA and 265 K's in 212 IP), but has struggled with his control at the major league level, giving up 11 walks in 20 innings last year and 5 walks in 7.1 innings this spring.
Prediction
As of right now, I would have to go with Neshek and Freeman for the last two bullpen spots. Lyons will likely start the 2014 season in Memphis' rotation, while Rondon and Butler will likely ride the Memphis/St.Louis shuttle this season, whenever the Cards need a fresh arm.
Monday, February 24, 2014
How does Jaime Garcia's injury affect the Cardinals bullpen?
With Jaime Garcia nursing a sore shoulder and already ruled out of the rotation, at least for the beginning of the season, one of either Joe Kelly or Carlos Martinez will take over for him. However, as both of those guys were slated to fill roles in the Cardinals pen, what do the Cards do to fill that hole?
Currently the bullpen consists of closer Trevor Rosenthal, setup men Kevin Siegrist and Seth Maness, LOOGY Randy Choate and a bunch of question marks.
With a healthy Garcia, Martinez could have served as the 8th inning guy while Kelly could have acted as a swing-man, filling the long-relief role and making spot starts, as needed. However, if Martinez earns a rotation spot, who will pitch the 8th or if Kelly earns the spot, who is your long-reliever/spot starter?
Jason Motte has shown good progress to date and could potentially be ready for a bullpen role at the start of the season. But, do the Cardinals want to throw him right into the fire and make him the 8th guy? Not likely.
Pat Neshek was signed to a minor league deal and could be a nice addition to the pen. He has a career 3.07 ERA over 7 years, including a 3.35 ERA in 40.1 innings last year with Oakland.
Then you've got young guys like Sam Freeman and Keith Butler who could earn a spot in the pen, but are largely unproven.
My feeling is that Kelly will earn the 5th starter spot and that Martinez will serve as the 8th inning guy, at least at the start of the season. Once Motte proves himself healthy and reliable, he can take over the 8th inning role and allow Martinez to head down to AAA to stretch himself out for the rotation. He can then take over for Kelly down the stretch, if needed.
The benefits to this are two-fold. One, it preserves Martinez' innings so that the Cardinals do not overtax him in his first full big league season and two it gives the team another extended look at Kelly as a starter to determine if he's really as good as his career 13-9 and 3.03 ERA record (in 31 starts) would indicate.
I still think Martinez is best used as a starter and therefore want him to get more work in AAA this season to refine his secondary pitches, thus I only see his stint in the bullpen as a temporary assignment. However, if things don't go well, i.e. Motte is ineffective or the other rookies don't step up, Martinez may end up in the pen all year, which could be a detriment to his development.
In any case, its nice to have some pitching depth when it comes to the Cardinals starters, but it makes you wonder if the Cards have enough depth in the pen.
Currently the bullpen consists of closer Trevor Rosenthal, setup men Kevin Siegrist and Seth Maness, LOOGY Randy Choate and a bunch of question marks.
With a healthy Garcia, Martinez could have served as the 8th inning guy while Kelly could have acted as a swing-man, filling the long-relief role and making spot starts, as needed. However, if Martinez earns a rotation spot, who will pitch the 8th or if Kelly earns the spot, who is your long-reliever/spot starter?
Jason Motte has shown good progress to date and could potentially be ready for a bullpen role at the start of the season. But, do the Cardinals want to throw him right into the fire and make him the 8th guy? Not likely.
Pat Neshek was signed to a minor league deal and could be a nice addition to the pen. He has a career 3.07 ERA over 7 years, including a 3.35 ERA in 40.1 innings last year with Oakland.
Then you've got young guys like Sam Freeman and Keith Butler who could earn a spot in the pen, but are largely unproven.
My feeling is that Kelly will earn the 5th starter spot and that Martinez will serve as the 8th inning guy, at least at the start of the season. Once Motte proves himself healthy and reliable, he can take over the 8th inning role and allow Martinez to head down to AAA to stretch himself out for the rotation. He can then take over for Kelly down the stretch, if needed.
The benefits to this are two-fold. One, it preserves Martinez' innings so that the Cardinals do not overtax him in his first full big league season and two it gives the team another extended look at Kelly as a starter to determine if he's really as good as his career 13-9 and 3.03 ERA record (in 31 starts) would indicate.
I still think Martinez is best used as a starter and therefore want him to get more work in AAA this season to refine his secondary pitches, thus I only see his stint in the bullpen as a temporary assignment. However, if things don't go well, i.e. Motte is ineffective or the other rookies don't step up, Martinez may end up in the pen all year, which could be a detriment to his development.
In any case, its nice to have some pitching depth when it comes to the Cardinals starters, but it makes you wonder if the Cards have enough depth in the pen.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Projecting the Cardinals 2014 opening day roster
Let's face it, its been a pretty boring Hot Stove League for the Cardinals. Most of their offseason shopping was done before Christmas and, as a result of that, the Holidays and busy season, I've been struggling to find things to write about.
Thus, to get me back on track, I decided to take a peek at the Cardinals current roster and see if I could predict who will make it on the opening day 25-man roster.
First, I already predicted the starting lineup and the starting rotation, so they automatically make the roster:
1. Matt Carpenter, 3B
2. Jhonny Peralta, SS
3. Matt Holliday, LF
4. Allen Craig, RF
5. Yadier Molina, C
6. Matt Adams, 1B
7. Peter Bourjos, CF
8. Kolten Wong, 2B
9. Adam Wainwright
10. Shelby Miller
11. Jaime Garcia
12. Michael Wacha
13. Lance Lynn
From there, we know that Mark Ellis will at least earn a spot on the bench, along with John Jay (assuming he's not traded). The Cardinals will also need a backup catcher, most likely Tony Cruz, which puts us up to 16.
Then, there are certain guys who you figure have already earned a spot in the bullpen, including closer Trevor Rosenthal and setup men Seth Maness, Kevin Siegrist, Randy Choate and Joe Kelly.
Assuming the Cardinals go with a 13 hitter/12 pitcher split, that leaves the Cards with 2 bench spots and 2 bullpen spots.
Bench Battles
The battles for the last two bench spots will likely come down to Daniel Descalso vs Pete Kozma and Shane Robinson vs Oscar Taveras.
Looking at the first battle, it pretty much comes down Descalso's versatility versus Kozma defense at short. Granted, Descalso can play short, but if the Cardinals prefer a better defensive player as a backup to Peralta, Kozma is the man.
Given that Ellis is pretty much limited to second, the Cardinals would probably prefer Descalso's versatility to the defense of Kozma, so he gets the nod.
As for the outfield battle, it is more a question as to whether the Cardinals feel that Taveras is ready or if he would be better served with more seasoning in the minors. Given the time he missed last year due to injury, I see Taveras returning to AAA at least at the start of the season, thus giving the nod to Robinson.
Bullpen Battles
One thing to look for in the spring is the health of Jason Motte. If he's healthy, he will likely make the opening day roster. However, I think the Cardinals will play it safe with Motte and let him start the season on a rehab assignment in the minors.
With Motte a question mark and former bullpen members Edward Mujica, Fernando Salas and John Axford no longer with the team, the battle for the last two spots will likely come down to Carlos Martinez, Keith Butler and Sam Freeman.
Look for Martinez to earn a spot, based on his post season work, with the final spot coming down to whoever has the better spring between Butler and Freeman. I'll give the nod to Freeman, based solely on how he pitched for the Cardinals in 2013.
Thus, here is my projected opening day 25-man roster:
Thus, to get me back on track, I decided to take a peek at the Cardinals current roster and see if I could predict who will make it on the opening day 25-man roster.
First, I already predicted the starting lineup and the starting rotation, so they automatically make the roster:
1. Matt Carpenter, 3B
2. Jhonny Peralta, SS
3. Matt Holliday, LF
4. Allen Craig, RF
5. Yadier Molina, C
6. Matt Adams, 1B
7. Peter Bourjos, CF
8. Kolten Wong, 2B
9. Adam Wainwright
10. Shelby Miller
11. Jaime Garcia
12. Michael Wacha
13. Lance Lynn
From there, we know that Mark Ellis will at least earn a spot on the bench, along with John Jay (assuming he's not traded). The Cardinals will also need a backup catcher, most likely Tony Cruz, which puts us up to 16.
Then, there are certain guys who you figure have already earned a spot in the bullpen, including closer Trevor Rosenthal and setup men Seth Maness, Kevin Siegrist, Randy Choate and Joe Kelly.
Assuming the Cardinals go with a 13 hitter/12 pitcher split, that leaves the Cards with 2 bench spots and 2 bullpen spots.
Bench Battles
The battles for the last two bench spots will likely come down to Daniel Descalso vs Pete Kozma and Shane Robinson vs Oscar Taveras.
Looking at the first battle, it pretty much comes down Descalso's versatility versus Kozma defense at short. Granted, Descalso can play short, but if the Cardinals prefer a better defensive player as a backup to Peralta, Kozma is the man.
Given that Ellis is pretty much limited to second, the Cardinals would probably prefer Descalso's versatility to the defense of Kozma, so he gets the nod.
As for the outfield battle, it is more a question as to whether the Cardinals feel that Taveras is ready or if he would be better served with more seasoning in the minors. Given the time he missed last year due to injury, I see Taveras returning to AAA at least at the start of the season, thus giving the nod to Robinson.
Bullpen Battles
One thing to look for in the spring is the health of Jason Motte. If he's healthy, he will likely make the opening day roster. However, I think the Cardinals will play it safe with Motte and let him start the season on a rehab assignment in the minors.
With Motte a question mark and former bullpen members Edward Mujica, Fernando Salas and John Axford no longer with the team, the battle for the last two spots will likely come down to Carlos Martinez, Keith Butler and Sam Freeman.
Look for Martinez to earn a spot, based on his post season work, with the final spot coming down to whoever has the better spring between Butler and Freeman. I'll give the nod to Freeman, based solely on how he pitched for the Cardinals in 2013.
