Join columnist Ben Frederickson for a live STL sports chat at 11 a.m. Tuesday
Ben Frederickson answers your Cardinals, Blues, St. Louis City, Mizzou and SLU questions in Tuesday's 11 a.m. live chat.
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Let's do some quick math.Entering Tuesday's game, Nolan Arenado leads the Cardinals in hits (28), doubles (seven), home runs (six), RBIs (18) and walks (10).Take his numbers out from the Cardinals team numbers in those categories, and here's how they would rank in MLB.Hits: 142, 28thDoubles: 25, 30thHomers: 11, 29thRBIs: 67, tied for 27thWalks: 57, 28thOf course, if the Cardinals did not have Arenado, they would have someone else playing third base, but I'm guessing that person would have a hard time beating what Nolan Areando just did to start the season, winning NL player of the month because of it.So, be glad the Cardinals have Arenado.And worry about what happens if he cools a bit without some teammates heating up.
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Have the Cardinals boxed themselves in with Gorman? His defense could be league average at second and slightly above average at third. It looks like Edman has progressed with the bat, something I’ll admit that I didn’t think would happen, but he doesn’t have the arm for shortstop. So you have second and third filled for the long term. Making Gorman a dh seems like a bit of a waste. How does the team solve this problem?
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Can Gorman help this offense? Perhaps. If he keeps homering away in Memphis, no choice but to find out really. But yes, painting him as the savior is not fair to him -- and it takes the guys who should be doing the heavy lifting off the hook. I'll just point out that it's funny how the Cardinals spent the bulk of spring training talking about how they wanted internal guys like Gorman and Yepez to compete for the DH reps, then backtracked to add somewhat risky veterans for those roles, and now seem to be making the idea of a Gorman promotion look like a logjam that has to be cleared. They knew Gorman was shifting to second base. They new Edman won a Gold Glove at second base. These are not surprising things. It will be interesting to see how the message changes when the Cardinals do decide they want to bring up Gorman. I imagine some of the pause points being stressed now will be minimized then. That's usually how this goes.
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Ben: I was pretty impressed with Brady Cook in the bowl game. Nice zip, good accuracy, very nice mobility. So, I've been a little surprised about HCDW's cruising the portal for a QB. Do you think if this were year 2 instead of year 3, he'd be happier to go with Cook and build with him? In other words, do you think he feels he needs year 3 to be a bigger step forward and while Cook could give him that, he's not sure he will?
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I think he thinks he needs to upgrade the talent at the position beyond what he has in Cook and Macon.I don't want that to sound like a shot at either young man.But when you are openly shopping for transfer QBs and continue to this late in the offseason, you are not comfortable with the depth chart, to be blunt.
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You all know where I stand on this one. You all were killing me for not hollering at the Cardinals for rushing to extend him during spring training. Let one more year play out, I said again and again. And this year is far from over. But you're seeing some of why I suggested wanting a greater body of work, and a second mostly full season without injury issues.
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Can you ever see a time when a school (like Texas or Alabama) might be able to pay more in NIL than a player would receive in the pros to keep a guy around for an extra year? I could see them bucking up for both the superstar, and the mid to late round guys who might not be in line to earn as much as they hope.
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I don't think we need to squint to see that. It's already happening in college hoops. Guys who would have chased the NBA dream only to go D-league or pro overseas are now sticking around to make NIL money. Kofi Cockburn made big money at Illinois last season after testing the NBA waters and checking out the transfer portal. It's not the future. It's the present.
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I do not understand all the angst about Gorman and the middle infield. Edman came up as a SS in the minors, and sure he'd be a bit rusty, but he has enough range to get back into the groove fairly easily, yet people act like it's moving Yadi to centerfield. And then there's all the handwringing about Gorman at second as if, sorry Yadi, it's them moving Yadi to second base. He is a capable 2B and positioning information is better than its ever been. There's this weird perception among this fanbase that every position needs to be held by a gold glover. Sure that helps, but on a team struggling offensively (and with Edman reverting back to his groundout self), you can sacrifice a little bit of defense. In 2010, 2012, and 2014 no Giants player won a Gold Glove and it didn't seem to hurt them.
