All posts by Brian Walton

Brian Walton runs The Cardinal Nation, covering the St. Louis Cardinals and minor league system.

Strike two for Cardinals prospect Tyler Bighames

The bad news keeps getting worse for St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler Bighames. Already suspended for the first 50 games of the 2010 season as a result of testing positive for a drug of abuse as announced last month, the 18-year-old is now in trouble with the law as well.

Tyler Bighames At 2:30 A.M. on New Year’s Day, the 31st-round selection from the 2009 draft was arrested in Estero, Florida for DUI, resisting arrest without violence, speeding and driving in the wrong lane.

A report filed by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office noted that Bighames’ yellow Ford Mustang was weaving “from one lane of traffic to another,” and nearly hit two parked cars while driving 50 mph in a 30 mph zone.

After being stopped, Bighames fled from the scene. As he tried to jump over a fence, the officer used his taser to subdue the athlete. Two breath tests registered results of .234 percent and .223 percent blood-alcohol content. That translates to nearly three-times the Florida legal limit of .08 percent to operate a motor vehicle.

The Naples (FL) News did not receive a reply from the Cardinals when inquiring as to what actions the organization may be planning in response.

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The Cardinal Nation Blog top stories of 2009 #11: Third base turmoil

Eight different players had a piece of the St. Louis Cardinals’ starting third base job in 2009. None of them did much of anything with it.

    .229/.292/.369/.661.

    That was the aggregate batting line of the gaggle of individuals who attempted to play third base for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009. Each (BA/OBP/SLG/OPS) was the lowest of any of the eight non-pitching positions on the team and the ugly numbers above weren’t close to the next-worst spot. It is clear to say that the 91-win club excelled in spite of third base, not because of it.

    What a difference a year makes.

    Troy Glaus (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)In 2008, veteran Troy Glaus was a rock on the left side of the Cardinals infield. The veteran third baseman played in 151 games and his 544 at-bats represented his personal highest single-season total since 2002. He contributed 27 home runs and drove in 99. His line was .270/.372/.483/.856.

    Yet late in the season, a shoulder ailment was reported. Originally thought to be minor in nature, it wasn’t. Just a few days after stating he was fine at the team’s January 2009 Winter Warm-Up fan event, Glaus underwent surgery. Original estimates of an early season return were questioned from the start and later proven to be wildly optimistic.

    From that point on, the third base job became as unstable in 2009 as it was steady the previous season. Following Glaus’ surgery, at least seven others either held the job or was considered the front-runner. The position had as much turnover as the drummer in Spinal Tap, though none of the players actually exploded on the field, at least not literally.

    By February, another surprise in a long list of them ensued as rookie David Freese, the new leader coming into camp, reported soreness in his Achilles tendon that was later disclosed to have been related to a January auto accident in which his automobile was totalled. Freese would be among the first cuts of the spring as he was unable to play.

    Joe Mather, primarily an outfielder as a professional, was instilled as the new spring training favorite to take the interim starting third base job. However, an illness coincided with a long hitting slump that soon relegated Mather to competing for a reserve outfield spot. He lost out and was optioned to Triple-A Memphis before ongoing wrist problems effectively scuttled his season.

    In another unexpected and unusual move, Freese was recalled from minor league camp in late March and made the major league club to start the season. With Mather cut, a pair of long-time minor leaguers, journeyman Joe Thurston and Brian Barden, also both joined the 25-man roster out of spring training.

    As the regular season got underway, time at third base was split between the left-handed hitting Thurston and the righty Barden as Freese was not right and was sent down by the third week of April. Barden, the opening day starter, went on to enjoy his 30 days of fame, actually earning the National League Rookie of the Month Award for April. After a .132 May, Barden was back in Memphis by early June. Thurston also began fairly well in April, posting his best period of the season. He quickly became exposed, with his OPS dropping each subsequent month.

    In long-rumored move, but still a bold stroke, Mark DeRosa was acquired on June 27 from Cleveland for two relievers who had seen major league duty, Chris Perez and Jess Todd. The excitement was short-lived, however. By July 1, DeRosa was on the disabled list with a wrist problem, a torn tendon sheath that would require post-season surgery.

    DeRosa returned in the later half of July, but despite having slammed eight home runs in his first 22 games with the club, DeRosa would bat a career-low .228 in his first and only partial season with St. Louis and add just two home runs the rest of the way.

    During one of his numerous rehab outings, troubled shortstop Khalil Greene was converted to third base, but he was clearly not the answer, either. Rookie Tyler Greene had seven starts at the hot corner though Brendan Ryan did not appear there after having made 29 appearances at the position in 2007 and 2008.

    The eight named third basemen did not even include the man some had expected to step in and take over by mid-season. Top prospect Brett Wallace had barely been given a look-see in spring camp and after a partial-season with Springfield and Memphis, was dealt to Oakland in late July as the centerpiece of the Matt Holliday trade.

    Following a long minor league rehab and several setbacks, Glaus was finally reactivated on September 1, but was clearly not ready for starting duty. Freese returned to St. Louis once Memphis’ season was complete and hit well in limited action, but could not be added to the post-season roster since Glaus was deemed to be “healthy”. Despite Glaus missing more time with a September oblique injury, he made the NLDS roster as a reserve.

    Amazingly, Thurston was the only one of the eight third basemen who spent the entire season active in the majors, including the post-season. After having posted a dismal .225/.316/.330/.646 line over an amazing 307 plate appearances, Thurston was removed from the 40-man roster following the season.

    Ironically, both Thurston (minor league deal) and Glaus have signed with Atlanta for 2010. Barden inked a minor league contract with Florida. DeRosa is a new member of the San Francisco Giants. Khalil Greene is a free agent whose career seems in jeopardy.

    Currently, it is as difficult to forecast how third base will evolve in 2010 as it was to predict at this time one year ago when Glaus’ surprise surgery set in motion a season of complete turmoil at the position.

    Freese, Mather and Tyler Greene all remain on the 40-man roster and should return in 2010. Rookie Allen Craig is also expected to compete for a job, though among the four, only Freese is considered a full-time, major league-quality defensive third baseman. The latter’s reputation has been sullied by a December drunken driving incident, his third alcohol-related arrest.

    It remains to be seen whether this band of survivors will be augmented by another veteran third baseman from outside the organization. My guess is yes.

    Regular season starts, third base, 2009 St. Louis Cardinals

    DeRosa 58, Thurston 55, Barden 20, K. Greene 13, T. Greene 7, Freese 5, Glaus 4, Mather 0.

    Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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    One baseball writer’s first month with Twitter

    Initial impressions of strengths and weaknesses of using Twitter for baseball-related news.

      The New York Times celebrated the new decade with a thought-provoking article by David Carr entitled, “Why Twitter will endure”. I suggest readers branch off and read it before returning, as from here, I will assume you have a base level of knowledge about the phenomenon. As a relatively-recent entrant into this instant-messaging craze, I have been mentally collecting my Twitter-related experiences as they relate to following baseball. Carr’s article offers me the context to share them.

      This past spring, I recall a veteran baseball writer poking fun at early adopters with the catchy retort, “Only twits Twitter.” The next time I saw him, he had surprisingly not only become a twit, or more accurately a “tweeter”, but was a frequent user. His explanation: “My boss told me I had to use it.” Apparently, it grew on him.

      My delayed decision to finally join the Twitterverse was a personal call based solely on audience reach. More and more readers are looking for better ways to mine information faster and in a less cumbersome manner than via RSS feeds, emails or web browsing, as Carr notes.

      Yet there is the real risk of being drowned in Twitter-driven minutiae. While Carr pokes fun at the concern, it is real. Something I first learned with Facebook and was reinforced with Twitter is the need to be selective in whom you follow.

      Some nationally-known experts have multiple Twitter accounts, enabling them to separate business from pleasure. This is the ideal approach, in my opinion. For example, Joe Blow might specialize in reporting baseball transactions. Done right, Joe would post his baseball news via his transactions account and restrict the news of what new tattoo he is considering, what recipes he is testing and his music CD choices of the year to his personal account.

      Sadly, that clean and clear division between personal and work life isn’t always drawn, nor do I think many of the tweeters want that. I find the worst to be when an individual tweets the same information from multiple accounts.

      For some, Twitter offers an opportunity to show off multiple dimensions of their personality and build a cult of followers. Frankly, I’d just rather read about transactions, not how much Joe Blow spent at the liquor store prior to New Year’s Eve (like the others, an actual example).

      My favorite first-month tweets include a national baseball media figure, tweeting via his iPhone from an interstate highway, complaining about other drivers not paying attention to the road. Another horsehide-focused writer tweeted, “My cabdriver just cut off a horse.” I didn’t know for sure if he was living out “The Godfather” or simply visiting Central Park. Either way, I didn’t give a damn.

      One key measure of Twitter credibility is the number of followers you have – those who are willing and ready to read your every thought. In a way, it is a pyramid, in that those who got in early generally have more followers.

      Some of the later arrivals have resorted to cheesy gimmicks to try to attract readers. One example of a “follow me” plea is to offer registration in a prize drawing for those who re-tweet, or recopy, their fishing attempt for new followers. The downside is that the followers who had already subscribed receive multiple copies of the same content-free tweets over and over and over.

      My solution for the above was to unfollow the offender despite being interested in his work. Maybe I will re-follow once his ego is adequately stroked. Maybe not. For others, it is not so easy. Some use their Twitter account for a mixture of purposes, some useful and some not.

      MLB is one of the worst offenders, with numerous daily tweets leading up to the Holidays touting sales at the Official MLB.com Shop interspersed with actual news of potential interest. Of course, that is likely their intent. If they had an MLB Shop Twitter feed exclusively focused on their wares, no one in their right mind would follow. After all, how many Derek Jeter bobbleheads does one person need?

      Another common abuse of Twitter is the multi-tweet message. Architecturally limited to 140 characters per tweet, some bypass the restriction by posting a string of inter-related tweets one after another to tell a short story instead of just making a single blog post and calling attention to it once via a link. I am pretty sure I am not alone in considering it bad form to be labeled as a serial tweeter.

      Twitter allows private messaging between two individuals, yet many purposely publicly tweet to others who are a part of their “fraternity” no matter how obscure the discussion appears to the vast majority of their followers watching. If you have to ask, you obviously have no need to know…

      Who replies to your tweets indicates to all who knows and likely respects you, a major cred point. I watch amusedly while some aspiring figures assume the “yes man” position in response to seemingly whatever the big boys post.

      Another edge to that sword is that literally anyone can respond publicly to anyone else, meaning normally inaccessible figures can be engaged by the masses. Its ugly side surfaced when several national writers cast controversial ballots that may have affected the outcome of a high-profile baseball award. The unwashed tweeters descended upon the writers, driving at least one to turn around and publicly ridicule his disagreeing followers for their grammatical and spelling errors.

      As the New Year arrived, tweets from celebrities and wannabees alike thanking their “tweeps” for following them were commonplace. Perhaps I am just a curmudgeon, but I am not anyone’s “tweep”.

      Don’t get me wrong. Despite the number of negative keystrokes invested so far, I agree with Carr’s basic premise that Twitter is here to stay.

      Fortunately, many have figured it out, including Carr. “…after a while, I realized that I was not Moses and neither Twitter nor its users were wondering what I thought. Nearly a year in, I’ve come to understand that the real value of the service is listening to a wired collective voice,” Carr wrote.

      While some baseball news provided is old and rehashed, Baseball’s Winter Meetings offered a great illustration of the power of the medium. It was a tremendous opportunity to reap many of the benefits of being there without having to travel to snowy Indianapolis in the midst of the winter. Sportswriters and even agents and club personnel at times were sharing news on an instant basis to anyone and everyone connected.

      New rumors are quickly dispersed via Twitter and in some cases, almost as quickly debunked by others with better information and more in the know about the subject at hand. Normally, mainstream writers are careful not to openly disagree with peers, but Twitter has helped to expose multiple perspectives not always visible before.