Thus, here is my projected opening day 25-man roster:
- Matt Carpenter, 3B
- Jhonny Peralta, SS
- Matt Holliday, LF
- Allen Craig, RF
- Yadier Molina, C
- Matt Adams, 1B
- Peter Bourjos, CF
- Kolten Wong, 2B
- Adam Wainwright
- Shelby Miller
- Jaime Garcia
- Michael Wacha
- Lance Lynn
- Mark Ellis
- Jon Jay
- Tony Cruz
- Daniel Descalso
- Shane Robinson
- Trevor Rosenthal
- Seth Maness
- Kevin Siegrist
- Randy Choate
- Joe Kelly
- Carlos Martinez
- Sam Freeman
Monday, December 30, 2013
The Cardinals top 5 stories of 2013
Every December you will see various publications posting their Top 10 lists relating to the concluding year, whether it be top news stories, top sports moments, best defensive plays, etc...
This year CFCL, as part of the United Cardinals Bloggers December project, is joining the fray with the top 5 Cardinals stories for the 2013 season.
My criteria for the top stories are those that I feel impacted the Cardinals the most in their run to the World Series.
So, without further ado, here are my picks for the top 5 Cardinals stories of the year, in countdown order:
5. Edward Mujica steps up
After losing Jason Motte to Tommy John surgery and fill-in closer Mitchell Boggs to ineptitude, the Cardinals were desperate for someone to step up and fill the closer role.
Enter Edward Mujica. After taking over the closer role in mid-April, Mujica saved 35 out of 37 games before tiring down the stretch and losing the closer role to Trevor Rosenthal.
However, make no mistake about it, the Cardinals would not have reached the playoffs without Mujica's quiet efficiency as closer from April to August.
4. Cardinals redefine the term "clutch"
When it comes to hitting with runners in scoring position (RISP), no one did it better than the Cardinals in 2013. As a team, they hit .330 with RISP, nearly 50 points higher than the second place team, the Tigers, who hit .282 with RISP.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Allen Craig who hit an insane .454 with RISP. In 130 at bats with RISP, Craig had 84 rbi's, despite just 4 homers.
In addition to Craig, Matt Holliday was 4th with RISP with a .390 average, Matt Carpenter was 5th with .388 average and Carlos Beltran 8th with a .374 average.
3. Cardinals rookie pitchers come up big
Due to an seemingly endless string of injuries and ineffectiveness, the Cardinals relied on their rookie pitchers early and often during the 2013 season.
It started with Shelby Miller, who won the 5th starter spot in spring training and finished the season with a 15-9 record, a 3.06 ERA and a third place finish in the ROY voting.
Second on the list was Trevor Rosenthal who absolutely dominated in the setup role, posting a 2.63 ERA and 108 K's in 75.1 innings. He took over the closer role late in the season and locked up the 2014 closer role with 11.2 scoreless innings in the 2013 postseason.
Other key rookie arms were Seth Maness (2.32 ERA and an incredible 4.40 GO/FO ratio), Kevin Siegrist (0.45 ERA in 39.2 innings), Michael Wacha (4-1, 2.78 ERA) and Carlos Martinez (5.08 ERA in the regular season, but a 3.55 ERA as the primary setup man in the playoffs).
2. Adam Wainwright returns to form
After shaking off the rust from Tommy John surgery during an up-and-down 2012 season, Adam Wainwright showed he was back as the Cardinals ace in 2013.
Wainwright was among the top 5 in ERA for most of the season, holding a 2.58 ERA through August 23, before back-to-back poor outings against the Reds ballooned his ERA up to 3.14. He settled down after that to lower his ERA to 2.94, good for 7th in the league while tying for the league lead with 19 wins.
Add to that his leadership and dancing ability, and its easy to see why Waino is a fan favorite.
1. Michael Wacha dominates the postseason
In all my years of watching and following the Cardinals, I am hard-pressed to think of any pitcher, let alone a rookie, who had a better stretch of starts than Michael Wacha did in his first 4 postseason starts.
It started with game 4 of the NLDS against the Pirates. Facing elimination, Wacha no-hit the Buccos through 7.1 innings before allowing a homer against Cardinal killer Pedro Alvarez.
He followed that up by throwing 13.2 scoreless innings against the Dodgers in the NLCS, including 7 innings of 2 hit ball in the decisive 6th game, earning the NLCS MVP award.
He then went on to win game 2 of the World Series, allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits.
All told, Wacha went 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA in his first 4 postseason games.
That he ended up losing the decisive game 6 of the World Series does not diminish his heroics as the Cardinals certainly would not have even made the World Series without him.
I'm sure there are other key moments that I probably have forgotten about, but those are the ones that stood out to me. What's yours?
This year CFCL, as part of the United Cardinals Bloggers December project, is joining the fray with the top 5 Cardinals stories for the 2013 season.
My criteria for the top stories are those that I feel impacted the Cardinals the most in their run to the World Series.
So, without further ado, here are my picks for the top 5 Cardinals stories of the year, in countdown order:
5. Edward Mujica steps up
After losing Jason Motte to Tommy John surgery and fill-in closer Mitchell Boggs to ineptitude, the Cardinals were desperate for someone to step up and fill the closer role.
Enter Edward Mujica. After taking over the closer role in mid-April, Mujica saved 35 out of 37 games before tiring down the stretch and losing the closer role to Trevor Rosenthal.
However, make no mistake about it, the Cardinals would not have reached the playoffs without Mujica's quiet efficiency as closer from April to August.
4. Cardinals redefine the term "clutch"
When it comes to hitting with runners in scoring position (RISP), no one did it better than the Cardinals in 2013. As a team, they hit .330 with RISP, nearly 50 points higher than the second place team, the Tigers, who hit .282 with RISP.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Allen Craig who hit an insane .454 with RISP. In 130 at bats with RISP, Craig had 84 rbi's, despite just 4 homers.
In addition to Craig, Matt Holliday was 4th with RISP with a .390 average, Matt Carpenter was 5th with .388 average and Carlos Beltran 8th with a .374 average.
3. Cardinals rookie pitchers come up big
Due to an seemingly endless string of injuries and ineffectiveness, the Cardinals relied on their rookie pitchers early and often during the 2013 season.
It started with Shelby Miller, who won the 5th starter spot in spring training and finished the season with a 15-9 record, a 3.06 ERA and a third place finish in the ROY voting.
Second on the list was Trevor Rosenthal who absolutely dominated in the setup role, posting a 2.63 ERA and 108 K's in 75.1 innings. He took over the closer role late in the season and locked up the 2014 closer role with 11.2 scoreless innings in the 2013 postseason.
Other key rookie arms were Seth Maness (2.32 ERA and an incredible 4.40 GO/FO ratio), Kevin Siegrist (0.45 ERA in 39.2 innings), Michael Wacha (4-1, 2.78 ERA) and Carlos Martinez (5.08 ERA in the regular season, but a 3.55 ERA as the primary setup man in the playoffs).
2. Adam Wainwright returns to form
After shaking off the rust from Tommy John surgery during an up-and-down 2012 season, Adam Wainwright showed he was back as the Cardinals ace in 2013.
Wainwright was among the top 5 in ERA for most of the season, holding a 2.58 ERA through August 23, before back-to-back poor outings against the Reds ballooned his ERA up to 3.14. He settled down after that to lower his ERA to 2.94, good for 7th in the league while tying for the league lead with 19 wins.
Add to that his leadership and dancing ability, and its easy to see why Waino is a fan favorite.
1. Michael Wacha dominates the postseason
In all my years of watching and following the Cardinals, I am hard-pressed to think of any pitcher, let alone a rookie, who had a better stretch of starts than Michael Wacha did in his first 4 postseason starts.
It started with game 4 of the NLDS against the Pirates. Facing elimination, Wacha no-hit the Buccos through 7.1 innings before allowing a homer against Cardinal killer Pedro Alvarez.
He followed that up by throwing 13.2 scoreless innings against the Dodgers in the NLCS, including 7 innings of 2 hit ball in the decisive 6th game, earning the NLCS MVP award.
He then went on to win game 2 of the World Series, allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits.
All told, Wacha went 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA in his first 4 postseason games.
That he ended up losing the decisive game 6 of the World Series does not diminish his heroics as the Cardinals certainly would not have even made the World Series without him.
I'm sure there are other key moments that I probably have forgotten about, but those are the ones that stood out to me. What's yours?
Thursday, November 7, 2013
UCB Roundtable Day 3: The Cardinals 2014 starting rotation
For the United Cardinals Bloggers November project, we are conducting a roundtable discussion taking a look at the 2013 season and what the 2014 season may bring. To follow the Roundtable, be sure check out the United Cardinals Bloggers' website.
Today's question, posed by your truly, was as follows:
With incumbents Adam Wainwright, Shelby Miller, Lance Lynn, Michael Wacha, Joe Kelly returning, Jaime Garcia and John Gast likely returning from injury and Carlos Martinez, Tyler Lyons, Seth Maness and even Trevor Rosenthal as possibilities for the starting rotation, who would want in the starting rotation and what would you do with all the leftovers?
Here are the responses from my partners in crime.
Christine Coleman - Aaron Miles' Fastball
Mark Tomasik - Retro Simba
In seeing Mark Tomasik's reply, I realized I totally forgot to mention Lance Lynn. And, not surprisingly, that's because I don't see him staying -- trade bait, for sure, hopefully part of a trade to land a quality shortstop.
As Mark said, this leaves Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn out. Do I think
they are able to bring the return that the Cardinals want at shortstop?
No. Thus, given the risk of injuries, especially with Garcia (as most of
you will soon find out, I am not a big fan
of his), I think you hang on to Kelly and Lynn for at least the first
part of the season. Gast, who I do not think will be healthy yet, will
be in Memphis, and Lyons will likely be in the 'pen or shipped out.
Let’s start off with the easy
ones: John Gast had shoulder surgery near the end of July. The initial
reports were unclear as to the timetable for him to get back, but espn.com
reported that it would be 8 to 12 months. If that is the case, then the
earliest he would be able to throw again is right around opening day,
so I expect him to be in Memphis getting stronger and being able to step
in during the middle/late season if injury prompts a need for him.
