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.
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1) The player can fight an injury list designation. I don't recall seeing that happen, not recently. There have been times when they file a grievance for the level of the IL, i.e. being put on the minor-league IL when the injury happened in the majors, the player will argue.2) Yes. He has talked about the discomfort he felt in his shoulder, where it started, how it manifested, and how it limited him. He talked to reporters about this, in Spanish and also with a translator.3) Your third question is a leading question. It suggests you have a preconceived notion about the answers to the first two and have arrived at a conclusion based on him agreeing to an injury that has scare quotes. Yes, he's on the major-league roster. Yes, he draws a major-league salary. He has some service time, so it's likely going to be slightly more than the major-league minimum when he's in the major leagues.4) There is, yes. Teams have to provide information from medical professionals on injuries to MLB before they can use the IL. There is a process of validation for the reason you asked in the first question. That is because there have been accusations in the past (ahem, Dodgers) about using the IL as a shadow extended roster, especially when there was a 10-day IL that could effectively be used to stash a starter between starts and missing only one (or none if the off days fell right). -
Burleson. He doesn’t strike out, Hits for power. Isn’t lost in left field. Is he now the fourth outfielder and Carlson fifth. With Gorman hitting, Burleson isn’t going to get a lot of DH at bats. Meanwhile Carlson gets three hits from the left side and still appears headed for Wally Pipp status. Only to play regularly if two outfielders are hurt. It’s a good problem for a team to have and it’s a long season but he looks too good to be the next to last guy off the bench right before the backup catcher. -
Burleson is hitting for more power. That's what the Cardinals think he can do if he makes the adjustment to not always be so contacted oriented as a hitter. Look for pitches to drive. Ignore the tough strikes that you can only put in play. That is what they're working with him.No, Carlson is not the fifth outfielder.I'm not even sure how to apply the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 outfielder designations because there's a DH now and Marmol is likely to use them all. Last year, the Cardinals did not have an outfielder qualify for the batting title. Does that mean they only had 4 and 5 outfielders? Or, does that mean the manager just squeezes at-bats for all the outfielders and thus they are all 3 outfielders? Here's the math: There is a way to get four outfielders enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title -- and still have hundreds of at-bats left for the other outfielders.Carlson's role in the first series is not expected to be his role for the entire season. The Cardinals have articulated this over and over. They're not using 1-5 designations. Maybe we should not either?
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I wrote about why he had a drop in velocity, his choice to do so in this story here:
How Jack Flaherty kept control of game without command of pitches to steady Cardinals win
STLtoday.comCardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty's five scoreless, hitless innings included seven walks and a shift away from his fastball in the victory vs. Toronto. -
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Mr. Goold, little was accomplished to ease concerns about the pitching in the opening series. Why do you think that Jordan Hicks struggles to strike batters out with the power he has? To me, he still seems to be much more a thrower than a pitcher. Is this a failure of the Cards to develop him?
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This was address in great detail earlier in the chat about the misleading nature of high-powered sinkers. They're not a swing-and-miss pitch, and you can see that in the data that describes any of the power pitchers with that kind of approach. It's the breaking ball they need to be the whiff pitch. That's where Hicks has to get to get the Ks, otherwise he's a high-powered groundball pitcher.
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I am all about Mason Winn, but the Edman and Donovan duo has wayyyyy too much chemistry as a pair. If both continue to hit, what could the plan be with Edman/Donovan/Winn for the future? I never want to see either of the gold glove middle infielders play on a different team.
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Regarding TV access, I think the rush to put all games (or most games) behind an MLB-controlled paywall is a mistake. Casual fans and non-fans aren't going to pay to see games they aren't really interested in, and the best way to get new fans is to expose them to the games. The existing fans may be better off (have easier access), but if the goal is to grow the fan base, I think you need to have games accessible to anyone easily and cheaply. Just my opinion.
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There isn't a "rush" to do that. I've not heard that an MLS model is the goal. In fact, I've heard quite the opposite. There are owners that want MLB to expand the ways for fans to get games not reduce into one spot. MLB is prepared to launch into specific markets with a streaming service to cover games and give fans in those cities the games if the RSN bails. Is that what you're referencing? That would not be everywhere, just in the markets where the RSN abandons the broadcasts and cannot find a buyer.
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Hi, Derrick, thx for the chats. PD subscriber from Florida here. Cardinals fan since '62. I know it's early but I think this team has enough personality for a good nickname. I'd like to submit "St. Louis Grinderz" as mine. Maybe some of the other PD readers can submit some and we can come up with something that the players like. What do you think?