      Twitter also seems to be changing the misinformation game so successfully played in past years by high-profile player agents. They carefully plant rumors with media friends about supposed “mystery bidders” to spook nervous general managers into bidding against themselves for free agents. One example concerning Matt Holliday last week had a shelf life measured in minutes thanks in part to informed Twitter responses that quickly took apart the very questionable rumor.

      After the Winter Meetings, I read an article written by a principal from a traditional baseball news site lamenting the instant nature of Twitter. As I thought about it, the expression of that concern seemed only logical. After all, this may yet be another example where the middleman fears losing relevance if unwilling or unable to adapt to change.

      Like clockwork, within a few minutes of national writers tweeting a news item, at least a couple of baseball rumor-related sites will echo the content. Still, because it isn’t very practical for the reader to track every writer from every news source, following these national sites can quickly deliver tidbits that may be fresh to one’s eyes.

      One helpful vehicle that can be used to try to make order from the potential chaos is to group those you follow into categories, called lists. For example, I have separate lists for national writers, NL Central Division, Cardinals, minor league and fantasy baseball. Each person and site I follow is placed into one of the lists.

      I use a freeware offering called TweetDeck to display the lists side-by-side on a single screen when using my laptop. New tweets pop up in one corner of my screen automatically while I am doing other work, keeping me from having to return to my Twitter home page repeatedly. This is a major improvement over the sequential presentation of basic Twitter.

      As you might expect, there are literally dozens of Twitter apps for whatever your platform and need. The possibilities seem almost endless with new ones popping up every week.

      Like Carr says, “Twitter will endure.” You may as well engage. Just do it with your wits about you.

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      The Cardinal Nation Blog top stories of 2009 #12: Duncan’s disc, discord and departure

      Trying to return from disc replacement surgery in his neck proved to be too much for Chris Duncan, who was traded to Boston in late July for middle infielder Julio Lugo in a move that unearthed a number of issues.

        After having toiled without distinction in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system since being taken in the first round of the 1999 draft, Chris Duncan burst onto the major league scene with 22 home runs in 280 at-bats during the latter part of the 2006 season.

        Dave and Chris Duncan (AP Photo/Kyle Ericson)Along with several periods of great promise, the younger son of the Cardinals’ long-time pitching coach Dave Duncan also struggled with injuries and consistency over the following three years. Despite having played in the outfield in fewer than 100 minor league games out of roughly 800, the natural first baseman became a full-time outfielder in the majors.

        Duncan took considerable heat from impatient fans for both his hitting slumps and fielding woes, not to mention his family ties. After a double hernia wrecked his 2007, he underwent unprecedented surgery to remove a cervical disc in his neck and implant a metal replacement in August 2008.

        Later comments by those involved made it unclear as to how long Duncan continued to play while injured and who knew what. The level of seriousness had been kept under wraps almost until the surgeries were held, an environment that the Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss labeled a “conspiracy of silence”. The player had been lauded by his manager Tony La Russa more than once for playing with pain.

        No one knew what to expect from Duncan in 2009, but he showed he was apparently ready to go when he played in 28 of 31 spring games and his 86 at-bats was just one off the team’s Florida high. After a good March and April, Duncan fell off dramatically, however.

        In the midst of a long slump, the left-handed hitter was dealt to Boston on July 22 for overpaid and underperforming reserve infielder Julio Lugo, who remains under contract for 2010, but whose salary will be paid by the Red Sox*. From May 1 until the trade, Duncan had been 38-for-191, .199, with three home runs for the Cardinals, yet the move was a surprise to most. That included his father, who was unaware of the trade until completed.

        Likely in frustration, normally quiet Dave Duncan made uncharacteristically strong public comments critical of the trade, questioning the exchange of a player from the 40-man roster (Chris) for one who had been designated for assignment (Lugo) while taking a swipe at the players in the minor league system. Duncan criticized those who made the deal, suggesting they wanted his son out of the organization and also expressed dissatisfaction over the organization’s minor league pitching philosophy.

        Further, the pitching coach reportedly lashed out at team medical personnel over treatment of his son and at the segment of fans and media that ridiculed Chris. Dave also left an open question about his future with the organization, stating that when he made his decision, it would be “a personal decision, not a professional one.”

        The day before the trade, La Russa had expressed his own strong remarks to the media. The manager labeled Chris’ critics among the fan base as “unfair”, saying they “make me want to vomit”.

        Perhaps Chris pushed himself too hard too fast, he faded after a good start, and his poor 2009 stats were the result. His numbers did not improve in a new uniform, a situation his agent later attributed to fatigue. Duncan was released by the Red Sox on August 20 after batting just .185 with Triple-A Pawtucket and remains a free agent.

        Dave Duncan’s widely-publicized remarks led to speculation that he would leave La Russa’s side after 14 years in St. Louis and 26 years overall. Considered by many to be the best pitching coach in the game, his potential loss generated significant concern among many in the Cardinal Nation. Though not confirmed, there were reports of feelers having been sent out by other clubs to gauge Duncan’s interest in being their pitching coach or even taking on a managerial role.

        By late October, the tense situation had improved to the point that both La Russa and Duncan agreed to return for a 15th season with St. Louis. Considerable changes were made in minor league coaching assignments for 2010 and likely other Duncan concerns were worked out behind closed doors.

        * For the record, in the trade, the Cardinals received Lugo and cash considerations from the Red Sox in exchange for Duncan and a player-to-be-named-later or cash considerations.

        At the time of the deal, it was widely reported that Boston was to pay all or almost all of the approximately $13.5 million due to Lugo on his current contract for the remainder of 2009 and all of 2010.

        However, to complete the trade, the Cardinals later provided cash considerations back to Boston as opposed to giving up a second player. Those details were undisclosed, obscuring the net amount of cash that ultimately flowed between the two organizations.

        Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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        The Cardinal Nation Blog top stories of 2009 #13: Memphis and Springfield success

        The youngest Triple-A and Double-A clubs in baseball both made the playoffs, the first time that was accomplished by Cardinals’ clubs in a quarter of a century.

          Despite a down year overall across the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, the top two levels not only contributed players to the success of the major league club, but were winners on the field as well. Triple-A Memphis was league champion while Double-A Springfield made the playoffs.

          You don’t think that was a big deal? Well, it was.

          Memphis celebrating their PCL crown (James Venes)2009 was the first time the Cardinals’ top two minor league teams played in the postseason in the same year in a quarter of a century. Not since the 1985 Louisville Redbirds won the American Association crown and the Arkansas Travelers appeared in the Texas League playoffs had St. Louis’ Triple-A and Double-A clubs made the playoffs together.

          The 2009 success bodes well for the future as it was accomplished despite each having been the youngest teams at their respective levels in all of minor league baseball. Not just the youngest in their league, mind you, but in all of Triple-A and Double-A!

          Chris “Hammer” Maloney’s 2009 Memphis Redbirds finished on top of the Pacific Coast League, earning their first league championship since 2000 in their only appearance in the playoffs since then. The Redbirds posted a 77-67 regular season record, then stormed to the PCL title over Albuquerque and Sacramento before falling to Durham in the single-game Triple-A championship.

          At the Double-A level, Ron “Pop” Warner led Springfield to their third consecutive winning campaign and returned the Cardinals to the Texas League playoffs after a one-year absence. It was a year of contrasts as they began with a first-place divisional finish and a 38-32 record, clinching a post-season berth in the process.

          After several of their league-best nine All-Stars were lost, the Cards limped home with a second-half record of 33-37. Among the most painful subtractions were first-half offensive leader Daniel Descalso, promoted to Triple-A, and 2008 organization Player of the Year Daryl Jones, sidelined by a slow-to-heal hamstring injury.

          Springfield tied for last place after the break, though they were only four games out of first. Had the Texas League used full-season standings, Springfield would not have made the post-season. Their overall regular-season record was two games over .500 at 71-69, their poorest result since 2006. Springfield then quickly exited from the North Division finals as they were swept by second-half winner Northwest Arkansas in three games.

          Memphis’ championship season was far from a wire-to-wire, coasting-to-the-championship cake walk. As late as June 21, the Redbirds were 8 ½ games out of first at what would be a season-low six games under .500 at 32-38. At the time, they were coming off a 4-14 stretch of losing baseball.

          It would have been easy to leave the Redbirds for dead, especially after the Mark DeRosa and Matt Holliday trades stripped them of their top starter, Clayton Mortensen (ten quality starts, seven wins, 105 innings, 82 strikeouts), top reliever, Jess Todd (24 of 26 in save opportunities), and top hitter, Brett Wallace (.298 BA, number one Cardinals prospect).

          St. Louis made at least 21 different calls for players from Memphis during the season, many of them taken away multiple times, yet Maloney held his team together, buoyed by reinforcements from Springfield.

          After their late-June low point, the Redbirds put together an impressive 26-13 (.667) run over the next month and a half. On August 4, they had climbed back to seven games over .500 at 58-51, tying their season high water mark first set on May 9. Despite a very tough schedule over the final month, the Redbirds held serve with a 19-16 finish that carried them into their successful playoff run.

          Allen Craig led the Redbirds offense and was named the Player of the Year by both the Cardinals organization and us at The Cardinal Nation/Scout.com. The 25-year-old posted a line of .322/.374/.547 with 26 home runs and 83 RBI. He led the Redbirds in runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, total bases and RBI.

          Springfield workhorse starter Lance Lynn took home Pitcher of the Year honors from both the Cardinals and The Cardinal Nation. Lynn delivered an 11-4 record and a 2.92 ERA, the latter good for third in the Texas League. He fanned 98 but also walked 51 in 126 1/3 Double-A innings.

          Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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          The Cardinal Nation Blog top stories of 2009 #14: Whitey to the Hall

          Whitey Herzog, the leader of the 1980’s St. Louis Cardinals, was elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

            Consider it the ultimate in respect for a baseball manager to be such an innovator that his club’s unique style of play is given its own descriptive term, one which has stood the test of time.

            Whitey Herzog in 1986 (AP photo)Of course, I am speaking of Whitey Herzog and “Whiteyball”, his 1980’s St. Louis Cardinals teams known forever for their daring on the basepaths, emphasis on defense and a roster almost devoid of sluggers, with line-drive hitters in their place.

            Herzog achieved the pinnacle of recognition and validation of his place in baseball history on December 7, as the results of a Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee vote was announced. Herzog will be inducted into the Hall in Cooperstown, New York on July 25 after receiving 14 of 16 possible votes.

            The now-78-year-old managed in the Major Leagues for 18 seasons, with his greatest success achieved during his final 11 with the Cardinals. Whitey had earlier stints with Texas, California and Kansas City. Overall, his clubs won six division titles, three pennants and the 1982 World Series, breaking a long draught for the Cardinals since their glory days of the 1960’s.

            Even with all the success of the Cardinals in this just-ended decade of the 2000’s, the club only made two Series appearances. Herzog’s teams had three during the pre-wild card era 1980’s, with a roster he was primarily responsible for assembling.

            After serving as Cardinals’ manager for part of 1980 and general manager for the remainder of the year, Herzog held both positions from 1981-1982, acquiring and managing many of the players that would bring the Cardinals those World Series appearances.

            Following the 1982 success, Whitey also led his 1985 and 1987 clubs into the October classic, where they fell to the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins, respectively. Herzog received the 1985 National League Manager of the Year Award and was named 1980s Manager of the Decade by Sports Illustrated.

            Herzog left managing during the 1990 season, finishing with 1,281 wins, which ranks him 32nd among all-time managers. His 822 victories at the helm of the Cardinals place him third in franchise history, after Tony La Russa and Red Schoendienst.

            Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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            The Cardinal Nation Blog top stories of 2009 #15: Shortstop shuffle

            No one could have predicted how the shortstop position would have evolved for the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals.

              With the need to improve offensively at shortstop over the .628 OPS of Cesar Izturis in 2008, the St. Louis Cardinals decided to make a move prior to the 2009 season rather than rely on unproven in-house options Brendan Ryan and Tyler Greene.

