Live Chats

Join baseball writer Daniel Guerrero for his live Cardinals chat at 11 a.m. Monday

Bring your Cards questions and comments to Monday’s 11 a.m. live chat.

3rd & 7 37yd

Hey all, hope everyone is doing great this Monday!
Daniel Guerrero here. I'll be at the keyboard for today's Cardinals chat.
Let's get started.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 5:00:13 PM
During Spring Training, who do you see benefitting most from having several players away at the WBC?

by SharpO from Sikeston MO 1/9/2023 5:00:41 PM
As far as across baseball, I’m not sure which team could benefit the most. Some final WBC rosters still haven’t been announced, but when it comes to the Cardinals, there are some players that will remain in Jupiter that would gain something from the WBC.
Jordan Walker is an obvious one that should benefit from additional playing time against big-league arms that aren’t pitching in the WBC. Moises Gomez could benefit as well. Alec Burleson makes that list of outfielders, too.
We could see guys like Paul DeJong and Masyn Winn also get some additional looks on the infield with Tommy Edman playing for Team Korea.
The latest on Willson Contreras is that he is on Team Venezuela's provisional roster and may not play in the WBC. If he were to play, that would open up some playing time for Ivan Herrera.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 5:08:08 PM
Hi Daniel, thank you for the chat!

Who are your top OF prospects for the future? Other than Jordan Walker, wouldn't Moises Gomez be on the short list due to his incredible power numbers?

by sjcarroll33 1/9/2023 5:09:35 PM
Moises Gomez makes the short-list with his proximity to the majors and his power that put him back on the prospect radar with a record-setting 2022 season. The things that I see working against Gomez are the Cardinals' crowded outfield and the need to see him do what he did last year more consistently.
Other than those two you mentioned, guys like Joshua Baez, Won-Bin Cho, and Luis Pino are outfield prospects that I see as the ones who make the list for the guys who are still some years away from being in the big-league conversation.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 5:15:07 PM
I live pretty close to Springfield, what players should I look out for a the double A Cards?

by Paul 1/9/2023 5:17:14 PM
Of the guys that could be there next year, I'd say right-hander Austin Love. He was a third-round pick in 2021 and led all Cardinals minor leaguers in strikeouts this past season after spending the entire year with Class High-A Peoria. Righty Zane Mills seems to be another one who would be there next year. Mills, a former fourth-round pick in 2021, didn't get a lot of strikeouts but had a solid ground ball rate in 2022.

Depending on where he starts, I think Cooper Hjerpe seems to have the makeup of a guy that can get to Springfield in 2023 based on his experience pitching in the Pac-12 and his success for a strong college program at Oregon State University.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 5:28:01 PM
Who are the one hitter and pitcher down on the farm that are solid but still dark horses to make the varsity squad come opening day?

by Nick N 1/9/2023 5:29:02 PM
I think the hitter is Moises Gomez based on his power potential. The crowded outfield will make that a little difficult.
When it comes to pitchers, maybe that dark horse is Connor Thomas after his performance in the Arizona Fall League.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 5:37:19 PM
Who is more likely to get out of group play in Arizona? Canada or Mexico? I'm fairly confident in my answer but can you sway me?

by Carter Chapley of the Post-Dispatch 1/9/2023 5:40:04 PM
Tough to say. Though, Mexico's roster is shaping up fairly nicely.
Can we revisit this question during the 2023 Gold Cup and 2024 Copa America?