John Nagel - CardinalsFarm.com
Today's question, posed by your truly, was as follows:
With incumbents Adam Wainwright, Shelby Miller, Lance Lynn, Michael Wacha, Joe Kelly returning, Jaime Garcia and John Gast likely returning from injury and Carlos Martinez, Tyler Lyons, Seth Maness and even Trevor Rosenthal as possibilities for the starting rotation, who would want in the starting rotation and what would you do with all the leftovers?
Here are the responses from my partners in crime.
Christine Coleman - Aaron Miles' Fastball
So many arms! So few starting slots! Obviously Adam Wainwright,
Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha are in the rotation, and Jaime Garcia
too. Trevor Rosenthal, as John Mozeliak said the other day, is going to
be in the bullpen and Seth Maness was too valuable this season with his
double-play-inducing magic out of the bullpen to give that up.
Despite all that he did this season, I just don't
see Joe Kelly being guaranteed a spot and can see another spring
training competition happening -- probably with the remaining pitchers
you listed here, in John Gast, Carlos Martinez and Tyler Lyons. I really
liked Martinez in that eighth inning role out of the bullpen, though,
and he succeeded there but I can see him more as a starter. Gast seems
headed to Memphis for me. Lyons is intriguing -- perhaps in the bullpen
to begin with, but available as a starter as needed too or if someone
else falters (which of course won't happen, right?)
Mark Tomasik - Retro Simba
Strongest
rotation: Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Shelby Miller, Carlos
Martinez, Jaime Garcia. Like Wacha, Martinez is a special talent and
needs to start.
Trade material: Lance Lynn or Joe Kelly for a starting shortstop.
Bullpen: Trevor Rosenthal, closer; Lynn or Kelly, 8th inning; Seth Maness, 7th inning; Kevin Siegrist and Randy Choate as left-handed specialists.
Ready in Memphis: Tyler Lyons and John Gast are on-call to replace an injured or faltering starter.
Daniel Solzman, Redbird Rants
I couldn’t agree more. So many arms, not enough spots!
Christine Coleman (follow-up)
In seeing Mark Tomasik's reply, I realized I totally forgot to mention Lance Lynn. And, not surprisingly, that's because I don't see him staying -- trade bait, for sure, hopefully part of a trade to land a quality shortstop.
Joe Schwarz - stlcupofjoe’s Sports Page
In my opinion, you give every single pitcher that wants to start a
chance to do so in Spring Training, and this includes Trevor Rosenthal
and Kevin Siegrist. Will both likely end
up in the bullpen? Yep, but down the road when it comes time to re-sign
them, the Cardinals will have the leverage to say that they at least
gave them a shot to be a starting pitcher. Otherwise, their agents could
use that against the Cardinals saying they
"misused" their client or "didn't allow them to reach their full
potential."
However, this is my starting rotation at this time: Adam
Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Shelby Miller, Jaime Garcia, and Carlos
Martinez. I honestly believe Martinez has the best "stuff" of that group
and has the potential to become
great. Will he succeed in the role as a starting pitcher? That is
yet to be seen, but we will never know until he is given that shot. The
bullpen will always be a solid fallback option for Baby Pedro.
Ben Chambers - The View From Here
This is a great problem to have. The Cardinals have too many
talented starting pitchers and they have to figure out who it’s going to
be in the rotation!
Mo
and Matheny have already said that Rosenthal is coming back as the
closer. This is probably the best move for the team. Motte will be back
next year, but there are too many questions that need to be answered
first: Will he be able to pitch on back-to-back days? Will his stamina
hold all season? Will he have a semi-struggling year like Wainwright did
coming back from Tommy John? Will he still be able to hit 100 on the
mound? There are just too many unknowns at this point. I hope that the
Cardinals give him a shot in 2015 (although I am not sure how much of a
shot he’ll have then, either), but for 2014 he’s needed in the 9th
inning.
So, that leaves: Wainwright, Miller,
Garcia, Lynn, Wacha, Kelly, Martinez, Lyons, and Maness. I think Maness
continues in the bullpen. It’s always nice to have a guy out there who
you can trust to come in the game with runners on in late innings. Even
if he doesn’t get all the double plays next year, every bullpen needs at
least one guy like that. Lynn has been up-and-down both of the last two
years, and I really hope that they put him in the bullpen. He has the
ability to be great, and he’s shown that, but he also has the ability to
lose quite a few in a row, and he’s shown that, too.
Wainwright,
Wacha, and Garcis are the only three that are locks for the rotation.
Wainwright because he is the ace, Wacha because he is so talented, and
he has ice running through his veins. Garcia because he has been a
starter the entire time he’s been with the Cardinals and being a lefty,
it does keep the rotation from being strictly right-handed.
I
expect Lyons to also be in Memphis. He was great his first few starts,
but then he just went downhill. I don’t know why, but maybe the
Cardinals do. Either way, he probably needs a little time to get himself
back on track a little, and Memphis will provide him that opportunity.
Who
gets the last two spots? I think it’s Miller and Martinez. I would
personally like it to be Miller and Kelly. I think Kelly has good stuff,
and he showed it in 2013. He was one of the best pitchers in the second
half last year. Lowest ERAs for the second half of 2013 in the NL:
Kershaw at 1.59, Grienke at 1.85, and Kelly at 1.91. I really like him,
and I think he can be a 15-20 game winner if the Cardinals give him a
chance. Martinez might get the nod over him, but I would be personally
upset if it happens. Kelly currently is the better pitcher. If Martinez
gets the spot, Kelly will go back to being the long man out of the
bullpen. If Kelly gets the spot, I expect Martinez to be in Memphis.
No
matter who actually gets into the rotation, I am excited to see those
arms. The depth that the Cardinals have in starting pitching is unlike
any other team has. I will end with this stipulation: I could see one or
two of those guys being traded to get a SS, and that would change this
quickly, but as of right now, that’s what I think will happen.
John Nagel - CardinalsFarm.com
My rotation would be Wainwright, Miller, Wacha, Martinez, and Garcia as
well. The potential for those five is out of the planet. Joe Kelly is
intriguing, but I think he is near his peak value, but that doesn't mean
I want to trade him. I think he is great in the clubhouse and would be a
great fit in the bullpen.
Daniel Shoptaw - C70 At The Bat
Dan Buffa - Dose of Buffa
What to do with the others.....
Lynn: I
am going to disagree with you all that Lance Lynn does not have that
much trade value. I think people in St. Louis value him a little lower
than those in other MLB cities. If you look at his numbers and take out
the emotion, he has had a couple of solid seasons. I am not saying that
Lynn alone would net Profar or even Starlin Castro, but he could be a
very valuable trade chip. How many other teams would want a perennial 15
game winner?
Rosenthal: Don't let
Mozeliak fool you, Rosenthal will end up the 8th inning guy on one
condition, if Jason Motte is healthy. I know that Mo said he will begin
spring as the closer, but what else should he say? Motte is not
guaranteed to be healthy by then, but i don't think Jason loses his
closing spot due to injury. Wally Pipp may disagree with me.
Maness: As
much as I want Maness to start, the role he played this year was best
for the team, plus there isn't a starting spot for him in St. Louis. He
is one that could be a very solid starter somewhere else, but i am fine
with him as the DP man.
Lyons and Gast: Both begin the season in Memphis with opportunities to fill in at the MLB level.
Daniel Shoptaw - C70 At The Bat
I'd
agree pretty much entirely with what John wrote, but for his comments
on Rosenthal. In my mind, Rosie will be the closer, because by time you
can be comfortable with Motte and his recovery, Rosenthal will already
be entrenched. Given the myriad of issues surrounding a hard-throwing
reliever coming off surgery, including command issues, I can't imagine
that Motte would be anything more than an eighth-inning guy. Should
Rosenthal stumble and Motte look good, they might flip, but I'd be
shocked if Rosenthal doesn't get the first save chance of the year.
That's
a bit off topic, but being that I can't disagree with a rotation of
Wainwright, Wacha, Miller, Garcia and Martinez, what else am I going to
say?
Dan Buffa - Dose of Buffa
Being late to the party, I will basically break things down as best as I can without being redundant.
Matt Whitener, Cheap Seats Please
Wainwright, Miller and Wacha are the locks, so I won't waste time discussing them and why.
Maness, Gast, Lyons and Rosenthal aren't in the convo, for various reasons.
Nick Waeltz - Pitchers Hit Eighth
<Strauss'd> intrigue... </Strauss'd>
Josh Gilliam, Pitchers Hit Eighth
I'm sticking with Wainwright and Garcia to anchor the veteran portion of the starting five and then throwing darts after Wacha. The job Kelly did down the stretch while still adjusting to various roles gives him the nod as possibly the best #5 starter in the National League. That leaves a toss-up for the 3-4 spot between Miller and Lynn, both who could be former Cardinals as Nick pointed out.
My head says Lynn should be traded, but my heart wonders if the Miller/Kelly show may be coming to an end. Maybe a coin flip will solve it, but I hope the only uniform Shelby wears is the BOB for many years to come.
Finally, my thoughts
Barring
further injury, my starting rotation out of the listed candidates has
to Wainwright, Wacha, Garcia, Miller and Martinez unless Lance Lynn
finds a way to be not be traded.
Lynn is premium trade material. He has a fine
resume that includes over 30 wins in two seasons and good bullpen work.
He is young and hungry and may need a change of scenery to lower his
pouting potential.
Jaime is making 7 million this year so he needs to
be in the rotation and he is a lefty who can be great when he is on.
Let's hope his feelings are in check.
Joe
Kelly is Mr. Stretch. He can start, relieve, and close and will find
himself in that long arm bullpen spot to begin the season as insurance
in case someone gets hurt. Few can do what he does effectively. Be
solid out of the bullpen and win a lot of starts. His mindset is key
and helps him adjust. I am surprised teams don't target him in a trade
because of his versatility.
Lyons and Gast are Memphis starters until injuries
happen. They performed well in 2013 but won't climb over guys like
Martinez and Kelly for starts, at least not again. These guys are also
trade depth because they proved they can come up to big leagues and
instantly win games. Look for them to be add on's to big deals Mozelaik
keeps up his sleeve.
