Category Archives: St. Louis Cardinals

2009 recap of Cardinals pitchers hitting eighth

Since we have been on the theme of St. Louis Cardinals pitchers with the bat over the last few days here at TheCardinalNationblog.com, I decided to take a quick run back through an interesting sideline to the 2009 season – the pitcher hitting eighth experiment.

Todd Wellemeyer had been the first guinea pig in 2009, batting eighth on April 8, in game three of the season. Perhaps because his team was playing what turned out to be their best baseball of the year during the first month, manager Tony La Russa did not return to having his pitcher hitting eighth until May 6.

It took until mid-season for La Russa to completely convert; then he went whole hog. Pitches hit eighth in 26 consecutive games from June 22. In 29 other games prior, La Russa had inked his pitcher into the number eight spot. In other words, pitchers were in the eighth place in 54 of the first 96 lineups of the season.

Then it all changed again. Game 96 marked the final time during this past campaign in which La Russa batted his pitcher eighth. It was the fifth game post-All Star break, an 11-6 loss to Houston at Minute Maid Park. Ironically, it was a Wellemeyer start, who served as the pitcher hitting eighth bookends of 2009.

Coming into game 97, the club had not been playing particularly inspired ball. Still a few days away from the arrival of Matt Holliday, the Cardinals were sitting at 51-45 (.531), holding a precarious two game lead in the NL Central Division on July 21.

Certainly more due the presence of Holliday, Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright than to a change in the batting placement of the pitcher, the Cardinals went 40-26 (.606) the rest of the way.

This is not a pure, in-depth analysis. It is more quick and dirty view of how the pitchers performed as hitters before July 22 and after. As such, the pre-July 22 stats include all pitchers hitting eighth numbers along with 38 games of hitting ninth numbers.

Other than offering a better slugging mark in the later period, the hitting of the pitchers did not seem to contribute much more to the club’s final push than they did before the pitcher hitting eighth experiment ended for 2009.

Pitchers AB Hits 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB HBP K SH SF GDP CI BA OBA Slug%
Through 7/21 196 30 5 0 1 7 5 0 2 69 21 0 1 0 0.153 0.182 0.194
7/22-10/4 140 22 6 1 2 10 4 0 1 43 14 0 1 0 0.157 0.186 0.257
2009 total 336 52 11 1 3 17 9 0 3 112 35 0 2 0 0.155 0.184 0.220

Walton on KXnO FOX Sports Radio Friday


Catch me talking Cardinals baseball with Matt Perrault and Ken Miller on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines today (Friday) at 6:05 p.m. Central.


Go to kxno.com for the live stream.


For Scout.com subscribers that miss it, I will post the audio at TheCardinalNation.com following the segment.

Cardinals Futures Game history uneven


In an earlier post, we considered number of league all-star game selections as one potential measure of relative yearly farm system strength. One variation introduced was participation in the annual MLB Futures Game, an all-star game of all-stars, so to speak.

Across MLB each summer, two equal rosters of top minor league prospects are selected respectively from the USA and outside the country, with the latter called the World team. The two squads face off in the game, held during MLB All-Star weekend.

Anything over the baseline of one yearly selection can be considered a positive indicator of top prospects at top levels of the organization, which is from where these players are sourced.

In the 11 years since the introduction of the Futures Game in 1999, the St. Louis Cardinals organization has been recognized with 20 invitations. The list includes 17 different players, with three having been named twice. Interestingly, the same 2005 draft class sourced all three multi-year selections, Colby Rasmus, Jaime Garcia and Bryan Anderson (pictured).

After having either one or two representatives each year, the Cardinals organization saw 2008 as their high-water mark to date at five selections. Not coincidentally, all three of the 2005 multi-year invitees were among them. Only three of the five Cardinals were active for the game however, as Garcia became ineligible to play due to his promotion to the major leagues while Rasmus was injured.

In 2009, the Cardinals also had three players in the contest held at Busch Stadium, Daryl Jones, Francisco Samuel and Brett Wallace, with the latter having since been traded away. Same fate for 2008 selection Jess Todd.

Of the 17 different Cardinals named to the game since its inception, only five have not yet reached the majors. All five appeared in the last two years and may still achieve the ultimate level of competition. They are Wallace, Anderson, Jones, Samuel and 2008 selection Fernando Salas.

Of their 13 Futures Game players originally drafted by the Cardinals, only three were compensatory picks, awarded to St. Louis for the loss of free agents to other clubs. The three are denoted by the letter “c” following their draft year and round below. They are Rasmus, Todd, taken in 2007, along with Josh Pearce from the 1999 draft.

In the following table, for informational purposes only, I also listed in parentheses selected Futures Game players then with other organizations who had either been Cardinals property previously or later became Cardinals.

Cardinals Futures Game selections by year, 1999-2009

Year # Name (draft yr-round)
2009 3 Wallace (’08-1) D Jones (’05-3) F Samuel (ND)
2008 5 Anderson (’05-4) Ja Garcia (p)(’05-22) F Salas (ND) Todd (’07-2c) Rasmus (i) (’05-1c)
2007 2 Anderson Rasmus
2006 1 Ja Garcia
2005 1 Lambert (’04-1) (D Barton)
2004 1 B Thompson (’02-16)
2003 1 Narveson (’00-2) (K Greene) (Ring)
2002 1 Journell (’99-4) (Wainwright)
2001 2 Ortega (ND) Pearce (’99-2c) (R Ludwick) (Pineiro)
2000 1 Saturria (ND)
1999 2 Ankiel (’97-2) Kennedy (’97-1) (Ozuna) (Mulder)

ND = non-drafted; i = injured, did not play; p = promoted, did not play

The final table breaks out the Futures Game selections by draft class. “Selections” include players invited more than once, while “Players” denote the number of unique names. The two right columns break out the quantity drafted between regular picks and compensatory ones.

Cardinals Futures Game 1999-2009 selections by draft round, 1997-2008 drafts

Draft Selections Players Regular Comp
2008 1 1 1
2007 1 1 1
2006 0
2005 7 4 3 1
2004 1 1 1
2003 0
2002 1 1 1
2001 0
2000 1 1 1
1999 2 2 1 1
1998 0
1997 2 2 2
Non-drafted 4 4
Total 20 17 10 3

Without the extraordinary class of 2005, Cardinals Futures Game selections probably would have remained at its previous level of one or two per year and may yet return there once that group of players age out of the development pipeline.

Cardinals spur Houston in-season managerial changes


The impending arrival of the St. Louis Cardinals late in the season seems to spell doom for the incumbent Houston manager, as the last two Astros changes occurred at a similar point.

In a supreme giveth and taketh away example, Cecil Cooper both received and lost his managerial assignment under those very circumstances. Perhaps it is too strong to say the Cardinals actually drove the change, yet the timing seems more than coincidence. It is easy to imagine that the Astros front office wants their club to play especially well against the rival that is on its way to its seventh post-season appearance this decade.

On August 28, 2007, former bench coach Cooper managed his first game as skipper of the Astros after taking over for the fired Phil Garner. On that evening, the Cardinals arrived at Houston’s Minute Maid Park. Cooper’s Astros lost his first game as a major league manager, 7-0, but come back to take the final two. He finished the season 15-16 and the “interim” title was removed.

With the Cardinals again set to appear in Houston, two years and a month after his hiring, Cooper was let go by the Astros on Monday. He was under fire even before his club lost seven in a row and eight of ten, including three against Milwaukee last weekend.

With the Astros formally eliminated from post-season contention, the front office apparently decided to drop the axe now. Third base coach Dave Clark will take over for the final two weeks of the season, 13 games in total. Like Cooper before him, Clark comes into the job no prior major league managerial experience. He is the franchise’s seventh manager since Tony La Russa joined St. Louis in 1996.

(Update: For the record, Clark’s club lost their first game under him on Monday to the Cardinals, 7-3.)

Overall, Cooper was just over .500 at 171-170 at the helm of the Astros. His record against St. Louis was only 16-18 (.471). Garner managed Houston to a comparable record against the Cardinals, 24-25 (.490), though he led his 2005 club to the NL pennant and a .524 mark in 530 games with the Astros.

I wasn’t a big Cooper fan, but I believe the Astros’ organizational issues are far deeper than can be fixed by the major league manager. With a barren farm system, a reliance on middling veterans and a dearth of major league pitching, Cooper’s ultimate successor may have a difficult time posting a winning record in 2010.

Cardinals early September results mean next to nothing


The weekend sweep by Atlanta over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium has put many of the team’s fans into a frenzy of worry and doubt. Coming into Monday’s action, the Cardinals had gone just 5-5 over their last ten games and 7-5 overall in September.

An insightful post on this blog Monday noted that of the six division leaders across MLB, only the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had a record better than 6-4 over their most recent ten contests.

That got me to wondering how recent world champions fared during the start of September and through the remainder of the regular season. Results from this decade follow.

Of course, not taken into account are such relevant comparison factors as home-road, quality of opponent, current standings or really anything other than simple won-loss record.

The first columns show the teams’ records for the first dozen games in September and the next columns denote their results from September 1 through the end of the regular season. The far right column indicates a comparison of the two – whether the team played better or worse as the season drew to a close.

Compared to this decade’s World Series winners, the current Cardinals at 7-5 this month to-date would tie for the third-worst September start, following the 2001 Diamondbacks and the 2004 Cardinals and tied with last year’s champs from Philadelphia.

It is also worth noting that only the 2001 Arizona club and the 2008 Phillies finished the season with a better closing record than what they registered over their first dozen September games. In other words, seven of the nine last World Series champions played worse ball as the season’s end drew near than they did during the first dozen games of September.

This is not hard to rationalize as most of these clubs still finished strongly. Only the 2000 Yankees and 2004 Cards actually posted a losing regular-season record in September/October.

Perhaps some began to rest more regulars as their post-season spots were assured. Maybe one or two even let up a little bit. Yet when the October bell rang, each answered, winning the most important 11 games of them all.

Are there any more conclusions to draw here relative to the 2009 Cardinals? No, I don’t think there are.

Regular season wins, first 12 games of September and September 1 through end of regular season, World Series winner, 2000-2008

1st 12 in Sept W L Pct. 9/1 to end W L Pct. Better/worse
2009 St. Louis 7 5 0.583
WS winner WS winner
2008 Philadelphia 7 5 0.583 Philadelphia 17 8 0.680 Better
2007 Boston 9 3 0.750 Boston 16 11 0.593 Worse
2006 St. Louis 6 6 0.500 St. Louis 12 17 0.414 Worse
2005 White Sox 8 4 0.667 White Sox 19 12 0.613 Worse
2004 Boston 9 3 0.750 Boston 21 11 0.656 Worse
2003 Florida 10 2 0.833 Florida 18 8 0.692 Worse
2002 Anaheim 11 1 0.917 Anaheim 18 9 0.667 Worse
2001 Arizona 4 8 0.333 Arizona 14 13 0.519 Better
2000 Yankees 9 3 0.750 Yankees 13 18 0.419 Worse
Total 73 35 0.676 Total 148 107 0.580 Worse

Cardinals crush classy closers


Over just the last three weeks, the St. Louis Cardinals have come from behind four times in the final innings to either tie a game or win it against four top National League closers. The victims have been the Dodgers’ Jonathan Broxton, the Mets’ Francisco Rodriguez, the Pirates’ Matt Capps and most recently, the Padres’ Heath Bell.