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 5:43:50 PM
Good Morning. What does Jordan Walker have to do to make the Opening Day Roster?
A. Be the 4th best outfielder in ST.
B. Be slightly better than the worst of Nootbar, Carlson and O'Neill.
C. Be significantly better than the worst of Nootbar, Carlson and O'Neill or
D. Some other metrics about which you can enlighten us.
Thanks for taking my question!

by Sue 1/9/2023 5:46:00 PM
I'm going to add option E. Show he can handle big league caliber pitching and that he can handle playing the outfield.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 5:46:55 PM
What can you tell us about Clint Coultier? Is he a player that can catch or a MLB ready Catcher? Was his 910 OPS last year in AAA a fluke or is there a possibility he could help Marmol this year. Thank you very much for the chat and I look forward to your answer.

by Gilligan 1/9/2023 5:50:34 PM
I don't think Clint Coulter will be able to help Marmol much this year. Coulter is now in the Giants organization after he elected free agency back in November.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 5:51:43 PM
What's the story on the starting pitching pipeline? Liberatore, Hudson, and Woodford do not seem destined for more than the very back end of a rotation - that doesn't have four #3 pitchers in it already. Can Graceffo realistically be a Top 2 pitcher someday? Is Hence on the same track?

by Billy Two Bats 1/9/2023 5:52:49 PM
Some scouting reports have Gordon Graceffo projected to be a mid-rotation guy, but his velocity, command, and success this past year might keep him trending upward.
Tink Hence, given his age and the success he's found with the opportunities he was given, keep him high on the pitching prospect list and projected to fill a top spot in a rotation someday. Hence still needs plenty more time in the minors, so fans will need to be patient there.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 5:58:39 PM
What does Ivan Herrera need to do in Memphis to cause the Cards to decide on backup catcher in '23 and/or'24?

by DuffyCT 1/9/2023 6:03:09 PM
Show he's improved his offense against big-league pitching. He had some flashes of consistency at the plate down in the Memphis last year but couldn't translate that to the majors in the opportunities he got.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 6:05:11 PM
Ian Bedell could be another very quick mover in 2023 coming off Tommy John. I am interested to see how things go for him in the spring and where he is placed to start the minor league season.

by TomBruno23 1/9/2023 6:06:22 PM
Health might just be the biggest factor with Bedell in how far he moves. He's been limited to less than 40 innings since the start of 2020.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 6:09:05 PM
Hi Daniel, Would you rather see Burleson make the ML roster but be a part time player or play everyday in AAA? Maybe this would extend to some of the others as well such as Gorman. Same for pitchers, Graceffo, as a reliever on the ML roster or starting at AAA. Thanks,

by TimCoMo 1/9/2023 6:14:36 PM
With Burleson, his outlook seems to be in the right direction when it comes to his role with the major league team. The Cardinals feel like he could be a regular contributor from the left side of the plate. He's the type of bat I'd want to have in the big leagues.
I get not wanting to waste time of development when it comes to playing time, but I think there's a benefit to
getting big league reps.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 6:26:59 PM
What are we looking for out of Leonardo Bernal in 2023?

by TomBruno23 1/9/2023 6:27:05 PM
Looking out for him to continue progressing as a switch-hitter. His numbers this year were encouraging.
As a lefty vs. righties: .250/.307/.461 with six homers and seven doubles.
As a righty vs. lefties: .286/.355/.429 with a homer and a double.
Then there's always the hope for him to get innings behind the plate. He's only 18 (turns 19 in February), so regular playing time will be important at whatever level he begins and ends at.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 6:33:17 PM
Daniel - thanks for your time. I enjoyed your coverage of the minor league clubs this season and appreciate your being added to the chat rotation.

How close is Masyn Winn to the Big League club?

by JM McCauley 1/9/2023 6:36:01 PM
Thanks for reading!
I think Winn could spend a good amount of time in Triple-A Memphis this year. Tommy Edman is still manning shortstop so there is stability there. Winn would benefit from the additional time and his arrival to the majors could be in 2024. That is unless something changes to the Cardinals' current shortstop and middle infield options.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 6:40:31 PM
Who are the next in line middle infield prospects for the Cardinals behind Mason Wynn?

by ey1294 1/9/2023 6:40:42 PM
Shortstop Jonathan Mejia is the next on that middle infield prospect list behind Winn.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 6:45:06 PM
Please tell us what you think, we can except from some of the younger Card's players that Mo is counting on to make a big impact in the MLB this year?

