Cardinals chat with Derrick Goold
Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold takes your Cardinals questions and comments in his live chat beginning at 11 a.m.
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Way too early to say that. But it does put a crimp in his career, and it does put a limit perhaps on his career with the Cardinals in an unexpected way. He has been on the big-league roster for both of these injuries, and thus when he does return and move into the rotation he'll already have this accumulation of service time that does not match with his innings, wins, production. That will lead to a Jaime Garcia-like discussion about an extension without the body of work -- or an odd arbitration case, too. It also means that this period right now -- as he starts to grow into his peek years -- are not coming with production. That's a hunk out of his youth in the game missing. So, yes, it will have an impact on his development, an impact on his place with the Cardinals, and ultimately an impact on his career. But it's way way way way too early to do the "what could have been dance" because what could be is a player who pitches deeper and stronger into his 30s because of the discipline he's received from injury recovery and the lack of mileage that will be on his arm. -
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Was still wearing a splint when we saw him last week. There will be a clearer sense at the ballpark today how close he is to getting that removed. The target date of an All-Star break return has been nudged up a little, and he's done a strong job of doing what he can to remain sharp while limited.
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I know that other teams look at the Cardinals and salivate at our pitching when it comes to trades, but what type of value would J Martinez have? A cost controlled hitter that would have appeal for an AL team would seem to make sense in a trade for the Cardinals. Granted, he is currently our best hitter, but he struggles at first and that keeps others off the field to get Carp on it.
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One place to look to answer this question is to the free-agent market. Where we have seen one-dimensional players not get the kind of deals they imagined or not generate much interest at all, outside of a one-year deal. What helps Martinez here would be the years of control. What hurts the return would be the fact that he's not in his 20s with those years of control. The trading team would look at getting Martinez for what they'd calculate as the remainder of his career, his peek career. And they'd temper their offer as a result because younger may be out, younger may be in their own system, and the role that he would have -- straight up DH -- isn't one that exists with a lot of teams who cycle players through there.There are only FOUR designated hitters with enough at-bats in that position to qualify for the batting title. Four. For contrast, consider there are 23 center fielders and 20 left fielders, and yes there are twice as many positions for those two spots, but still 4/15 is eye-catching compared to 23/30.
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Afternoon, Derek, I hope you've started the week off well. I enjoyed your piece on Red, but I still feel like I don't understand his contribution as a player. In looking at his stats, he only had 5 years of above average OPS, and his defensive WAR isn't overwhelming. I don't know enough about defensive metrics to know if they have a harder time measuring players from that era or not, but the numbers don't match up to the stories I've heard throughout my life and especially now - that Red was a slick fielding second basemen. So, with all due respect to the man, am I missing something in his numbers or was there more to his HOF induction than the statistics can show?
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The defensive statistics from that era are admittedly incomplete because the technology and access to actual games is not available, like it is today. Try finding video of Schoendienst's at second. Let's just say Robinson Cano and Chuck Knoblauch and Bip Roberts and Kolten Wong are infinitely more available on video at this point.
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Given that we see stories like this and evidence of this on other teams and with other sports, it would seem that you could eliminate a lot of the team-specific reasons and go more toward a cultural aspect of the professional athlete. Now, there is a but here ... But the team does go a long way into establishing the clubhouse culture it has.Or, better said, it allows.There have been a few examples in the past few years of a Cardinal player taking control of his own recovery because he did not like the plan laid out by the team or he had greater trust and a relationship with the doctor. Adam Wainwright sought out Dr. Paletta during that time when Paletta was not with the team because of his trust and past with the surgeon. Michael Wacha and his agent had a strong say in his rehab a few winters ago, and while Wacha did so with the team's blessing, Wacha and his group was the driver when it came to the rehab/strengthening approach he took to recover and contain and prehab now the stress reaction in his shoulder. The Cardinals have made great strides recently in bringing all of that together, and Adam Olsen is universally trusted in the Cardinals clubhouse the best I can tell because of his long relationships with players and the work he's done personally with them on their rehab from a variety of injuries.I want to stress that the things you see with the Cardinals are true at 29 other teams. Too often medical discussions and DL angst is rooted in this bubble of the team that we all follow more closely than others -- and it's one of the reasons why I always make a concerted effort to keep in mind a control group -- the rest of baseball.
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Rick Hummel had a moving and complete series of articles that included comments from McCarver and many others. Hummel’s coverage was the definitive and most detailed coverage from the past week and Schoendienst’s passing. Start here: www.stltoday.com
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Hence, why so often in the chat I find myself suggesting that any time there is a game played there is a chance for a decision to be made for a team or a decision to change. I get it. That’s not an exciting answer, that’s not a buzzy answer, or a sexy answer or an answer to ignite Twitter and set imaginations ablaze.
However, it is the truth. So much else is a guess. -
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Spoke to Fowler a little about this after a recent series, as it became clear Bader was moving into more playing time and Fowler’s struggles persisted. He described his frustration is impossible to hide entirely and having fun doesn’t happen without reason.
“No one likes to (stink),” he said.
A lot of truth there. There has to be a reason to grin and a reason to smile and while some of that can be compartmentalized and Team wins can bring buoyancy, teammates know when a player is faking so better to show them Work. -
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Thanks for the weekly Cardinal fix DG. Do you think we are missing the mark a little here? On the surface it seems like the pitching wasn't great this weekend in winning 2 of 3. Hey they gave up 6, but is that so much in GABP? The Reds have issues, but that lineup is no joke over there. With the way the top half is raking, the Cards should be able to give up 6 and still compete. The problem? Look at what 6, 7, and 8 did this weekend, in that park, against that pitching staff? What does that series look like if the lineup turns over with a few ducks on the pond?
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