Questionable starting pitching?!?!?!

I know that it's only Spring Training. And I know that the wind was pretty fierce pretty much this whole month (which is at least part of the reason for the low batting average out of the Cardinal players). But, what was the biggest question mark coming in to this season, has actually turned out to be the best part of the Grapefruit League this year.

Pitcher Rec. ERA G IP H BB K

Carpenter 1-1 2.60 6 27 2/3 22 6 19

Wainwright 3-2 0.98 6 27 2/3 19 6 15

Wells 0-0 1.16 6 23 1/3 21 8 22

Reyes 3-0 2.70 5 20 14 5 9

Looper 2-0 2.18 5 20 2/3 21 3 8

Some VERY encouraging numbers here. Wainwright's .98 ERA, Wells' 22 K's, Reyes' only giving up 14 hits, Looper only giving up 3 walks (which for me might be the MOST impressive). This won't keep up for the entire season obviously. But come on....as much flack as the Cardinals front office got for not picking up any veteran starting pitchers, and especially all the flack they got for saying Looper could be a starter (myself being their biggest critic), these are some amazing numbers. Even for Spring Training.

Fantasy Baseball Notes of Interest

Aaron Harang finished spring training with a 6.66 era - maybe a bad omen for what's to come? meanwhile, looper pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings yesterday.

Rocco Baldelli was scratched from a minor league start after still feeling discomfort in his hamstring.

and for those of you worried about pujols, let's take a look at last year's reigning NL MVP is doing: .203 average (12-for-59) and had just one hit in his last 25 at bats. adda'boy.

Trade bait??

So most Cards fans can see that there is at least one extra arm in the pen these days. Joe Strauss from stltoday.com is saying that the Cards may try to trade Ricardo Rincon sometime soon. If they can unload Rincon and get some more OF help that would be a good move. I'm still not convinced that So shouldn't be cut. I love the guy for what he did against Wagner last year in the NLCS. But we need to have a younger body in there...yet we just sent J-Rod down. Either way....trading Rincon now could help us out somewhere. I wouldn't be apposed to sending Johnson down since he still has some options and letting Rincon show that he's still got it and up his trade value.
Anywho.....something you Cardinal fans to keep your eye on.

Indians take a hit

According to ESPN, C.C. Sabathia, who is scheduled to be the Cleveland Indians opening day starter, was struck on his left arm (his pitching arm) by a line drive off of Reed Johnson. Preliminary reports are that it's a bruised left forearm. If C.C. misses any amount of time here, the Indians will be in all sorts of trouble for opening day since Cliff Lee won't start the season in the bigs after suffering an "abdominal pull." Yet another pitcher to keep a close eye on come draft day. Sabathia struggled at the beginning of the year last year, but settled down and finished with a solid 3.22 ERA.

Edit: Sabathia is now saying that he will be ready for opening day!

Going Out with a Bang

with just a few days left in spring training, some of the cardinal stars wanted to prove they are ready.

albery pujols' bat finally showed up as he hit his first homerun of spring training. la russa has been saying that pujols would have had a good handful of homeruns had it not been for the strong winds in florida. pujols left the game saying he has broken out of his slump.

if that wasn't enough to cheer about - carpenter pitched 7 scoreless innings, 2 walks, and 5 so's.

Hobbling Along

Jim Edmonds was back in the lineup over the weekend. He played three innings, walked once and grounded out.

the st. louis post-dispatch is saying that he may clear for opening day.

and good old Kerry Wood has found himself back on the DL - got to hate those surgically repaired bum shoulders.

Fish get a closer

In a move that solidified two closer roles, the Florida Marlins have acquired Jorge Julio along with cash considerations from the D-Backs in exchange for right-hander Yusmeiro Petit according to MLB.com. The move gives the Marlins a veteran closer that they needed badly and also hands the D-Backs closer roll over to Jose Valverde. Something to consider when you're seeking help in your fantasy bullpen.

For you Pirate fan(s) (edited)

The Pirates 3rd base job is now taken. Jose Bautista has been named the starter. Some Pirate fans may not be to happy with this. Most wanted Freddie Sanchez to be named the 2B and send Jose Castillo to third (check out this story from Bucco Blog) Instead Bautista gets the call at the hot corner and Sanchez at 2B. I guess that leaves Castillo without a starting job and to fight for one whenever he plays.

Also of interesting note. According to Rotoworld.com, Yankees SP Chien-Ming Wang was shut down, at least for today, after he "felt something" in his right hamstring. This is another pitcher that you should keep a close eye on when it comes to your draft. If this turns to be just a cramp then he should be a solid pick in AL only leagues and a late rounder for those of you in mixed leagues. PECOTA has him at 12-10 with a 4,29 ERA. He had a respectable 3.63 with 19 wins last year (a year where nobody got 20 wins mind you). So keep an eye on this situation.

