- This topic has 85 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 11 months, 2 weeks ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I’ll take TBA in each game except maybe this first one.
Really the Cards need to win 3 of 4 against their wild card competitors (in addition to needing to win the final game against the Rockies) or a sell off should be imminent.
I’d bet on Sonny pitching well BUT unless the offense decides to contribute that might not translate into a win…
Boy I did not realize just how bad Pedro Pages was hitting. He was decent at the beginning of the year and came through in some scenarios. But a 61 wRC+ hitting .207 with a .252 OBP and .324 SLG is not going to cut it with only a slightly above average glove. That SLG would be a bad OBP even. Pages is fine as a backup catcher to spot some games and help coach the starting C on game calling though.
People are high on Crooks and Bernal but I will believe it when I see it. There is no reason to think the Cardinals know the first thing about developing a catcher or evaluating a catcher. Keep Pozo, he came up somewhere ese.
I’d say that Pages lack of production with the bat is easy to overlook when taking under consideration the numerous flaws connected with this team, ATM.
Bling, I am not 100% sold on Crooks bat either given his tendency to swing at a high amount of pitches, but his glove is a 70 by Fangraphs scouting while they had Pages at a 50 as a prospect. I would say that is about right for Pages but maybe fringe 55. If Crooks can put up an 80 wRC+ at least at catcher I am fine with that out of a guy who is really a lock down defender at C. Crooks likely is already a better hitter today than Pages is and scouts also think he is also a better defender today (60 current grade with 70 potential).
Bernal has more upside for sure with the bat but also has a 55 rated glove. I would cross my fingers at least 1 of the 2 is able to be the starting catcher for the Cards for the next 6 years. Crooks would be my 2026 Opening Day catcher with Pages on the bench and then let Bernal cook in AAA for a little bit and be willing to swap Crooks and Bernal as the season progresses.
Fortunately we had Yadi to carry the catching position for Mo.
Contreras, Herrera, Pages…. So they bench Pozo to make sure he doesn’t logjamb their catching investments in the minors.Pages has been an automatic out for quite some time. We need to upgrade the C position in the worst way. Either promote one of the promising prospects or use a veteran stopgap who can at least hit a little bit.
Thanks for the write up ATM. We will get the chance to see what is real and what is illusion like we did once Herrera arrived. Do you happen to remember how his glove was rated as he came through AA and AAA?
In my opinion one advantage Bernal has over Crooks is that Bernal is a switch hitter and Crooks is another lefty. This team is so LH dominant it drives me crazy. We need more balance.
Bling, in 2022, Fangraphs had Herrera’s glove at 40/50 (current/potential) and in 2023 dropped that to 35/40.
Comment on his D from 2022. Sounds like they kind of thought working with Yadi would help him
Indeed, Herrera would just be a 55 FV prospect were he a better defender. Even as he’s improved his receiving (average) and framing (below-average, at least to my eye, especially at the bottom of the zone), they’re still not great, and his ball-blocking is even further behind and at times is a real problem. Things aren’t so bad back there that Herrera will have to move to first base, but even though he’s kissed the big leagues, he does need polish. He’s only 22 and is now Molina’s squire, so those issues should improve at least a little bit. Very likely to be a good everyday player, the strides Herrera can make on defense will determine just how good.
Comment on his D from 2023
Herrera’s defense has plateaued and remains below average across the board
Our org is guilty of chasing fools gold, but more so recently. I wasn’t hollering sell very often, unless it was obvious. I appreciated management grabbing Monty and Q. That wild card round pulls a lot of teams in when they shouldn’t, and me too.
Bling, I think in general you would like Fangraphs prospect analysis much more than other sites. They are the most critical of prospects and give out much more realistic assessments of players.
Unless a team is seriously trying to build a 90 to 92 win team then going after a wild card spot may be your only option of getting into the playoffs. It also isn’t unheard of for wild card teams to advance in the playoffs.
2024- Mets were in NLCS as a wild card
2023- Rangers and Dbacks were in world series as wild cards
2022- Phillies were in world series as a wild card
2021- Red Sox were in ALCS as a wild card
2020- Astros were in ALCs as a wild cardAnd then apply the above to our division and the w.c. round becomes our starting point. CHC and MIL look strong.
“Fool’s gold” is correct. With our dismal pitching staff, there is literally no way they could go deep into the playoffs. You hate to be a quitter, but the only logical play here is to be thinking 2026 and beyond. I wish we had more chips to dangle under real playoff teams noses.
Dbacks were WC3 in 2023. Made it to the world series.
And we are perfectly capable of competing against CHC and MIL with the right front office which is really what all of this boils down to isn’t it? All of these pages of hashing and discussing boils down to we all hope or think that Bloom will be better at the job than Mo. If he isn’t then we all might as well join Rat in watching Barnaby Jones. I prefer MASH for what’s it worth.
One can always find exceptions, but none of the wild card examples cited made it to the top. Their weaknesses were exposed eventually.
The 2025 Cardinals have a playoff-caliber defense and maybe a bullpen. The rotation, lineup and bench, not so much. They wouldn’t fool many come October.
Yeah, pretty easy to prioritize the club’s needs. First and foremost the starting rotation needs an upgrade. And maybe they cannot upgrade right away, but then put the younger arms in and get away from the 3 stooges who are good at clogging the base paths with runners.
As for Pages – good backup catcher. Watching Pozo up close yesterday – the guy does not got cheated at the plate. And he looked pretty good defensively, although not sure how well he throws as the Rox did not run on him. The guy flat out hits though.
I would give Crooks a chance to win the job next Speing though. The.
It seems like Darvish has been around since they broke ground for the pyramids, but he’s only worked 13 Big League seasons. In any case, it’s my guess that he’ll embarrass tonight’s Cardinal lineup.
One can always find exceptions, but none of the wild card examples cited made it to the top. Their weaknesses were exposed eventually.
That is true if winning the world series is the only barometer. Well actually the Rangers did win the world series as a wild card in 2023. But I was mainly referencing the notion that wild cards are usually a one and done or a waste of time, which isn’t true.
And I wasn’t specifically looking at the 2025 Cardinals. I am talking about any season. How often are the Cardinals going to be viewed as the best team in the NL on April 1 or July 1? Not often I would assume. Does that mean we should pack it in and not try to get into the playoffs since we don’t have a good shot at winning the world series? That seems defeatist to me.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.