              Khalil Greene and Brendan Ryan (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)On December 4, 2008, they acquired Khalil Greene from San Diego for what would become two relievers, Mark Worrell and Luke Gregerson. Both appeared in the majors for the Padres in 2009. The former was mostly injured and is now a free agent, while the latter excelled despite having made a direct jump from Double-A. In the trade, the Cardinals also assumed the $6.5 million commitment for the final year of Greene’s contract.

              The ending to Khalil Greene’s 2008 had been well-reported, a self-inflicted hand injury due to a frustration-related punch, followed by his club’s refusal to pay him during his time out and the filing of a grievance against the Padres. There were related rumors of emotional issues, but those were long-forgotten by the time the right-handed hitter batted .408 and drove in 17 runs in 26 games during 2009 spring training.

              In fact, Greene was awarded the cleanup spot in Tony La Russa’s opening day lineup. The bloom was off the rose quickly, however. By Memorial Day, Greene began his second stint on the disabled list. The first was reportedly due to a forearm injury.

              The second time, the official term used was “social anxiety disorder”, though details of a more serious situation of long-term, self-inflicted physical abuse began to emerge. First, Greene had been removed from his starting role. After several pinch-hitting appearances and one return start, that approach was called off. In his first 123 at-bats over 38 games, Greene’s line was a paltry .200/.287/.295 and would not improve much the rest of the way.

              Khalil began a minor league rehab assignment on June 8, returned to the majors ten days later only to suffer another relapse and landed back on the DL by the end of the month. This time, the 29-year-old was instructed to stay away from the team while receiving treatment.

              After rehabbing in the minors again in the latter half of July, Greene was back with St. Louis on August 1. He was now a third baseman but saw just 13 ineffective starts at the position. His arrival coincided with an ankle injury sustained by Ryan, who admirably filled the gap all season long.

              Ryan had actually appeared in 80 games during 2008, but his playing time diminished after the mid-season acquisition of Felipe Lopez. In 2009, while Khalil was in his early-season struggles, Ryan was on the DL due to a hamstring problem. Brendan returned in mid-May and quickly earned a starting role, as much due to his glove as his bat.

              In addition to his ten games started at second base, Ryan would make a team-high 95 starts at shortstop, compared to just 26 for Khalil. The 27-year-old’s .984 fielding percentage ranked in the top five of all MLB shortstops with at least 75 starts and he led the majors in both total chances and assists per nine innings. This was a huge stabilizing factor for the Dave Duncan-led groundball-inducing pitching staff.

              Ryan also stood out with the bat. His .301 average as a shortstop was third among National Leaguers appearing in at least 100 games at the position, behind only Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Tejada. He batted .292/.340/.400 overall, always somewhere in the bottom two and top two lineup positions. Ryan actually led the 2009 Cardinals in starts from both the number eight (29 games) and nine spots (32) and was written on La Russa’s lineup card second-most often leading off (22) and in the number two hole (21 starts).

              Rookie Tyler Greene, taken just two picks after Colby Rasmus in the first round of the 2005 draft, was a star collegiate shortstop at Georgia Tech. In the intervening time, he always seemed fall short of putting it all together. A series of injuries limited Greene’s running game and an undisciplined eye at the plate hurt his results with the bat.

              After a solid 2009 start with Memphis, Tyler had his big break on May 1, with Khalil and Ryan both sidelined. The 25-year-old made a positive impression in his initial 13 big-league games before heading back to Triple-A late in the month. Though he cooled off in later stints with St. Louis, including after Memphis’ playoff run ended, Greene finished strongly with the PCL champion Redbirds. He stole 31 bases and posted a .291/.369/.482 Triple-A line.

              Tyler will surely come to camp in 2010 with an eye on a major league utility job after starting at four positions for La Russa in 2009 – second base (one), shortstop (20), third base (seven) and centerfield (one).

              Ten-year MLB veteran Julio Lugo had the fourth-most starts at shortstop (18) for the Cardinals this past season after having joined the club from Boston on July 22. I will have more on his story in an upcoming installment of this top 20 countdown.

              Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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              Cardinals rumor control getting out of control

              Erroneous news on a supposed new Matt Holliday offer from the St. Louis Cardinals is amplified all over cyberspace before being pulled.

              I opened my mail this morning and checked the Scout.com Cardinals message board to find a number of items asking about the new eight-year offer at $16 million per year supposedly tendered by the Cardinals to Matt Holliday. The source of this information was an MLB.com article posted Tuesday evening.

              Mark DeRosa (AP photo)After dealing with the shock of Cards GM John Mozeliak apparently having lost his cool in bidding against himself after having been so in-control of his dealings with agent Scott Boras for so long, I went to check out the article for myself this morning.

              Turns out nothing is said about eight years or any years, for that matter. It says nothing about $128 million. In fact, the short article says nothing new at all, though it does repeat the Tuesday Buster Olney $18 million per year asking price rumor.

              I figured I had been given the wrong link, so searched all over MLB.com looking for the smoking gun. There was none.

              Broadening my search, I then found several references to the article elsewhere, including this headline from NBC.com, also from last evening, which links back to the same MLB.com post:

              UPDATE: Cards reportedly offer Holliday 8-year deal

                UPDATE: MLB.com is reporting that the Cardinals have offered Matt Holliday an 8-year contract for about $16 million per season.

                The story also speculates that if a mystery team were to enter the Holliday mix it could be the Seattle Mariners.

                Wednesday’s apparent re-write of the MLB.com article does not mention Seattle, either.

                Here’s my guess at what happened.

                Dependable and knowledgeable Cardinals MLB.com beat writer Matthew Leach is out on vacation and “Joe Fill-in Guy” wrote the Holliday article. He cited old information that included a reference to eight years that Joe Strauss mentioned several weeks back. Shortly after, additional information came out that the base proposal may be four or five years with perhaps some options, but nothing more about eight years has been mentioned recently.

                Once someone at MLB.com realized the eight years news was older than Thanksgiving’s left-over turkey, it was edited out of the article, as was the writer’s Seattle speculation. By then, this supposed new news was all over cyberspace, as evidenced by the NBC post that summarizes and links to the now-neutered MLB.com article.

                Unfortunately, in making their corrections, MLB.com made no reference to the tracks they apparently covered up over night.

                What can the reader learn from this? Be careful.

                In case you haven’t noticed, it seems like 99 percent of the news being posted is just a rehash of what someone else said, so take the time to check the source. For example, sites like MLB Trade Rumors and Rotoworld do not break news – they just aggregate and re-report what others said. I am not picking on them, as these kinds of sites have a place for those who don’t follow this stuff closely and want a quick fix. My advice is to keep your wits about you, however.

                These two sites almost always link back to the original source, which is crucial. I highly recommend you actually click on the original link to be sure something was not lost in translation, because sometimes that is exactly what occurs.

                Tuesday’s Felipe Lopez “news” is a great example. Derrick Goold said directly that he had no new information on the players the Cardinals are pursuing now that Mark DeRosa has signed with San Francisco. Goold mentioned Boras client Lopez among a list of names in whom the Cards had reportedly shown previous interest. He also suggested that given how Boras works, it is likely the agent will focus on getting Holliday placed first.

                In other words, the Cardinals interest in Lopez was a repeat of old news and was clearly represented that way. Yet others latched onto it and made it headline fodder as if Mozeliak had called Boras about Lopez yesterday morning in his remorse over losing DeRosa.

                The Post-Dispatch also updated their report on DeRosa. After having said the player had received an offer from St. Louis earlier in the off-season, they corrected that in later articles as more information that a firm offer was never tendered apparently became available. Certainly, nothing malicious was intended. It just happens as part of the difficult job of reporting on rumors.

                The thirst to be first results in mistakes which are quickly amplified in today’s instant news world. Been there, done that. Lessons learned. You should expect it too and act accordingly.

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                Would two years be better for Holliday and the Cardinals?

                Why might both Scott Boras and the St. Louis Cardinals consider a shorter-term contact for free agent Matt Holliday?

                Matt Holliday and John Mozeliak, 07/24/09As most St. Louis Cardinals fans know, the club remains in a contract stalemate with free agent Matt Holliday and his agent Scott Boras. For weeks, rumors of a five-year offer in the $80 million vicinity have supposedly been on the table.

                In terms of years and total value, the Cardinals’ proposal is less than the seven-year, $107.5 million bid made in spring 2008 by Holliday’s club two back, the Colorado Rockies, though the annual value of St. Louis’ rumored offer is slightly higher. Boras seems unwilling or at least unready to admit the market has not grown to meet his inflated expectations, keeping many more across baseball than just his client and the Cardinals in a holding pattern.

                Even with Tuesday’s news of Jason Bay going to the Mets for a reported four years, $66 million and a vesting option for a fifth season, closing off one more potential avenue for Holliday, there is no assurance that Boras will alter his negotiating stance any time soon. Among his other free agents still looking for work are Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Felipe Lopez and Adrian Beltre.

                That doesn’t mean The Cardinal Nation isn’t working on alternatives. Recent discussions here and elsewhere have suggested the idea of the Cardinals modifying their bid to a higher annual value in return for fewer years. For example, a two-year deal for $34 million up to as much as $38 million, or from $17 million to $19 million per year.

                If I was Boras presented with that structure, I would push for at least the same annual value over a longer period, four or probably five years minimum. A major risk for the Cardinals is that if Boras is ever ready to entertain a shorter-term contract, it could re-interest other clubs in Holliday’s services.

                Later on, if Boras wanted to try to align with the Cardinals while also positioning Holliday to take advantage of a better future market, he might consider teeing up an escape clause after two years. That would not necessarily be an immediate card to play and assumes he could first get an annual value to his liking.

                Putting on Cards general manager John Mozeliak’s hat instead, I might counter by asking for a comparable club out after two seasons. In essence, that would just shorten the deal to two years.

                After all, two years down the road, it is likely that one side or the other would perceive benefit in ending the contract early. If the player and the market continue to improve, Boras will be a winner, just as he was with J.D. Drew and the Dodgers. If Holliday doesn’t deliver, then the Cardinals might be inclined to cut their losses and exit the deal.

                Two years may make sense for a number of external reasons as well. Following the 2011 season, the leadership of the St. Louis Cardinals could be very different than today.

                Tony La Russa is just starting his first-ever one-year contract with the team and if he doesn’t retire after the 2010 campaign, his own comments suggest the odds of staying will drop substantially in each passing year. In other words, his end as manager is approaching.

                2011 will be Chris Carpenter’s last guaranteed season under his current contract. A perennial injury risk, the ace of the staff will turn 37 years of age during the first month of the 2012 season, an option year for the team.

                Last and far from least, the franchise, Albert Pujols, is not under contract after 2011. Trying to figure out how to satisfy Albert in terms of dollars while affording the optimal combination of complimentary players around him remains the single largest challenge for the franchise.

                One can debate whether signing Holliday to any deal, long-term or short, helps or hurts the Pujols situation. In a two-year scenario, an immediate concern over Holliday making more than Albert in 2010 and 2011 would arise, a potential problem that could be avoided in a longer-term deal by backend-loading Holliday’s contract.

                In a two-year Holliday plan, this would have to be addressed by making Pujols a specific offer now. Even if he is not ready to entertain it, the club would demonstrate their proper respect to Pujols as the team leader.

                Given all the above, if the money and terms are right, the parties involved in the Holliday situation just might find a way to settle on two years as a workable compromise, but even if so, will it be with St. Louis?

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                Who just blinked: DeRosa or the Cardinals?

                Is Mark DeRosa’s reported two year, $12 million deal with the San Francisco Giants out of line with the market? If not, why didn’t the St. Louis Cardinals jump in?

                  Many St. Louis Cardinals watchers are distressed to learn that free agent infielder Mark DeRosa will be signing with the San Francisco Giants for two years, $12 million.