Edit:: Looks likely now that Sanchez will be headed to the DL. Still doesn't appear to be anything REAL serious...but for sure something to keep an eye on.

Title town (for a day)

Well here it is boys and girls, the 2006 World Series Trophy. It was in town so I had to drag the family out in the rain to see it. It's just crazy to realize that it was THAT trophy that the Cardinals were holding up after winning the World Series, and I was THAT CLOSE to it!!!!

News Worthy

the braves wrapped up Brian McCann with a 6-year $27.8 million. After batting .333 last year in 492 plate appearances, PECOTA projects McCann to get 536 at-bats this year and hit .303

in fantasy news, Papelbon is officially moving back into the closer role and being groomed to be the Red Sox's answer to Mariano Rivera. you may recall the article on March 4 where we talked a bit about the strong possibility of Papelbon moving back to the pen. if you haven't drafted yet in your fantasy baseball league, move Papelbon on up the food chain - i suspect he'll be somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.73-2.99 era...PECOTA has him at 3.33 era in the closer role.

A possible big "hit" to the Dodgers lineup

According to MLB.com Rafael Furcal suffered an injured ankle during today's game. This could effect the Dodgers line up quite a bit since they were planning on having two speedsters at the top of their lineup. If you've drafted him or if you were thinking of it better keep a close eye on this situation. As of right now they're saying it's a sprained ankle but that he was taken to the hospital for some x-rays.

Bigger problems

ESPN is reporting that St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa was arrested this morning and charged with a DUI!!! Police found him asleep at the wheel while stopped at a green light that had cycled through twice. They approached the vehicle and knocked on the window and LaRussa didn't respond. Eventually he woke up, pulled over, and took a sobriety test where he was found to have a blood alcohol level of .093 (legal limit is .08). The article didn't say anything about being released from jail yet or anything. This will make the next few weeks VERY interesting. Some of you may remember that former Cardinals hitting coach, Mitchell Page, was relieved of his duties a few years back supposedly so he could get help with his alcohol problems. To my knowledge Page was never arrested on a DUI so it will be interesting to see how the front office handles this one.

Edit: Here's a better article. I found this little bit pretty interesting "The incident occurs five weeks after La Russa encouraged his team to avoid distractions following the club’s first world championship since 1982."

Update: after being charged with the misdemeanor, La Russa issued a formal apology to fans, friends, family, and team members. Word is that La Russa could be facing some prison time - up to 6 months. however, since the policeman said that Tony was cooperative, the sentence should be minimal. the world champion manager is embarrassed and anxious to move forward.

NL Central Pitching Predictions

Today Jason Stark and Buster Olney each made their predictions on three pitching staffs: Cubs, Cards, Astros.

Stark ranked them as Cubs, Astros, Cardinals, whereas Olney said it will be Cards, Astros, Cubs.

with their current rotations, the PECOTA projects the aggregate numbers to look like this:

Card's (Carpenter, Wainwright, Wells, Reyes, Looper): 4.28 (with Mjulder instead of Loop = 4.24)
Cubs (Zambrano, Lilly, Hill, Marquis, Prior): 4.35 (Could be Guzman or Miller instead of Prior on opening day)
Astros (Oswalt, Jennings, Williams, Nieve, Rodriguez): 4.51

Run Support in 2006 looks like this:

Cards: 4.85 runs per game
Astros: 4.54 runs per game
Cubs: 4.40 runs per game

The Cubs have added Soriano and are hoping Derek Lee returns to 2005 form to bring some more run support. i'm thinking combined, those guys MAY bring in another 0.25 runs/game if they can stay healthy.

El Hombre

Well Justin and I were talking last night about whether or not there should be any concern about the Cardinals duo of Pujols and Rolen hitting so poorly in spring training. Lo and behold the next day the Post has an article that talks about just that, well as far as Pujols goes.
I still think this has VERY little impact on fantasy drafts. He's not a one hit wonder. He has proven himself year after year for the past six years. No matter what his spring training numbers are, he should still be the #1 pick in EVERY draft.

Around the league

Just a few notes of interest from today. Ken Griffey Jr. looks to have lost his nest in center. This is probably a better move for him as far as his health goes. Right field is a much less demanding position and could help him stay healthier longer.
The second player is more of a fantasy note and is a much lesser known player, Fausto Carmona. Some of you may remember him as the young gun who tried to take over the closing role for the Indians when Bob Wickman was traded. The guy got bounced around all over the place last year between being a starter in the minors, and working both as a starter and in the bullpen in the bigs. Well after the Indians solidified their bullpen it looks like he may be able to stay in one spot this year, as a starter with the Indians. PECOTA doesn't have him having GREAT numbers (4.57 ERA), but they do say that "He has the stuff to succeed as a starter if the Indians give him the opportunity to do so." Well Fausto....your time has come to prove yourself. As far as fantasy teams go....this could be a sleeper pick for 10-12 team leagues, and maybe even a solid pick for you AL only leagues.