by Card Rookies 1/9/2023 6:47:38 PM
I think some are shaping up to be regular contributors in 2023. Two of those are seemingly on a track to be more than role players as well.
Someone like Lars Nootbaar will be given opportunities to build off what he did in 2022. The clips of him in the hitting lab this offseason and the accompanying metrics with improvements to his exit velocity are very promising. Brendan Donovan is someone you could expect to be consistent again no matter where he plays the field or hits, similar to last year.
I know many people are excited about Jordan Walker, as they should be, but the club seems to be cautious with handling where he starts the year. How he does in spring will be a part of the decision. Some expectations should be tempered until we get a better idea of what jersey he is wearing to start the 2023 season.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 6:54:26 PM
Do you expect the Cardinals to make the playoffs without a significant power bat added to the middle of lineup?

by e1hornet 1/9/2023 6:55:59 PM
The addition of Willson Contreras fills a need in the middle of the lineup behind Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. There is still that need for a lefty bat. The Cardinals believe they have internal options that can develop into that like with Alec Burleson, but I do see the need of a veteran lefty with proven big league success.
Making the playoffs is entirely possible, especially given where things stand in the NL Central and what the Cardinals' division rivals have done this winter. I wouldn't start awarding postseason spots in January. Winning the offseason doesn't always mean winning the regular season.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 7:00:36 PM
What are your thoughts on this potential batting order;

2B Burleson
LF O'neill
1B Goldy
3B Arenado
C Contreas
DH Gorman
RF Nootbar
CF Carlson
SS Edman

by Lee P 1/9/2023 7:00:51 PM
Not sure if I want Alec Burelson at second. Or at lead-off.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 7:01:28 PM
Correction, 2B was my mistake...
Leadoff 2B Donavan

by Lee P 1/9/2023 7:07:44 PM
I assume it was a mistake. Mistakes happen.
The lineup you suggested seems to be in line with much of what we saw last year. Although, I could see Nootbaar work his way up it like he did at the end of last year.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 7:11:36 PM
You didn't add 21 yr old Cooper Hjerpe to the list of future potential top of rotation starters. I recently read a scouting report on him that was glowing about his future. He has strike out stuff, as spoken of by Randy Flores, "“He has a unique look that can make opposing hitters uncomfortable as evidenced by his high strikeout totals and elite whiff rates." I know he hasn't yet pitched for a Cards affiliate, but have you been able to see much of him on film, and would you consider him being a future #1 0r #2 starter? What year would you predict his appearing in St Louis? Thanks!

by BradBaar 1/9/2023 7:12:10 PM
Coope Hjerpe did slip my mind. Thanks for bringing him up.
I have not seen him pitch on film aside from what he did at Oregon State. He didn't appear in a minor league game last year after the draft because of his workload at OSU. He threw some bullpen sessions and live batting practice. The Cardinals liked what they saw with Hjerpe and with his mentality.
I think we'll know more about Hjerpe and his projections to get to the majors this year based on where he starts the MiLB season. I think High-A Peoria is a possibility for him to start at and would follow a similar track to Michael McGreevy (another starting pitching prospect I didn't mention) and Gordon Graceffo.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 7:15:45 PM
What are you hearing with respect to the expectations for Matthew Liberatore? It seems like they may have initially overestimated the impact he could have on a pitching staff. Is there still hope he can ultimately be a back of the rotation guy?

by MDCardFan 1/9/2023 7:17:20 PM
What the Cardinals and Oli Marmol are hoping for with Liberatore is improved command on his fastball. We've to keep in mind that Liberatore is only 23 years old.
Liberatore had to make the jump from pitching in High-A at 19 years old in 2019 to pitching in Triple-A as a 21-year-old in 2021 because of the lost time in the development during the canceled 2020 MiLB season. The organization is still going to give Liberatore a shot at competing for a rotation spot this spring.

by DGuerrero 1/9/2023 7:22:08 PM