Trevor Rosenthal is a setup-closer with this team
for a long time. He has the makeup, ability and finish to go into the
ninth and let it rip. We saw it for good when he saved 3 games in the
final week of the season and basically made the Pirates, Dodgers and Red
Sox look stupid for a month. He has a propane heater and a decent
changeup and if he was going to try his hand at starting again, he would
have to redefine that third pitch. I get why he wants to start but at
this point it's futile. Jason Motte will be back but won't be ready to
even compete for the closer role until July. Motte had the surgery in
May of 2013 which means he may not touch a baseball diamond during a
real game until late April/early May. He will find his control and
slowly develop back into that stopper we knew from 2011 and 2012. He
will set up until the Cards really deem it necessary to switch him and
Rosenthal. If Trevor is throwing gas and closing everything, it won't
happen unless Motte is electric. I do think Motte gets back to the
closer role sometime, but too late for Rosenthal to switch back to
starting. Motte makes 6 million this year but needs to get healthy.
Rosenthal may say he would like to start but watching him close in
October I see a man empowered and having a lot of fun. Let's not
believe he is wanting to truly move just yet ladies and gents.
There I go too. Wow. Just like Shoptaw. HA! Must be a Daniel thing.
Waino, Wacha, Garcia, Miller and Martinez for me in early April.
Chris Mallonee - Bird On The Bat 82
If we are answering "who we would want" instead of "who do we think it
will be", then I will go with Wainwright, Wacha, Garcia, Miller, Lynn as
the Opening Day Starters.
Lynn had a nice turn-around in September and deserves a spot in the opening 2014 rotation in my opinion.
I would keep Kelly, Maness, Siegrist, and Rosenthal in the big-league bullpen as they were such vital pieces in 2013, and Kelly moves into that long-relief role to keep innings load off Wacha and a security net as Garcia gets back up to health. He is also the first inserted into the rotation when the inevitable injury occurs.
Gast, Lyons, and Martinez could start in the Memphis rotation. I don't think that would be a waste of Martinez as he is still so very young and needs to harness his power stuff and learn to go deeper into games. IF Gast is healthy near the start of the season, the Cardinals have three pretty good options for when a starter gets injured, and if 2014 follows the pattern of other years all of these guys will be called on at some point.
Lynn had a nice turn-around in September and deserves a spot in the opening 2014 rotation in my opinion.
I would keep Kelly, Maness, Siegrist, and Rosenthal in the big-league bullpen as they were such vital pieces in 2013, and Kelly moves into that long-relief role to keep innings load off Wacha and a security net as Garcia gets back up to health. He is also the first inserted into the rotation when the inevitable injury occurs.
Gast, Lyons, and Martinez could start in the Memphis rotation. I don't think that would be a waste of Martinez as he is still so very young and needs to harness his power stuff and learn to go deeper into games. IF Gast is healthy near the start of the season, the Cardinals have three pretty good options for when a starter gets injured, and if 2014 follows the pattern of other years all of these guys will be called on at some point.
Matt Whitener, Cheap Seats Please
Wainwright, Miller and Wacha are the locks, so I won't waste time discussing them and why.
I also don't want to delve too deep into what hasn't happened yet,
such as trades and situations like that. Basically, what it comes down
to is Joe Kelly, Lance Lynn, Jaime Garcia and Carlos Martinez in a
four-corners match, albeit one that is not that difficult to sort out.
Martinez has the best arm of the group (and maybe
the entire team). With the said, I'd like to see him in a year like
Rosenthal, at the end of the pen in some capacity. Motte's status is
uncertain and both Axford and Mujica are gone. Bottomline, the back end
of the bullpen is questionable, and bringing Martinez along there would
be a perfect way for him to gain some Big League experience and expand
his repertoire.
Garcia is purely a starter, and a much needed
left-handed one at that, so he's in there too from the moment he's
ready. All indications say that's spring training as of now, so that
brings the rotation to a four-man group.
For the final spot, I opt with Lance Lynn. He's not
always the popular choice, and surely isn't the most consistent of the
group, however, there are a lot of things that work in his favor. He's
still young, is steadily racking up experienced innings and still has a
great skills package that can develop. He would be as good of a
fourth/fifth starter that any team in the NL would have on their side.
So, if the Cardinals can break camp (for the first time since 2010) with a completely healthy rotation, I'd like to see a Wainwright, Miller, Garcia, Wacha, Lynn (in that order) mix take to the mound.
Nick Waeltz - Pitchers Hit Eighth
Who I would want: Wainwright, Wacha, Miller, Garcia, Martinez
Who I think it will be: Wainwright, Wacha, Garcia, Martinez, Kelly
Josh Gilliam, Pitchers Hit Eighth
I've given this way more thought than I should,
and the trio at the back-end keeps changing by the hour. Most of us
know it really doesn't matter who starts the season in the rotation,
however, the changing of the guard could be 2014.
I'm sticking with Wainwright and Garcia to anchor the veteran portion of the starting five and then throwing darts after Wacha. The job Kelly did down the stretch while still adjusting to various roles gives him the nod as possibly the best #5 starter in the National League. That leaves a toss-up for the 3-4 spot between Miller and Lynn, both who could be former Cardinals as Nick pointed out.
My head says Lynn should be traded, but my heart wonders if the Miller/Kelly show may be coming to an end. Maybe a coin flip will solve it, but I hope the only uniform Shelby wears is the BOB for many years to come.
Finally, my thoughts
The Cardinals have an abundance of riches with a stockpile of young arms to choose from for their starting rotation. The only locks I see for the 2014 rotation are Adam Wainwright, Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha.
Jaime Garcia should grab the 4th slot, but only if he proves to be healthy, which, when dealing with shoulder injuries, particularly labrum tears, is never a sure thing.
Lance Lynn will probably end up getting traded as part of a package for a shortstop, as he is in desperate need of a change in scenery.
That leaves Joe Kelly and Carlos Martinez to battle it out for the 5th spot. Kelly will probably be wondering what he has to do to prove he is a major league starter, especially after going 13-9 with a 3.03 ERA in 31 starts over the last two seasons. However, just like Shelby Miller did this spring, I see Martinez beating Kelly out for the last spot, leaving Kelly to return to his long relief role.
John Gast and Tyler Lyons will return to Memphis to provide depth and Seth Maness will return to the bullpen.
Trevor Rosenthal will start the season as the Cardinals closer and never look back, even when Jason Motte returns. After his dominant display at the end of the season and in the postseason, I just don't see him relinquishing the closer role.
Overall, its a good problem to have and one that will take the Cardinals some time to sort out both during the offseason and next spring.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
World Series victory not in the Cards
OK, so the Cardinals didn't have what it takes to win the World Series this year. Although I'm older and not as deeply invested in the Cards like I was as a kid, it still stings a little.
With that said, here are some quick closing thoughts on the World Series and the Cardinals in general, as their season comes to an end:
Michael Wacha is human
Despite such heroic efforts throughout the postseason, Wacha couldn't keep the Red Sox at bay tonight, giving up 6 runs in 3.2 innings, although two of those runs came around to score after Wacha had left the game.
Still, it was a pretty good postseason for the youngster, with a 4-1 record and a 2.64 ERA. If you include the regular season, Wacha went 8-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 95.1 innings.
He should be a lock for the starting rotation next season and for years to come.
The Cardinals bats went silent
Although the Cardinals managed 9 hits on the night, they were only able to score 1 run in the game. They hit a paltry .224 for the series with just 14 runs in the 6 games (2.3 per game).
In the last 3 games, the Cardinals managed only 4 runs. You aren't going to win many games that way, no matter who is pitching.
Trevor Rosenthal will be the Cardinals closer in 2014
Rosenthal had a dominant postseason, allowing zero runs in 10.2 innings while striking out 17. He was 1-0 with 4 saves and has pretty much locked up the closer job for 2014.
Jason Motte will still be recovering from Tommy John surgery to start next season and Edward Mujica probably earned himself a big paycheck elsewhere, so the job is Rosenthal's to lose.
He could become the right handed version of the Reds' Aroldis Chapman.
Will Carlos Martinez be a starter or a reliever?
After spending the entire postseason in the pen, it remains to be seen what the long term plan is for Carlos Martinez.
It would be a shame to waste a talent like his in a bullpen role, as he could add much more value as a starter in the Pedro Martinez mold.
However, with so many starters vying for the top 5 spots, it may require a trade or an injury for him to crack the rotation.
Good News/Bad News
The good news is that the Cardinals will have a young and formidable nucleus to build around for years to come.
Headlined by youngsters Wacha, Rosenthal, Shelby Miller, Joe Kelly, Matt Carpenter, Carlos Martinez, Kevin Siegrist and Seth Maness, along with veterans Wainwright, Yadier Molina, Matt Holliday and Jon Jay, the Cardinals should once again be a championship caliber team next year.
The bad news is that the Red Sox will still have David Ortiz and Jon Lester (if they pick up his option) next year.
With that said, here are some quick closing thoughts on the World Series and the Cardinals in general, as their season comes to an end:
Michael Wacha is human
Despite such heroic efforts throughout the postseason, Wacha couldn't keep the Red Sox at bay tonight, giving up 6 runs in 3.2 innings, although two of those runs came around to score after Wacha had left the game.
Still, it was a pretty good postseason for the youngster, with a 4-1 record and a 2.64 ERA. If you include the regular season, Wacha went 8-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 95.1 innings.
He should be a lock for the starting rotation next season and for years to come.
The Cardinals bats went silent
Although the Cardinals managed 9 hits on the night, they were only able to score 1 run in the game. They hit a paltry .224 for the series with just 14 runs in the 6 games (2.3 per game).
In the last 3 games, the Cardinals managed only 4 runs. You aren't going to win many games that way, no matter who is pitching.
Trevor Rosenthal will be the Cardinals closer in 2014
Rosenthal had a dominant postseason, allowing zero runs in 10.2 innings while striking out 17. He was 1-0 with 4 saves and has pretty much locked up the closer job for 2014.
Jason Motte will still be recovering from Tommy John surgery to start next season and Edward Mujica probably earned himself a big paycheck elsewhere, so the job is Rosenthal's to lose.
He could become the right handed version of the Reds' Aroldis Chapman.
Will Carlos Martinez be a starter or a reliever?