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I'm open to one developing for sure. It definitely has an identity, and there's a real chance with the personalities and youth for this team to have charisma, too. That's notable. There have been times in recent years when the Cardinals have had a good, contending team, and it has not captured the imagination of the fan base. Was it a dull team? A plodding team? Hard to tell. Clearly, there were many factors, including a pandemic, that influenced whether the team connected with the fan base in a way that would be celebrated with a nickname. This year's team has a different vibe.In the press box, a colleague suggested a twist on an old favorite: The Exit Velocity Fiends.If you know, you know.
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Hello Derrick. I kow Montgomery said the ball was in the Cardinal's court as far as working out an extension, but with Boras as his agent, was that ever a real possibility? Do you know if the Cardinals had real interest in trying to work something out? Thanks for taking my question.
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It was a possibility. We have evidence of Scott Boras working out extensions in season right here in St. Louis, it happens. Heck, O'Neill sought an extension with the Cardinals, and did not work out -- the two sides didn't reach an agreement on what that would look like, but it was O'Neill (through Boras) that wanted one and sought that conversation. Cardinals worked out an extension with Kyle Lohse, another Boras client, and that was signed right before the final day of the regular season. I get it: High profile, headline clients and reputation tend to sway public opinion, but Boras will do extensions with teams, and he's long had a strong relationship with Mozeliak/DeWitt when it comes to that. Even with Matt Holliday -- who did go to free agency, but never strayed from the goal of returning to the Cardinals, and his agent respected that. Clearly.The Cardinals had interest. They had mutual momentum for a deal with Mikolas. They did not find the same thing other conversations. Keep in mind that DeWitt does prioritize keeping players who have been with them and successful for awhile. That is encouraged by ownership to find a way to do deals with those players. Mikolas qualifies.
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Was this opening series' prolific offensive production from both teams mainly an indication that the Cardinals and the Blue Jays have really good offenses, or was there a more league wide offensive uptick on opening weekend that could be attributed to the rule changes? It did seem like more softly hit balls were falling for singles instead of outs, and like rallies might snowball on pitchers faster this year - but also like the Cardinals and Blue Jays both have a lot of good hitters!
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To me, it's more representative of the two teams than the new rules. The Cardinals have a deep lineup with a strong approach, and -- as mentioned earlier in the chat -- they're going to get a bounce from young hitters (Donovan, Gorman, Nootbaar) budding as impact hitters. That's what you're seeing. Toronto has an exciting offensive team. Bo Bichette has led the AL in hits the past two years. Guerrero is a legit MVP candidate, and he may have won one if not for Ohtani being like the best player any of us have ever seen. The list goes on and on, and it stood out to me that we may have seen the Chapman Renaissance begin this past weekend. All spring, Toronto wanted to expand its offensive profile from power, grip/rip, to more patient, more pesky, and still with that power. And the early indications are successful. The manager of the Jays described it on opening day -- and there it was all weekend long. They got their hits one day, took their walks the next, and ... well, kept the pressure on in the third day.
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I know if Jordan Walker wins ROY we get special compensation because he is on roster for full season. Are rookies who played a little last year, but still have rookie status also eligible this year too? Or maybe a clearer example, if Masyn Winn comes up late this year, but keeps his rookie status for 2024, will the cardinals be eligible for special compensation if he is on roster for all of 2024 and wins ROY?
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There is a way for that to happen for Winn. It's complex. I'll do my best to explain this. From Baseball America, on the CBA gizmos known as PPI (Prospect Promotion Incentives):"(1) The player must appear on a preseason Top 100 Prospects ranking by at least two of Baseball America, ESPN or MLB Pipeline.
"(2) The player must be rookie-eligible and must have fewer than 60 days of prior MLB service.
"(3) Any player who meets the requirements above must accrue at least one year of MLB service as a rookie. Because one year of service requires 172 days on an active roster, that means the player must break camp with the team or be called up within two weeks of Opening Day."
In Winn's case this would mean coming up this season but not losing his rookie eligibility. That would keep him in the rankings to qualify and also satisfy the need to still be a rookie. This past year, Juilo Rodriguez earned the Mariners a PPI draft pick because he spent the year in the majors and won the Rookie of the Year Award. There are, as of right now, a dozen other players who could yet earn their teams a PPI pick. For example, Jeremy Pena could for Houston if he finishes high in the MVP voting in any of the next few years before he hits arbitration eligibility. Bobby Witt Jr. is in the same spot for KC.
So, that's the route that Winn could get a PPI.
It's worth noting that Alec Burleson falls short of qualifying. How? Well, he didn't crack the prospect rankings.
Burleson was No. 91 for MLB Pipeline and not ranked by ESPN or Baseball America in top 100.
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