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3rd & 7 37yd

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There's been a lot of talk on Matheny's job security in today's chat.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:13:28 PM
Hey BenFred, re: the comment about KU and Self, don't be a hater. MU could've had him. Re: the Redbirds, I really hope the coaches make a few games difference in the standings, and allow for a better played game this year.

by Bleeding red in KC 3/27/2018 7:13:53 PM
Don't take Jayhawk-bashing from me. It's one of the few Big 12 ties I have left. A tip of the cap to another great season, no matter how it ends. And this was supposed to be a down year. Argh.

As for the coaches, I think they will help. Maddux, Oquendo and Willie were very hands-on this spring. Maddux seems to have struck a chord with his guys. And, to his credit, Matheny is letting them do their thing. Now, let's see how it meshes on the fly when the games begin to count .

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:16:05 PM
Do you think this chat is Matheny's main source of information about job security? Or does he get some of it from the FO?

by David 3/27/2018 7:16:26 PM
I think we talk about it a lot more than the Cardinals do.
But I think Matheny received a message loud and clear when his coaching staff was churned last season, and some heavy hitters were brought in before this season.
Teams that are running smoothly don't do coaching maintenance on the fly.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:17:28 PM
I don't wanna look across the rest of the league at how managers are treated. I'd hate to become a team that's gonna fire a manager after making the playoffs. What the Yankees did with Girardi was terrible.

by David 3/27/2018 7:19:27 PM
Tough job.
And the one in New York is notoriously tough.
It just comes down to expectations, and do you feel like you have the right guy in the seat to achieve those expectations.
That, more than what have you done for me lately, seems to be the way the trend is moving.
That was my point, that managerial records are no longer the only way managers are hired and fired.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:21:33 PM
Where does Max Schrock start the year?

by Aaron 3/27/2018 7:21:47 PM
Second base in Memphis, most likely

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:21:55 PM
Who has the best individual strikeout pitch amongst those in the Cardinals system who would have rookie status this year? Hicks' fastball? Hudson's slider? Flaherty's? Any of Reyes' pitches?

by Aaron 3/27/2018 7:23:40 PM
Hicks fastball. Alex Reyes called it, and I quote, "electric." Think about that for a second.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:23:59 PM
I think a hybrid DH could be interesting and a way to make both leagues the same. The hybrid DH would be tied to the starting pitcher. As long as the starter is in, the DH hits for him. If the starter has to leave due to injury before the 5th inning, the DH is tied to his replacement. Otherwise, the DH must leave the game when the starter leaves, or replace an existing position player in the field. This leaves late game pinch-hitting strategy intact but keeps the starting pitchers from having to hit. Rosters could be expanded by 1 for the extra hitter. Thoughts?

by David Johns 3/27/2018 7:24:53 PM
Anything that leaves a loophole for injury will be exploited, unfortunately.
We need fewer rules, not more complicated rules.
In or out. Just make a call. And apply it to both leagues, like any sane organization would.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:25:51 PM
Why don't the Cardinals start the season with a 5th bench player and wait until they need a fifth starter to call him up. I know it isn't a lot of games but in 4 games that extra player might come in handy and they could still keep 8 pitchers in the bullpen. Am I missing something?

by Neal Frantz 3/27/2018 7:26:25 PM
Matheny prefers 8 relievers. The front office isn't fighting it anymore. And the bullpen-ization of the game supports the theory more than it used to. That's that.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:30:08 PM
Ben,
If the Cards have so much pitching, as they say they do and the PD and others have written about. I’m having a hard time justifying the Gregerson/Norris deals. PD writers keep saying Norris he closed for Angels. Well yeah. But it wasn’t great and nobody in MLB thinks of him as a closer except apparently Cards FO. Just seems a little to nieve if your stance is a play off team. Thoughts?

by Ryan 3/27/2018 7:30:28 PM
Norris has more saves in his career -- 19 last season -- than anyone else currently in the bullpen. If he's not referred to as a closer candidate, no one can be. Still think Leone and Lyons are better options at first.