Let’s look into each contest. Notice how several of the closers’ seasons seemed to have taken a downturn after they failed against St. Louis.

Sunday, August 16 at Busch: Cardinals 7, Padres 5 – Bell rung

Both teams waited through two rain delays totaling two hours and 19 minutes before the Cardinals scored three in the ninth to come from behind to win. Key blows against Bell were singles by Ryan Ludwick and Yadier Molina and a two-run walk off home run by Colby Rasmus.

Bell was the losing pitcher and took a blown save too. It was his first outing in St. Louis since having also taken the defeat in the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch last month. In his favor, Bell came back to earn a win against the Cubs on Monday – a doubly good outcome.

The August 16 victory gave the Cardinals a three-game sweep of the visitors and capped a 5-1 homestand. It helped the team reach two milestones as it was the first time St. Louis had been 15 games over .500 this season (67-52) and their first five-game lead in the National League Central Division race.

Sunday, August 9 at Pittsburgh: Cardinals 7, Pirates 3 – Capps blasted

In the eighth, a two-run home run by pinch-hitter Skip Schumaker gave the Cardinals the lead against Capps. A controversial plunking of Albert Pujols followed, an act which caused Capps to be ejected. A two-run double by Ludwick and a run-scoring single by Khalil Greene then padded the Cardinals’ lead.

Capps took the daily double with both the blown save and the loss. He had converted 21 of 23 save opportunities prior to that. In the eight days since, pitching for the woeful Pirates, he hasn’t had another chance at a save, though he did yield three runs in just 2/3 of an inning last Thursday.

The come-from-behind victory sent the Cards 11 games over .500 for the first time all season and put them two games ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, at the time their largest edge since July 21.

Tuesday, August 4 at New York: Cardinals 12, Mets 7 (10 innings) – K-Rod clobbered

The Cardinals rallied from two runs down in the final inning of regulation against Rodriguez. Julio Lugo and Schumaker delivered two-strike, run-scoring hits off K-Rod in the ninth inning, with Skip’s tying the game at 7-7. After K-Rod exited, Mark DeRosa plated the game winner on a hit-by-pitch and Pujols broke out of a slump with a grand slam in the tenth to put it away.

K-Rod took the blown save, only his fourth of the season in 28 opportunities at that time. Since that night, in five save chances, he has blown two (including one loss).

Wednesday, July 29 at Busch: Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2 (15 innings) – Broxton bashed

The Cardinals were down to their last strike, losing 1-0 in the ninth when Rasmus’ broken-bat, opposite-field RBI single off Broxton sent the game into extra innings. In a marathon that lasted 15 innings over 4 hours, 53 minutes and included 453 pitches, St. Louis eventually won the game against former Cardinals starter Jeff Weaver in the 15th.

The blown save ended Broxton’s run of 12 consecutive saves and was just his third blown save of the season in 26 chances. Since, he has blown two of his four save opportunities and of course could be facing the Cardinals again on Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Dodger Stadium.

St. Louis and Memphis: Like father, like son


The other day, I wrote an article lauding the progress made by the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds this season to claw back from an 8 ½ game deficit to claim first place in the Northern Division of the Pacific Coast League this past week. Given their struggles in recent years prior to a second-place finish at 75-67 in 2008, Memphis’ current situation seems noteworthy.

As I scanned the stat sheets of the Major League club this past afternoon in New York, I began to notice some striking similarities between the Cardinals and their Triple-A brethren – and I don’t just mean the names on the rosters as players have gone up and down between the two clubs all season long.

The Cardinals are also in a dogfight for their division, within a half game of the National League Central lead one way or the other since the 26th of May.

The two club’s records through Wednesday are almost identical. Memphis has played one more game and has one more loss.

Both clubs had winning Aprils and Julys, but experienced losing months in between in May and June. I found this most striking.

Each of the teams’ longest winning streak is five games. The Cardinals have done it three times; the Redbirds twice.

Memphis’ longest losing streak is one more game than St. Louis’ at six.

When considering run scoring, the two are close, though not identical. The Redbirds are two games better than .500 when plating three, while the Cardinals are slightly better when scoring more than three.

The big difference is in play on the road. The Cardinals are following part of the formula I was taught long ago for a playoff season – win half of your road games. Where they are failing is in not winning two of every three at home. (The formula would get a MLB team playing a 162-game schedule 95 wins.)

Unlike St. Louis, the Redbirds are close to the 66 percent home victory ideal, but are eight games under .500 away from AutoZone Park. As was noted by “Memphis25” the other day in the comments following the initial Memphis article, the majority of the Redbirds’ remaining games are on the road, 20 of their remaining 32. On the other hand, St. Louis has 27 home tilts and 25 away games ahead.

“Memphis25” also commented on the difficulty of schedule facing the Redbirds, with all but one series remaining against the top two teams in their respective divisions. The Cardinals are approaching a stretch with relatively weaker opponents in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, San Diego, Houston and Washington in August. The list includes all three NL cellar-dwellers and each of those clubs listed currently has a losing record.

While St. Louis may appear to have the easier road ahead, the games have yet to be played, says the tired but accurate cliché.

Still, when all is considered, the similarities between where these two clubs currently stand seemed interesting enough to call it out.

Thru 8/5 St. Louis Memphis
Record 59-51 59-52
By Month
April 16-7 12-8
May 13-14 14-16
June 12-17 11-16
July 16-11 18-11
August 2-2 4-1
Streaks
Win 5 (3x) 5 (2x)
Loss 5 6
Record when
< 3 runs 5-26 6-30
3 runs 10-12 10-8
> 3 runs 44-13 43-14
Record
Home 31-23 37-22
Road 28-28 22-30

Scout.com Cardinals site gets new name


Effective Monday, July 27, Scout.com’s St. Louis Cardinals’ website has been renamed “The Cardinal Nation”. “The Birdhouse” name has been retired.

While our name has changed, in terms of site access, nothing has changed – other than a new logo and the fact that the URL thecardinalnation.com will be pointing to stlcardinals.scout.com, instead of here.

All of our writers remain and their content continues uninterrupted, including prospect interviews, team reports, and insider news. Our great free features continue like our daily major and minor league reports, extensive player database with photos and links to an entire career of feature articles, along with free message boards to discuss and debate the Cardinals and their minor league affiliates.

“The Cardinal Nation blog”, thecardinalnationblog.com, continues right here with my more personal commentary and opinion-type pieces.

To summarize the URLs:

Scout.com website, The Cardinal Nation: stlcardinals.scout.com or thecardinalnation.com

My blog, The Cardinal Nation blog: thecardinalnationblog.com

I appreciate your readership and hope you like the changes and increased energy we are bringing to the Scout.com site.

As it has all along, this blog will remain ad-free, clutter-free and will offer new Cardinals news and commentary on a daily basis – because I love what I do. Thanks for stopping by!

Mediocre starters dominating Cardinals


Nothing against Rodrigo Lopez, but I have to admit that the right-handed pitcher inspired this article. Saturday’s starter for the Philadelphia Phillies went six innings on three earned runs for the win.

While Lopez has a surprising 3.09 ERA this season, it is in just 23 1/3 Major League innings. Simply put, Lopez is a journeyman who failed as a starter in Baltimore, for Pete’s sake, and has a 4.76 career ERA. He has spent most of the last two seasons in the minor leagues.

Lopez joins a list of seven other veteran below-average pitchers who have dominated the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009. Each of the following seven has a season ERA of basically five or more, averaging 5.81. In aggregate, including their seven wins over the Cardinals, the group has a 33-41 record.

Take away their Cards wins and the “Magnificent Seven” are 26-41 (.388). As a point of reference, 29 of the 30 MLB teams have a better win percentage than .388. Only the hideous Washington Nationals are worse.

Given the Cardinals’ ongoing challenges against left-handed pitching, it is not surprising that four of the seven are lefties. Perhaps the club’s addition of right-handed bats Julio Lugo, Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa will change matters, but they did not on Saturday against the righty Lopez.

Date Team Pitcher L-R Score Inn ER 09 ERA 09 W-L Comments
5/2 WAS Shairon Martis R 6-1 9 1 5.25 5-3 Sent to AAA in June
5/17 MIL Manny Parra L 8-2 6 2 6.42 4-8 In AAA from 6/14-7/9
6/5 COL Jorge De La Rosa L 11-4 6 2/3 3 4.95 7-7 3 games in ’09 w/7 ER each
6/12 CLE David Huff L 7-3 7 1/3 3 6.39 5-4 Came up on 5/17
6/22 NYM Tim Redding R 6-4 7 4 7.16 1-4 May be released
6/28 MIN Francisco Liriano L 6-2 7 2 5.56 4-10 Double-digit losses already
7/20 HOU Brian Moehler R 3-2 6 1/3 2 4.92 7-5 Career 82-96, 4.74
5.81 33-41

Is publishing players’ home addresses going too far?


Where does the First Amendment end and the right to personal privacy begin?

In today’s world, lines are blurred as traditional media strives to be more edgy and accessible while new forms of media continually test long-established boundaries.

Heading up to the All-Star Game, an incident occurred that seems worthy of further review, sort of like how a questionable home run call now can rely on the use of instant replay.

Riverfront Times, a St. Louis-based print and online entity, fosters a “reputation for tweaking townsfolk in high places”. RFT also has a serious, professional side as evidenced by their recent “Guide to All-Star Week”, a document designed to provide visitors useful information about events, activities, restaurants and nightlife.

It seemed an admirable effort – with one possible exception. In a section whose subject was touring St. Louis-based baseball landmarks, the Guide included home addresses of a number of current and former Cardinals players, including Albert Pujols.

This reportedly incensed several members of the organization, including The Franchise, and as a result, RFT’s credentials for the All-Star Game and regular season were revoked by the Cardinals and MLB.

In an apology that seemed less than fully sincere, RFT not only pointed out that the source of the addresses was tax rolls available to anyone anonymously on the internet, apparently as a public service, they also provided the link. I guess that way in case you didn’t pick up a copy of the Guide, you can search out your favorite Cardinals’ home addresses yourself.

Sadly, in the world in which we live, public figures and their families need to be concerned about their security at all times. This certainly includes professional baseball players. Too many examples of senseless violence have occurred that could have been avoided.

Fans have every right to attend Cardinals games and cheer or boo their favorite or least-favorite player, but shouldn’t the line be drawn before we reach the point that they and their families’ homes become the target of an onslaught of gawkers like out of some cheesy Beverly Hills scene?

Time to admit there WAS “dry powder”


Despite what some think, the St. Louis Cardinals are spending money. Where is all the “DeWallet” whining now?


Thursday’s official confirmation that the St. Louis Cardinals organization has formally signed 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo (pictured) for a reported $3.1 million signing bonus comes on top of last Saturday’s trade for Major League infielder/outfielder Mark DeRosa.