After spending the entire postseason in the pen, it remains to be seen what the long term plan is for Carlos Martinez.
It would be a shame to waste a talent like his in a bullpen role, as he could add much more value as a starter in the Pedro Martinez mold.
However, with so many starters vying for the top 5 spots, it may require a trade or an injury for him to crack the rotation.
Good News/Bad News
The good news is that the Cardinals will have a young and formidable nucleus to build around for years to come.
Headlined by youngsters Wacha, Rosenthal, Shelby Miller, Joe Kelly, Matt Carpenter, Carlos Martinez, Kevin Siegrist and Seth Maness, along with veterans Wainwright, Yadier Molina, Matt Holliday and Jon Jay, the Cardinals should once again be a championship caliber team next year.
The bad news is that the Red Sox will still have David Ortiz and Jon Lester (if they pick up his option) next year.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Cardinals pitchers flaunt their age
The Cardinals pitchers are showing their age and that's a good thing. In the first two games of the NLCS, 7 of the 9 pitchers the Cards have used were 26 or under. The list includes game one starter Joe Kelly (25), game two starter Michael Wacha (21), relievers Lance Lynn (26), Seth Maness (24), Kevin Siegrist (23), Carlos Martinez (21) and closer Trevor Rosenthal (23).
Combined, they have thrown 20.1 innings, allowing just 13 hits and 6 walks while striking out 22. They have garnered 2 wins so far while posting an incredible 0.89 ERA.
The only "veterans" of this group are Lynn and Kelly, while the other 5 are completing their rookie season.
Its amazing to think about what these pitchers have accomplished at such a young age. In the NLDS, the Cardinals also used Shelby Miller (22), making 8 of their 12 pitchers 26 or under. Those 8 pitchers combined to throw 25 innings, allowing 20 hits, 11 walks, 25 K's and a 3.96 ERA.
Adam Wainwright is still the leader of this pitching staff, as his two wins in the NLDS attest, but the Cardinals certainly have a nice stable of young pitchers to build around for the future.
The Cardinals are going to have to make some difficult decisions this offseason as to who fits where in this pitching staff and who might be expendable to acquire upgrades elsewhere.
But, for now, its just fun to watch these youngsters pitch and dream of how good they could be with a little more experience.
Combined, they have thrown 20.1 innings, allowing just 13 hits and 6 walks while striking out 22. They have garnered 2 wins so far while posting an incredible 0.89 ERA.
The only "veterans" of this group are Lynn and Kelly, while the other 5 are completing their rookie season.
Its amazing to think about what these pitchers have accomplished at such a young age. In the NLDS, the Cardinals also used Shelby Miller (22), making 8 of their 12 pitchers 26 or under. Those 8 pitchers combined to throw 25 innings, allowing 20 hits, 11 walks, 25 K's and a 3.96 ERA.
Adam Wainwright is still the leader of this pitching staff, as his two wins in the NLDS attest, but the Cardinals certainly have a nice stable of young pitchers to build around for the future.
The Cardinals are going to have to make some difficult decisions this offseason as to who fits where in this pitching staff and who might be expendable to acquire upgrades elsewhere.
But, for now, its just fun to watch these youngsters pitch and dream of how good they could be with a little more experience.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Desperate for a fresh arm in the pen, Cardinals recall Carlos Martinez
After another short outing by starter Shelby Miller, which required Seth Maness to pitch 2 innings and Edward Mujica to pitch his 6th consecutive game, the Cardinals needed a fresh arm in the pen. Thus, Carlos Martinez was recalled today, with Michael Blazek being sent to the minors.
This is likely just a short-term stint for Martinez, who will likely head back to Memphis during the All-Star break to continue his work as a starter.
GM John Mozeliak described Martinez' role as "bullpen innings eater", when asked by Bernie Miklasz. So, Martinez will likely fill the long reliever role that Maness has occupied, while Seth gets a chance to rest.
I don't normally like it when teams shuttle pitchers up and down from their AAA club, especially one as talented as Martinez. I think it can affect their development and Martinez needs work to develop a third pitch to go with his blazing fastball and excellent curve.
However, as this appears to be just a short-term move, mostly out of necessity, it should not have much affect. Martinez should return to AAA to continue his work as a starter and provide depth for a struggling starting rotation.
Joe Kelly is currently the 5th starter and Chris Carpenter is set to begin a rehab assignment on Monday, but neither one is a sure thing. In addition, the recent struggles of Miller and Lance Lynn have raised concerns about the Cardinals pitching staff, and rightly so.
Bottom line, the Cardinals need Martinez stretched out at AAA as another option should one of the current starters falter.
This is likely just a short-term stint for Martinez, who will likely head back to Memphis during the All-Star break to continue his work as a starter.
GM John Mozeliak described Martinez' role as "bullpen innings eater", when asked by Bernie Miklasz. So, Martinez will likely fill the long reliever role that Maness has occupied, while Seth gets a chance to rest.
I don't normally like it when teams shuttle pitchers up and down from their AAA club, especially one as talented as Martinez. I think it can affect their development and Martinez needs work to develop a third pitch to go with his blazing fastball and excellent curve.
However, as this appears to be just a short-term move, mostly out of necessity, it should not have much affect. Martinez should return to AAA to continue his work as a starter and provide depth for a struggling starting rotation.
Joe Kelly is currently the 5th starter and Chris Carpenter is set to begin a rehab assignment on Monday, but neither one is a sure thing. In addition, the recent struggles of Miller and Lance Lynn have raised concerns about the Cardinals pitching staff, and rightly so.
Bottom line, the Cardinals need Martinez stretched out at AAA as another option should one of the current starters falter.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Cardinals sell low on Mitchell Boggs?
One year after leading the NL in holds with 34, the Cardinals appear to have sold low on Mitchell Boggs, trading him for cash, international signing bonus cash to be exact.
According to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com, the Cardinals traded Mitchell Boggs to the Colorado Rockies for their International Signing Bonus slot #4, which is worth only $206,400.
Doesn't seem like a lot for a pitcher who just last year was one of the best setup men in the NL, but there is more to this move than just the international money.
First, thanks to the success of their rookie relievers, Boggs had become expendable. As Rick Hummel points out, the rookie quintet of Trevor Rosenthal, Seth Maness, Keith Butler, Michael Blazek and Kevin Siegrist have been stellar. In 96 innings, they have a combined 1.88 ERA with 102 K's.
These guys have been a big part of the Cardinals bullpen resurgence. After having the worst team bullpen ERA in April, thanks in large part to Boggs, the Cards pen has shown steady improvement over the last couple months, moving all the way up to 7th in the NL with a 3.52 bullpen ERA.
Also, in addition to the international cash, the Cardinals rid themselves of Boggs' $1,475,000 salary for the rest of the year (about $737,500). This was a sunk cost for the Cards, as it was unlikely that Boggs would make it back to the majors with the team, so to be able to dump his salary on the Rockies as well as getting a little extra international cash on top of it was a win-win scenario.
So, after a day of cleaning house for the Cardinals, including releasing Ty Wigginton, it will be interesting to see what the team's next move is.
According to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com, the Cardinals traded Mitchell Boggs to the Colorado Rockies for their International Signing Bonus slot #4, which is worth only $206,400.
Doesn't seem like a lot for a pitcher who just last year was one of the best setup men in the NL, but there is more to this move than just the international money.
First, thanks to the success of their rookie relievers, Boggs had become expendable. As Rick Hummel points out, the rookie quintet of Trevor Rosenthal, Seth Maness, Keith Butler, Michael Blazek and Kevin Siegrist have been stellar. In 96 innings, they have a combined 1.88 ERA with 102 K's.
These guys have been a big part of the Cardinals bullpen resurgence. After having the worst team bullpen ERA in April, thanks in large part to Boggs, the Cards pen has shown steady improvement over the last couple months, moving all the way up to 7th in the NL with a 3.52 bullpen ERA.
Also, in addition to the international cash, the Cardinals rid themselves of Boggs' $1,475,000 salary for the rest of the year (about $737,500). This was a sunk cost for the Cards, as it was unlikely that Boggs would make it back to the majors with the team, so to be able to dump his salary on the Rockies as well as getting a little extra international cash on top of it was a win-win scenario.
So, after a day of cleaning house for the Cardinals, including releasing Ty Wigginton, it will be interesting to see what the team's next move is.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Is Trevor Rosenthal now pigeonholed as a reliever?
Bernie Miklasz had an interesting article today discussing the possibility of the Cardinals trading for Cliff Lee (something that I already discussed here). While an interesting analysis and one that reached the same conclusion as I did (we don't need Lee), what really caught my eye was his discussion of the 2014 starting pitching logjam.
Here's what Bernie had to say about the Cardinals glut of starting pitching for 2014:
Is it already a forgone conclusion that Rosenthal will remain a reliever for 2014 and beyond?
Heading into this spring, there was suppose to be a 3-man battle for the 5th starter spot between Shelby Miller, Joe Kelly and Trevor Rosenthal. However, Rosenthal was only given a token chance, as he was only given one start before he was moved to the bullpen.
Next spring, with Jake Westbrook likely becoming a free agent and Jaime Garcia's availability at the start of the season up in the air, there will likely be two spots open. Will Rosenthal even be part of that battle?
It seems unlikely, as the Cardinals should have Michael Wacha, John Gast, Carlos Martinez, Joe Kelly, Seth Maness and Tyler Lyons all battling for those two spots, making the need to use Rosenthal as a starter uneccessary.
Normally I'm opposed to relegating a top arm to the bullpen when he can be much more valuable as a starting pitcher. However, in this case, it probably makes the most sense. Edward Mujica will likely be gone via free agency and with the struggles of Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Cardinals will likely need Rosenthal to be the 9th inning guy.
It just would have been nice if he had been given a chance as a starter first, because now we'll never know what we might be missing.
