Join baseball writer Daniel Guerrero for his live Cardinals chat at 1 p.m. Monday
Bring your Cards questions and comments to Monday’s 1 p.m. live chat.
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Hey everyone! Happy Monday (if there's such a thing as a happy Monday) ...Opening day is this Thursday. Can you believe it?I'm in St. Louis and will be behind the keyboard today to talk Cardinals, prospects, baseball in general, or even some San Diego State men's hoops if you'd like.Let's have a good chat!- Daniel Guerrero -
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Yes he has focused solely on playing shortstop and got work this spring with the likes of Jose Oquendo (something he noted during Winter Warm-up that he was looking forward to).Winn has only pitched one inning in his MiLB career and that was in 2021 with Peoria. Of course, pitching could be seen as a fallback option for him if things go haywire as a shortstop.
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The last that was reported from Jupiter, Fla. was that Rodriguez would receive treatment for a week and then he'd begin throwing. The Cardinals said that on March 23 so we're still a few days away from the one-week mark.And you're right in that he will still have a chance of going to go on a rehab assignment before he is activated.
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Sheesh, that'd be 40 bombs a piece. I'd temper expectations there for a number of different reasons.Reason No. 1: Having three outfielders who combine for 120 home runs feels like a tall order.Reason No. 2: The projected ETA for Baez and Cho to get to Busch Stadium is still some years away. Both at just 19 years old so there's still plenty of time.Baez feels slightly closer considering that he got some at-bats for Class Low-A at the end of last year following his hamate bone injury. Cho hasn't played in Low-A and got some playing in the Florida Complex League. I'd expect Cho to start the year in Low-A. There's a chance Baez could be there too and then moved up to High-A Peoria if he puts up consistent numbers.
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Daniel: I'm sure you will get a variety of versions of this question, but I'm surprised that the team has chosen to bring Walker up to start the season. At one point, the decision seemed like the only one they could make, but he really cooled off in the second half of spring training, as pitchers started to round into form and return from the WBC. I think he has drawn one walk all spring, which strikes me as a bit of red flag. What was your reaction to their decision?
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This question does indeed seem like a popular one today.What Jordan Walker did in his first 10 games of the Grapefruit League (.438 avg., 3 HRs, 3 2Bs, 1.251 OPS) did indeed feel like the Cardinals could not leave camp without him. It wasn't until after he was removed from that March 11 game against the Astros that his numbers took a dip. There hasn't been any indication that the shoulder strain sustained in that game played a role in the dip in numbers. We can chalk this up to just an aspect of baseball. Walker will need to make adjustments once he sees big league pitching in games that matter.But we learned that how Walker handled himself after he cooled down played a role in the Cardinals' decision. Manager Oli Marmol spoke to reporters about how well Walker handled the pressure and the offensive cool-down toward the end of camp. That maturity is something Marmol has spoken highly of with Walker earlier this spring.So the roster decision doesn't surprise me too much. It feels like it was something that was bound to happen given Walker's trajectory and what he did with the opportunities that opened up.
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Daniel, can you explain the extra draft pick the Cardinals might get if Walker finishes in the top three? For instance if he is sent back down to Memphis at some point in the season is the team still eligible for the pick because he opened the season on the 26 man roster? 2nd) If he should win ROY does the team get a better pick or the same pick as if he finishes 2nd or 3rd?
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From my understanding, the Cardinals could still be eligible for the extra draft pick even if Walker returns to Memphis at any point this season. All that matters is where he winds up with rookie of the year voting after having begun the year as a part of the opening-day roster.We can use the Seattle Mariners and Julio Rodriguez as a good example considering they were the first team to get a draft pick from the Prospect Promotion Incentives (PPI) in the newest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Rodriguez didn't end up back AAA, but he was a Top 100 prospect who won rookie of the year. Because of that, the Mariners also received the 29th overall pick in the year's draft after already having the 22nd pick based on the standings.So, the Cardinals could get an extra pick if Walker wins ROY (or is second or third in MVP voting), and he'd get a full year of service time.If Walker finished second or third in voting then the Cardinals would get an additional international selection.
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Wins can come from the team overall. We've seen time and time again how quality pitchers can have low win totals based on things like run support or what the bullpen does.Sure, pitching wins represent if a pitcher gave you five innings in a given start, but that doesn't always represent how effective they were on the mound. I'd be more focused on other stats like ERA/ERA+ than their personal W-L columns. Or at least that's how I view the pitching wins statistics.
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I'd reassess this after he makes a few starts when games begin to matter. But yes, the numbers do not look too appealing. You can't ignore that.Health felt like the most important factor to me. The .329 average allowed to hitters and 15 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings are concerning. 2019 does feel like some time ago, but we know that if Jack Flaherty can be who he is at his best, then the Cardinals could have a really strong top-of-the-rotation pitcher on their hands.