Mateo’s deal is almost three times the organization’s largest previous bonus paid to a Latin American amateur, the $1.1 million reportedly given to last July 2nd’s big signing, third baseman Roberto De La Cruz, also from the Dominican Republic.

Putting aside the risks of doling out that much money to kid of just 16 years of age, one cannot dispute the Cardinals’ willingness to make such a significant financial commitment to someone they believe can grow into being an impact Major Leaguer down the road.

In securing the services of DeRosa, a free agent following this season, the Cardinals took on a half-season’s worth of his salary, approximately $2.8 million. The aggressive move was made a month earlier than the trade deadline and put the Cardinals’ National League Central opponents on the defensive – a marked change from 2008, when the shoe was on the other foot.

This total of about $6 million ($3.1 for Mateo and $2.8 for DeRosa) does not represent expenditures that the organization was required to make. They were clearly carried out with a balanced view toward the present (DeRosa) and the future (Mateo).

In the DeRosa deal, the Cardinals also gave up two of their “precious Faberge eggs”, reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later, rumored to be among a list of players that include pitchers Jess Todd (our Scout.com fourth-ranked Cardinals prospect) and Francisco Samuel (19th on the same list).

So, I have read all the criticism and the childish name-calling for months. Where are the columns now that give credit where credit is due to the ownership group for dealing and spending to improve and invest?

Here is one.

I admit that I was among the skeptics when club officials said over the winter that they would be keeping some of their powder dry – in other words, not immediately spending all of their expense budget in this tough economy while holding back until during the season.

It was easy to assume this was a hollow promise designed to soften the blow of a reduced Major League player budget compared to 2008. Some critics chose to ignore both the eroding economy as well as a significant trend all across MLB to cut player expenditures, as if the Cardinals were isolated and insulated from the rest of the world.

So far, the organization has lived up to its word.

Yet if the club continues to flail on the field, these expenditures will quickly be forgotten amid the pleas to spend more via acquiring other Major Leaguers for the final two or three months.

Though in an ideal world, we would all probably like to see the Cardinals commit more and more, it is time to admit that they have followed through in a tangible manner and not let their positive moves this week be taken for granted.

The Cardinals organization roster matrix: Short-season update

Following is the most current St. Louis Cardinals system roster matrix, including the initial 2009 rosters of the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League, Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League and the Gulf Coast League Cardinals.

I apologize for the delay in posting, but I needed to get an accurate GCL roster. There are still unassigned players noted below. When I get a read on their status, this matrix will be updated and the changes listed.

Hopefully, you have been here to the site previously and know what the Cardinals organization roster matrix is all about. If not, here is quick summary:

At the time of this posting, the St. Louis Cardinals have 318 players under contract – 280 previous players augmented by 38 signed members of the 2009 draft class. The matrix places each one at his current assigned level in the system as well as by position. It is kept updated throughout the season. Nowhere else will you find this comprehensive information in one place.

You will also note that I separated the pitchers on the short-season rosters between 2009 draftees and returning pitchers. At this point, starting and relieving roles are unclear and fluid.

This should be the version of the roster matrix I will be updating the rest of the summer, so remember how to find this page. Type “Roster Matrix” in the dark blue search box at the upper right or use the dropdown menu at the top of the page “Players/Staff” > “Depth Charts/Roster Matrix”.

For details behind the format used in the matrix as well as 2009 transactions to date, check out the earlier versions of the Cardinals organization roster matrix as follows:

Link to previous matrices: Jan–March 2009, April 2009, May 2009, June 2009

Transactions

June 23 updates: Mem 1B Javier Brito released. RHP Oneli Perez assigned to Mem. Mem LHR Kat Maekawa onto temporary inactive list.

June 24 updates: 2B Jaime Landin to Bat restricted list. P Edouard Estalis from EST to DSL. Ps Jose Arredondo and Matt North plus OF Joey Hage on JC DL.

June 25 updates: IF Jason Stidham (8th rd) to QC. IF Alex Castellanos to QC DL. New total 319.

June 26 updates: C Brandon Yarbrough off Mem DL. IF Allen Craig (retro to 6/25) and C Bryan Anderson onto Mem DL.

June 27 updates: 1B Mark Hamilton from Spr DL to Mem. RHR Chris Perez traded from StL to Cle for IF/OF Mark DeRosa. LHP Jonny Bravo from QC DL to GCL (rehab only).

June 29 updates: RHP Clayton Mortensen onto 40-man, from Mem to StL. IF Khalil Greene onto StL DL. LHR Kat Maekawa to Mem active roster from temp inactive list.

Earlier moves missed: OF Edwin Gomez Bat to GCL on 6/23. IF Hector Alvarez Bat to JC on 6/25. RHS David Kopp to Spr DL on 6/10.

June 30 updates: IF Alex Castellanos act from QC DL. IF Guillermo Toribio from QC to Bat.

July 1 updates: IF Brett Lilley and OF Paul Cruz released (QC). RHR Andres Rosales QC to Bat. 3B Matt Carpenter Bat to QC. OF Kyle Conley (7th rd) and RHP Nick McCully (9th rd) to QC. RHP Clayton Mortensen StL to Mem and 2B Jarrett Hoffpauir from Mem to StL. RHP Joe Kelly (3rd rd) to Bat.

July 2 update: OF Wagner Mateo signed (Dominican). New total 320.

July 3 updates: OF Daryl Jones to Spr DL, IF Daniel Descalso from Spr to Mem. OF Shane Peterson and IF Colt Sedbrook from PB to Spr. OF Andres Beras off susp (DSL). RHP Scott Bittle (4th rd) signed. New total 321.

July 4 updates: 1B/OF Andrew Brown off Spr DL, assigned to PB. LHR Ian Ostlund onto Mem DL.

July 6 updates: IF Tyler Greene from StL to Mem. IF Brian Barden from Mem to StL. C Juan Castillo back on restricted list (GCL).

July 7 updates: IF Mark DeRosa to StL DL. OF Nick Stavinoha from Mem to StL. C Paul Vazquez to PB DL. C Charles Cutler from QC to PB. C Jack Cawley from Bat to QC. OF Joey Hage from JC DL to GCL. IF Allen Craig act from Mem DL.

July 8 update: 1B Matt Arburr from Spr to PB.

July 9 updates: LHP Brad Furnish from Spr to PB. RHS Scott Gorgen from PB to Spr. RHR Fernando Salas from Mem DL to Spr. 1B/OF Andrew Brown from PB to Spr. RHP Trevor Rosenthal (21st rd) signed and assigned to GCL. RHP John Folino NOT signed, removed from Bat roster.

July 10 updates: OF Daryl Jones activated off Spr DL. RHR Eddie Degerman onto Spr DL.

July 11 updates: RHP P.J. Walters from Mem to StL. IF Brian Barden StL to Mem. RHP David Kopp activated from Spr DL.

July 12 updates: RHS Kyle Lohse activated from StL DL. RHP Blake Hawksworth StL to Mem.

July 13 updates: OF Daryl Jones returned to Spr DL. RHP Kenny Maiques from Spr susp list to Spr DL.

July 15 updates: RHP Jared Bradford from QC to GCL. C Jesus Montero from DSL to VSL. LHP Jonny Bravo from QC DL (via GCL rehab) to Bat. RHP Jorge Rondon PB to QC. RHS Brett Zawacki to QC DL. RHP Jose Arredondo from JC to GCL. 1B Mark Hamilton to Mem DL.

July 16 update: C Juan Castillo from GCL suspended list to DSL.

July 17 updates: IF Wilfred Vivas off VSL suspended list. RHP Eddie Degerman off Spr DL. RHP Brian Broderick from Spr to PB. LHP Kristhiam Linares off PB DL (GCL rehab).

July 18 updates: IF Mark DeRosa activated from StL DL. 2B Jarrett Hoffpauir from StL to Mem.

July 19 update: RHP Fermin Montanez signed, assigned to VSL. New total 322.

July 20 updates: IF Donovan Solano from Mem to Spr. RHP David Kopp from Spr to PB. RHP Cale Johnson from GCL to JC.

July 21 update: OF Chris Duncan from StL to Mem. IF Brian Barden from Mem to StL.

July 22 update: OF Chris Duncan traded to BOS for SS Julio Lugo.

July 23 updates: RHP P.J. Walters from StL to Mem. RHP Jose Pasen from DSL to GCL. P Scott Bittle from unassigned to PB DL.

July 24 updates: IF Brian Barden from StL to Mem. OF Matt Holliday from Oak for Brett Wallace (Mem), Clayton Mortensen (Mem), Shane Peterson (Spr). LHP Ian Ostlund off Mem DL. New total 320.

July 25 update: 3B David Freese from Mem DL to Spr (via 4G GCL rehab).

July 26 updates: RHP Josh Kinney from StL to Mem. RHP Blake Hawksworth from Mem to StL. RHP Jess Todd from Mem to CLE to complete Mark DeRosa trade. 1B Mark Hamilton off Mem DL. New total 319.

July 28 updates: RHP Trey Hearne from Spr to Mem. LHP Nick Additon from PB to Spr. RHR Eddie Degerman released (Spr). LHR Kat Maekawa to Mem DL.

July 30 updates: RHP Chuckie Fick from PB to Spr. LHS Hector Cardenas onto QC DL.

July 31 updates: 3B David Freese from Spr to Mem. LHP Samuel Freeman onto Spr DL. RHP Kenny Maiques released (Spr DL). LHP Justin Fiske from Spr DL to GCL. RHP Jared Bradford from GCL to PB. RHS Mitchell Boggs from Mem to StL. OF Nick Stavinoha from StL to Mem. RHP Yonathan Gonzalez from PB to QC. New total 317.

August 1 updates: LHP Justin Fiske from GCL rehab to Spr. RHS Mitchell Boggs from StL to Mem. IF Khalil Greene activated off StL DL. UT Casey Rowlett released from Mem. New total 316.

August 2 update: C Kevin Moscatel from GCL to PB.

August 3 updates: RHR Casey Mulligan from PB to Spr. 1B Osvaldo Morales, 3B Matt Carpenter, IF Jose Garcia, RHP Arquimedes Nieto from QC to PB. 3B Jermaine Curtis, IF Domnit Bolivar from PB to QC. 1B Xavier Scruggs, OF Ryde Rodriguez, OF D’Marcus Ingram, OF Kyle Conley from QC to Bat. RHP Justin Smith, 1B Matt Adams, OF Michael Swinson, RHP Jesse Simpson from JC to Bat. 3B Rich Racobaldo from JC to QC. RHP Daniel Richardson, OF Jairo Martinez released from Bat. New total 314.

August 4 updates: 2B Aaron Luna from PB to Spr. LHP Jaime Garcia from GCL to PB (rehab). From GCL to JC: RHPs Angel De Jesus and Zach Russell, 1B Jonathan Rodriguez, 3B Kleininger Teran, OF Joey Hage. OF Mark Shorey to Mem DL. RHP Fernando Salas from Spr to Mem. LHP Kat Maekawa off Mem DL and released. New total 313.

