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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Hi Daniel, thanks for the chat. Seeing today's lineup made me wonder why Noot is in LF and Walker in RF. Noot manned RF very well last year and as LF is generally considered the less challenging of the two, I assumed they would want Walker there just to break him in as easy as possible. Probably not a big deal either way, but just something I was curious about. Do you have any insights into that?
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Good question. Noot playing in right field does make more sense to me as well considering his experience. We saw Walker play 13 games in left field. To me, this feels like another shot for Walker to get in-game reps at the other corner outfielder spot before the regular season. Walker is still learning the outfielder position, and he play just the corners, so could just be some final game reps that he'd benefit from.
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That could be because Herrera wasn't as much in the mix to be the backup catcher on the opening-day roster as Knizner and Barrera were down the stretch.The Cardinals have said they are still hopeful with Herrera. They want to see more with his bat. He figures to get plenty of time in Memphis to work on becoming a more consistent hitter. This could be an important year to prove that he is ready to be back up to Contreras over the next few years.
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Performance, as it typically does, will surely play a role in Woodford's long-term outlook for this season and where he might stick around. We saw that play a factor in him sliding into a starting role once Wainwright went down.If he is effective upon Wainwright's return, it'll be hard to ignore that. But I'd say in the short term, Wainwright's timeline might play more of a role for Woodford than anything.
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Why does the umpire penalize the batter for not being ready with 8 seconds to go? Who cares if he isnt ready. That should be on him. If hes not ready he wont do well. Seems like overkill on the rules. The pitcher has to throw the pitch within the time limit regardless.
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Because batters have also played a role in slowing down the game by taking their time to get back into the box. If he isn't ready, then it is on him and he's penalized with a strike for not being set in the box by the eight-second mark.I don't think the rules with the pitch clock/timer are overkill. They haven't been that way in the minors. Big leaguers will adjust. Minor leaguers making their way to the show have already done so.
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The FO does NOT like bidding wars. And then do NOT go all in on FA superstars because they want to avoid bidding wars. But the like to trade for players in their walk years and then sign them. The FO also likes to have a face of the franchise future HOFer. Last year they were seriously involved in the Soto talks. With that preface: what are the odds this team trade for Ohtani at the deadline??
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I would classify it as an inning cap, but it will be monitored. The word used to describe what his 2023 increase will be like for him is "gradual." They did that gradual increase in innings for him in Palm Beach as he was limited to three innings in his first eight starts and then was allowed to work through a fourth inning in his final eight.That is what I would expect. That's what Hence's hope is. He spoke earlier this spring of wanting to be able to consistently go out there and provided 5-6 innings in starts.He threw 52 1/3 innings in 16 regular season starts last year after he joined PB's roster in May. I don't think we'll see him lead the minors or his fellow prospects in innings, but getting 100 IP or more under his belt could be feasible knowing that he'll start the year with an affiliate instead of in extended spring training.
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As much as we talked about the start of Jordan Walker's spring, we also have to acknowledge the second half with the quieter numbers. So it's understandable to make the case that maybe that tail end of spring training showed something about what he does on the field and where there is work to be done.However, that provided the Cardinals' coaching staff, especially manager Oliver Marmol, a chance to see how Walker handles failure. What he showed there got some praise and was the confirmation that they felt was needed for him to be ready.A demotion to Memphis would be a bummer for both Walker and the Cardinals (and also for Cardinals fans I'd assume). But if he were to start the year in Memphis and got off to a hot start, then I think people would ask, "Why is Walker down there if he is ready?"Giving Walker a spot on the opening-day team even after the struggle there at the end feels like the more aggressive move to have your best 26 players with you on the first day games start to matter.
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Just saw that three-run homer from Redmond. To the opposite field, too.He showed statistical improvements last year with a career-high in homers (21) and RBIs (79), but had declines in average and on-base percentage compared to 2021.What Redmond looks like to me is someone who has shown the ability to hit the ball to different parts of the field. He could be a left-handed DH and play some first base. He's 26 and hasn't played above Class AA so there does feel like a ticking clock for him to show he could find a role in the majors.
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You mentioned to junior "at the end feels like the more aggressive move to have your best 26 players with you on the first day games start to matter." Honestly this is a "what if", What if DeJong had not gotten hurt..WE all know he would have headed north with the team, would that be heading north with your best 26? It seems like DeJong getting hurt benefits the team as sad as that is to say! Your thoughts?
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In that "What if ... ?" somewhere in the Cardinals multiverse we would have seen Paul DeJong get to take regular ABs in the Grapefruit League and would know by now if those swing changes he and the organization talked about would have helped him return to being a productive hitter.If that is the scenario and PDJ continues to be a solid defender, then yeah, he'd be one of those 26 if his swing changes led to production. We just don't know what he would have done this spring because the injuries limited him to 13 at-bats.On a side note, maybe we have to do a "Cardinals what if ... ?" series. I think the OG DG would be a fan.
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If and when DeLong gets healthy combined with Knizner the Cardinals could very well have two solid glove men with little help likely coming with their bats. That seems problematic over the grind of a long season too. As such, do the catchers in the minors should one hit well early on figure to have a better than average shot at being called up before too long?
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The backup catcher scenario in your question does intrigue me. Knizner's offensive struggles have been evident. We saw this spring how, at one point, there was a competition for the backup catching spot behind Contreras.I think how many starts/innings behind the plate Contreras can give will play a role in that. If he's catching games regularly and meeting the expectation he and the Cardinals have for the position then it may not be that big of a need as long as Knizner is handling defensive backup duties well and performs decently on offense.But if Contreras gets more reps at DH and Knizner's offensive woes continue as he gets time behind the plate, I think that leaves open the possibility of someone like Tres Barrera, Ivan Herrera, or even Pedro Pages as possible backups depending on how each is performing in Memphis.