Here's what Bernie had to say about the Cardinals glut of starting pitching for 2014:
Looking beyond 2013, Lee could slide into the Westbrook slot for 2014 because Westbrook becomes a free agent after this year. But with Lee in the mix, that would still leave the Cardinals with Wainwright, Lee, Lynn, Miller, Wacha, Martinez, Kelly. Let's not leave Seth Maness off the list; the Cardinals like him a lot. And there’s also Jaime Garcia, who should rehab his rotator cuff in time to pitch at some point in 2014. You can throw Lyons into the mix, too. And other potential starters will likely emerge from the system. We’ve already mentioned at least nine or 10 starting-pitcher entries for 2014 and beyond.Yes, he mentioned 9 or 10 starting pitchers, but nowhere does he mention Trevor Rosenthal.
Is it already a forgone conclusion that Rosenthal will remain a reliever for 2014 and beyond?
Heading into this spring, there was suppose to be a 3-man battle for the 5th starter spot between Shelby Miller, Joe Kelly and Trevor Rosenthal. However, Rosenthal was only given a token chance, as he was only given one start before he was moved to the bullpen.
Next spring, with Jake Westbrook likely becoming a free agent and Jaime Garcia's availability at the start of the season up in the air, there will likely be two spots open. Will Rosenthal even be part of that battle?
It seems unlikely, as the Cardinals should have Michael Wacha, John Gast, Carlos Martinez, Joe Kelly, Seth Maness and Tyler Lyons all battling for those two spots, making the need to use Rosenthal as a starter uneccessary.
Normally I'm opposed to relegating a top arm to the bullpen when he can be much more valuable as a starting pitcher. However, in this case, it probably makes the most sense. Edward Mujica will likely be gone via free agency and with the struggles of Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Cardinals will likely need Rosenthal to be the 9th inning guy.
It just would have been nice if he had been given a chance as a starter first, because now we'll never know what we might be missing.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Cardinals bullpen in danger of being overworked
After yesterday's 14 inning affair that saw the Cardinals use 5 relievers, including 4 (Seth Maness, Trevor Rosenthal, Edward Mujica and Keith Butler) for 2 or more innings, the Cards bullpen is in serious danger of being overworked.
Tonight, the Cardinals plan on using Joe Kelly to start against the Diamondbacks, in what will likely be another bullpen affair. Kelly, who has not been stretched out since beginning the season as the Cards long reliever, is unlikely to last more than 4-5 innings, meaning the bullpen will have to be relied upon heavily again.
For teams with a lot of bullpen depth, both at the major and minor league level, this is not an issue. But for a team like the Cardinals, who have had bullpen issues all season, this could spell trouble with a capital "T".
The Cards have tried to alleviate this problem by recalling Maikel Cleto from AAA and sending Victor Marte down. However, Cleto's track record doesn't inspire confidence and its unlikely that Mike Matheny would use him in a pressure situation.
So, if its a tight game tonight, who will Matheny turn to? Trevor Rosenthal, who has been used heavily all season, including pitching 3 innings the last two days? Edward Mujica, who was extended to two innings last night instead of his normal one inning save duties.
Only Randy Choate and Cleto are "fresh" and ready to go for tonight's game. Beyond that, its anybody's guess as to who will get the call.
One thing is for sure, the Cardinals better hope that Shelby Miller and Adam Wainwright can give the at least 7 innings the next two nights so the bullpen can get some much needed rest.
Tonight, the Cardinals plan on using Joe Kelly to start against the Diamondbacks, in what will likely be another bullpen affair. Kelly, who has not been stretched out since beginning the season as the Cards long reliever, is unlikely to last more than 4-5 innings, meaning the bullpen will have to be relied upon heavily again.
For teams with a lot of bullpen depth, both at the major and minor league level, this is not an issue. But for a team like the Cardinals, who have had bullpen issues all season, this could spell trouble with a capital "T".
The Cards have tried to alleviate this problem by recalling Maikel Cleto from AAA and sending Victor Marte down. However, Cleto's track record doesn't inspire confidence and its unlikely that Mike Matheny would use him in a pressure situation.
So, if its a tight game tonight, who will Matheny turn to? Trevor Rosenthal, who has been used heavily all season, including pitching 3 innings the last two days? Edward Mujica, who was extended to two innings last night instead of his normal one inning save duties.
Only Randy Choate and Cleto are "fresh" and ready to go for tonight's game. Beyond that, its anybody's guess as to who will get the call.
One thing is for sure, the Cardinals better hope that Shelby Miller and Adam Wainwright can give the at least 7 innings the next two nights so the bullpen can get some much needed rest.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Injuries have Cardinals shifting focus from bullpen to rotation
After spending over a month trying to sort out their bullpen, the Cardinals now face new problems with a starting rotation that has been beset by injuries.
The bullpen issues stemmed from an season-ending injury to closer Jason Motte, which caused bullpen roles to shift--a shift that some, like Mitchell Boggs, were not ready for. The Cardinals solved their problems by shifting Edward Mujica to closer and calling up Carlos Martinez and Seth Maness to shore up the back end of the pen.
Now, a rash of injuries to the Cardinals rotation has the Cardinals scrambling again.
First, Jake Westbrook went on the DL with an elbow injury. Then Jaime Garcia was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. As if that wasn't enough, Westbrook's replacement, John Gast, was removed from his last start with shoulder tightness.
Thus, the Cardinals are making changes on the fly again.
First, Michael Wacha, the Cardinals best pitching prospect still in the minors, was pulled from his start Monday and is probably option #1 to replace Gast in the rotation. Nothing has been announced yet and, as Bernie Miklasz points out, there are still reasons why the Cardinals wouldn't call on Wacha, but it appears that he is likely replacement for Gast.
In addition, the Cardinals have sent Carlos Martinez down to AAA to stretch him out as a starter again. With all the injuries to starting pitching, the Cardinals now need Martinez as a starter more than they do as a (little used) reliever. While it probably won't take him long to ramp up, Martinez still has work to do on his secondary pitches before he can be considered for a starting role.
Finally, Victor Marte was recalled to fill Martinez' role in the pen. Marte had a 4.91 ERA in 40.1 IP last year for the Cardinals, but considering that Martinez only pitched 9.1 innings in the 21 days he was up with the club, its unlikely that Marte will be used in high leverage situations.
So the Cards are shuffling the deck again and the fans are hoping that the magic continues.
The bullpen issues stemmed from an season-ending injury to closer Jason Motte, which caused bullpen roles to shift--a shift that some, like Mitchell Boggs, were not ready for. The Cardinals solved their problems by shifting Edward Mujica to closer and calling up Carlos Martinez and Seth Maness to shore up the back end of the pen.
Now, a rash of injuries to the Cardinals rotation has the Cardinals scrambling again.
First, Jake Westbrook went on the DL with an elbow injury. Then Jaime Garcia was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. As if that wasn't enough, Westbrook's replacement, John Gast, was removed from his last start with shoulder tightness.
Thus, the Cardinals are making changes on the fly again.
First, Michael Wacha, the Cardinals best pitching prospect still in the minors, was pulled from his start Monday and is probably option #1 to replace Gast in the rotation. Nothing has been announced yet and, as Bernie Miklasz points out, there are still reasons why the Cardinals wouldn't call on Wacha, but it appears that he is likely replacement for Gast.
In addition, the Cardinals have sent Carlos Martinez down to AAA to stretch him out as a starter again. With all the injuries to starting pitching, the Cardinals now need Martinez as a starter more than they do as a (little used) reliever. While it probably won't take him long to ramp up, Martinez still has work to do on his secondary pitches before he can be considered for a starting role.
Finally, Victor Marte was recalled to fill Martinez' role in the pen. Marte had a 4.91 ERA in 40.1 IP last year for the Cardinals, but considering that Martinez only pitched 9.1 innings in the 21 days he was up with the club, its unlikely that Marte will be used in high leverage situations.
So the Cards are shuffling the deck again and the fans are hoping that the magic continues.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Where would Cardinals be without their rookie pitchers?
Beset by injuries, the Cardinals have had to turn to the farm system early and often this year.
Normally, when you're dealing with young and unproven players, the results are at best mixed. However, so far the Cardinals rookies have come through. The latest example being Tyler Lyons, who started for the Cardinals last night and hurled 7 innings while allowing only 1 run.
Although Matt Adams and Pete Kozma have helped the Cardinals offense, the biggest impact that the rookies have had is on the pitching staff. So far this season, the Cardinals have utilized 6 rookie pitchers, including 3 starters and 3 relievers.
The rookie starters, led by Shelby Miller and recently joined by John Gast and Tyler Lyons, have gone 8-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 74 K's across 75 innings.
The relievers, led by Trevor Rosenthal along with Carlos Martinez and Seth Maness, have posted a 2.83 ERA with 45 K's in 38 innings.
This gives the rookie pitchers an overall record of 11-3 and a 2.38 ERA in 113 innings.
Not too shabby.
Better still, the Cardinals have yet to utilize their top pitching prospect, Michael Wacha, thereby keeping his service clock from ticking.
Its nice to be able to tap into your farm system and get quality results and it is a big part of the reason the Cardinals are in first place in the NL Central with a 30-16 record.
The Cards rookies may still take some lumps this year, as teams get a book on them, and when that happens, we'll see who can adjust and who cannot. But, so far, I like what I have seen.
Normally, when you're dealing with young and unproven players, the results are at best mixed. However, so far the Cardinals rookies have come through. The latest example being Tyler Lyons, who started for the Cardinals last night and hurled 7 innings while allowing only 1 run.
Although Matt Adams and Pete Kozma have helped the Cardinals offense, the biggest impact that the rookies have had is on the pitching staff. So far this season, the Cardinals have utilized 6 rookie pitchers, including 3 starters and 3 relievers.
The rookie starters, led by Shelby Miller and recently joined by John Gast and Tyler Lyons, have gone 8-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 74 K's across 75 innings.
The relievers, led by Trevor Rosenthal along with Carlos Martinez and Seth Maness, have posted a 2.83 ERA with 45 K's in 38 innings.
This gives the rookie pitchers an overall record of 11-3 and a 2.38 ERA in 113 innings.
Not too shabby.
Better still, the Cardinals have yet to utilize their top pitching prospect, Michael Wacha, thereby keeping his service clock from ticking.
Its nice to be able to tap into your farm system and get quality results and it is a big part of the reason the Cardinals are in first place in the NL Central with a 30-16 record.