August 5 update: LHR Ian Ostlund onto Mem DL.

August 7 updates: IF Alex Castellanos from QC to PB. IF Guillermo Toribio from Bat to QC. IF Brian Barden outrighted off 40-man roster. LHP Pat Daugherty from GCL to JC. C Blake Murphy onto PB DL (retro 8/5).

August 9 update: RHP Javier Avendano from VSL to GCL.

August 10 updates: RHPs Jose Arredondo and Omar Javier released from GCL. 1B Matt Arburr onto PB DL. New total 311.

August 11 update: RHS Scott Schneider from Bat to QC. RHR Joel Pichardo to QC DL. RHP Mitchell Boggs from Mem to StL. RHP Todd Wellemeyer to StL DL.

August 12 update: LHR Ian Ostlund activated from Mem DL.

August 16 updates: C Blake Murphy off PB DL. C Kevin Moscatel from PB to GCL.

August 17 updates: IF Juan Cabrera from DSL to GCL. RHP Joel Pichardo off QC DL. RHP Miguel Tapia onto QC DL. 1st rd pick RHP Shelby Miller signed. New total 312.

August 18 updates: RHP Gary Daley from QC to Spr. RHP Mark Diapoules from PB DL to QC. LHR Tyler Norrick from Spr to Mem. OF Antone DeJesus onto Spr DL.

August 19 update: RHP John Smoltz signed. RHP Mitchell Boggs from StL to Mem. LHR Ian Ostlund onto Mem DL (retro 8/17). New total 312.

August 20 update: LHS Jaime Garcia off StL DL and optioned to Mem.

August 21 updates: RHS Trey Hearne from Mem to Spr. LHR Charlie Manning onto Mem DL. 1B Matt Arburr off PB DL.

August 22 updates: RHS Kyle Lohse onto StL DL. RHS Mitchell Boggs from Mem to StL. OF Mark Shorey off Mem DL. LHR Justin Fiske onto Spr DL.

August 24 updates: OF Daryl Jones off Spr DL. C Nick Derba onto Spr DL. OF Beau Riportella released (Bat). OF Edwin Gomez from GCL to Bat. New total 311.

August 25 updates: OF Mark Shorey onto Mem DL. LHR Ian Ostlund off Mem DL.

August 27 updates: RHP Keith Butler from GCL to JC. RHP Mark Diapoules from QC to PB. RHR Francisco Samuel to Spr DL. RHR Blake King from PB to Spr. OF Nick Stavinoha onto Mem DL. LHR Charlie Manning off Mem DL.

August 28 updates: RHR Elvis Hernandez off PB DL. RHP Pablo Ortiz from JC to GCL.

August 30 update: C Robert Stock from JC to QC.

September 1 updates: RHP David Kopp onto PB DL sometime after 8/22. 3B Troy Glaus activated off StL DL. OF Mark Shorey activated off Mem DL. 2B Daniel Descalso to inactive list for Team USA.

September 2 updates: RHPs Andrew Moss and Aaron Terry from JC to Bat.

September 3 updates: RHR Todd Wellemeyer off StL DL. RHP Shelby Miller activated by QC. C Roberto Espinoza onto QC DL. LHP Ryan Kulik onto Spr DL. LHP Justin Fiske off Spr DL

September 4 updates: LHS Jaime Garcia onto Mem temp inactive list. RHS Lance Lynn from Spr to Mem. RHP Scott McGregor onto QC DL. RHP Miguel Tapia off QC DL. C Paul Vazquez off PB DL. LHP George Brown onto PB DL.

September 5 updates: RHP Lance Lynn from Mem to Spr. 1B Curt Smith onto PB temp inactive list. 1B Matt Arburr onto PB DL.

September 6 update: RHP Kyle Lohse activated from StL DL.

September 8 updates: LHR Ian Ostlund onto Mem DL (retro 9/7), IF Donovan Solano from Spr to Mem. LHS Jaime Garcia off Mem temp inactive list. IF Jose Garcia from PB to Spr.

September 9 updates: LHP Ryan Kulik off Spr DL. RHR Blake King onto Spr DL.

September 22 update: Contract of July 2 signee OF Wagner Mateo is voided. New total 310.

September 23 updates: IFs Tyler Greene and David Freese, RHR Josh Kinney and C Matt Pagnozzi from Mem to StL. Pagnozzi added to 40-man roster.

October 6 update: IF Alan Ahmady (Bat) suspended 50 games, starting 2010 season.

October update: IF Brian Barden and LHR Royce Ring (both Mem) elected free agency. New total 308

October 17 update: RHP Elvis Hernandez (PB), C Jack Cawley (QC), 2b Guillermo Toribio (QC), RHP Tyler Leach (Bat), 1B Matt Rigoli (JC) released. New total 303.

October 19 update: RHR Fabian Marquez, IF Moises Marquez. OF Jose Cortez, SS Carlos Yeguez, RHR Gregorio Ramos. LHR Ruben Alvarado (all VSL) released. 2B Michael Avila (DSL) released. New total 296.

October 21 update: Signed RHP Kevin Cueto, 3B Ronnierd Garcia, RHP Jhonatan Escudero (VSL). New total 299.

October 29 update: Signed RHP Pedro Rodriguez. Released LHP Jonny Bravo.

November 3 updates: 2B Jarrett Hoffpauir claimed by Toronto. RHP Brad Thompson released. RHR Matt Scherer and IF Joe Thurston outrighted to minors. New total 297.

November 11 updates: RHP Angel Cruz and SS Juan Mosquera (GCL) released. New total 295. C/3B Wilmer Alvarado reinstated from inactive list and released.

November updates: Nine major leaguers declare free agency: John Smoltz, Todd Wellemeyer, Joel Pineiro, Jason LaRue, Mark DeRosa, Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus, Khalil Greene, Matt Holliday. Seven minor leaguers declare: Kristhiam Linares, Julio Castellano, Brandon Yarbrough, Oneli Perez, Evan MacLane, Ian Ostlund, Charlie Manning. New total 279.

November 18 updates: Eight added to 40-man roster: Allen Craig, Daryl Jones, Jon Jay, Bryan Anderson, Adam Ottavino, Mark Hamilton, Francisco Samuel, Tyler Norrick.

November 20 updates: 2B Joe Thurston declared free agency. RHR Omar Diaz released. New total 277.

November 30 updates: C Jason LaRue re-signs. IF Ruben Gotay signed to minor league deal with spring invite. New total 279.

December 4 update: DSL RHP Jefferson Segundo suspended 50 games.

December 8 update: Free agent RHS Brad Penny signs. New total 280.

December 10 updates: RHP Mike Parisi to ChC, LHP Ben Jukich to StL and LHP Matt Meyer to Mem in Rule 5. New total 281

December 11 update: RHP Mark McCormick released. New total 280.

December 21 update: GCL OF Tyler Bighames suspended 50 games.

January 5 update: Free agent OF Matt Holliday re-signs. New total 281.

January 14 updates: GCL RHP Geney Rios and IF Juan Cabrera released. Mem RHS Charlie Zink signed. New total 28.

January 20 updates: RHP Oneli Perez and LHP Evan MacLane re-signed (Mem). RHP Pablo Ortiz (GCL) to restricted list. New total 282.

January 26 updates: 17 non-roster invitees in italics. LHP Rich Hill signed to minor league deal with MLB camp invite. Minor league pitchers Rich Rundles, Yoffri Martinez and Houston Summers and IF Kevin Howard signed. New total 287.

February 22 updates: RHP Shelby Miller and LHP Samuel Freeman added to major league camp.

The St. Louis Cardinals Roster Matrix (effective 2/22/10)

St. Louis (25) 40-man (38)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
C Carpenter Franklin LaRue

 Pujols Schumaker Holliday
Lohse

Molina

Ryan

Penny McClellan Pagnozzi

Lugo

 Freese
 Ludwick
Wainwright Motte
 T Greene

 Rasmus

Hawksworth

Boggs

 T Miller (L)

Reyes (L)
Jukich (L)
Kinney
Memphis (25) 9 NRI
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
O Perez Parise Anderson
 Hamilton Descalso Craig
 Jay
MacLane Rundles (L) Gotay Howard

Cazana
Zink Scherer Solano Shorey
Ottavino
 Robinson
Ja Garcia (L) Salas Stavinoha
R Hill
Walters
Meyer (L)
Norrick (L)
Springfield (34) 7 NRI
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Gorgen M Gonzalez S Hill
 A Brown Luna Kozma Folli Jones
Additon (L) Fick T Cruz
 Jo Garcia Jo Martinez Rapoport
Dickson Freeman (L) Derba Sedbrook Ant. DeJesus
Lynn Samuel
 Henley
Kulik (L) Y Martinez Mather
Hearne Dew
King
Daley, Jr.
Sanchez
Mura
Fiske (L)
Mulligan
Summers
Palm Beach (25+1) 1 NRI
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
G Brown (L) Buursma P Vazquez Rivera Marmol M Carpenter Chambers
R Castillo  Eager Murphy C Smith Pham
Kopp Cutler Arburr A Castellanos Swauger
Furnish (L) Reifer Morales
Broderick
Nieto Bradford
Diapoules Garceau
Bittle
Quad Cities (27+1) 2 NRI
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
D Carpenter Scruggs Stidham Curtis Parejo
Fornataro Delgado Espinoza Bolivar Racobaldo R Rodriguez
Schneider Pichardo Stock Ingram
McCully Bogany
Cardenas (L) M Tapia
Thomas Frevert
Zawacki McGregor
S Miller Veres
Rondon
J Wilson (restr) Y Gonzalez
Batavia (29+2)
2009 draft P Other P C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Calhoun (L) Blazek L DeLaCruz Adams Landin (restr) Jackson N Vasquez
Corrigan Castro Ahmady (susp) Goodwin Mitchell
Ju Edwards (L) Hooker Gomez
Kelly Jo Edwards
Lavigne Maertz Conley
Simpson Mayes Swinson
Squatrito
J Smith Siegrist (L) Shepherd
Moss Rosales
Terry P Rodriguez
Johnson City (31)
2009 draft P Other P C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Durham (L) A Ferrara (L) Tartamella J Rodriguez L Mateo Y Castillo Teran Beatty
Heim (L) R Gonzalez A Perez Obregon R Smith
Kington Notti R Ruiz Lara
Lawler Alvarez R Rosario
Rada Hage
Novak Santos
Daugherty (L) Ang. DeJesus
C Johnson North
Russell
M Thompson
Butler
GCL (20+2)
2009 draft P Other P C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Calero Je Polanco D Medina Mambell R DeLaCruz Babrick
Rosenthal A Garcia Washington Valera Bighames (susp)
M DeLaCruz (L) A Castillo Moscatel V Hill
Rivero
H Hernandez (L) Avendano
Ortiz (restr)
Pasen
Munoz
Orozco
July 2 signings (0)
P P C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
DSL (32+2)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
A Tapia T4 Concepcion Alcala Pimentel G Hernandez Beras
Santana T2 L Mata L Perez V Ferreira J Lopez Encanacion
Jimenez T3 Rudecindo J Castillo W Perez J Pena
Urena R Reyes
Pinard T1 D Rodriguez (L) Hiraldo (restr) Sandoval
Herrera (L) T1 Mercedes (L) Taveras
S Lopez T4 P Pena (L)
Uribe (L) T3 Paulino
Segundo (susp)
B Martinez
Estalis
VSL (32+1)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Cedeno Rivas R Perez O Medina H Garcia Argenal
Bier Cueto Viloria Vargas R Garcia
Corpas Guzman Velazco Vivas H Martina Fonseca
Nieves Jh Polanco Montero Inojoza
Oraa Ulacio A Castellano
Colorado (L) Escudero Martines
Solarte
Weffer (L)
De Aguas (L)
Echeverria (L)
Villanueva (susp L)
Montanez

Codes:

(#): My Cardinals prospect ranking from over the winter at Scout.com

(i): injured – on the disabled list

(t): temporary inactive list

(susp): suspended list

(L) left-handed pitcher

Bold: on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster

(#+#) number of active players on the roster plus number of inactive (i+t+susp) players

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Cardinals New York minutes – 06/23/09


Spoke with an anxious Kyle Lohse at exactly 31 minutes before he was scheduled to throw a bullpen session of about 60 pitches. The injured right-hander noted he is already throwing faster than the 76 mph he managed before going on the shelf a month ago. His wife is expecting their second child, a daughter, in October, an event Lohse hopes to miss.

