I continue to think that's a creative and unexpected addition that would be a complement/challenger even for 2016. The teams have some ways to line up, too. The lefty first baseman from the Sox? That didn't move the needle a couple weeks ago.
I think Prince Fielder was mentioned in Joe Strauss' column on the challenges facing Mozeliak at the trade deadline. It's a big name. It's been in the air that the Rangers want to play the trade deadline to improve now and later, while not being complete sellers. The Dallas Morning News has had some interesting reporting on what could mean for pursuing, say, Cole Hamels, as an example. It serves both purposes. The Fielder thing doesn't quite square with that stance, and I'm not sure I see a) the appeal or b) the reason why the Rangers would trade a bat that they could ride to contention in years ahead.
He's been awful this season. Napoli has 59 hits, 84 strikeouts, a thin OBP in 328 plate appearances for the Red Sox. Oh, and he bats righthanded. Cardinals have enough options there. Better options there. I was asked recently about Logan Morrison, and a look at his statistics was similarly striking. At least he's a lefthanded hitter.
Why is that a dreaded label? It's the same label Oscar Taveras had. It's the same label Colby Rasmus had before him. Piscotty is called the team's best hitting prospect not because he can't play a position but because he's not a pitcher. He would be called the best prospect if not for the fact that Marco Gonzales and Alex Reyes exist. So, how do you differentiate between Reyes and Gonzales and Piscotty. Well, one is the Cardinals best righthanded pitching prospect (Reyes), the other is the Cardinals best lefthanded pitching prospect (Gonzales), and the third is the best hitting prospect (Piscotty). This isn't some damning code word for an inability to play a position. It's a compliment to his place in the organization as part of a trio that stand out. Piscotty is an above average RF with a plus arm. He can play center. He can play LF. He is going to be able to play 1B. He's not in the same conversation as Wallace, and I don't really understand where this notion had its genesis.
Essential. Just as they were for everybody. The Cardinals needed a reset. Exhaustion or workload could still be this team's undoing.
Hmm. Interesting. Bet Piscotty plays tonight. And Adams is on the DL. I'm not sure that gets the deal done. And, let's also recognize, that the Rangers watch baseball too. They're going to see players and wonder why they're not playing and investigate and consider that if the Cardinals don't use them, why?
Absolutely. Stay tuned this winter.
I'm a Marvel guy. We kneel before no one.
Rising prospect. Good speed. Showing a more complete game. Lots of athleticism and verve to his game and an intriguing factor in the future at CF and atop the lineup if he stays with the Cardinals. Has had a strong year.
Not even if we're talking Starting Lineup figures. Last year, when he got the job as GM, Dave Stewart said the sun is brighter every morning he wakes up because Paul Goldschmidt is on his team. Goldschmidt is ridiculously good and he's on a friendly contract. Remember his and Allen Craig's were compared to each other at the time, and so were the players. I know that seems like a foreign comparison at this point considering the paths their careers have taken, but that's where it was at the time of the extensions. He's a franchise player, a rarity at the plate in today's game, and while your grouping of players is hefty and loaded with pitchability (Reyes and Martinez are two of the Cardinals' most-cherished prospects they've have had in recent memory) it's not happening for many reasons.
The first two are greater possibilities than Lind at this point. But all reasonable to keep an eye on.
No. I fear SkyNet, and computers are already claiming to write game stories. Ten years from now the BBWAA will hold a secret meeting where we decide to send one baseball writer back in time to Northwestern University or wherever these bot reporters were devised and neutralize them at the source.
Already saw it. Surpassed all of my expectations. I was thought it might be Marvel's clunker. I was way wrong. It's solid middle-of-the-pack in a strong group of movies.
That's how I picked it at the beginning of the season, so sure. Sounds good.
I see where you're going with this and I understand why it seems like these can be statements made in conflict. But I actually believe they are parts of two different conversations. First, always expect criticism. The Cardinals have 61 wins and yesterday on Twitter -- while they were leading -- I was inundated with questions about how awful the team is and how it's bound to lose and the bullpen is weak and the manager is making odd decisions and on and on and on. One person called it "rock bottom." So there's that.
Second, the concern about all the lefties atop the order (and batting No. 8 at the time, so creating three consecutive lefties for a specialist to face) was lessened by the idea that a couple of those lefties could hit lefthanded pitching entering the season. Now, Carpenter has struggled against lefties. Heyward has not. The concern wasn't so much a concern as a element to watch, a bit of trivia that might evolve into a concern. It didn't last long and that's production didn't happen. Production always decides.
Third, the Cardinals search for a LH bat now isn't because they want to put it at the top of the lineup. It's because they could see it fit for the bench and they have RH bats for first base but don't have a LH bat at that position. A complement would be an easy fit and there would be obvious at-bats available for this hitter if he hit (emphasis on hit) from the left side. That's all. These are unrelated concerns/topics but they branch off of the same tree: The Cardinals need more offense.
He ranks ahead of most STARTERS. He is the far and away leader in relief.
