Bobo's here. We have some ballplayers lined up, so let's go!
I believe the standard metric is paid attendance. And remember that the most modern ballparks have clubs within the stadium and concourse activities. At any given moment there are lots of fans in ballpark who are not in their seats.
Barring an injury setback he is in the rotation to stay. It's not like he is blocking a more compelling candidate.
Oliver Marmol will keep giving him lots of work while he is delivering such good at bats. Because Donovan can play almost anywhere and because even Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt can use a break here and there, there will be plenty of opportunity for him.
The one compelling pitcher that every contender is eyeing is Frankie Montas of the Oakland A's. The bidding for him could get quite high.
Ivan Herrera was on schedule to take the lead role at catcher next season. Now we'll get to see if he is ready for that assignment. Yadier Molina's sore knee creates a timely opportunity to see if Herrera is truly on track for that role.
Tyler O'Neill and Harrison Bader are elite fielders. Corey Dickerson is not. So with Brendan Donovan and Nolan Gorman giving the team an offensive lift as left-handed hitters, Dickerson could be the off man out if everybody on the current roster stays healthy and keep hitting.
Golf had a rival tour come along to challenge the PGA Tour. Of course the PGA Tour took exception, just as the NFL, NBA and NHL fought against the rival leagues that challenged them. In this case, the rival tour has insane money behind it. So ultimately the PGA Tour may have to decide whether it can live with the rival tour or whether it will continue fighting it by forcing golfers to choose. How many big name golfers will have to defect before the PGA Tour changes its stance?
Nolan Gorman could use a big game or two for sure. He has survived in the last five games -- 6-for-21 with a bloop double and two RBIs -- but he could head back to Memphis for more work if doesn't star barreling up more pitches. At some point the Cardinals will want to take another look a Paul DeJong.
Yes, that is a good ballpark for a dead pull left-handed hitter. And, yes, Carpenter is due to quit hitting homers at his current pace. The question will be what he does when he is not hitting homers. Can he draw walks and get some singles and doubles too? He hit OK at the Triple-A level for Texas earlier this season, but he didn't exactly terrorize minor league pitching.
The goal was always to compete for the division title. Some fans pretend otherwise, but that's always the goal.
He is an interesting guy. He was a late-round pick from college, progressed fine in the low minors, came back from Tommy John surgery and made the Orioles last season as a reliever without having worked at the Triple-A level, He also had some shoulder issues last year. His 13 starts this season are his only 13 at this level. I imagine Baltimore will hang on to him because he is low-cost pitcher who isn't likely to fetch a whole lot in a trade.
I imagine if Ivan Herrera hits well and holds up well behind the plate, he will get more of the work. Oliver Marmol hasn't been thrilled with Andrew Knizner's hitting. On the other hand, Andrew has rapport with the pitchers after getting so much work this year. So if Herrera is just OK in his first look at this level, Knizner could get most of the work.
Atlanta has a heck of a team, as we saw last fall. The Braves will miss Ozzie Albies, so their depth will get a test here.
Jack Flaherty has a 3.36 career ERA and he is one of the most talented MLB pitchers when healthy. So, yes, the Cardinals will try to keep him beyond this contract -- but the bidding on him could get quite high if he gets to market.
Lolich and Freehan are at 324 games as a battery, so Wainright and Molina could easily surpass that duo if Molina returns in two weeks and if both Molina and Wainwright stay healthy the rest of the year.
The Torts troll will live on, just as the Jon Jay Troll lived for many, many years. Maybe this is the same guy. As for Mike Yeo, he will likely kick around as an assistant coach but I imagine he could have a tough time earning another NHL head coaching job after three tries. There are lots of up-and-coming coaches out there.
Jake Neighbours plays a strong overall game, so he could work into a regular Top 6 role if he can finish at the NHL level. Otherwise he is a classic third liner. Zachary Bolduc's ceiling is scoring winger. He has played center, but scouts like him better on the wing. He can really dangle with the puck but, like Kyrou, he will need to get much stronger to reach his full NHL potential. That's why NHL teams have weight rooms.
No, I do not see Albert Pujols faking an injury if he is healthy. He accepts his role as a part-time guy and it's not like that role is putting much more wear and tear on him.
There are some veteran catchers floating around, but nothing compelling. I believe it would still another injury to prompt the Cardinals to put somebody besides Herrera and Knizner on the roster.
I imagine Andrew Knizner gets the call tonight because Herrera has made just one cameo appearance at this level. But I'd expect Herrera to get multiple starts moving forward. Let's see if he can earn the lead fill-in role.
If everybody on the current roster is healthy hitting when Corey Dickerson is back to 100 percent, then Dickerson would seem to be the odd man out. That's a big if, because guys get hurt and Nolan Gorman is just surviving at the plate at this point. Let's see how the next 10 days play out.