Tony La Russa was predictably non-committal about what he will do with his rotation when Lohse is ready. He did note that Todd Wellemeyer “is not pitching as good as he can”. The manager is only telling Brad Thompson to “take the ball and help us win” and in terms of any implications is “leaving the other stuff out of it”.

On Jess Todd Brad Thompson: “He was already proven” as a starting pitcher, but “if we would have had five starters, he would have been a reliever”.

Word is that Memphis outfielder Joe Mather had wrist surgery in Phoenix the last few days after first having a procedure on his hamate bone last September. This makes 2009 a complete washout for a player about whom there were great hopes coming into the season.

I asked TLR about Rob Rains’ new book, “Tony La Russa: Man on a Mission”. “He put a lot of work into it,” was La Russa’s initial comment. “I read about 100 pages before I was tired of reading about myself.” He acknowledged he “read it in pieces” and offered several corrections. (Former ChiSox GM Roland) “Hemond and Dunc also read it as they were a part of it.” La Russa thought the recent years in St. Louis had less detail than his early years in Chicago and Oakland but overall seemed very favorable about the book. (Note: Scout.com forum readers can win one of three autographed copies of the book for the best message board post in each of the months of June, July and August. More details here.)

Cards GM John Mozeliak is with the club and spent time of the field before the game chatting with his Mets counterpart Omar Minaya along with former Cardinal Eduardo Perez. La Russa noted that Perez has a “good feel” for the game and is a “natural for field manager”. He also commented that when with StL, Walt Jocketty tried to hire Perez for a front office position. Perez recommended both Joe Thurston and Juan Gonzalez to the Cardinals.

First impressions of Citi Field follow. TLR noted it was “supposed to play big”, but it “may not play as big in summer. It is a very fair park.” Both Chris Duncan and Khalil Greene noted that Shea was louder. Greene added that the acoustics of the closed Shea created “more energy” for both clubs. Brendan Ryan said the infield plays “a little fast, but is good”. All comments were positive, especially the predictable ones about the improved clubhouse over the below-average facilities at the now-demolished Shea Stadium.

Ryan was aware that he received some negative attention for his relay home late in Monday’s game. I saw the Keith Hernandez version on SportsNet New York. Ryan was well aware that he should have taken the throw turned sideways instead of with his back to the plate, but said the throw was breaking away from him. The shortstop commented that his intent remains to play “aggressive smart”.

When asked about Colby Rasmus’ catch on Monday, the manager called it “just good”, suggesting that the rookie “did not get back as well as he should.” Rasmus is not starting again Tuesday.

As La Russa was signing a baseball commemorating his 2500th win on Sunday and deciding which seat number from a block of tickets to select to send to a friend, he was asked about the feat. La Russa noted that two of his best friends, Tom Kelly and Jim Leyland “would have had 2500 or 2600 if they had been with my three teams. Both are outstanding.” TLR went on to reminisce about his “hellacious games” against Kelly’s Twins from 1987 through 1992.

La Russa was asked about the 1989 Oakland A’s reunion this evening, noting those three consecutive World Series clubs were “obscene” (ly good), winning 104, 99 and 103 games, respectively.

Rumors are that Troy Glaus is hitting down in Arizona, but having trouble making throws from third base. La Russa said that he had heard the same thing, but not directly. He made it pretty clear that Glaus won’t be back until he can play third base defensively.

The manager, an NL All-Star coach under Charlie Manuel, said he was told indirectly that Manuel “will talk to me and Joe (Torre) a lot about things.” He offered a quick “yes” when asked if he thought closer Ryan Franklin deserved a berth on the team. TLR also said that if Chris Carpenter “keeps taking the ball”, he should also be an All-Star. “I’ve seen many times when an injury is not held against a guy.”

Khalil Greene’s knee is ok. He was hit Sunday and Monday was the day if there was to be trouble. There was none.

Asked what characteristics make the ideal manager, La Russa mentioned leadership and personality as the two key factors. He would not name his ideal skipper, begging off by saying it would vary by the type of team provided.

The skipper stopped by Madison Square Garden during the day and was presented a jersey by New York Rangers general manager Glen Sather.

La Russa left four game tickets for Leslie West, famous as the guitarist and lead singer of the band “Mountain”. The skipper is interested in seeing the musical “Rock of Ages” on Broadway after his club’s current series ends.

Look for reports from MLB.com’s Matthew Leach and the Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold, who are both with the team here in New York. Cardinals fans should be thankful for the breadth and depth of coverage of their team.

Walton on KXnO FOX Sports Radio Tuesday


I will be calling from the new home of the New York Mets, Citi Field, into the Matt and Miller Radio Show today, Tuesday, June 23 at 6:30 P.M. Eastern/5:30 P.M. Central to discuss St. Louis Cardinals baseball. You can listen in live on FOX Sports Radio Des Moines, kxno.com.


Assuming I can master the technology on the road, I will post up the segment on Scout.com tonight for subscribers to review on demand.

Productive Cardinals Balks


When scoring on a balk against Justin Verlander (pictured) and the Detroit Tigers Tuesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals extended their current streak to crossing the plate as a result of each of the last three balks they have received. (The previous four advanced the runner to second base only.)


Pitcher-Justin Verlander 2009-06-16 DET

Batter-Joe Thurston-Balk (Chris Duncan scores; Yadier Molina to 2B)


Pitcher-Joel Hanrahan 2009-04-30 WSN

Batter-Brian Barden-Balk (Jason LaRue scores/unearned run; Khalil Greene to 2B)


Pitcher-Brandon Webb 2008-09-22 ARI @ STL

Batter-Ryan Ludwick-Balk (Skip Schumaker scores; Albert Pujols to 2B)

The Cardinals organization roster matrix: DSL update


Following is the most current St. Louis Cardinals system roster matrix, including the 2009 Dominican Summer League Cardinals roster.

I apologize for the delay in posting, but I needed to get an accurate DSL roster and determine the status of several “missing” players.

Hopefully, you have been here to the site previously and know what the Cardinals organization roster matrix is all about. If not, here is quick summary:

At the time of this posting, the St. Louis Cardinals have 280 players under contract. The matrix places each one at his current assigned level in the system as well as by position. It is kept updated throughout the season.

The 33-man DSL opening roster follows, including with one player on the restricted list, Andres Beras. Pitcher Edouard Estalis will only be on the DSL roster if he cannot resolve an outstanding visa issue. Otherwise, he will begin in the Gulf Coast League. In addition, the eight tandem starters are called out in their pairs.

New to the Cardinals organization are pitchers Stalyn Lopez, Luis Mata, Rosalyn Rudecindo, Jefferson Segundo, Michael Santana and Willy Paulino. Biographical player information for each can be found on their Scout.com profile pages.

Just as six were added, so have six departed. They include Marcos Martinez, Santo Franco, Lenny Rosario, Eddy Rivera, Braulio Hiraldo and Bernardo Villar. Martinez was released and Hiraldo has been placed on the restricted list after not reporting.

The other four had background check irregularities on identity and/or age that caused the Cardinals to ask MLB to void their contracts. That means the highly-touted right-handed pitcher Franco did not receive his reported $570,000 bonus after he was announced as the Cards’ top July 2nd mound signing last year. The four are ineligible to sign with any organization over the next year.

The next update of the roster matrix should be coming within the next ten days to two weeks as the players in Extended Spring Training will couple with this month’s draftees to define the 2009 Batavia, Johnson City and Gulf Coast League rosters.

For details behind the codes used in the matrix as well as 2009 transactions to date, check out the earlier versions of the Cardinals organization roster matrix as follows:

Link to previous matrices: Jan–March 2009, April–May 2009, May-June 2009

Transactions

June 8 update: RHS Mark Diapoules to PB DL. C Luis De La Cruz from EST to PB, RHR Blaine Boyer claimed by Arizona. New total 279.

June 9 update (date approximate): LHP Nick Additon act from PB DL. RHR Elvis Hernandez onto PB DL.

June 10 update: C Juan Castillo completed suspension, RHP Shaun Garceau from PB DL to susp list.

June 11 update: OF Jon Edwards act from QC DL. OF Jairo Martinez from QC to EST (Batavia). RHP Jason Buursma from QC to PB. RHP Matt Frevert from EST to QC.

June 12 update: RHP P.J. Walters from Mem to StL. IF Brian Barden from StL to Mem. C Brandon Yarbrough off Mem DL. RHR Pete Parise from Spr to Mem. LHP Samuel Freeman from PB to Spr. LHR Kristhiam Linares to PB DL. RHRs Yonathan Gonzalez and Jorge Rondon from EST to PB.

June 13 update: LHP George Brown from EST (Batavia) to PB. RHP Brian Broderick from PB to Spr.

June 14 update: OF Joe Mather to Mem DL. 1B Curt Smith from Spr to PB. IF Jose Garcia from PB to QC.

June 15 update: SS Niko Vasquez from QC to Bat. C Luis De La Cruz from PB to Bat. C Paul Vazquez act from PB DL.

June 16 update: RHP Bryan Martinez signed for DSL. New total 280.

June 18 update: IF Khalil Greene act from StL DL. RHR Josh Kinney from Mem to StL. RHP P.J. Walters and OF Nick Stavinoha from StL to Mem. RHR Fernando Salas to Mem DL (eff 6/4).

June 20 update: C Brandon Yarbrough to Mem DL.

June 23 update: VSL LHP Dail Villanueva suspended 50 games.