Edit: Also of fantasy note, one of last years rookie sensations for the Angels is going to start the season on the DL. According to the LA Times (you have to scroll down a bit to find it), Jered Weaver may only miss one start if everything goes right.

Cardinal Batters

so we have preston wilson already getting on tony's bad side. according to an article in the st. louis post dispatch, wilson has always and is currently content with his usual slow start during spring training. we'll see what wilson does this year for us - i'm not real excited about having him on board.

the upside is that it looks like our middle infield is more solidified this year than last. with eckstein and being a solid double-play duo, aaron miles is looking for another 300+ at bats.

after having a day off today, the cardinals play the Dodgers on tuesday. right now, the cardinals are batting .263 (23rd in MLB right now) with a .342 obp (19th).

We Got Dinged

while carp said he was pleased with his performance last night against the braves, he gave up four runs in as many innings. he was pleased with the location of his pitches and the fact that he was able to work in his changeup for a couple of strikes. and although he struck out five, he was also tagged for five doubles.

fortunately the cards were able to muster some offense against the braves. duncan hit another homer and eckstein was able to find a hit. kennedy was back in the lineup but failed to get his bat on the ball.

Here we go again

Or should I say here THEY go again. As Justin mentioned below Prior won't start the season with the big boys, and now SI is reporting that Kerry Wood is being shut down for a certain time. The article talks about it being a "minor" setback. The only problem with that....it's the same excuse that Cubs fans have been hearing for YEARS now about these two. I would keep an eye on these guys in fantasy leagues. I'm not sure how much help Prior will be, but I'm convinced that if...and that is a HUGE if, Wood can stay healthy he can be one of the best closers in the game and could come at a steal in most drafts.

a couple of injury updates

bobby abreu is will take batting practice on saturday

mark prior is either headed for the dl or down to triple-a iowa

jim edmonds and juan encarnacion are headed for the dl for the start of the defending champion's season while david eckstein has begun his return from an oblique strain.

pedro martinez made 50 throws, but still doesn't know when he'll be back in action.

let me know if you have any other updates on anyone...

injured redbirds

in addition to edmonds starting the season on the DL, it's looking like encarnacion may be headed in the same direction. with those two sitting things out, there might be some room for john rodriguez and skip schumaker...ankiel is still heading to memphis at the start of the year.

encarnacion's PECOTA looks like this:


AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB AVG OBP SLG
461 62 126 25 3 15 60 31 .272 .323 .438

Unsung

Catcher's don't get enough credit - especially young Yadier Molina.

however in an article in the st. louis dispatch today he got a bit of praise:

Wells offers up another reason why the numbers have been so good this spring, and it’s a reason echoed by La Russa and apparent Tuesday: catcher Yadier Molina. The young catcher shepherded Wells through a tricky third inning that saw the righthander throw 25 pitches, many of which were fouled off. Molina’s faith in Wells’ pitches when Wells’ faith faltered help keep a dicey inning scoreless.

La Russa said it happens more than is covered.

“Give a lot of credit to him (Molina) and he knows how to call a good game, and he knows how to make you feel comfortable out there,” Wells said. “Guys like myself or Looper or Wainwright — whoever it might be — who might have a shred of doubt as far as what I should do he rectifies that for you because he’s confident and he convinces you through results.”

perhaps if molina can extend his hitting clinic from last october, perhaps he'll finally get his more-than-deserved Golden Glove. he's hitting .318 this spring with a .423 obp.

Izzy is On

This thursday, the st. louis cardinals will kick the tires and send out the ol' trusty isringhausen. after a couple of solid sessions pitching to hitter, izzy now feels comfortable enough to step back onto the mound.

i'm not hoping for too much, i'm just hoping that izzy doesn't think too much about mechanics - i just want him to get out there and pitch without discomfort and pain. i don't even care if he gives up some base hits.

we need you old boy. bring us home on thursday.

What about Jim??

Well the outfield may be a gold glove short (well short it's only GG would be a better phrase) come opening day. Jimmy ballgame told the post that he's not going to push himself to be ready for opening day, no matter how bad he wants to be on the field. Hey if he's worried about hurting himself just to get to opening day, let the guy rest. It's too much of a risk to push him for one game and risk a longer delay in his recovery. As much as I want to see him out in CF come April 1st (especially April 3rd) I don't mind this at all.