                  Their concerns are in a couple of major areas:

                  • Is the Cardinals’ Plan “B” for 2010 slipping away? The versatile 34-year-old was considered by many to be part of St. Louis’ back up plan in case they are unable to sign Matt Holliday.
                    • DeRosa dropped his price to a reasonable range. The average amount of his Giants contract, $6 million per year, is in contrast to the three years, $27 million deal that DeRosa was reportedly seeking earlier in the off-season. Yet the new deal is a slight raise from his career-high $5.5 million earned in 2009.

                    Conclusions Cardinals fans can draw from their club’s apparent lack of action with DeRosa are one or some combination of these three:

                    • St. Louis either believes they are close with Holliday or have gone “all in” at least emotionally to try to outwait agent Scott Boras to get him.
                      • They had no serious intention of bringing DeRosa back despite offering him arbitration and a contract for an undisclosed amount and duration early in the off-season.
                        • DeRosa was interested in playing elsewhere.

                        Mark DeRosa (AP photo)As much as anyone, I would love to know the clear answer to the above, but we don’t.

                        So the area I want to investigate is whether or not it appears that DeRosa gave the Giants a sweetheart deal financially. To do that, I looked at both third basemen and second basemen that signed new contracts so far this winter.

                        Listed below are the players’ ages next season, their years and dollar amounts of their new deals and the average annual value (AAV). I added their OPS+ scores for the last two seasons as well as their most recent Elias scores and classification, which also cover the last two seasons.

                        2010 2009 2008 2009
                        Third basemen Age Years Total AAV OPS+ OPS+ Elias Type
                        Mark DeRosa 35 2 $12M $6M 99 117 70.330 B
                        Placido Polanco 34 3 $18M $6M 88 101 74.286 A
                        Chone Figgins 32 4 $36M $9M 108 82 73.684 A
                        Pedro Feliz 35 1 $4.5M $4.5M 81 81 60.440 NC
                        Garrett Atkins 30 1 $4.5M $4.5M 66 96 57.143 NC
                        Second basemen
                        Freddy Sanchez* 32 2 $12M $6M 96 78 70.046 B
                        Marco Scutaro 34 2 $12.5M $6.3M 111 88 83.069 A
                        * extension

                        As the data shows, a younger Chone Figgins received the largest contract in AAV terms, despite having a lower Elias ranking than Placido Polanco. The latter received a three-year deal with the same AAV as DeRosa.

                        Marco Scutaro received only a slightly higher contract from Boston than DeRosa but like Figgins, also cost a first-round draft pick in compensation. Though not a free agent, Freddy Sanchez signed a two-year extension that is identical in value to his new Giants teammate DeRosa. It is also interesting that Sanchez’ Elias score is almost the same as DeRosa’s.

                        Two lesser third basemen, Garrett Atkins and Pedro Feliz, each settled for $4.5 million for 2010.

                        Further, I went back a year to last winter and pulled the same kind of data, though I could locate fewer comparable free agents in 2008-2009.

                        2009 2008 2007 2008
                        Third basemen Age Years Total AAV OPS+ OPS+ Elias Type
                        Casey Blake 35 3 $17.5M $5.8M 113 103 72.571 B
                        Ty Wigginton 31 2 $6M $3M 128 106 55.429 NC
                        Second basemen
                        Orlando Hudson 31 1 $3.4M $3.4M 107 105 80.357 A
                        Felipe Lopez 29 1 $3.5M $3.5M 93 75 50.824 NC

                        Casey Blake received three years from the Dodgers with an AAV near $6 million. His age and OPS+ numbers were comparable to DeRosa’s and his Elias ranking last year was slightly higher. Like DeRosa, Scutaro, Figgins and Polanco, Blake can play multiple positions defensively.

                        Other comps from last year settled for lower dollar amounts.

                        My conclusion from this quick review of the data is that DeRosa seems to be paid about right. He might have been able to argue for $7 million per season, but not much more, in my opinion.

                        At this point, one can only speculate why the Cardinals didn’t make that kind of offer or if so, why it wasn’t accepted and DeRosa is now a Giant instead.

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                        Cardinals minor league defense below average

                        Using unearned runs to measure fielding prowess, Cardinals minor leaguers don’t measure up to par.

                        By Ian Walton

                        During The Cardinal Nation’s top 40 Cardinals prospects countdown for 2010, I have been troubled by what I perceive to be a recurring theme. A number of the Cardinals minor league batters don’t seem particularly well-suited to the more challenging defensive positions, leaving the organization with a glut of hitters and limited places to play them.

                        Steven Hill (Brian Walton photo)As likely the case in many organizations, players are challenged to master the most difficult positions possible, but the Cardinals seem to be doing it more often and less successfully than others. As such, the current Cardinals system appears to be deploying more than its share of “natural” first basemen at third base and the corner outfield positions, corner outfielders in centerfield, second basemen at shortstop, and any player whatsoever at catcher.

                        In an attempt to test this theory, I needed a way to assess defensive metrics across the Cardinals system relative to their peers. Unfortunately, there isn’t much minor league fielding data out there for the taking, but MiLB does provide team-by-team run and earned run tallies.  This allows us to evaluate unearned runs against the league average.

                        I certainly won’t claim that team unearned runs are the ideal measurement of fielding prowess, but they do provide one valid basis for comparison.   I’m going to use the term “uERA” to represent a club’s unearned run average – the number of unearned runs allowed every nine innings.  The following table compares the uERA of the Cardinals’ affiliates at each level of play to the rest of their league:

                        Table: 2009 Unearned Run Data

                        Team League League uERA Team uERA Rank
                        St. Louis MLB 0.35 0.34 15 of 30
                        Memphis Pacific Coast League (Triple A) 0.49 0.54 12 of 16
                        Springfield Texas League (Double A) 0.67 0.66 4 of 8
                        Palm Beach Florida State League (Class A Advanced) 0.69 0.78 11 of 12
                        Quad Cities Midwest League (Class A) 0.71 0.86 10 of 14
                        Batavia New York-Penn League (Class A Short Season) 0.85 0.84 9 of 14
                        Johnson City Appalachian League (Rookie) 0.91 1.14 10 of 10
                        GCL Cardinals Gulf Coast League 0.97 1.22 14 of 16
                        VSL Cardinals Venezuelan Summer League 1.17 1.08 8 of 33
                        DSL Cardinals Dominican Summer League 1.43 1.22 3 of 7

                        I find it particularly interesting that in 2009, every level of play in the US had a lower uERA than the one below it, reflecting expected defensive improvement as players gain experience. The Single A Midwest League yielded twice as many unearned runs per game as the major leagues and the Gulf Coast League gave up just shy of three times as many as MLB.

                        Of the US-based teams, only Springfield and Batavia (along with the major league Cardinals) managed league-average marks, while the other five affiliates allowed significantly more unearned runs than their league competitors.  The Venezuelan and Dominican Cardinals both yielded far fewer unearned runs than league average, though one could only expect a relative handful of those players to even advance to play in the United States.

                        Although the upper levels of the Cardinals minor league system did skew younger than their competition this past season, there has to be some real concern over whether the organization will be able to supply enough major league-quality defenders in the years to come, the way that they have in recent seasons with Yadier Molina, Brendan Ryan, and Colby Rasmus.

                        While the current batch of Cardinals prospects may project to be adequate corner infielders and outfielders, there may be an especially noticeable dearth of quality prospects up the middle with standout offensive and defensive skills. The value of these types of players in St. Louis is even higher when paired with the Dave Duncan ground ball-oriented pitching focus.

                        With Albert Pujols hopefully slated to man first base for many seasons into the future and no designated hitter available in the National League, the Cardinals need to focus on acquiring and developing prospects who can field at an appropriate level to support their pitching philosophy. Offensive prowess alone is not enough.

                        Busch Stadium debt may hurt players more than taxpayers

                        Some major league clubs have advantageous leases that offer flexibility but shackle their communities. Others carry stadium-related debt.

                        A typical approach by those who believe they can personally motivate St. Louis Cardinals ownership into increasing their player payroll is to reverse-engineer estimates for revenue, expense and profit, thinking they can do a better job than financial experts like Forbes.

                        Busch Stadium IIIOne area the critics almost always overlook is the debt assumed in the construction of the new Busch Stadium. In a recent presentation to faculty and business students at Webster University, Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III showed this debt represents between 13 and 15 percent of the club’s annual expense.

                        Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. has been even more specific, noting their borrowing of $300 million of the $365 million required to build the ballpark requires them to pay more than $20 million annually in principal and interest.

                        That is $20 million not available for other purposes, including paying players, which is the largest single expenditure for the organization, representing about half their annual spending, according to DeWitt III.

                        The purpose of bringing this up is not to show pity for the DeWitts and their partners, shrewd businessmen all. Let’s face it. Had they been able to convince the taxpayers of St. Louis to fully finance the stadium, one can assume they would have been more than delighted to accept the handout.

                        That is precisely the train wreck that has hit a number of other cities, including in National League Central rival Cincinnati. In a Sunday article, The New York Times paints a sobering picture of numerous municipalities, scared of losing their teams, having funded shiny new facilities only to later realize their basic revenue assumptions to repay the debt incurred are unattainable.

                        After tax increases foisted upon local citizens didn’t prove to be enough and the MLB Reds and especially the NFL Bengals unwilling to alter their “sweetheart” lease terms, Hamilton County, Ohio is left with no choice but to cut basic services to taxpayers and deplete a bond reserve fund. This takes money away from necessities such as schools with no plan for paying it back.

                        Similar problems were cited with publicly-funded sports venues in Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Columbus and Glendale, Arizona. Back-end loaded interest payments are identified as a common problem, the risks ignored at the time the original commitments were sold by wide-eyed officials to the citizenry.

                        Trying to squeeze more out of the Cardinals for his prize free agent Matt Holliday, spinmaster extraordinare Scott Boras recently took his personal struggle of the rich versus the richer to the people, many of whom are hard-working taxpayers and ticket-buyers alike.

                        The agent drew a parallel between the Cardinals and the Phillies, the latter having a payroll about 30 percent higher than St. Louis despite the two franchises being similarly valued, according to Forbes. Boras apparently neglected to mention that Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park was state-funded.

                        One can only hope the self-deputized St. Louis payroll police understand and appreciate the bullet taxpayers avoided by ensuring the owners of the Cardinals were kept on the hook to pay the vast majority of the freight for their baseball palace – just as it should be.

                        Folks must also realize there is no free lunch. Someone has to cover the expense. It is only common sense that having debt service when a number of other clubs do not may mean the Cardinals have less in their coffers to pay players as a result.

                        That shouldn’t keep fans from expecting to see a competitive team on the field, but it seems the organization deserves some leeway in how the end is accomplished.

                        Specifically, if the Cardinals do not overpay for Holliday and he is lost to another organization, some will expect them to quickly re-allocate every dollar to other free agents, whether mediocrities or not.

                        Instead, if the club decides to stash some additional cash for signing the four extra players in the early part of the June 2010 draft awarded as compensation for the losses of free agents Holliday, Mark DeRosa and Joel Pineiro, some vocal critics will not accept it.

                        If the organization chooses to hold back money to acquire veteran players in-season to help the 2010 club down the stretch (“dry powder” revisited), there will be those who will not believe it until they see it, despite the club having done just that in 2009.

                        They will instead chalk up the actions of the winter to greedy owners who had no intention of re-signing Holliday, but craftily used Boras’ delay to purposely let all the good alternatives land elsewhere before doing nothing. These same owners continue to be vilified despite bringing Cardinals fans nine winning seasons and seven playoff teams during the just-completed decade.

                        So it goes in the annual winter of second-guessing.

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                        The Cardinal Nation Blog top stories of 2009 #16: Change in centerfield

                        The 2009 St. Louis Cardinals’ centerfield featured a transition from the veteran to the kid along with some interesting twists.

                        Coming into the 2009 season, no one could have predicted how the St. Louis Cardinals’ centerfield position would play out for long-timer Rick Ankiel and long-awaited rookie Colby Rasmus. With both being left-handed hitters, the situation did not offer traditional platoon potential.