The St. Louis Cardinals Roster Matrix (effective 06/23/09)

St. Louis (25+3) 40-man (38)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Carpenter Franklin LaRue Pujols Schumaker K Greene (i) Glaus (i) Ankiel
Lohse (i) Thompson Molina Thurston Ryan Duncan
Pineiro McClellan
Ludwick
Wainwright Motte (4) T Greene (16) Rasmus (1)
Wellemeyer C Perez
Ja Garcia (9iL) Miller (L)
Reyes (L)
Hawksworth
Kinney (20)
Memphis (24+6)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Mortensen (11) Parise Anderson (3) Brito (i) Hoffpauir Solano Craig (18) Jay (12)
Parisi (i) Salas (31i) Pagnozzi Rowlett Barden Freese (5i) Mather (i)
Walters (17) Scherer Yarbrough (i) Wallace (2) Shorey
Ottavino (15) Todd (7)
 Robinson (27)
Boggs (10) Maekawa (L) Stavinoha (35)
MacLane (L) Ostlund (L)
Manning (L)
Ring (L)
Others (1)
Cazana
(Mexico)
Springfield (24+8)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Kopp (28) M Gonzalez Hill (34) A Brown (i) Descalso Kozma (8) Folli Jones (6)
Hearne Degerman T Cruz (36) Hamilton (i) Jo Martinez (37ti) Rapoport
Fiske (iL) Freeman (L) Derba Ant. DeJesus
Lynn (14) Samuel (21) Arburr Henley
Kulik (L) McCormick (i)
Broderick Dew (i)
Norrick (L)
Furnish (L)
Sanchez
Mura (i)
Maiques (susp)
Dickson
Palm Beach (25+4)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
G Brown (L) Diapoules (i) P Vazquez Rivera Marmol Bolivar Curtis Chambers
R Castillo (19) Eager Murphy C Smith (40) Luna (39) Sedbrook Pham
Additon (26L) King Peterson
Gorgen (22) Reifer (24) Swauger
Fick Linares (iL)
Y Gonzalez
Garceau (29susp)
Mulligan
E Hernandez (i)
Buursma
Rondon
Quad Cities (25+3)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Daley, Jr. Carpenter Cutler Morales A Castellanos Parejo
Bravo (iL) Delgado Espinoza Lilley Edwards (23)
Bradford (i) Pichardo Toribio P Cruz
Nieto Rosales Jo Garcia Bogany
Cardenas (L) M Tapia Mitchell
Thomas Frevert
Zawacki McGregor
Veres
J Wilson (restr)
Ext. Spring (60)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
A Cruz A Castillo A Perez D Medina Landin Alvarez Teran Babrick
Ang. De Jesus Calero Castro Rigoli L Mateo Y Castillo R DeLaCruz (38) Gomez
Arredondo Cawley Scruggs Mambell Hage
Blazek Maertz L DeLa Cruz Mosquera Ingram
Diaz Mayes Moscatel Obregon Lara
Fornataro Munoz J Polanco R Ruiz Rivero
Javier Orozco Valera R Rodriguez
Leach Ortiz N Vasquez (13) R Rosario
North Riportella
Notti Russell Shepherd
R Gonzalez Swinson
Rada J Castellanos (L) Ja Martinez
Richardson Siegrist (L)
Rios
Santos
Hooker (32)
A Ferrara (L)
EST (visa delay 2)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Estalis J Castillo
Batavia (TBD)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Johnson City (TBD)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
GCL (TBD)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
DSL (34+1)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
A Tapia T4 Concepcion V Ferreira Pimentel Avila Cabrera Beras (susp)
Santana T2 L Mata L Perez J Lopez G Hernandez Encarnacion
Jimenez T3 Rudecindo Montero W Perez J Pena
Pasen T2 Urena Alcala Reyes
Pinard T1 D Rodriguez (L) Hiraldo (restr) Sandoval
Herrera (L) T1 Mercedes (L) Taveras
S Lopez T4 P Pena (L)
Uribe (L) T3 Paulino
Segundo
B Martinez
VSL (33+2)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Avendano Cedeno Rivas R Perez M Marquez O Medina H Garcia Argenal
Bier F Marquez Viloria Vargas Yegues Cortez
Corpas Guzman Velazco Vivas (susp) H Martina Fonseca
Nieves Polanco Inojoza
Oraa Ulacio A Castellano
Colorado (L) Ramos Martines
Solarte
Weffer (L)
R Alvarado (L)
De Aguas (L)
Echeverria (L)
Villanueva (susp L)

Codes:

(#): My Cardinals prospect ranking from over the winter at Scout.com

(i): injured – on the disabled list

(t): temporary inactive list

(susp): suspended list

(L) left-handed pitcher

Bold: on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster

(#+#) number of active players on the roster plus number of inactive (i+t+susp) players

Tandem starting ends early in Quad Cities


The fact that the tandem rotation is being dropped by the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League two weeks earlier than last season apparently has nothing to do with the club’s recent struggles. According to a team official,

“The Cardinals have traditionally done away with the piggyback system around mid-season, and I think the personnel on this pitching staff lent itself to doing so a bit earlier this year.”

He is correct in timing in that in 2008, the move away from the piggyback starting system in its third season of usage occurred at the break in mid-June. Palm Beach also recently ended their use of the tandem arrangement approximately three weeks sooner than in 2008.

The five Quad Cities starters going forward are Gary Daley, Brett Zawacki (pictured), Kevin Thomas, Hector Cardenas and Arquimedes Nieto. Adam Veres and Scott McGregor head to the pen. Andres Rosales had already been assigned there, but was kept in the starting mix due to a roster that has been in considerable flux.

Other starters unavailable include Josh Wilson, who apparently abruptly retired again, suspended Deryk Hooker and injured starters Jared Bradford and Jonny Bravo, both on the seven-day disabled list.

All the rotation turnover has to be a contributor to the River Bandits’ uneven season to date. Despite a 2009 home record that includes six home series victories against just two losses, the club is scuffling along with a 22-24 record overall.

They are currently carrying a season-long five-game losing streak with a 2-8 mark over their last ten games. The Bandits have struggled on the road all season long, with no series wins, four losses and two splits away from Modern Woodmen Park in 2009.

Some of the Quad Cities hitters have been ice cold, including shortstop Niko Vasquez, having gone just nine for his last 76 (.118), and key RBI man Osvaldo Morales. Since driving in 33 runs in his first 33 games, the big first baseman has just one RBI in his last ten contests and is batting 3-for-25 (.120) over his last eight.

Another factor behind the club’s struggles is their porous defense. The River Bandits have committed 19 errors in their last 11 games, leading to 19 unearned runs. They are tied with Clinton for last in the 14-team Midwest League in fielding percentage (.957).

The Bandits are 13th in errors with 73 and also 13th in total double plays turned (30). They are 13-19 this season when committing at least one error in a game, compared to a 9-5 record in their 14 error-free contests. Vasquez alone has ten miscues in his last 20 games.

After three games at Lansing this weekend, Quad Cities will wrap up their ten-game road stretch with a four-game commuter series against the Burlington Bees that runs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of next week.

The new-old five-man rotation starts Sunday with Daley taking the hill in Lansing. The other four will cover the Burlington series in this order: Zawacki, Thomas, Cardenas and Nieto. I plan to be there Friday to check out Nieto’s outing.


As always, for current rosters and the most up-to-date transactions at all levels of the Cardinals minor league system, don’t forget to check out the Roster Matrix.

Open letter from Dr. Mike Marshall


Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Dear Sir,

A reader of my website sent me a copies of your articles “Joe Williams: Not Your Normal Prospect” posted on May 18, 2009 and “Does the Cardinals’ signing of Joe Williams have a deeper meaning?”, May 21, 2009.

After fourteen years of pitching major league baseball, I know that writers do not verify everything that they write and I am too old to care. Nevertheless, I have to take exception to something that Mr. Strauss said.

Mr. Strauss wrote,

“Marshall has been seeking audiences with numerous major-league organizations trying to regain a toe-hold in the industry.”

I am working as hard as I can to teach those in professional baseball how to eliminate all pitching injuries. However, I am not trying to regain a toe-hold in the industry, as though I ever had a toe-hold in professional baseball.

However, in your May 18, 2009 article, you got it right.

You wrote,

“Apparently not every organization is constrained by tradition, which has a direct relation to how Williams became a Cardinal. St. Louis Vice President of Scouting and Player Development Jeff Luhnow recently asked Marshall to come down to Extended Spring Training (EST) in Jupiter, FL to meet with his staff.”

The Cardinals invited me to explain how to eliminate pitching injuries. Actually, before spring training 2006, to learn how I train baseball pitchers, the Cardinals sent someone to my Baseball Pitching Research/Training Center. At the end of that session, I had convinced this young man that I knew how to eliminate pitching injuries.

Unfortunately, they decided to go another way.

Then, this spring, Mr. Luhnow invited me to Jupiter, FL and, after my presentation, as you wrote,

“Shortly after, Williams was invited to participate in the Cardinals’ camp, where he must have shown enough to the coaches to snag a contract.”

Joe’s mission was to prove that baseball pitchers I train can pitch every day without discomfort.

That Joe successfully pitched in eight of the thirteen games available apparently convinced the Cardinals that Joe had sufficient talent to invite Joe back into professional baseball.

I believe that, considering the circumstances, Joe did exceptionally well.

That they terminated Joe’s opportunity is unfortunate, nevertheless, it showed Joe that, with a real opportunity, he could become a major league pitcher. Where we go from here is the question.

Lastly, I want to thank you for writing,

“Even that may seem threatening to some, but I wonder what harm could be caused in being open-minded about new and different ways to teach and learn. Still, in a tradition-laden environment like baseball or journalism for that matter, old ways die hard and new ones are notoriously slow to take root.”

Sincerely,

Dr. Mike Marshall

Cardinals inherited runners in context


Over the last few days, the St. Louis Cardinals official media notes have called out an interesting stat regarding inherited runners scored. As a result, the broadcast and print media have echoed the statement in great celebration. In a few cases, it may have been extended beyond its original scope.

Here is the quote:

“The bullpen staff has been very stingy – a good thing when it comes to inherited runners…Cards relievers have allowed just nine IRs to score this year (out of 59), which ranks 1st in the Majors.”

While I am not disputing the data, which works out to 15%, there are a couple of limitations in it that may not be obvious at first blush.

First of all, this is not a complete reflection of how well the relievers pick up the starters. In other words, some percentage of the 59 inherited runners were inherited from another reliever, not the starter.

In addition, when multiple relievers pitch during an inning, they could each get credit for stranding the same inherited runner. With Tony La Russa’s frequent late-game pitcher-batter matchups, this might further skew the data.

Of course, it also says nothing about how many runs the relievers themselves are responsible for putting on base and allowing to cross home plate.

For me, it would make the most sense to compare Cardinals bullpens year-to-year using a variety of measures. Since La Russa’s behavior seems relatively consistent over that time, I looked up the similar stats for the relievers after 40 games in 2008, 2007 and 2006.

It does confirm that the club has seen a reduction in inherited runners scoring – in fact this mark has improved in each of the last three seasons. In 2009, the raw number of inherited runners is greatest while the fewest have scored – the apparent best possible conditions.

