Join baseball writer Derrick Goold 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
3rd & 7 37yd
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Brandon Donovan is a joy to watch. Pretty sure his picture is next to the definition of “ballplayer” in the dictionary. He and Tommy Edman help so much with their versatility. Do we have anyone else who who fits that mold on their way up? It feels like half our top prospects best position is “batters box”
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I don't know, honestly. The format is so new that there's no real feel for it. Track record says to avoid the excess innings, to get the pitching lined up, and to not give away that edge from the start of a five-game series. There's no margin for error and yet, there you would be, starting behind in the pitching game while the opponent has well-rested, full complement pitching staff. Short season that could prove more costly. If momentum is the next day's pitcher, then the team with the bye has the edge, not the team that kept playing ...
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They have recognized the possibility they'll have to go outside the organization for a catcher for 2023. What that looks like -- TBD. The Cardinals could go for a short-term answer on the free-agent market, a complement to Knizner, and a player who would know that going in, so that you're limiting the market if that player would prefer to have surefire starts. Perception would be a big part of that bid by the Cardinals, Or, they could make a trade. They could trade for a catcher who has control for a few years, and then would not have much say in how playing time awaited him and would create a real three-into-two competition.
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It starts with how the teams see that leap from Class AA to the majors to begin with. You may recall that a few years ago the Cardinals saw Class AA as the doorstep to the majors and considered pitchers like Trevor Rosenthal and Carlos Martinez for promotion from there. Colby Rasmus was also in that spot when he was in Class AA -- on deck for the majors because the thinking was the leap from Class AA to Class AAA was closer than the jump from Class AAA to Class AA. It's all in the internal evaluation of that level of play, the pitching at that level, and the competition that the prospect sees, as well as how what the player does translates to the majors. Rasmus, for example, was viewed as a player who provide superb defense while his bat caught up to the level. Pitchers, like say Maness, were seen as having one pitch that would definitely work in the majors, so why wait? Plus, the Cardinals got to see how some of those players responded to facing the same opponents over and over and over again in the claustrophobic schedule. Adjustments at Class AA were telling.The advanced tech that is around the game only adds to how much teams can calculate and ascertain this. They can see what metrics work in the majors and if that player is doing them consistently at Class AA, for example.
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While it is ok to expect accountability for poor performance, some of these negative comments go so far beyond "demanding accountability" to an extreme degree. Are these people even fans any more? Or are they so far gone that they just crave any sign of something going wrong so they can go full-on twitterati blast? Try being a Marlins fan for a few minutes, please! It would be so funny to me if it wasn't also so sad...