                        For the record, Rasmus doubled the number of regular season starts at the position and showed a bit more power while Ankiel struck out at a higher rate. Otherwise, their stats are quite comparable.

                        2009 CF Starts G PA AB HR RBI K BA OBP SLG OPS
                        Ankiel 52 59 219 203 5 23 50 0.246 0.297 0.389 0.686
                        Rasmus 104 117 455 416 15 47 80 0.245 0.300 0.409 0.709

                        Rick Ankiel and Colby Rasmus (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Ankiel, the incumbent, may be one of the most interesting stories in the long history of the St. Louis franchise. 2009 was his 13th season in the system, longest of any active Cardinal. Until surpassed by 2009 first-rounder Shelby Miller, Ankiel’s $2.5 million bonus in 1997 was the largest ever awarded by the organization.

                        His rise to the top of the pitching world while still a teenager, followed by his troubling fall and precarious return to the mound have been well-documented. Talked out of quitting in 2005, Ankiel’s rebirth as an outfielder and triumphant return to the majors over two years later turned stoic manager Tony La Russa into an unabashed cheerleader.

                        Maintaining momentum remained difficult for the now-30-year-old. His 2008 was cut short due to injury, an abdominal strain that required surgery for a sports hernia in September. He ended the year with career highs of 25 home runs and 71 RBIs in just 120 games despite enduring a severe slump for about a month due to the abdominal injury before finally being sidelined and having surgery.

                        Hopes were high as Ankiel headed into his final season prior to free agency. After a .772 OPS April, his 2009 was derailed by a horrific collision with the Busch Stadium outfield wall on May 4. Ongoing problems were at least partially attributed to shoulder soreness as Ankiel found Rasmus getting more and more time in center.

                        Rasmus came into 2009 unsure of anything, starting with whether or not he would make the team, despite comments from the manager that if he did, he would not waste away on the bench. His 2008 with Memphis had been a loss after a poor start then a brief recovery before suffering a knee injury that kept him out of the Futures Game and the Olympics.

                        At 22 years of age, the organization’s top prospect for the previous three years according to our rankings at Scout.com, Rasmus became the Cardinals’ youngest opening day player since Albert Pujols’ debut eight years prior.

                        Rasmus would not experience a smooth introduction to the majors. After putting up a first-half OPS of .807 and casting his name among the early favorites for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, Rasmus dropped over 200 points after the break to .592. He dealt with significant weight loss and stamina due to a hiatal hernia and later had to contend with an ongoing heel problem.

                        The rookie was moved all over the lineup, starting in every spot other than third. Most often, he hit in front of Albert Pujols, limiting his opportunities to demonstrate his base-stealing skills. Rasmus’ 147 games played in total topped all NL rookies in 2009.

                        Rasmus starts, by lineup position, 2009

                        #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9
                        Rasmus 1 74 0 3 8 16 2 8 2

                        As the 2009 season ended, so did the direct competition. The Cardinals made it clear that Ankiel would not be asked back, turning centerfield over to Rasmus for the foreseeable future. Ankiel put an exclamation point on it, slinking away from writers as he cleaned out his clubhouse stall for the last time. Agent Scott Boras is shopping his free agent, with rumors of his demands including a starting role and a multi-year contract for Ankiel.

                        Where Rasmus will hit in the 2010 order remains an open question, even to La Russa. “He hit in the middle of the lineup, and his average as fourth or fifth hitter was about the same as it was before, maybe even better,” the manager said earlier this month. “I think we’ll see how much he develops and slot him in wherever we need him.”

                        Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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                        Muckdogs holding Rochester in financial muck

                        The Batavia Muckdogs lost less money in 2009 than in 2008, but the deficit still runs in six digits and their patron is hurting, too.

                        Named for “the rich Elba muck land” of the upper New York State region it calls home, the Batavia Muckdogs, the St. Louis Cardinals’ short-season Class A affiliate, continue to wallow in the financial muck – and they now have company.

                        On Monday, the New York-Penn League club’s operating parent, the Rochester Red Wings, announced the Muckdogs lost $143,495 during the fiscal year ending October 31. The total represented over 85 percent of the deficit reported by the combined entity, with the Wings also losing $24,349.

                        It was the second consecutive year under Rochester Community Baseball (RCB) that the Batavia franchise generated a six-figure deficit. In 2008, the Muckdogs lost $253,425. As such, an optimist might note that 2009 was less of a drain except for the fact that RCB had been profitable every year from 1995 until they took on the Muckdogs two years ago.

                        Prior to RCB stepping in, Batavia ownership had endured a series of losses, including another six-figure deficit in 2007. As a result, the locals were dangerously close to losing their franchise. Batavia had been a founding member of the New York-Penn League back in 1939.

                        There is not an immediate concern as the Red Wings already announced they will operate the Muckdogs for a third season in 2010. The plan beyond that is unclear as the negative effect on the Triple-A Rochester operation is evident.

                        When probed by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, RCB Chief Operating Officer Naomi Silver declined to label 2010 a “make-or-break” season in Batavia, but called it “a critical year. … We can’t sustain these losses indefinitely,” she said.

                        It is worth remembering from an earlier report that RCB will receive 10 percent of the proceeds if the Muckdogs are sold. Unless Batavia operations can finally turn a profit in 2010, it would seem RCB will have lost more than a sale of the club could provide them.

                        The Cardinals are not contractually committed to remain in Batavia after 2010. Average attendance has dropped below 1,000 fans per game and has declined each season during the Cardinals affiliation, despite the locals having been provided a league champion club in 2008.

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                        The Cardinal Nation Blog top stories of 2009 #17: John Smoltz

                        The St. Louis Cardinals again added a future Hall of Fame pitcher nearing the end of his career but it didn’t end like in 1926.

                        John Smoltz (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)Rarely have the St. Louis Cardinals been fortunate enough to land a sure Hall of Fame starting pitcher to add to their roster during a season for next to nothing. Yet that is exactly what happened in 2009 when John Smoltz, he of two decades of Atlanta Braves fame, chose the Cardinals as his new home for the stretch run.

                        The 42-year-old joined St. Louis on August 19 after having been released by the Boston Red Sox. The Cardinals were only liable for a pro-rated portion of Smoltz’ salary, roughly $100,000. He had spent the previous 21 years in Atlanta with a Cy Young Award and eight All-Star Games among his many accomplishments.

                        Smoltz looked to be the final piece to help get the Cardinals over the top, following the splashy and expensive in-season offensive additions of Mark DeRosa and Matt Holliday. Though he did not always receive the run and bullpen support to win consistently, Smoltz pitched well as a Cardinal overall.

                        In his seven regular season starts over the season’s final six weeks for St. Louis, Smoltz finished with a 1-3 record and a 4.26 ERA. He struck out 40 batters in the 38 innings pitched and walked just nine, the latter a concern in Boston as he worked to recover from off-season shoulder surgery.

                        What perhaps appealed most to St. Louis was the right-hander’s unprecedented post-season success. Smoltz holds major league records for the most career playoff victories and strikeouts and ranks third in innings, fifth in games and starts and tenth in strikeouts per nine innings.

                        Grover Cleveland Alexander (Getty Images)Cardinals historians hoped Smoltz would follow the October blueprint established by another future Hall of Famer some 83 years earlier.

                        In June 1926, the Cardinals picked up Grover Cleveland Alexander off waivers from the Cubs. The 16-year MLB veteran had already logged 318 career wins, but had an alcohol problem and was unwanted in Chicago.

                        All the then-39-year-old did after joining St. Louis was collect nine victories over the rest of the regular season, win Game Six of the World Series and earn a dramatic save in the seventh game against the New York Yankees for the Cardinals’ first World Championship.

                        Smoltz has proven an even greater versatility by having become the only pitcher in major league history to collect at least 200 career wins and 150 saves. Yet he never really had the chance to extend his post-season legend with St. Louis in 2009.

                        With the Cardinals en route to being eliminated in three straight games by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series, Smoltz saw only two innings of work. By then, the writing was on the wall. In relief of Game Three starter Joel Pineiro, he pitched the sixth and seventh innings, allowing the final Dodgers run in the 5-1 clincher.

                        With a need for a proven setup man and a swing starter, the Cardinals have stated a desire to have Smoltz return in 2010. A free agent for the second consecutive winter, Smoltz is weighing interest from a number of clubs.

                        Yet even if Smoltz signs elsewhere, Cardinals fans had the pleasure of seeing one of the game’s greatest pitchers ever wear the Birds on the Bat during the latter part of 2009.

                        Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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                        Theories for McGwire’s delay

                        Why has Mark McGwire’s coming out party remained in his most familiar place – limboland?

                        Tony La Russa and Mark McGwire, 1997 (AP photo)While new St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach Mark McGwire spent years in isolation to avoid having to deal with steroids-related allegations, his final manager and newest boss Tony La Russa was often Big Mac’s staunchest defender.

                        For a number of years, La Russa had tried unsuccessfully to convince McGwire to rejoin the club just as a spring training instructor, though he was apparently close two years ago.

                        Then on October 26, during the press conference announcing La Russa’s return for a 15th season at the Cardinals helm in 2010, came the shocking news that Mac was coming all the way back – to become the full-time major league hitting coach.

                        With the 65-year-old La Russa admitting his three-decade career in the dugout is nearing its end, some believe that while the manager’s power and influence is greatest, he is taking his best and perhaps last shot at helping Big Mac.

                        The focus would be to:

                        • Reintroduce McGwire to the baseball world
                        • Rehabilitate his shattered image, and specifically
                        • Improve the former slugger’s moribund Hall of Fame candidacy

                        One could certainly understand if La Russa feels a share of personal responsibility for the events of the past, but he could also just be continuing to fiercely defend one of his own. More than likely it is a mix of the two, with the split undoubtedly forever remaining a source of speculation.

                        Mark McGwire, March 17, 2005 (AP photo)Along with McGwire’s decision to accept the job came the baggage of having to step up to doing something he repeatedly told a Congressional hearing in March 2005 that he did not want to do – talk about the past.

                        This “coming out” event, expected to be a one-time-only affair, was said by general manager John Mozeliak in October to be occurring “sooner, rather than later”. In fact, the GM used those words at least three times that day the hiring was announced just to hammer home the point.

                        Earlier this month at Baseball’s Winter Meetings in Indianapolis, La Russa had this to say about the long-standing, yet impending event: “…I think it’s imminent.” That was two weeks ago and counting.

                        The above statements clearly reinforce the perception that the Cardinals are not in control of their new coach’s calendar. That doesn’t mean the club is not a very important stakeholder, as they will surely be the ringleader of the upcoming event and have a lot to lose if things go badly.

                        So why is it taking so long to get this event arranged and from where might the delay be coming? Here are some theories – not facts – theories. Like La Russa’s motives, the exact combination of potential ingredients will likely never be known.

                        Theory: It is taking a longer-than-expected time to coach the new coach and there are a number of groups engaged.

                        With Bud Selig’s fondness for the former slugger and his likely desire to avoid (more) bad publicity for the game, I can definitely see MLB being involved. After all, on the steroids issue, they have more sleeping dogs than the ARF kennels at midnight.

                        By coming out so enthusiastically in support of McGwire’s return, Selig reinforced the placement of the game itself shoulder-to-shoulder with the unwitting symbol of baseball’s past drug culture. Like it or not, everyone involved needs a good showing from Big Mac. As such, if MLB has not engaged the Nation’s best spin doctors (see Washington, D.C.) to assist, they are asleep at the switch.

                        The former player’s legal counsel would certainly have to be engaged, too. Here is hoping the advice offered, received and taken is more practical than it was in 2005. Hopefully with the passage of time, Congress will have moved on to other, far more pressing matters.

                        Theory: Postponing the event until later in the holiday season, a traditional downtime for baseball, would cut back the manic press coverage somewhat.

                        Theory: The ex-slugger may be having second thoughts, recognizing the press conference will likely prove to be comparable to enduring a double root canal without Novocain.