However…

The 2009 group has retired a lower percentage of first batters faced than either their 2008 or 2007 peers.

While the 2009 pen has improved their save percentage over the dreadful 2008 season, the current mark does not approach the success rate in either 2007 or 2006.

In terms of bullpen ERA, the runs for which they are most directly responsible, the 2009 relievers have the worst mark after 40 games in any of the last four years.

Unless the holds rule has changed in the last two seasons, the explosion in number of holds would signal to me that a higher number of Cardinals pitchers have been appearing in save situations in 2008 and 2009. Considering La Russa’s liberal substitution patterns, this is not a stretch.

I say this because my understanding of the hold rule is the same as the save rule – secure at least one out in a save situation and leave with the lead, but the difference is that the “hold” pitcher of course doesn’t finish the game.

Won-loss results are included for illustration, but I am not reading anything into the yearly fluctuations.

My conclusion: While inherited runners scored does look great, the 2009 Cardinals bullpen could improve in retiring first batters faced, save percentage and ERA compared to recent seasons.

Key Cardinals bullpen measures after 40 games (2006-2009)

Thru 40 G Inh runners scored Percent 1st batter retired Percent Saves/opps Percent Holds ERA Won-loss
2009 9-of-59 15% 96-of-133 72% 13-of-19 68% 35 4.02 6-5
2008 14-of-49 29% 83-of-107 78% 16-of-26 62% 36 3.86 6-8
2007 15-of-40 38% 98-of-133 74% 10-of-12 83% 13 3.33 6-2
2006 23-of-51 45% 70-of-104 67% 12-of-16 75% 24 2.85 6-5

The Cardinals organization roster matrix: VSL version


Hopefully, you have been here to the site previously and know what the Cardinals organization roster matrix is all about. If not, here is a quick summary:

The St. Louis Cardinals currently have at least 281 players under contract. The matrix places each one at his current assigned level in the system as well as by position. It is kept updated throughout the season.

The occasion for this refresh is the opening of the Venezuelan Summer League season. Subscribers to Scout.com can read more about what I’ve written there on the subject, but here we have an overview of the 34-man VSL opening roster.

The next update of the roster matrix should be coming within the next ten days to two weeks as the Dominican Summer League will open. Following that, the players in Extended Spring Training will couple with next month’s draftees to define the 2009 Batavia, Johnson City and Gulf Coast League rosters.

For details behind the codes used in the matrix as well as 2009 transactions to date, check out the earlier versions of the Cardinals organization roster matrix as follows:

Link to previous matrices: January – March, 2009, April – May, 2009

Transactions

May 19 update: Signed VSL pitchers John De Aguas, Angelo Echeverria, Johnny Polanco, Ramon Ulacio and Dail Villanueva. New total 281.

May 20 update: RHP Chris Carpenter activated by StL, OF Shane Robinson optioned to Mem.

May 21 update: LHP Jonny Bravo to QC DL. RHR Jason Buursma from EST to QC. Mem C Brandon Yarbrough placed on DL eff 5/20. LHR Charlie Manning outrighted off 40-man roster.

May 23 update: OF Jon Edwards placed on QC DL. OF Jairo Martinez from EST to QC. 1B Mark Hamilton to Spr DL. 1B Matt Arburr from PB to Spr.

May 24 update: OF Rick Ankiel activated from DL, SS Tyler Greene optioned to Mem. Spr LHR Joe Williams released. RHR Eduardo Sanchez from PB to Spr. RHR Casey Mulligan QC to PB. New total 280.

May 25 update: RHS David Kopp from PB to Spr. RHR Joel Pichardo from EST to QC. RHR Kyle Mura to Spr DL. IF Donovan Solano returned to Spr from Mem.

May 27 update: RHS Josh Wilson placed on restricted list from QC active roster. RHS Brett Zawacki from EST to QC. Spr RHR Eddie Degerman to DL.

May 29 update: OF Ryan Ludwick activated from DL. SS Khalil Greene placed on 15-day DL. OF Joe Mather activated from Mem DL. 1B Javier Brito placed on Mem DL. Eff 5/31, QC moves to five-man rotation with Adam Veres and Scott McGregor to the pen.

May 30 update: 2B Aaron Luna activated from QC DL and assigned to PB. LHR Kristhiam Linares activated from Spr DL and assigned to PB.

June 1 update: RHS Deryk Hooker activated from QC restricted list and assigned to EST (Batavia). RHS Nick Additon to PB DL, RHR Shaun Garceau to PB DL. IF Oliver Marmol act from PB DL. RHP Elvis Hernandez activated from Spr DL and assigned to PB.

June 3 update: RHS Tyler Herron released from Spr. RHR Eddie Degerman act from Spr DL. New total 280.

June 4 update: RHR Blaine Boyer DFAed. RHR Jess Todd from Mem to StL. LHR Ian Ostlund act from Mem DL.

June 5 update: RHS Kyle Lohse onto StL DL. IF Tyler Greene from Mem to StL. C Blake Murphy act from QC DL and promoted to PB.

June 6 update: C Nick Derba promoted from PB to Spr. RHS Blake Hawksworth from Mem to StL. RHR Jess Todd from StL to Mem. IF Donovan Solano from Spr to Mem.


The St. Louis Cardinals Roster Matrix (effective 06/06/09)

St. Louis (25+5) 40-man (38)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Carpenter Franklin LaRue Pujols Schumaker K Greene (i)
 Glaus (i) Ankiel
Lohse (i)
 Thompson Molina Thurston Ryan Duncan
Pineiro McClellan Barden Ludwick
Wainwright Motte (4) T Greene (16) Rasmus (1)
Wellemeyer C Perez Stavinoha (35)
Ja Garcia (9iL) Miller (L)
Hawksworth Reyes (L)

Memphis (24+5)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF

Boyer (DFA) Anderson (3) Brito (i) Hoffpauir Solano Craig (18) Jay (12)
Mortensen (11) Salas (31) Pagnozzi Rowlett Freese (5i) Mather
Parisi (i) Scherer Yarbrough (i) Wallace (2) Shorey
Walters (17) Kinney (20) Robinson (27)
Ottavino (15) Maekawa (L)
Boggs (10) Ostlund (L)
MacLane (L) Manning (L)
Ring (L)
Todd (7)
Others (1)
Cazana
(Mexico)
Springfield (24+8)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Kopp (28) Mura (i) Hill (34) A Brown (i) Descalso Kozma (8) Folli Jones (6)
M Gonzalez T Cruz (36) Hamilton (i) Jo Martinez (37ti) Rapoport
Hearne Degerman Derba C Smith (40) Ant. DeJesus
Fiske (iL) Parise Arburr Henley
Lynn (14) Samuel (21)
Kulik (L) McCormick (i)
Dew (i)
Norrick (L)
Dickson
Furnish (L)
Sanchez
Maiques (susp)
Palm Beach (25+2)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Broderick Diapoules Rivera Marmol Bolivar Curtis Chambers
R Castillo (19) Eager Vazquez Jo Garcia Sedbrook Pham
Additon (26iL) King Murphy Luna (39) Peterson
Gorgen (22) Reifer (24) Swauger
Fick Linares (L)
Freeman (L)
Garceau (29i)
Mulligan
E Hernandez
Quad Cities (25+4)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Daley, Jr. Carpenter Cutler Morales Toribio Vasquez (13) Parejo
Zawacki Delgado Espinoza A Castellanos Edwards (23i)
Buursma Lilley P Cruz
Bravo (iL) Rosales Toribio Bogany
Bradford (i) M Tapia Mitchell
Nieto Pichardo Ja Martinez
Cardenas (L) Veres
Thomas McGregor
J Wilson (restr)
Ext. Spring (63)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
A Cruz A Castillo A Perez D Medina Landin Alvarez Teran Babrick
Ang. De Jesus Castro Rigoli L Mateo Y Castillo R DeLaCruz (38) Gomez
Arredondo Calero Cawley Scruggs Mambell Hage
Blazek Frevert L DeLaCruz Mosquera Ingram
Diaz Maertz Moscatel Obregon
Fornataro Mayes Polanco R Ruiz Lara
Javier Munoz Alcala Valera Rivero
Leach Orozco R Rodriguez
North Ortiz R Rosario
Notti Riportella
R Gonzalez Rondon Shepherd
Rada Russell Swinson
Richardson Y Gonzalez
Rios J Castellanos (L)
Santos Siegrist (L)
Hooker (32)
A Ferrara (L)
G Brown (L)
EST (visa delay 2)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Estalis J Castillo (susp)
Batavia (TBD)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Johnson City (TBD)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
GCL (TBD)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
DSL (32)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
A Tapia Concepcion V Ferreira Pimentel Avila Cabrera Villar Beras
Franco E Rivera L Perez Hiraldo G Hernandez Encarnacion
Jimenez M Martinez Montero J Lopez J Pena
Pasen Pinard W Perez Reyes
Urena D Rodriguez (L) Sandoval
Herrera (L) Mercedes (L) Taveras
L Rosario (L) P Pena (L)
Uribe (L)
VSL (34+1)
SP RP C 1B 2B SS 3B OF
Avendano Cedeno Rivas R Perez M Marquez O Medina H Garcia Argenal
Bier F Marquez Viloria Vargas Yegues Cortez
Corpas Guzman Velazco Vivas (susp) H Martina Fonseca
Nieves Polanco Inojoza
Oraa Ulacio A Castellano
Colorado (L) Ramos Martines
Solarte
Weffer (L)
R Alvarado (L)
De Aguas (L)
Echeverria (L)
Villanueva (L)

Codes:

(#): My Cardinals prospect ranking from over the winter at Scout.com

(i): injured – on the disabled list

(t): temporary inactive list

(susp): suspended list

(restr): restricted list

(L) left-handed pitcher

Bold: on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster

(#+#) number of active players on the roster plus number of inactive (i+t+susp+restr) players

Is not signing minor league vets really the Cards’ problem?


In recent days, I have seen several columns in the traditional news media that regularly cover the St. Louis Cardinals engage in what for them is a continuing theme – second-guessing the organization’s commitment to building from within.

What is currently stuck in my craw is a new variation on the theme – complaining over the Cardinals not having signed a gaggle of minor league veterans during the winter to have on the ready at Triple-A Memphis.

Certainly the rash of injuries that the Cardinals have encountered in 2009, already driving them to call upon 11 rookies, is beyond any measure of comfort. In other words, no matter what Memphis’ roster looked like, when you have to promote that many players in such a short period of time, the level of play is destined to diminish. After all, if the minor league players were better, they generally wouldn’t have been down there in the first place.

My fundamental concern is over what I feel is a very questionable assumption inherent in the basic complaint mentioned above. The implication is that when called upon to help out in the majors, a minor league veteran will outperform a younger product of the farm system.

Put aside for the moment the very valid question of whether the veterans would be blocking prospects from advancing up into the top levels of the system and just consider the veterans themselves.

The example of Ryan Ludwick is often trotted out as if he could be the norm, rather than the anomaly he is. (Ludwick joined the organization on a minor league contract for 2007 and by 2008 became a National League All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner.)