The Cards rookies may still take some lumps this year, as teams get a book on them, and when that happens, we'll see who can adjust and who cannot. But, so far, I like what I have seen.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Shoulder issues plague Jaime Garcia again. Will Michael Wacha get the call?
Perhaps the Cardinals could use Chris Carpenter in the rotation after all?
Just when you thought the Cardinals pitching staff was chugging along and nothing could stop them, they lose two pitchers in less than a week.
Nearly a week after placing Jake Westbrook on the DL with elbow inflamation, Jaime Garcia was put on the DL today with a left shoulder impingment. Mitchell Boggs was called up to replace him on the active roster.
This is the same injury that kept Garcia out for two months last year and the Cards fear it could be worse this time around, possibly requiring surgery.
John Gast is currently filling in for Westbrook in the rotation as Jake is expected to miss at least 3 starts.
With Garcia joining him on the DL, speculation has already begun as to who will make his next start on Wednesday.
Here are the leading candidates:
Joe Kelly
While Kelly filled in admirably last year while Garcia was on the DL, he has worked primarily in relief this season and would need to be stretched out. So, if the Cards wanted to go with Kelly, they would still need someone else to make the start on Wednesday.
Seth Maness
Maness started the season in the rotation at AAA Memphis and has worked in long relief since being called up on April 29th. He's not too far removed from starting to probably go 4 or 5 innings and he has certainly pitched well during his brief time in the majors.
Carlos Martinez
Like Maness, Martinez was called up on April 29th. However, he has only worked no more than one inning at a time and would probably need to be stretched out again. With the recent injuries, it seems more likely that he will be sent down to AAA to be stretched out as a starter again.
Michael Wacha
This is what probably every Cardinal fan is hoping for. After dominating during spring training, Wacha has been excellent at AAA with a 4-0 record and 1.89 ERA. Cardinals fans want to see what he can do against major league pitching and he just might get his chance.
Prediction
Bascially, I think the Cards have two options for Wednesday, go with a "start-by-committee" approach with Kelly and Maness splitting the first 6 innings of the game or go with Wacha.
The start-by-committee approach is not the ideal solution, as it can tax the bullpen and it certainly isn't a long-term solution. Wacha might be the best bet, as he should only be needed for 2-3 starts before Westbrook returns.
I think the Wacha will get the call and that Martinez will be sent down to AAA to be stretched out again and give the Cardinals more depth at starter. Wacha's last start was on May 16th, so keep an eye on Memphis' May 21st game, as that would be his next scheduled start. If he doesn't make that start, chances are he's getting the call.
Just when you thought the Cardinals pitching staff was chugging along and nothing could stop them, they lose two pitchers in less than a week.
Nearly a week after placing Jake Westbrook on the DL with elbow inflamation, Jaime Garcia was put on the DL today with a left shoulder impingment. Mitchell Boggs was called up to replace him on the active roster.
This is the same injury that kept Garcia out for two months last year and the Cards fear it could be worse this time around, possibly requiring surgery.
John Gast is currently filling in for Westbrook in the rotation as Jake is expected to miss at least 3 starts.
With Garcia joining him on the DL, speculation has already begun as to who will make his next start on Wednesday.
Here are the leading candidates:
Joe Kelly
While Kelly filled in admirably last year while Garcia was on the DL, he has worked primarily in relief this season and would need to be stretched out. So, if the Cards wanted to go with Kelly, they would still need someone else to make the start on Wednesday.
Seth Maness
Maness started the season in the rotation at AAA Memphis and has worked in long relief since being called up on April 29th. He's not too far removed from starting to probably go 4 or 5 innings and he has certainly pitched well during his brief time in the majors.
Carlos Martinez
Like Maness, Martinez was called up on April 29th. However, he has only worked no more than one inning at a time and would probably need to be stretched out again. With the recent injuries, it seems more likely that he will be sent down to AAA to be stretched out as a starter again.
Michael Wacha
This is what probably every Cardinal fan is hoping for. After dominating during spring training, Wacha has been excellent at AAA with a 4-0 record and 1.89 ERA. Cardinals fans want to see what he can do against major league pitching and he just might get his chance.
Prediction
Bascially, I think the Cards have two options for Wednesday, go with a "start-by-committee" approach with Kelly and Maness splitting the first 6 innings of the game or go with Wacha.
The start-by-committee approach is not the ideal solution, as it can tax the bullpen and it certainly isn't a long-term solution. Wacha might be the best bet, as he should only be needed for 2-3 starts before Westbrook returns.
I think the Wacha will get the call and that Martinez will be sent down to AAA to be stretched out again and give the Cardinals more depth at starter. Wacha's last start was on May 16th, so keep an eye on Memphis' May 21st game, as that would be his next scheduled start. If he doesn't make that start, chances are he's getting the call.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Who will be sent down when Mitchell Boggs returns for the Cardinals?
From all appearances, Mitchell Boggs' stay in the minors will not be a long one. Sent down on May 3rd to work on his mechanics (and get his confidence back), Boggs seems to be doing just that. So far he has pitched 5 innings without allowing a run.
Thus, it probably won't be long before the Cardinals call on him again. He's just too good of a pitcher to leave in the minors.
But, when he's called back up, who will the Cardinals send down?
Here are 3 most likely possibilities:
Joe Kelly
Kelly has struggled so far this year, posting a 7.11 ERA in 12.2 innings. Part of the problem may be that he doesn't appear to have a clearly defined role. After starting the season as the long man in the pen, he was rarely used, in part due to the success of the Cardinals starters. Mike Matheny has tried him in other spots, but his use has been sporadic.
In addition, after starting the spring as a candidate for the 5th starter spot, it appears that he was not considered to fill in while Jake Westbrook is on the shelf.
Perhaps the Cards could send him back to AAA to stretch him out in case Westbrook's injury takes longer to heal and/or John Gast can't fill the gap (although he seemed pretty good last night).
Carlos Martinez
After visa issues delayed the start of his season, Martinez made just 3 starts for AA Springfield before he was called up to help shore up the Cardinals pen. Despite one rough outing, in which he gave up 3 runs in 0.2 innings, Martinez has looked pretty good.
However, when Boggs comes back, the Cardinals may no longer need Martinez' power arm in the bullpen and could send him back to AA to continue his development as a starter.
Seth Maness
Maness has been pretty impressive since joining the Cards pen, throwing 4.1 shutout innings while allowing only one hit. A control pitcher, he pitches to contact and has an impressive 10.0 GO/AO ratio (i.e. he's inducing a lot of groundouts). He has even added two vulture wins to boot.
Maness appears to be filling the long reliever role that Kelly was suppose to fill.
However, despite his success, the Cardinals could still return him to the minors to stretch him out as a starter in case another need arises.
Prediction
My feeling is that the promotion of Martinez and Maness was only suppose to be a temporary thing until Boggs got his head on straight. Thus, I predict that Martinez will be sent down once Boggs returns. Martinez needs to continue to develop as a starter and keeping him in the majors this year will only delay that development.
Of course, the Cardinals will likely face this issue again when (or if) they feel Marc Rzepczynski is ready to return. Based on their performances so far, I think the Cards would likely keep Maness over Kelly, as Seth has been the more effective pitcher. But that could change by the time "Scrabble" is deemed ready.
Thus, it probably won't be long before the Cardinals call on him again. He's just too good of a pitcher to leave in the minors.
But, when he's called back up, who will the Cardinals send down?
Here are 3 most likely possibilities:
Joe Kelly
Kelly has struggled so far this year, posting a 7.11 ERA in 12.2 innings. Part of the problem may be that he doesn't appear to have a clearly defined role. After starting the season as the long man in the pen, he was rarely used, in part due to the success of the Cardinals starters. Mike Matheny has tried him in other spots, but his use has been sporadic.
In addition, after starting the spring as a candidate for the 5th starter spot, it appears that he was not considered to fill in while Jake Westbrook is on the shelf.
Perhaps the Cards could send him back to AAA to stretch him out in case Westbrook's injury takes longer to heal and/or John Gast can't fill the gap (although he seemed pretty good last night).
Carlos Martinez
After visa issues delayed the start of his season, Martinez made just 3 starts for AA Springfield before he was called up to help shore up the Cardinals pen. Despite one rough outing, in which he gave up 3 runs in 0.2 innings, Martinez has looked pretty good.
However, when Boggs comes back, the Cardinals may no longer need Martinez' power arm in the bullpen and could send him back to AA to continue his development as a starter.
Seth Maness
Maness has been pretty impressive since joining the Cards pen, throwing 4.1 shutout innings while allowing only one hit. A control pitcher, he pitches to contact and has an impressive 10.0 GO/AO ratio (i.e. he's inducing a lot of groundouts). He has even added two vulture wins to boot.
Maness appears to be filling the long reliever role that Kelly was suppose to fill.
However, despite his success, the Cardinals could still return him to the minors to stretch him out as a starter in case another need arises.
Prediction
My feeling is that the promotion of Martinez and Maness was only suppose to be a temporary thing until Boggs got his head on straight. Thus, I predict that Martinez will be sent down once Boggs returns. Martinez needs to continue to develop as a starter and keeping him in the majors this year will only delay that development.
Of course, the Cardinals will likely face this issue again when (or if) they feel Marc Rzepczynski is ready to return. Based on their performances so far, I think the Cards would likely keep Maness over Kelly, as Seth has been the more effective pitcher. But that could change by the time "Scrabble" is deemed ready.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Meet Seth Maness: Control artist extraordinaire.
OK, I'll admit it, I'm a big fan of Seth Maness.
He isn't one of the Cardinals top prospects. He barely cracked Baseball America's top 30 for the Cards, coming in at #23.
He doesn't have a power arm. While guys like Trevor Rosenthal, Shelby Miller, Lance Lynn and Carlos Martinez can all throw in the upper 90's, Maness tops out at 90 mph, on a good day.
But what Maness does have that most power pitchers lack is pinpoint control. We're not talking the "good" control label that scouts often use to describe pitchers who walk maybe 2 batters per 9 IP. No, we're talking PINPOINT control, as in 0.7 BB/9 in his 247.2 minor league innings.