                        Mark McGwire (Getty Images)And finally, a different idea:

                        Theory: Skirting the 2010 Hall of Fame balloting and the immediate mandate on McGwire’s legacy it would represent.

                        I believe ballots for the current nominees are due to have been mailed and received by December 31. By waiting until after the votes are in, a full year would be required to pass before writers must make their firm and binding decision on the strength or weakness of McGwire’s explanation.

                        Because this is far from Big Mac’s first impression being made on the matter, he is not starting on a level playing field. Whatever he says will be micro-analyzed and nit-picked for weeks following the press conference. It is unavoidable.

                        The passing of 12 months would allow the initial emotion to wear off, the potential for others to either come forward or be ensnared in similar controversy and for McGwire to reinforce his rehabilitation by spending a season as a successful major league hitting coach. There would also be the opportunity to re-energize his high-profile charity work that either disappeared or at least went far underground with him, if deemed necessary to further the cause.

                        All of the above can potentially strengthen the prevailing view of McGwire, aided by Father Time.

                        By holding off saying anything even a bit longer – until after the January 6 announcement of the 2010 Hall vote – the “rehab McGwire” camp can gain another important data point – the knowledge of Mac’s 2010 vote total. The change from 2009 will represent the movement in voters’ thinking solely from the announcement of Big Mac’s return, prior to any explanation from the former player himself.

                        Based on articles penned by several Hall voters since October, I have been led to believe that McGwire has already boosted his share of the vote simply by saying he will talk. For reference, it has been hanging in the 20-25 percent range since McGwire first qualified, with 75 percent required for induction.

                        Another benefit of waiting well into January is to show respect to those who will be inducted into the Hall in 2010. Otherwise, the press will surely bombard the winners on their special announcement day with inappropriate McGwire questions that would detract from the new inductees’ well-deserved headlines. (This was previously cited as a reason to not hold the press conference during the period when the annual MVP, Cy Young, etc. awards were being rolled out during November.)

                        Following the January Hall announcement, “Team Big Mac” can then gauge how far they might need to take their one-time-only press conference and the other repair actions while preparing to re-institute radio silence on the past, this time for good.

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                        Bighames becomes sixth Cardinal suspended in 2009

                        St. Louis Cardinals minor league outfielder Tyler Bighames has received a 50-game suspension after a second positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, MLB announced on Monday.

                        Bighames, 18, taken in the 31st round of the 2009 draft as a shortstop, is the second Cardinal farmhand suspended this month and third since the end of the season. He follows Dominican Jefferson Segundo, announced on December 4 and Batavia’s Alan Ahmady, disclosed on October 6.

                        Bighames is the sixth from the organization to be suspended this year, tying the 2008 high annual total for the Cardinals since the program began in 2005. He is the the third nabbed this season for a drug of abuse.

                        17 Cardinals minor leaguers have been punished since 2005.

                        Date Player Name Substance Length
                        4/4/2005 Sal Frisella PEDs 15 games
                        5/13/2005 Jeremy Cummings PEDs 15 games
                        4/18/2006 Yonathan Sivira PEDs 50 games
                        8/2/2006 Marcos Chavez PEDs 50 games
                        8/2/2006 Jonathan Gonzalez PEDs 50 games
                        2/20/2008 Scott Vander Weg PEDs 50 games
                        7/29/2008 Braulin Beltre Boldenone 50 games
                        7/29/2008 Andres Beras Boldenone 50 games
                        7/29/2008 Yedilson Pena Boldenone 50 games
                        8/25/2008 Juan Castillo Stanozolol 50 games
                        12/1/2008 Wilfred Vivas Methandienone 50 games
                        4/9/2009 Deryk Hooker Drug of Abuse 50 games
                        5/15/2009 Kenny Maiques Drug of Abuse 50 games
                        6/23/2009 Dail Villanueva Nandrolone 50 games
                        10/6/2009 Alan Ahmady Amphetamines 50 games
                        12/4/2009 Jefferson Segundo Stanozolol 50 games
                        12/21/2009 Tyler Bighames Drug of Abuse 50 games

                        According to Business of Baseball, Bighames is the 82nd player suspended in minor league baseball this year. The Cardinals’ 2009 total of six is tied for the second-highest of the 30 organizations after the New York Mets.

                        2009 minors suspensions Organizations
                        8 Mets
                        6 Cardinals, Royals
                        5 Tigers
                        4 Cubs, D-Backs, Nationals, Rays
                        3 Free agents, Astros, A’s, Brewers, Marlins, Phillies, Rockies, Twins, Yankees
                        2.7 Average
                        2 Mariners, Rangers
                        1 Angels, Blue Jays, Braves, Dodgers, Giants, Orioles, Padres, Red Sox, Reds, White Sox
                        0 Indians, Pirates
                        82 Total

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                        The Cardinal Nation Blog top stories of 2009 #18: Shelby Miller

                        As Rick Ankiel’s 13-year run with the St. Louis Cardinals organization neared its end, his replacement at least at one level arrived. When then-18-year-old Shelby Miller came to terms on the final day eligible in August, his $2.875 million deal became the highest bounty paid to a Cardinals draft pick since Ankiel received $2.5 million in 1997, also at the tender age of 18.

                        Shelby Miller (Names Around Town Photography)Miller broke recent convention in another manner as he became the first high school pitcher taken by the Cardinals in the initial round of the First-Year Player Draft since they selected Brian Barber with their third choice in 1991’s first round. (Ankiel was a second-round pick.)

                        Expectations are very high, as the Brownwood, Texas native was informally tabbed as the Cardinals next great pitching hope and immediately vaulted to the top of many organizational prospect-watchers’ lists.

                        Miller is expected to help replenish the high end of the Cardinals minor league pecking order after summer trades took away five of the organization’s picks from the first two rounds of the 2006 through 2008 drafts.

                        St. Louis’ first-round choice in the 2009 draft, taken 19th overall, was initially showcased at Busch Stadium after signing, then threw batting practice in Quad Cities before making a pair of cameo appearances for the River Bandits to end his first season as a Cardinal.

                        Miller reportedly featured a fastball that topped out at 94 mph with a change-up and curveball as his secondary pitches. He yielded two earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks and added a pair of strikeouts over his first three professional innings.

                        The 6-foot-3, 207-pound right-hander’s fastball was regularly clocked in the mid-90s during the high school season. For Brownwood High, Miller posted a 10-2 record with a 1.90 ERA while striking out 153 batters in 77 innings.

                        Miller is expected to return to the Class-A Midwest League to start the 2010 season where he will likely appear in the battery with the Cards’ 2009 second-round pick, 20-year-old catcher Robert Stock.

                        Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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                        Duncan’s yo-yo agent

                        The agent of former Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan is making some interesting claims.

                        Chris Duncan (Getty Images/Rob Tringali)Barry Meister, agent of former St. Louis Cardinal and free agent Chris Duncan, is out and about before the Holidays; trying to do what good agents do, stir up interest in his clients.

                        Meister has an especially challenging job with Duncan, given the outfielder’s unprecedented 2008 surgery to remove a cervical disc in his neck and implant a metal replacement, followed by the slugger’s struggles with the bat in 2009.

                        In a Sunday article on the new St. Louis Globe-Democrat’s website, Meister gets loose with the facts in his apparent enthusiasm over his charge’s future.

                        The agent says he is talking with “about four” unnamed clubs “who are really serious” about signing Duncan. OK, that certainly could be, but if so, what are they waiting for?

                        It seems unlikely that any of them would offer more than a low-risk, make-good minor league deal with a spring camp invite. It’s not like the terms across teams should be significantly different, so if Duncan had a firm offer, why wouldn’t he just take it before the music stops?

                        An American League destination would make most sense, allowing an opportunity for Duncan to play his best position – hitter. As such, it would be surprising if many of the four, if any, are NL clubs.

                        What organization from either league would give Duncan a major league deal at this point without seeing him play and knowing his neck is really ok? If he was confident he was healthy, he could have chosen to head to winter ball and prove his mojo is back.

                        It sounds a bit like the kind of tale Mark Mulder‘s agent has been weaving for at least the last year and a half, trying to stir up interest where there apparently isn’t much of any. Buyers beware.

                        Meister seems to have a unique perception of time, too. The agent says doctors told him Duncan would require 9-12 months to fully recover his strength and stamina following his November 2008 surgery.

                        I have to stop right there. Somehow in the interim, the date of Duncan’s procedure shifted to November from its actual date in August – early August – August 4, 2008 to be precise. At that time of the surgery, Duncan’s recovery was widely reported to be 3-4 months and as such, he would report to Spring Training 2009 almost seven months in the future with no apparent restrictions.

                        Let’s give Meister the benefit of the doubt since Duncan’s surgery was so unique and accept the contention that the complete recovery really was 9-12 months. If that was the case, how could Duncan have been fully ready to go when he played in 28 of 31 spring games and his 86 at-bats was just one off the team’s Florida high?

                        Based on the real August 2008 date of the procedure, the return of Duncan’s full strength would have occurred somewhere between the start of May and the beginning of August 2009. After a good March and April, how did he do during the time period following?

                        The answer, of course, is not well at all. In the midst of a long slump, the left-handed hitter was dealt to Boston on July 22 for Julio Lugo. From May 1 until the trade, Duncan had been 38-for-191, .199, with three home runs for the Cardinals. He was then released by the Red Sox on August 20 after batting .185 with Triple-A Pawtucket.

                        Maybe Chris pushed himself too hard too fast, he faded after a good start, and his poor stats were the result. If so, one can perhaps understand why his father and Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan was so upset this past summer – though it would be unclear where to properly place any blame.

                        No matter what, I have nothing but the best wishes for Chris Duncan and his baseball future, wherever it takes him in 2010 and beyond. Here is hoping he doesn’t depend on his agent to give him his spring training reporting date, though.

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                        Is Boras alone wearing the black hat?

                        The MLB Players Association plays a powerful, but almost-invisible role in placement of top free agents.

                        Scott Boras (without hat - Getty Images)In Saturday’s post, I included a Jack Clark quote noting the pressure he received way back in 1987 from the union, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), to take the largest contract offered him. It required a very uncomfortable move from the environment he and his family favored, St. Louis and the Cardinals, to New York and the Yankees. It was a decision Clark still regrets to this day.

                        This important factor in free agent negotiations and deliberations never seems to draw the publicity that the high-profile agents in chase of the best camera angles, biggest headlines and highest dollars receive.

                        Of course, that has to be the way the union wants it. Just as the owners have their collusion, uh collaboration, so do the players. I call your collusion and raise you one.

                        The most eye-opening piece I have ever read about the subject was written by former National League pitcher Mark Knudson and ran in the Ft. Collins Coloradoan on July 20, 2008. Knudson had spent parts of eight seasons in the majors with Houston, Milwaukee and Colorado, where he ended his career in 1993.

                        Unfortunately, the article has since been taken down*, but following are some of my summary points from Knudson, repeated from a July 23, 2008 subscriber-only article I wrote about Rick Ankiel at Scout.com.

                        * This post is being pre-empted by an Andy Rooney moment. Why do so many papers take down relatively-recent articles? Good luck trying to find a Post-Dispatch article from 2008, for example. I know money is tight for the mainstreamers, but someone needs to inform them that archival disk storage is really inexpensive these days.

                        …Knudson probes a little-understood angle – that of slotting and pressure by the Major League Baseball Players Association.

                        Fans are most familiar with the term “slotting” as it relates to the First-Year Player (amateur) Draft. In that case, MLB sets “suggested” bounds for the clubs to follow in awarding player bonuses…

                        In the case of free agents, the MLBPA plays a comparable enforcer role to stamp out hometown discounts and ensure that the big money players get their fair share compared to others. It is the old analogy that a rising tide lifts all boats.

                        Thereby, the Players Association help all their constituents earn more money, if not today, then down the road. Interestingly, the former MLB pitcher Knudson characterizes Boras as merely the “front man” behind the powerful Players Association.