Sorry for the rambling, thanks Ben -
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Not necessarily, but I don't think this starting pitching staff is likely to be good enough consistently enough -- at least not as currently constructed -- to win a bunch of 1-0 games against teams not named the Royals. Cardinals starters are 8-8 with a sixth-best NL ERA of 3.32 in 22 starts. They have been solid after a shaky start from some members. They are not the kind of rotation that can carry a struggling offense for a full regular season. Not if winning the division is the goal.
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I genuinely feel for DeJong. While there are a lot of similarities with the Carpenter situation i.e. the front office foolishly ignoring the red flags and in the process jacking up the pressure on a player who has not shown the ability to deliver in years… plural. But unlike Carpenter, it really feels like DeJong has been approaching this with an open mind and exploring all alternatives, but ultimately the results aren’t there.
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What has me stumped is DeJong looked like he had trended back in the right direction at spring.Was hitting the ball hard, using all fields and seemed to have his mind in the right place.Now he looks like the guy we watched last season.At some point, it has to become a question of if he's better off somewhere else.His slide has coincided with the Cardinals leaning more and more into the Jeff Albert hitting vision.Albert was hired entering the 2019 season.DeJong's OPS+ (league average is 100) by season . . .2019: 992020: 872021: 852022: 43 (58 at-bats)Ultimately, it's on the player not the coach. And DeJong has worked with outside coaches, too. He had COVID and injuries and that clouded the picture. There is time for him to right the ship, and the Cardinals want to give him some more, but it's about production now and so far it's not there.Again, as I've said before, the Carpenter-DeJong conversation doesn't make sense to me. Carpenter was past his prime age as a player and caught between being unable and incapable of adapting to the shift. A better comparison for Paul DeJong would be Aledmys Diaz, another All-Star Cardinals shortstop early in his career who could not follow up that success. He rebounded with the Astros, but not as an All-Star.
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Ben, this is a more general sports question about a specific person. Why do "channels" like ESPN even use Stephen A. Smith? As soon as I see him or hear his voice, I change to something else. I find the guy so annoying that I don't care if he has pure gold coming out of his mouth I do not not want to hear what his bombastic voice has to say. Is he that good? Do that many people like to hear what he has to say? Do that many people hate him that they like to yell at the TV while he is on? I do not get it. Could you please enlighten me?
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There won't be any contract negotiations going on during the playoffs.See how deep the Blues can go.If Husso leads a Binnington-like charge to glory, the Blues have a good problem on their hand.That also could drive up Binnington's trade value, as it's clear he got his job taken away by a stud.If the Blues crash out, then maybe Husso winds up walking into free agency.What happens will be influenced by what happens on the ice.
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Sorry for asking this question for like the 100th time, but it's still unclear to me (and maybe everyone) whether last year's surge in offense was due to Shildt's intervention or players finally grasping Albert's new-age approach. So, which is it? Does anyone even know for sure?
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BenFred -
We hear a lot about Herrera as the heir apparent at catcher as soon as he's ready. Is there any chance Knizner could make the spot his own for good? His batting so far this year has been very encouraging, and he doesn't look too shabby behind the plate either. Is that an anomoly, or is there real potential to be fulfilled there? -
I think post-Molina the Cardinals are likely to have more of a modern approach at catcher, meaning they will be more likely to use a blend of two catchers instead of just one. More similar to what we are seeing this season with Molina and Knizner, which has become the norm around the league. Could Knizner be a part of that? For sure.
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Again, as discussed a trillion times before, defensive versatility is a good thing. We have to stop pretending or looking for reasons it is bad. Edman has bounced around before and he has been just fine. If you don't want to give up his second base defense, I get that. Fair point. But assuming it's going to melt him down as a hitter? Nah.
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Loved your column, "One month of Cardinal baseball..." As usual, it was spot-on. I come from a family of teachers. Teaching any subject, including hitting, can be hard. The problem not always is the student; sometimes it's the teacher and his or her methods. That can be the case when an entire class -- in this case, an entire lineup-- doesn't get it.
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I just think it's fair to have the same mentality -- time to produce -- with the fourth-year leader of hitting instruction at the major league level as the front office is taking with the embattled shortstop. Oliver Marmol makes a point to say spots have to be earned with production when the roster restriction boots Aaron Brooks, but doesn't that apply to a hitting coach who has been given a metric ton of patience? Voices who have clashed with Albert have been sent out. There's nowhere else to look if this offense does not produce. One month is not everything, but it's not nothing.
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