Last year, Maness pitched 169.2 innings and walked just 10 batters, giving him a 0.5 BB/9 as well as an incredible 11.20 K/BB ratio.
Color me impressed.
So, when the Cardinals announced that Maness would get the call to try to help sort out the Cardinals bullpen issues, my thoughts went back to another Cardinals control artist, Bob Tewksbury.
For those of you who don't remember Tewksbury, he too was a control artist who, after bouncing between the minors and majors for several years, put it all together in a 6 year stretch with the Cardinals from 1989-1994. During that time, he posted a 3.48 ERA for the Cards (108 ERA+), including his incredible 1992 season in which he went 16-5 with a 2.16 ERA.
Yet, with all of his success with the Cardinals, he only posted a 3.8 K/9 ratio. What allowed him to be successful was his low 1.5 BB/9 ratio, including two years (1992 and 1993) when he posted an 0.8 BB/9 ratio.
To put that a bit more in perspective, since 1950, only 4 pitchers have posted a BB/9 ratio below 0.8: Carlos Silva, who had an insane 0.43 BB/9 ratio in 2005, Brett Saberhagen's 0.66 BB/9 ratio in 1994, Cliff Lee's 0.76 BB/9 ratio in 2010 and Greg Maddux's 0.77 BB/9 ratio in 1997.
Maness could have similar success with the Cards. His minor league BB/9 ratio of 0.7 is actually lower than Tewksbury's (1.9). So, while it took a while for Tewksbury to master his art, Maness seems to have already mastered it.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Maness can do at the major league level. He may take his lumps early on, but I think if he can show the same kind of pinpoint control that he displayed in the minors, success will come.
He isn't one of the Cardinals top prospects. He barely cracked Baseball America's top 30 for the Cards, coming in at #23.
He doesn't have a power arm. While guys like Trevor Rosenthal, Shelby Miller, Lance Lynn and Carlos Martinez can all throw in the upper 90's, Maness tops out at 90 mph, on a good day.
But what Maness does have that most power pitchers lack is pinpoint control. We're not talking the "good" control label that scouts often use to describe pitchers who walk maybe 2 batters per 9 IP. No, we're talking PINPOINT control, as in 0.7 BB/9 in his 247.2 minor league innings.
Last year, Maness pitched 169.2 innings and walked just 10 batters, giving him a 0.5 BB/9 as well as an incredible 11.20 K/BB ratio.
Color me impressed.
So, when the Cardinals announced that Maness would get the call to try to help sort out the Cardinals bullpen issues, my thoughts went back to another Cardinals control artist, Bob Tewksbury.
For those of you who don't remember Tewksbury, he too was a control artist who, after bouncing between the minors and majors for several years, put it all together in a 6 year stretch with the Cardinals from 1989-1994. During that time, he posted a 3.48 ERA for the Cards (108 ERA+), including his incredible 1992 season in which he went 16-5 with a 2.16 ERA.
Yet, with all of his success with the Cardinals, he only posted a 3.8 K/9 ratio. What allowed him to be successful was his low 1.5 BB/9 ratio, including two years (1992 and 1993) when he posted an 0.8 BB/9 ratio.
To put that a bit more in perspective, since 1950, only 4 pitchers have posted a BB/9 ratio below 0.8: Carlos Silva, who had an insane 0.43 BB/9 ratio in 2005, Brett Saberhagen's 0.66 BB/9 ratio in 1994, Cliff Lee's 0.76 BB/9 ratio in 2010 and Greg Maddux's 0.77 BB/9 ratio in 1997.
Maness could have similar success with the Cards. His minor league BB/9 ratio of 0.7 is actually lower than Tewksbury's (1.9). So, while it took a while for Tewksbury to master his art, Maness seems to have already mastered it.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Maness can do at the major league level. He may take his lumps early on, but I think if he can show the same kind of pinpoint control that he displayed in the minors, success will come.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Cardinals continue to tinker with their pen. Call up Seth Maness.
After a weekend series with the Pirates that saw the Cardinals pen give up 11 runs in 8.1 IP, the Cards made a move today to try to shore things up.
The Cardinals called up right handed, control artist Seth Maness from AAA Memphis and optioned Marc Rzepczynski to AAA.
This is not to put the blame for all of the Cards bullpen issues at Scrabble's feet. But the Cardinals needed a fresh arm in the pen and Scrabble wasn't cutting it as a lefty specialist.
Will this fix the Cardinals bullpen issues? Probably not. There is more to the problem than just Scrabble's ineffectiveness.
First, we still need to get Mitchell Boggs back on track. However, the Cardinals cannot just option him to Memphis to get things sorted out. He would have to clear waivers first, which isn't going to happen. Thus, Boggs needs to figure it out at the major league level.
Second, the Cardinals still need to sort out their 7th and 8th innings guys. After dominating last year, Trevor Rosenthal has been extremely hittable this year so far, making it hard for Mike Matheny to rely on him in pressure situations. However, due to lack of better options, Matheny must rely on him to handle the setup role.
As for the 7th inning, the Cardinals recently tried Joe Kelly in the spot (on Saturday) and he proceeded to give up 4 runs in 0.1 IP.
Of course, when the Cardinals are winning games 9-1, like they did on Friday, you can hide your bullpen issues. But, short of Friday's game, the Cards offense has struggled a bit lately. With leadoff man John Jay hitting only .226/.278/.357 on the season, the Cards offense is missing its reliable table setter from the last couple years.
Yet, despite all these issues, the Cards find themselves sitting at 14-10 and only 1/2 game behind the Pirates for the Central lead.
So, I guess things could be worse.
The Cardinals called up right handed, control artist Seth Maness from AAA Memphis and optioned Marc Rzepczynski to AAA.
This is not to put the blame for all of the Cards bullpen issues at Scrabble's feet. But the Cardinals needed a fresh arm in the pen and Scrabble wasn't cutting it as a lefty specialist.
Will this fix the Cardinals bullpen issues? Probably not. There is more to the problem than just Scrabble's ineffectiveness.
First, we still need to get Mitchell Boggs back on track. However, the Cardinals cannot just option him to Memphis to get things sorted out. He would have to clear waivers first, which isn't going to happen. Thus, Boggs needs to figure it out at the major league level.
Second, the Cardinals still need to sort out their 7th and 8th innings guys. After dominating last year, Trevor Rosenthal has been extremely hittable this year so far, making it hard for Mike Matheny to rely on him in pressure situations. However, due to lack of better options, Matheny must rely on him to handle the setup role.
As for the 7th inning, the Cardinals recently tried Joe Kelly in the spot (on Saturday) and he proceeded to give up 4 runs in 0.1 IP.
Of course, when the Cardinals are winning games 9-1, like they did on Friday, you can hide your bullpen issues. But, short of Friday's game, the Cards offense has struggled a bit lately. With leadoff man John Jay hitting only .226/.278/.357 on the season, the Cards offense is missing its reliable table setter from the last couple years.
Yet, despite all these issues, the Cards find themselves sitting at 14-10 and only 1/2 game behind the Pirates for the Central lead.
So, I guess things could be worse.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Trevor Rosenthal is a reliever, but for how long?
After his stellar performance last year as a reliever both down the stretch during the regular season and during the playoffs, Trevor Rosenthal will be returning to the pen this year.
But, is this a career change for Rosenthal or just a temporary assignment?
As we have seen previously with Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn, the Cardinals have no qualms about using one of their stud righthanders in the bullpen to get their initial big league experience and then converting them back to a starter later.
However, given the Cardinals seemingly endless supply of young, hard-throwing pitching prospects, maybe this time the move might be permanent.
For this season, the Cardinals will have either Joe Kelly or Shelby Miller man the 5th starter spot and, given the way he has pitched this spring, Michael Wacha will likely be the first starter recalled from AAA when needed.
Assuming that a slimmer Lance Lynn can withstand the rigors of an entire season and Jaime Garcia's shoulder doesn't start barking at him, there should be no need to use Rosenthal in the rotation.
Next year though, things get a little murkier.
Jake Westbrook will become a free agent and, unless they can get an extension ironed out soon, Wainwright could head in that direction as well. If the Cards have just one hole to fill, then the loser of this year's Kelly/Miller competition will likely compete with Wacha for that spot. However, if they have two holes to fill, then all bets are off and you will probably see Carlos Martinez and Rosenthal enter the fray. And don't forget about control freak Seth Maness--you know the guy with the incredible 112/10 K/BB ratio last year.
The Cardinals could also look to trade some of this excess pitching for an area of need (shortstop), which could also clear the path for Rosenthal to return to starting.
So, just because Rosenthal's being relegated to the pen this year, doesn't mean that's his final destination. It just gives the Cardinals more time to sort it all out.
But, is this a career change for Rosenthal or just a temporary assignment?
As we have seen previously with Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn, the Cardinals have no qualms about using one of their stud righthanders in the bullpen to get their initial big league experience and then converting them back to a starter later.
However, given the Cardinals seemingly endless supply of young, hard-throwing pitching prospects, maybe this time the move might be permanent.
For this season, the Cardinals will have either Joe Kelly or Shelby Miller man the 5th starter spot and, given the way he has pitched this spring, Michael Wacha will likely be the first starter recalled from AAA when needed.
Assuming that a slimmer Lance Lynn can withstand the rigors of an entire season and Jaime Garcia's shoulder doesn't start barking at him, there should be no need to use Rosenthal in the rotation.
Next year though, things get a little murkier.
Jake Westbrook will become a free agent and, unless they can get an extension ironed out soon, Wainwright could head in that direction as well. If the Cards have just one hole to fill, then the loser of this year's Kelly/Miller competition will likely compete with Wacha for that spot. However, if they have two holes to fill, then all bets are off and you will probably see Carlos Martinez and Rosenthal enter the fray. And don't forget about control freak Seth Maness--you know the guy with the incredible 112/10 K/BB ratio last year.
The Cardinals could also look to trade some of this excess pitching for an area of need (shortstop), which could also clear the path for Rosenthal to return to starting.
So, just because Rosenthal's being relegated to the pen this year, doesn't mean that's his final destination. It just gives the Cardinals more time to sort it all out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