The Cardinals need a closer to emerge, unless they are truly going to go matchups all the way through. That worked in Memphis last year.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:32:30 PM
Your opinion: Who has the best infield in the NL? In baseball?

by Frisbee 3/27/2018 7:32:41 PM
Cubs, Nationals, Dodgers come to mind

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:38:32 PM
So you said since CArles Martinez has given the Cardinals three seasons of 20 quality starts is the bar?
How about three straight season of 20 wins?
When did quality starts replace victories?
My opinion. Carlos Martinez has been a JUG. Just a guy.
Nothing more. Nothing less.

by Schapes 3/27/2018 7:38:50 PM
Sorry to be that guy, but if you are only using wins to determine a pitcher's value and success, you are not using the best information available.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:40:47 PM
Ben, your statement that you wouldn't be surprised if Self left for the NBA after this year; was that based on more than just a gut feeling?

by SqueezePlay 3/27/2018 7:41:46 PM
Just trolling, more than anything.
But anyone tied to the NCAA/FBI mess should think long and hard about jumping if they have a good place to land.
Could get ugly, based on the reporting that has been done on the subject.
And coach's don't skate with the I-didn't-know approach anymore. At least they are not supposed to.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:43:08 PM
Schoenfield from ESPN had Pham as his preseason vote for MVP. I'm just hoping he comes close to his numbers last year. Could he be a sneaky MVP pick? I think that seems like a stretch

by Kevin 3/27/2018 7:45:39 PM
Ozuna seems like the better bet among current Cardinals

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:45:53 PM
Speaking of scandal, any chance Pitino jumps to the NBA or is he nuclear material at this point?

by Matt 3/27/2018 7:46:17 PM
He seems too busy fighting to defend a sterling reputation only he believes in

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:46:55 PM
Between Weaver and Dejong, who do you think will have made the bigger impact by June 1st and who do you predict has a more substantial Cardinal career? Jersey purchase is down to them two.

by David 3/27/2018 7:48:16 PM
Go with Weaver, and that's not a knock on Paul.
I could see Weaver being a very important pitcher here for a very long time.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:48:46 PM
Why are people treating Hicks ascension like a given? Pump the brakes here, he's only pitched at A and at a 7.3 K/9 it's not like he blew threw the league. Plus it's the same argument as Holland if Hicks comes up, or for that matter if Helsley or Hudson come up, someones gotta go.

by David 3/27/2018 7:48:57 PM
Have you watched Hicks pitch?

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:49:19 PM
Speaking of Joe Girardi...next Cardinals manager?

by Double D 3/27/2018 7:49:33 PM
If the Cardinals job came open, you have to think there would be a lot of interest, not just internally. The recruiting pitch that might not be so effective with players these days probably sells better to potential managers.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:50:49 PM
What has Flaherty done at the major league level to justify all the love? First to stick in MLB, Flaherty or Hicks? Why?

by Frisbee 3/27/2018 7:52:06 PM
He's only had six games, five starts in the majors.
His hype is based on potential, potential that totaled a stunning 20 strikeouts in Grapefruit League play.
His slider is special.
We'll see if everything else is ready, sooner than expected.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:53:15 PM
With Flaherty its not praise its expectation. What has any player done in the majors before they get there? Nothing. But what he has shown is potential and that raises expectation and the "love"

by Matt 3/27/2018 7:53:43 PM
Correct.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:53:48 PM
Any new info on Pham's vision? I saw he had a walk last night, but he's looked clueless in the handful of PAs I've seen this spring season, like he can't see the ball clueless.

by Irvwash 3/27/2018 7:54:04 PM
Scroll down. We hit on it earlier.
Another thing to add: There were at-bats Pham has this spring when he was intentionally working on getting deep into counts. Not every spring at-bat is the same.
That said he didn't have the results he wanted when he tried to start getting season-ready. He had a positive last game in the back field, then a positive last Grapefruit League game. He seemed to be putting it together at bit as the team left Jupiter.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:55:21 PM
How about this for a DH solution: every team (regardless of league) gets three DH at-bats per game. These can be used at any time to have a non-defensive player take the place of an offensive player without having to make a defensive substitution (AL rules). Once those three DH at-bats are used, normal defensive substitutions must be used (NL rules). This would preserve the value of the DH position and keep the rules between the leagues uniform without completely eliminating the usefulness of a pitcher that can hit. And, if anything, more strategy would be introduced. Sounds kind of silly, but I've heard much weirder ideas introduced in the "Manfred-era".

by Me 3/27/2018 7:55:44 PM
Too many words. In or out. Just pick one.

by BenFred 3/27/2018 7:55:54 PM

Live Chats

Ben Frederickson Live

Bring your Cardinals, Blues, Mizzou and STL sports questions, and talk to Post-Dispatch columnist Ben Frederickson in a live chat starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday

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