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Michael McGreevy is a quick-working, sinker-ball pitcher who can fill up the strike zone and keep the ball on the ground when he's on. He doesn't walk too many and even said in the past he'd rather give up a single and let his defense make a play on the ball than give up a free pass.He had dips in his velocity that came from the 144 1/3 inning workload he had last year in Class High-A/AA. Showing improved velo and the ability to maintain that will be big for him this year.As far as his stuff, his slider might be his best pitch. I saw him use that to keep guys like Juan Yepez, Nolan Gorman, and Brendan Donovan in check during a live BP in the early stages of spring training. He's still being developed as a pitcher and could be someone who slides into the middle of a rotation and gives you consistent innings.
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First and foremost: Be consistent.When he returned from the World Baseball Classic he showed the velocity that the Cardinals were looking for from him. Now he's got to maintain that and maintain positive results.With the lefty bullpen spots filled, he'll have to be performing well when/if an opportunity opens up.
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But if that Rule 5 pick has a 100 mph fastball and can control it, wouldn't you want to give him a good look?I know, I know, we get caught up in velocity. Though, it's hard to find that. No one is banking on a Rule 5 pick to carry the team or bullpen, but he can carve a role.
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Has there been any indication that Walker's shoulder injury may have been partially responsible for his late spring slump or is the consensus that opposing pitchers have figured him out? It certainly looks like he'll need to improve on hitting off speed pitches. Thanks for the chats!
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It doesn't appear that the shoulder injury affected him. That late slump could just be the nature of the sport. Maybe the spring slump gave the 20-year-old a sense of what it'll be like dealing with slumps in the majors?There will more than certainly be constant adjustments for Jordan Walker once he makes his debut and gets regular big-league at-bats.
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Do you know if the Cardinals gave any thought to signing Gary Sanchez at the backup? Seems like given the lack of market for him, he might have been an affordable upgrade, at least with the bat, over Knizner. And he ought to be open to a 1-year deal. With Knizner hitting below .100 in spring training, it seems like an obvious fit.
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Should we be concerned about Jordan Walker's stretch of .133/.188/.200 baseball in the 8 games since he injured his shoulder against Houston? Not to mention his increasing number of strikeouts, with all of these struggles coming against the higher quality pitchers that hitters tend to see during the last two weeks of spring training? If we are going to dream big over his first two weeks of spring training, shouldn't the most recent two weeks be a source of concern?
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Hi Daniel. The P-D has reported the Cards are hoping to trade from their left-handed depth to make room on the 40-man for Walker. If they are not able to do that, is there a chance they cut ties with DeJong to open up his spot. I would hate for them to give up on DeJong without seeing if the changes he made this off-season make a difference, so I'm hoping that doesn't happen, but I'm just wondering if it is a possibility. Thanks.
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I saw the MLB Power Rankings this morning. Cards are #10. Taking the average of each divisions rank puts the NL Central at the bottom of the pack. Agree with these ranks where lower is better? AL East (11.6), NL East (13.4), AL West (15.2), NL West (15.2), AL Central (17.8), and NL Central (19.8). For reference, the overall AL average is 14.87 to 16.13 for the NL.
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Are you aware of any interest on the Cardinals side of working out an extension with Jordan Montgomery? After Mikolas he seemed like an obvious candidate, but from his comments it sounds like he hadn't been approached. Just wondering what your insight on the situation was. Thanks for taking my question.
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Based on his comments, it doesn't sound like there has been any discussion between the two parties. Montgomery made it clear when he spoke to reporters that his focus was on this season. Obviously things can change and conversations can pick up.He certainly fits the profile of someone who is an extension candidate -- a 3.11 ERA in 11 starts (63 2/3 innings) after he was traded for Harrison Bader last summer.
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Playing center field is something O'Neill hoped to do. The Cardinals didn't force him into that. I do see why Nootbaar feels like a natural fit there, and his play in center before along with playing CF for Japan in the WBC showed he can handle the position.As far as O'Neill being a "natural field" ... I mean, he's won two Gold Gloves in left.Good timing on this question because my P-D colleague Derrick Goold just wrote about it:By DG1 from SARASOTA, Fla. --
Tyler O'Neill ranges over to claim center field. Real race is just starting: Cardinals Extra
STLtoday.comO'Neill wins starting job in center as Cardinals' open Thursday, yet challengers (Nootbaar, Carlson) will get their chances, too. Also: Grapefruit League title cinched. -
Hi Dan, Thanks for the chat. I have a question about the shift rule. Is the border between the skimmed infield and the outfield grass the same at all ballparks, or does it vary by stadium similar to the outfield walls? If it is variable, some teams could push it back to get around part of the new rule.
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This was something I wasn't too sure about so I had to do some research. Turns out, according to a report from The Atheltic, infield dirt dimensions were varied bit by ballpark. There will be more enforcement on standard dimensions in 2023, the report said.Interesting. That would be one wicked loophole to get around the shift rule.
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Ok, that seems like a good place to end this chat today. Thanks for your questions and patience there at the beginning as I dealt with some technical issues. Hope I was able to provide something.Three more sleeps til opening day at Busch Stadium! Exciting times. We'll see what the 2023 season has in store.Wishing you all the best,Daniel Guerrero
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