                        Michael Weiner (AP Photo/Richard Drew)Over the years, I have been as critical as anyone about the negotiating tactics of free agent Matt Holliday’s agent, Scott Boras, and will surely continue to be. Yet, if Knudson was anywhere close to the truth, and I have no reason to question him, the aggregate anger of Cardinal Nation aimed at Boras should at least be shared with new MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner (pictured) and his associates. Instead, the union leaders remain behind the curtain likely pushing their share of the buttons.

                        I can envision Holliday and his sequestered family huddled up in a bomb shelter somewhere waiting to be told by all those making decisions for them when sirens have sounded the all-clear, indicating it is safe to re-emerge from the nuclear winter.

                        And here we thought the game was so simple. Just see the ball and hit it.

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                        When chasing dollars lead to regretted outcomes

                        There may be something for Matt Holliday to learn from this week’s Johnny Damon saga and a similar story from over two decades ago.

                        Johnny Damon and Brian Cashman, December 2005 (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)Tuesday: The New York Post’s George King reports free-agent outfielder Damon is ready to look elsewhere than the Yankees for work. “I am going to start looking around. Teams are getting better and there are teams interested,” Damon said. “I can’t wait forever and I am sure [the Yankees] are trying to figure things out. I have to be ready.” It is believed the Yankees aren’t interested in giving Damon more than two years for about $20 million.

                        Wednesday: ESPN.com reports Damon wants $13 million a season from the Yankees. There has been no movement in talks between both parties. Damon has indicated that he does not want the Yankees to make an offer if they are going to propose less.

                        Friday: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, reports Damon lowered his price for the Yankees earlier this week, first to two years, $26 million, and then to two years, $20 million. However, by the time Damon dropped his price the second time, the team had already agreed to terms with designated hitter Nick Johnson. The Yankees offered two years and $14 million somewhere in the process, but the two sides failed two reach an agreement.

                        Friday: The New York Post caught up with Damon for his reaction upon the Yankees signing Johnson instead of him. Damon had been looking for a three-year deal in the $39 million range, and even though sources say that agent Scott Boras caved on the third year, the Yankees weren’t willing to give Damon the same $13 million salary he earned in each of the last four years.

                        Damon did not hide his disappointment that the Yankees decided to move on without him, though he did not mention his agent.

                        “I wanted it to happen. I have nothing but great things to say about the Yankees,” Damon said. “If the Nick Johnson thing works out, it will be good for them. It’s part of baseball.

                        “I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do. I know there are some teams interested, but the Yankees are the best organization I’ve been a part of so far in my career. I wish them all the best.”

                        It reminded me of another Yankees-related situation from past years, with a player heading in instead of out, but otherwise similar feelings.

                        In the 2005 Rob Rains book “Cardinals: Where Have You Gone?”, former St. Louis first baseman Jack Clark looked back at his departure from St. Louis. It was a time, 1987, when the owners were guilty of collusion. In fact, as 1987 became 1988, Clark had not received a single offer other than a cut from St. Louis despite coming off a very strong season.

                        “There were a lot of things that were said to me, and the way they were said, that bothered me,” Clark said. “I was getting a lot of pressure from the (players) union. (Agent) Tom (Reich) came to me and said, ‘What about the Yankees?’…”

                        He agreed to terms with the Bombers on January 6, 1988. The Ripper is still ripped today about how the events played out.

                        “Looking back on it, I should have stayed a Cardinal,” Clark said. “I was very happy here. I had my best years in baseball here. We went to the World Series twice in three years. It was fun to go to the ballpark every day. I was playing for the best manager in the game. My family liked it here. My kids were in school. I considered this my home.”

                        Here is hoping another Boras client, Matt Holliday is aware of the details of the Damon situation and that while a Cardinal, he had the chance to meet Clark, now a broadcaster with FOX Sports Midwest, and hear his story about leaving St. Louis first-hand.

                        Otherwise, perhaps Holliday will be featured in the 2029 version of “Cardinals: Where Have You Gone?”

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                        The Cardinal Nation Blog top stories of 2009 #19: Minors coaching turnover

                        An unusually high number of coaching changes were executed across the Cardinals minor league system following a 2009 season in which there were several notable occurrences.

                        The organization’s three Class A clubs each won fewer games than the year prior, missed the post-season and a number of the emerging prospects did not advance as well as hoped.

                        Coach Mark DeJohn and Santo Maertz (Brian Walton photo)Perhaps it was just coincidence that the Cardinals’ three Class A managers were replaced for 2010. The contracts of Quad Cities’ Steve Dillard and Palm Beach’s Tom Spencer were not renewed and Batavia manager Mark DeJohn is moving into an organizational role in 2010 as the senior roving field instructor.

                        In addition, during the summer, major league pitching coach Dave Duncan publicly aired some internal dirty laundry with comments critical of how the minor league instructional staff prepares their pitchers for the major leagues.

                        Maybe it is just business as usual, a normal position rotation, that seven of the nine minor league pitching coaches will be new in their jobs for 2010 along with four of the nine hitting coaches. Maybe not. All seven of the newly-assigned pitching coaches already worked in the organization as did two of the four hitting coaches.

                        Several of the jobs remain open, including the Palm Beach manager and the Quad Cities and Gulf Coast League hitting coaches’ positions. The Venezuelan Summer League skipper position is also unfilled.

                        2010 minor league coaching assignments, St. Louis Cardinals (changes in bold)

                        Manager Pitching Coach Hitting Coach Trainer
                        Mem Chris Maloney Derek Lilliquist Mark Budaska Chris Conroy
                        Spr Ron Warner Dennis Martinez Derrick May Jay Pierson
                        PB TBD Bryan Eversgerd Jeff Albert B. Puchalski
                        QC Johnny Rodriguez Tim Leveque TBD M. Kuwazuru
                        Bat Dann Bilardello Arthur Adams Joe Kruzel Eric Bauer
                        JC Mike Shildt Doug White Ramon Ortiz Mike Petrarca
                        GCL Steve Turco Henderson Lugo TBD Tim Steinhaus
                        DSL Claudio Almonte Bill Villanueva Rene Rojas
                        VSL TBD Dernier Orozco Jesus Laya

                        Sr. Roving Instr. Mark DeJohn
                        Jupiter Pitch Coord Blaise Ilsley
                        Not renewed mgrs. Tom Spencer
                        Steve Dillard

                        Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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                        Cardinals lessons from Teixeira, the Yankees and stealth mode

                        Can the St. Louis Cardinals learn anything from a dissection of the New York Yankees’ 2008 pursuit of Mark Teixeira?

                        One of this week’s prevailing storylines regarding free agent Matt Holliday is the supposed “mystery bidder” who will swoop in and whisk the outfielder away from the patiently-waiting St. Louis Cardinals to his new home for the next five to eight years.

                        While teams like the Mets and Orioles have been linked to the 29-year-old, neither of their offers, if even made, seem to be in the range of the Cardinals’ bid to retain him.

                        The fear is that the mystery team is none other than the club with the deepest pockets of all – New York Yankees. This is the feeling despite the fact that not only have the Bombers expressed a lack of interest in Holliday, word from their camp is that they will not be engaging. As recently as two days ago, ESPN reported the Yankees “cannot see a situation in which they will become involved” with Holliday.

                        Joe Girardi, Mark Teixeira, Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)Few in the Cardinal Nation apparently believe the reports, their fear fueled by general, but deep-seated distrust of the Yankees and a revisionist view of the events of one year ago. At that time, first baseman Mark Teixeira, late of the Angels, was being hotly pursued by his old club as well as the Red Sox, Nationals and Orioles.

                        As the yarn goes, the Yankees feigned disinterest virtually until the day Teixeira’s signing with New York was announced… and so it will occur again with Holliday.

                        I didn’t remember the chain of events occurring in that manner, so went back to news reports from last winter. While it is true that at least one point, it seemed Teixiera was very close to joining the Red Sox, and there were zigs, zags and apparently incorrect rumors along the way, the basic fact is that the Yankees’ interest in the first baseman had been long-reported.

                        Here is a partial timeline summarizing press accounts of the Yankees’ courting of Tex. Again, it is far from the full set of rumors regarding the player. It is the only the subset I could locate that mentions New York specifically.

                        Note how the level of activity and the timeline differ from 2009.

                        • December 7, 2008: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Yankees general manager Brian Cashman met with Teixeira and his agent Scott Boras at Baseball’s Winter Meetings on December 5.
                        • December 10: Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports the Yankees’ interest in Teixeira has waned after their signing of C.C. Sabathia.
                        • December 11: SI.com’s Jon Heyman reports the Yankees have entered the sweepstakes for Teixeira.
                        • December 15: The New York Post reports that Manny Ramirez would be a fallback option for the Yankees if they do not sign Teixeira.
                        • December 15: Lyle Spencer of MLB.com reports the Yankees have turned their attention to Teixeira and are interested in signing him.
                        • December 17: Spencer reports the Yankees have not made an offer or a proposal to Teixeira.
                        • December 18: George King III of the Post reports that the Yankees were not the team to outbid the Red Sox for Teixeira. “Not us,” was the response from Cashman when contacted by the paper.
                        • December 22: Kevin Kernan of the Post reports the Yankees have had serious discussions with Boras but have yet to make a contract offer.
                        • December 22: Buster Olney and Peter Gammons of ESPN.com report the Yankees made an initial offer to Teixeira but then withdrew their bid because it was not close to other teams’ offers.
                        • December 23: Teixeira’s agreement in principle with the Yankees is announced.

                        Does the above timeline preclude New York from going after Holliday? Of course not, but it does illustrate that they are being far more stealthy in 2009 if they want Holliday than they were in 2008 with Teixeira.

                        With Tex, Cashman met with both the player and agent at the Winter Meetings and while the club focused on signing Sabathia first, their interest was reported regularly during the 18 days between the face-to-face meeting and the announcement.

                        Bottom line, while it was a surprise when the Yankees wrested Teixeira away from the Red Sox, their genuine interest in the player should not have been news to anyone who was paying attention. At least as of yet, the reports about the Yankees and Holliday in 2009 have been just the opposite.

                        Footnote: Boras may have a very good reason to step lightly with New York regarding Holliday. Incumbent left fielder Johnny Damon, also a Boras client, is reportedly demanding $13 million per season to return to the Yankees while the club is unwilling to go above $10 million. Number of years may also be an issue.

                        Like Holliday with the Cardinals, at this point, Damon seems to have only one team openly interested in his services. So even if Boras can somehow manage to hook the Yankees with Holliday, he creates another problem in the process, having to start over finding a new home for Damon. It may not be an easy task to interest another taker in the past-his-prime 36-year-old at a price anywhere near the amounts being discussed.

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                        The Cardinal Nation Blog top stories of 2009 #20: Wagner Mateo

                        The sweetest amateur free agent signing in St. Louis Cardinals team history quickly went sour.

                        Wagner Mateo (AP Photo/Carlos Alonzo)The Wagner Mateo era in St. Louis lasted exactly 82 days, from signing on July 2 to the September 22 announcement that the 16-year-old’s club-record $3.1 million contract had been voided. It had been the second-largest bonus ever given to an amateur Latin American player and the largest bonus for a Latin American hitter.

                        Late in July, Mateo had been introduced to the press amid great pomp and circumstance in St. Louis, a day that included the teenager taking batting practice at Busch Stadium. Club officials gushed that the centerfielder would have been a top ten talent had he been a part of the regular June First-Year Player Draft.

                        The excitement almost immediately turned to dismay.

                        As the result of a physical examination held during that same trip, the Cardinals determined the Dominican Republic native had pre-existing injuries and physical defects in his right eye that may be degenerative in nature. Those problems led to the decision by the club to void the contract within the allowable 90-day window post-signing.

                        Mateo’s agent and trainer Edgar Mercedes disagreed, stating an incorrect sizing of the teenager’s contact lenses led to an infection that affected his cornea. The agent asserted there was nothing more to the problem than that, the issue had been diagnosed and Mateo was on track in his recovery. He hinted legal action might be initiated.