Pen/Closer Insurance

according to ken rosenthal from fox sports, the cardinals could be a suitor for akinori otsuka if the rangers feel confident enough with gagne. not a bad fit for the cards after losing kinney for the season.

i wouldn't mind this at all. we'd grab a guy who had 32 saves last year and a 2.11 era. he'd give us a little more insurance in the closer role if something happens to izzy along the way. only real downside is that he's 35 - but if you can sign him on a one-year deal and move him or someone else before the trade deadline when mulder comes back, we'd be in good shape.

question is: what do we give up?

Tommy John for Kinney

you heard right - josh kinney (27) will have season-ending tommy john surgery on his right elbow after sustaining a 90% tear in the ligament. the surgery is going to involve taking a tendon from the wrist and placing it in the elbow.

the good news is that kip wells threw three shutout innings in a 2-1 win over the twins. though he did give up six base hits. Randy Keisler threw three shutout innings as well and had three strikeouts. we need russ springer to get over an oblique strain and get him back on the mound.

spring's all about the arms.

Izzy Live!!!

For the first time since he blew a save in Sept, Jason Isringhausen threw a mere 24 pitches to live hitters yesterday with some encouraging results. They say his pitches looked decent at least, just missing some command that should be expected since he hasn't thrown to live hitters since that fateful game. Perhaps the best news, Izzy reported no pain in his hip!!! Even with his high ERA last year he was a solid fantasy closer with 33 saves. Might end up going lower then usual in the drafts thanks to that hip so he could be a sleeper pick.

Something new on Pujols?!

So The Hardball Times has a new book. These guys take projections a step further and do so for three whole years. Just something for the baseball enthusiast to look into. But somewhere in there is this little tidbit:
Most Underrated Player: Albert Pujols. You want to talk intangibles and situational intelligence? Pujols ended a close game last year with a cross-diamond peg to nab a baserunner who'd strayed half a step past third base. He ended another by catching a trailing runner napping and signaling his catcher for a pickoff throw. He wins not just with his hitting but also with his fielding, throwing, baserunning, and his tremendous will. How did he not win the MVP? Either he's underappreciated, or his year-in, year-out greatness has gotten dull. No peaks, no valleys; nothing bores people like sameness.
Granted this was written by one of the top Cardinal bloggers but still....I like the way this guy thinks:)

Card's pitchers taking steps

Some Card's pitchers are moving in the right direction and others are sliding a bit. Wainwright threw 4 scoreless innings today again the 'Stros, but the Cards got shutout after Josh Kinney again gave up 3 runs in his inning of work.

Duncan is confident that the young pitcher who was stellar last post season will bring things around and NOT lose his spot in the pen.

Let's hope Kinney is really just trying to locate his fastball and sinker and taking his time to get all the pieces to come together at the right time.

Pitchers

Papelbon came out of the pen instead of starting yesterday and struck out 4 of the 6 batters he faced (including Ryan Howard on a 93-mph fastball)...there have been plenty of rumors floating around that says he is back in the closer role. i'm thinking he should be top 25 option in fantasy leagues after the numbers he put up last year in the closer role. he'll probably be in the high 3's or low 4's with his ERA if he starts, but he'd still be a solid three or four starter in your league.

Prior and Wood are both scheduled to pitch for the Cubs on monday. this will be something worth watching closely - it's really a last ditch effort for Prior - either he can get it back this year or the cubs should throw in the towel.

kip wells pitched a couple of scoreless innings for us yesterday and skip schumaker went 2-3 and scored twice as the cards won 8-1...brining them to .500 so far this spring. Anthony Reyes is scheduled to pitch next.

Baseball, America

So i went to the bookstore yesterday and i was drooling over the 2007 prospect guide by baseball america....then i looked at the price tag: $35. and a year subscription to the magazine: $88.....a year subscription to the website: $67.

highway robbery, but i think i have a new item for my christmas list for this next year.

Cards DP duo banged up!

World Series MVP, David Eckstein, is sitting out the Friday ST game. According to the article, the soreness that Eck has been having COULD be related to the strained oblique that kept him sidelined last year. No word on how serious this injury is. Let's just hope it doesn't hold him out for any length of time.
Meanwhile, the Cards new 2B still has yet to play in a ST game. TLR says the he's more concerned with Eck's injury then Kennedy's. Not sure what to think of that. We need both those guys healthy and getting their ST at bats. Aside from Miles, there's not much in the form of backup's up the middle.

Top 2008 Free Agent SS off the market

The best of the 2008 free agent SS crop is reportedly off the board. Young is the only '08 SS free agent that I might have actually wanted instead of Eck. But if we have to "settle" for Eck:)