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Dan, thanks for your time and efforts! Could you enlighten me on the ST that pitcher Cooper Hjerpe has had? I thought i had read after he was drafted that he could be a "fast riser" what with his somewhat funky delivery. But i saw and read very little of him this spring. Again, thanks.
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I think his makeup, the level Hjerpe pitched at in college (Pac-12 with Oregon State), and his success there created that recipe for him to be someone who could rise fast through the minors. We didn't see him at all in the minor last year because he threw over 100 innings for the Beavers.He was in the bullpen for a few Grapefruit League games but didn't appear. So there was the potential for him to make his debut, but didn't. He's pitched on the backfield in games and in live batting practice against other Cardinals prospects. So it's not like he's been sidelined or anything like that.We should get better a sense of how fast he could rise based on where he starts the year and, of course, by how he performs.
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We'll know official who will be in Springfield in a couple of days once rosters are released. But, I'd keep an eye out for a few different names who might be suiting up for the S-Cards come opening day. Namely RHP Austin Love (Cards strikeout leader in 2022) and Mike Antico (Cards stolen base leader in 2022).
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I enjoyed the story by DG about Wilson C. improving his catching technique. It sounds like Wilson will make a better Cardinal than I first believed. He wants that gold glove and by being better at his craft he will help make the team better and carry on to a World Series. My question is how many games do you thing are realistic for him behind the plate? Please give me your thoughts not the Cardinals, I know what the FO has said they would like to see. I am thinking he will catch about 120 games. My opinion what is yours? Thank you for the chats, I always read them and enjoy them.
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I'm thinking along those same lines that 120 games could be the number he hovers around.He caught a career-high 133 games in 2018, then caught 116 in 2021, and 72 in 2022. The Cardinals are aiming for the 120-140 game range for Contreras behind the plate. He'll be consistently in the lineup because of his bat, but the demand of the catching position takes a toll on players, so that's why I lean more toward the 120 range for him.
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But if that Rule 5 pick can give you some consistency and swing-and-miss stuff out of the bullpen, shouldn't you wait and see what you have?You're right in that those guys seldom become stars, but there is also a place non-stars/role players to contribute to a deep October run.
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Carry his spring improvements into the regular season.We all know about the troubles he had with the high fastball that sent him back down to Memphis. He's adjusted to that with a change in his mechanics, which helped him and he's hit .288 with, four homers, and a .911 OPS through 52 at-bats this spring. Solid numbers compared to where he was at the end of the regular season last year.
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I didn't get a chance to while in Jupiter.But my colleague BenFred did and wrote an excellent column on him if you haven't yet checked it out.
BenFred: Cardinals bench coach Joe McEwing stirs team with speech 23 years after his trade
STLtoday.comHad you told 27-year-old Joe McEwing that he would wind up back here at the age of 50 as the Cardinals bench coach, he would not have believed you. -
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There were some moves that, if you told me at the start of camp would be the end result, I would be surprised.Juan Yepez not making the opening-day roster is one of those that I wouldn't have totally expected back in February. He hit .224 in 58 at-bats and had some tough competition out there for the right-handed DH/depth spots on the roster. Back-to-back tough springs for him.Taylor Motter making the team is another that I wouldn't have imagined before spring training began. The Paul DeJong injury definitely played a role in that and the Cardinals went with someone who can provide depth at the middle infield positions.
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If we used the Cardinals' lineup today against the Orioles in the spring finale that has Gorman in the seven-spot and Walker eight, I could see Walker sliding up a spot in the order when the Cardinals face a lefty. There's always the potential that he hits his way higher in the order.Oddly enough, Walker had better splits in more than triple the number of at-bats against righties than he did against lefties over the entire 2022 season with Springfield. That was also a trend this spring. Walker had just one hit in 25 at-bats against lefties while going 17-for-40 against righties. Things will change once he sees MLB pitching in regular season games, but I wouldn't expect any huge jumps in order right out of the gate for the rookie.
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The way this spring played out was definitely not how Paul DeJong hoped. He talked about the swing changes he made this offseason but never truly got to test that out in official games. The last that was reported on him is that he would remain at the Cardinals complex in Jupiter as he works his way back. He won't be clear until the soreness he's experienced while fielding grounders is gone.I do agree that it feels like his options with the current roster makeup are getting limited.
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Masyn Winn is certainly in future plans. I think the positional versatility from Edman creates some options to have both playing if that's how things line up once Winn gets to the big leagues.I think Gorman has shown some improvement defensively. There's still more to be done, but I think overall he's entering his second season with a few different aspects of his game trending direction.