                        It would seem the rest of the baseball world shares at least some of the Cardinals concern. While Mateo has continued to demonstrate his skills at workouts and showcases, no other club has yet re-signed the talented youngster in the subsequent 90 days. If and when Mateo does secure a new contract, rumors are that it could be a third or less of his voided Cardinals deal.

                        Though organization officials assert it is not the case, others wonder if the negative publicity in the US and abroad could impact the Cardinals’ growing Latin American initiatives.

                        Only time will tell.

                        Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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                        It’s about time for Mo to channel his inner Theo

                        The St. Louis Cardinals are getting to the point where they need to force Scott Boras to declare his hand regarding Matt Holliday.

                        Those who read this blog regularly may think I am making a major flip-flop here.

                        Epstein with Edgar Renteria, December 2004 (Darren McCollester/Getty Images)After having been a consistent critic of Boston general manager Theo Epstein for his long history of paying off bad contracts (see photo for one example), why would I now be encouraging his St. Louis Cardinals counterpart John Mozeliak to model his behavior after the Red Sox leader?

                        Here’s why.

                        Both GMs were in a similar situation this off-season, having acquired high-profile but impending free agent outfielders via trade. The Sox picked up Jason Bay in the summer of 2008 while the Cardinals added Matt Holliday this July.

                        Each club wanted their player back for 2010 and beyond, but their approaches have differed.

                        Epstein made what appears to be a fair, early offer to Bay, which was turned down. He reportedly came back with a second proposal, but when it seemed clear it would not be accepted, Boston moved on.

                        The Sox have since signed a lesser replacement outfielder in Mike Cameron, but also added free agent pitcher John Lackey, are trying to dump another bad contract in Mike Lowell and are rumored to be after first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in trade.

                        Mozeliak waited to make his initial offer to agent Scott Boras for Holliday. He then reportedly “tweaked” his bid.

                        Unlike Epstein, Mo has been unclear on his strategy following his second offer. Beyond the one-year deal with Brad Penny, the Cardinals have not moved to fill other needs, given the need to settle the Holliday situation first. But how long can St. Louis wait?

                        Comments directly attributed to Mozeliak in recent days are contradictory. One report had him setting a hard deadline with Boras mid-week this week while others indicate he is shying away from drawing a line in the sand.

                        Boras may not have any other clubs deeply interested in his client and as such, given his way, he would string the Cardinals along as long as it takes to unearth a second, higher bidder – but only if they let him.

                        There are differing rumors as to the depth of the Mets’ interest in Holliday. Sports Illustrated reports New York may be speaking with Boras on Wednesday, but it could be only a ploy to try to get Bay committed. ESPN’s Buster Olney has the Mets taking a more passive stance, noting they are “monitoring the Holliday negotiations, but are not actively involved”, and suggesting Holliday is out of the price range of the New Yorkers.

                        If the Cardinals have made a pair of fair bids and Boras won’t accept, it may very soon be time to move on, as Epstein did rather than continue to indefinitely chase after Bay.

                        But there is the issue of exactly what the Cardinals bid is. Is it fair? Is it aggressive? Is it five years or eight years?

                        On Tuesday, Olney wrote this about the Cardinals plans: “the intention is to stand on a five-year offer”. At the end of his article, Olney acknowledges the bid reported by Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch “worth about $16 million for as much as eight years” without even attempting to rationalize the two seemingly-conflicting rumors.

                        Some possibilities for the mismatch:

                        • The rumors were captured at different times. What was the Cardinals’ offer “pre-tweaking”?
                        • The rumors could have been sourced from different camps. If one had to guess, one might expect that the P-D may be getting their information from St. Louis while ESPN may be closer to Boras’ lips.
                        • The two may have a different interpretation of how variations like escape clauses, options and buyouts are reflected.

                        Not all contracts are the same, even when supposedly for the same duration. Here are some examples from what could be an almost infinite number of possibilities:

                        • An eight-year contract with a player escape clause after five years is an eight-year contract, but obviously one with a huge hole in it.
                        • A five-year contract with three subsequent option years is generally not considered an eight-year contract until the options are picked up or vested through incentives like appearances, innings pitched or at-bats.
                        • An eight-year contract with only five years guaranteed is not an eight-year contract. It is nothing more than misleading wording for a five-year contract with three option years.
                        • An eight-year contract with five years guaranteed, three option years and a buyout for the final three years is still just a five-year contract. Its minimum, quoted value is higher – the total of years one through five, plus the buyout amount.

                        For example, Albert Pujols signed a seven-year, $100 million contract in 2003. Year eight, covering 2011, is an option at $16 million or the Cardinals can decline, paying Albert a $5 million buyout. The $5 million was added to the $95 million in salary for years one through seven to reach the $100 million minimum commitment. Once the year eight option is formally picked up by the Cardinals, the deal will become eight years, $111 million.

                        Another example is Adam Wainwright’s contract, signed prior to the 2008 season. It covers four years for a total of $15 million. That is the quoted amount. In addition there are club options for years five and six that will total either $21 million or $22 million. The higher amount is based on winning the Cy Young Award in either of the next two seasons. Just one top five placement in the vote in either upcoming season guarantees the final two option years for Wainwright. That would upgrade his deal to six years, $36 million or $37 million.

                        Whether any of these possibilities are among what is being discussed between Boras and Mozeliak remains to be seen. But whatever Mo does, it is just about time to channel his inner Theo. Here is hoping he is up to it.

                        Elias Ranking the St. Louis Cardinals roster

                        Relative value of players is very active hot stove topic on pretty much any message board you might check, especially this time of year.

                        Though the Elias Rankings are primarily used to determine compensation for free agents, they can also offer an interesting comparison point for all players, free agent or not. The rankings are the official system agreed-to by both ownership and the players’ union.

                        The secret formulas combine the most recent two years of selected statistics, including batting average, home runs and RBI for hitters and innings-pitched, ERA, saves and strikeouts for pitchers. Players are lumped into one of five positional groupings – first basemen/outfielders/designated hitters, catchers, second basemen/shortstops/third basemen, starting pitchers and relievers.

                        Type A players are among the top 20 percent of all players in their league in their positional grouping. A team that loses a Type A free agent after offering that player arbitration receives a draft pick from the signing club plus a compensatory pick.

                        Type B players are among 21 percent to 40 percent in their grouping. A club that loses a Type B free agent to another team after offering arbitration receives a sandwich pick between rounds of the next June’s draft.

                        The final 60 percent of the players are denoted below as “NC” for no compensation.

                        How to read the table: For example, Skip Schumaker scored 69.394. I don’t know why he remains with the first basemen and outfielders a year after moving to second base, but that is where he is. Among those first basemen and outfielders, Skip’s score places him 27th. Because the top 20 percent works out to 26 players, Schumaker just missed being a Type A and instead is the highest-ranked Type B. Along with Ryan Ludwick, he is eligible for the arbitration process to set his 2010 salary if he cannot come to terms with the Cardinals first.

                        NL 2008-2009 Pos group Grp rank Score Type Rank w/in type Status
                        Albert Pujols 1B/OF 1 97.037 A 1
                        Matt Holliday 1B/OF 2 95.96 A 2 FA
                        Ryan Ludwick 1B/OF 11 83.838 A 11 arb
                        Skip Schumaker 1B/OF 27 69.394 B 1 arb
                        Rick Ankiel 1B/OF 66 52.727 NC 16 FA
                        Colby Rasmus 1B/OF 89t 34.747 NC 49t
                        Yadier Molina C 6 76.122 A 6
                        Jason LaRue C 32 24.082 NC 18 FA*
                        Mark DeRosa 2B/SS/3B 19 70.33 B 2 FA
                        Troy Glaus 2B/SS/3B 23t 67.033 B 6t FA
                        Brendan Ryan 2B/SS/3B 39 56 NC 5
                        Khalil Greene 2B/SS/3B 57t 39.429 NC 23t FA
                        Joe Thurston 2B/SS/3B 81 13.462 NC 47 FA#
                        Adam Wainwright SP 3 93.492 A 3
                        Kyle Lohse SP 27 70 B 6
                        Joel Pineiro SP 28 67.302 B 7 FA
                        Chris Carpenter SP 31 65.873 B 10
                        Todd Wellemeyer SP 47 56.349 NC 5 FA
                        John Smoltz SP 83 25.476 NC 41 FA
                        Mitchell Boggs SP 91t 20.397 NC 49t
                        Trever Miller RP 24t 74.628 A 24t
                        Ryan Franklin RP 27 73.455 A 27
                        Dennys Reyes RP 35 67.277 B 4
                        Kyle McClellan RP 36 66.419 B 5
                        Jason Motte RP 77 51.588 NC 15
                        Blake Hawksworth RP 85 46.167 NC 23
                        Brad Thompson RP 89 45.481 NC 27 rlsd

                        * re-signed with St. Louis
                        # minor league free agent

                        Other ranking factoids:

                        • Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday really are the big two.
                        • Ludwick stands 11th among all NL first basemen and outfielders.
                        • Despite an injury plagued 2009 for Kyle Lohse and the standout year for Joel Pineiro, the former is still ranked higher.
                        • Because Chris Carpenter missed almost one entire season of the two, Pineiro ranks ahead of him.
                        • At least according to the formula, Trever Miller ranks ahead of Ryan Franklin.

                        There is some interest in revisiting the Elias Rankings for the next collective bargaining agreement between the players union and ownership, but for at least two more years, these will remain the rules of the road.

                        Help La Russa help Selig improve the game

                        An errant tweet pre-announced a new MLB initiative. You can get in on the ground floor.

                        On Monday afternoon, the official St. Louis Cardinals twitter account posted the following:

                        “La Russa has been selected by commish Bud Selig to serve on a panel to discuss ways to improve game”

                        My immediate retort: “Is a new commish out of scope?”

                        Bud Selig and Tony La Russa, October 2005 (AP/Tom Gannam)Putting the humor aside, something appeared to be amiss when the tweet was removed by the Cardinals shortly after its posting. But by then, it had been re-tweeted by others, including MLB, and viewed by who knows how many.

                        Later in the afternoon, Maury Brown of bizofbaseball.com asked if anyone knew the reason for a noon Eastern time Tuesday conference call to be hosted by Selig. Brown said Selig “will make an announcement regarding on-field matters.” The MLB release goes on to say that other participants will be announced prior to Tuesday’s conference call.

                        I put two and two together, suggesting to Brown and the Twitterverse that the errant tweet and the announcement may be related.

                        The Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss subsequently confirmed my suspicions. The official announcement of the new initiative will be on Tuesday.

                        Who knows Selig’s motives for selecting the Cardinals long-time manager? Perhaps he is helping La Russa ease into his post-managing desire to somehow be involved “upstairs”. How about starting a campaign to have La Russa named to replace Bob Watson as MLB’s chief disciplinarian (officially vice president of rules and on-field operations) post-retirement? Think of the possibilities.

                        We don’t have to wait for Tuesday’s announcement. Let’s get started with a list we can forward on to La Russa with the things we would most like to see implemented to improve the game.

                        The only ground rules are that we need to stick to matters that have to do with the game as played between the lines. As a result, some of my pet peeves like the television blackouts and international draft are off limits, but others like instant reply and the designated hitter would seem to be ok.

                        So, Cardinal Nation, what do you think?

                        In other news:

                        FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal believes the Boston Red Sox and free agent outfielder Mike Cameron are in serious discussions regarding a two-year contract.

                        Rosenthal states he is unsure whether Cameron would play in left field or center. Given Jacoby Ellsbury seems set in center and J.D. Drew is in right (when not dealing with owies), it seems this could be a ploy to either get Jason Bay back in house or to move on with a new left fielder. The Sox also recently picked up outfielder Jeremy Hermida from Florida and David Ortiz is locked in as the designated hitter.

                        Where would that leave Scott Boras and Matt Holliday?

                        Other Monday rumors have the Cardinals among teams interested in three non-tenders, starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang (Yankees), reliever Matt Capps (Pirates) and second baseman Kelly Johnson (Braves).