If only they all could be so good. Instead, here is a dose of reality.

Looking back 13 months, ten veterans that had been signed from outside the organization to minor league contracts made the roster of the 2008 Memphis Redbirds as they broke camp. They were:

Pitchers: Joe Rogers, John Wasdin, Hugo Castellanos, Ron Flores and Cliff Politte.

Catchers: Gabe Johnson and Mark Johnson.

Infielders: Josh Phelps and D’Angelo Jimenez.

Outfielders: Juan Gonzalez (temporary inactive list).

In addition, one could include an 11th player, third baseman Rico Washington (pictured). The then-30-year-old, in his 12th season as a professional, actually made the 2008 Major League club out of spring training as a non-roster invitee due to a training camp injury suffered by Brendan Ryan. Hitting .158, Washington didn’t last three weeks in the bigs.

A 12th veteran signing was starting pitcher Dewon Brazelton, but the right-hander didn’t even make it through spring training camp before being released.

Now, let’s step back for a moment and consider the situation in St. Louis last season to verify there was adequate opportunity for these veterans.

There was. After all, during the 2008 regular season, the Cardinals called up eleven different players from the minors for their first exposure to the big leagues. Washington and Rule 5 pick Brian Barton were the only two that didn’t come up through the Cardinals farm system.

Meanwhile, of the ten minor league vets that began the season with Memphis noted above, not a single one of them received a call to help the big league club last season. Not one.

Instead, the Cardinals selected the rookie every time in 2008 when help was needed.

Phelps and Mark Johnson, both over 30 like Washington, but different in that each had considerable past MLB service time, did receive promotions when rosters expanded in September. They did next to nothing and both departed shortly thereafter.

The others? Rogers and Politte were injured almost all year, Castellanos and Gabe Johnson were released before July was out and Gonzalez never played in the regular season after being injured during spring camp. Like Phelps and Mark Johnson, Wasdin, Flores and Jimenez stuck it out all season, but unlike them, they didn’t earn promotions. Not a one remains with the Cardinals organization today, nor are any missed.

In summary, here are grand totals of the 12 named minor league veterans’ results with the 2008 Cardinals. Johnson’s .627 OPS was the best of the three that made it.

2008 Cardinals Age G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
Josh Phelps 30 19 34 4 9 1 0 0 1 0 2 11 0.265 0.306 0.294 0.600 60
Mark Johnson 32 10 17 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 0.294 0.333 0.294 0.627 68
Rico Washington 30 14 19 2 3 2 0 0 3 0 3 6 0.158 0.273 0.263 0.536 43

So the next time someone suggests the Cardinals should have signed more minor league free agents this season, ask him or her to show you which ones contributed last year.

If you didn’t know already, now you are aware there weren’t any.

The Cards’ 25th man, the DH and MLB indecision


Over on the Scout.com message board, there is a lot of angst over the use of the final, 25th spot on the St. Louis Cardinals active roster. As the season began, it was deployed in the traditional manner, on a position player, but as the club headed into a brutal stretch of consecutive games, manager Tony La Russa went to eight relievers and 13 pitchers overall.

With a short bench, starting pitcher Todd Wellemeyer made a pinch-hit appearance in a bunting situation on Sunday, following fellow rotation member Adam Wainwright in being called upon to hit on a day off this season.

A number of fans have been critical of carrying the extra pitcher, with some in favor of simply shifting the roster balance back from pitching to hitting, dumping a pitcher such as Brad Thompson (pictured) in the process. Others with a more radical and longer-term view want to see MLB rosters expanded beyond 25.

While the Players Association would likely be all for such an idea, ownership would surely be just as against bearing the additional costs inherent in adding another 30, 60 or 90 major leaguers in perpetuity.

Putting money aside, I am apparently in the minority, but I kind of like the fact the current roster size forces managers to make creative tradeoffs late in games. Others seem to enjoy what I feel are more robotic moves common in the American League due to the long-time deployment of the designated hitter.

For those who want to see change, a way to perhaps negotiate expanded roster sizes would be in dealing with the DH disconnect once and for all. While I obviously have a personal bias in one direction, I am even stronger in my opinion that the two leagues should have a uniform rule.

Show me another major sport anywhere that has such an important difference in basic rules between leagues. It is nutty – a three-year trial that never ended. Either adopt it universally or dump it.

I see this issue as the poster child of the reign of Bud Selig – the master of indecision and inaction.

Then again, if you would argue in favor of replacing this problem with inconsistent and self-governed umpiring, rampant unchecked use of performance enhancing drugs, inexplicable television broadcast territories that arbitrarily restrict fans from seeing their team’s games or any number of other broken parts of America’s Pastime, I couldn’t disagree.

Why cutting Cardinals errors is important


Coming into Monday’s contest, the St. Louis Cardinals were last in Major League Baseball with 20 errors in their 19 games played. Their fielding percentage was “only” 29th in MLB as their upcoming weekend opponent, the Washington Nationals, had an even lower mark (.971 to .973).

This situation is causing uneasiness in some quarters, while others, including the club’s manager, offer explanations which label the current results as an outlier – an aberration that will apparently soon pass.

Let’s hope so, because if not, it does not bode well for the Cardinals’ 2009 post-season hopes.

Committing an error per game as are the Cardinals is a pace faster than any major league club over a full season since at least 1995. However, the rate is far from unprecedented.

The expansion 1962 and 1963 New York Mets both committed a modern major league record 210 errors, the most since baseball moved to a 162-game schedule. In recent years, the Mets of 1996 were only three errors under making one per game for the season and the 1999 Montreal Expos were just two short.

If carried over the entire season, the Cardinals current fielding percentage of .973 would also be MLB’s worst in at least the last 15 years and probably longer.

The following table shows the MLB team leader in errors in each season along with that club’s fielding percentage. I covered the Tony La Russa era in St. Louis plus one more year.

Only twice in those 14 years did the club with the most errors also not have the worst fielding percentage, but even in those cases, the team finished 29th, or second to last in fielding.

Committing the most errors in MLB generally means that club will be sitting at home in October. Yet, it can be overcome.

The 1995 Los Angeles Dodgers is the most recent team to pull off the rare feat of leading the game in miscues while still making the playoffs. In fact, Tommy Lasorda’s last full-season Dodgers team won their division, albeit in a 144-game strike-shortened year.

Not that I expect the Cardinals will continue in this manner, but even if so, there still would be a glimmer of hope.

Most errors # Errs G E/G Flding % FPct rank Playoffs
2009 St. Louis 20 19 1.05 0.973 29
2008 Texas 132 162 0.81 0.978 30 no
2007 Florida 137 162 0.85 0.977 30 no
2006 Washington 131 162 0.81 0.978 30 no
2005 Kansas City 125 162 0.77 0.979 30 no
2004 Detroit 144 162 0.89 0.977 30 no
2003 Cincinnati 141 162 0.87 0.977 30 no
2002 NY Mets 147 161 0.91 0.976 30 no
2001 San Diego 145 162 0.90 0.976 30 no
2000 Anaheim 134 162 0.83 0.978 29 no
1999 Montreal 160 162 0.99 0.974 30 no
1998 Montreal 155 162 0.96 0.975 30 no
1997 Boston 135 162 0.83 0.978 29 no
1996 NY Mets 159 162 0.98 0.974 30 no
1995 LA Dodgers 130 144 0.90 0.976 30 yes

Next, I looked at the error counts and fielding percentages of La Russa’s Cardinals teams plus one year. His third St. Louis club, the 1998 edition, committed 142 errors and posted a .978 fielding percentage – both La Russa team worsts.

Interestingly, his best defensive club, at least using these metrics, was the 2003 team. Yet betrayed by their pitching, that 85-win club missed out on the post-season. So just being solid defensively is not enough.

After a run of a half dozen years of ranking in the top half of MLB in both stats, the 2007 Cardinals were among the poorest defensive clubs in the league. David Eckstein (20 miscues), Aaron Miles (14), Brendan Ryan (10) and Scott Rolen (10) led the team.

After considerable roster turnover, including the departure of Eckstein along with long-term Gold Glovers Rolen and Jim Edmonds, the 2008 Cardinals bounced back defensively. That group again ranked in the top quarter of MLB teams, but they still missed the post-season for the second consecutive year.

StL errors Error rank StL FPct FPct rank Playoffs
2008 85 T5 0.986 7 no
2007 121 28 0.980 28 no
2006 98 T10 0.984 12 yes
2005 100 13 0.984 13 yes
2004 97 9 0.985 7 yes
2003 77 2 0.987 4 no
2002 103 T13 0.983 15 yes
2001 110 T16 0.982 11 yes
2000 111 15 0.981 17 yes
1999 132 24 0.978 26 no
1998 142 29 0.978 25 no
1997 123 22 0.980 19 no
1996 125 17 0.980 19 yes
1995 113 23 0.980 23 no

Time will tell as whether or not errors continue to be a topic of discussion for Cardinals fans this season, but do note that the team has not made the playoffs under La Russa when finishing in the bottom third of MLB in errors and fielding percentage.

Breaking the early Cardinals-Cubs “tie”


As most who are reading this know, the St. Louis Cardinals invaded Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs two weekends ago and the two switched roles this past Friday through Sunday. These were the first six of what will be 16 individual battles between the two archrivals this season.

In each of these initial series, the home club took two of three (with the final of the original four-game Chicago series rained out and rescheduled to July 12). As a result, the clubs’ season series against each other is knotted at 3-3.

Not being totally satisfied with that, I decided to take a look at comparative stats over the six contests. Sure, some players have been out due to injuries on both sides, but this is an accurate representation of the results by those able to suit up.

The data is reflected in terms of hitting splits, yet some pitching conclusions are evident in this context, as well.

2009 thru 6G H2H AB RBI BA OBP SLG
StL hitters 203 34 0.271 0.359 0.483
ChC hitters 218 30 0.275 0.342 0.413
StL LH hitters 84 10 0.238 0.323 0.369
ChC LH hitters 91 17 0.297 0.356 0.451
StL RH hitters 119 24 0.294 0.384 0.563
ChC RH hitters 127 13 0.260 0.331 0.386
StL two outs 60 7 0.183 0.269 0.283
ChC two outs 68 14 0.279 0.380 0.426
StL RISP 70 25 0.271 0.338 0.414
ChC RISP 59 22 0.237 0.338 0.390
StL pinch-hitters 9 2 0.444 0.583 0.778
ChC pinch-hitters 8 0 0.125 0.300 0.125
vs. ChC starters 139 22 0.266 0.329 0.475
vs. StL starters 132 18 0.288 0.347 0.386
vs. ChC relievers 64 12 0.281 0.418 0.500
vs. StL relievers 86 12 0.256 0.333 0.453

The Cardinals hitters drove in more runs and accumulated higher on-base and slugging percentages. The Cubs’ left-handed hitters were more productive than were St. Louis’, but the Cardinals’ right-handed batters, who of course saw more at-bats, had a bigger edge in stats.

Though the Cubs two-out hitters were more productive, the Cardinals out-produced them with runners in scoring position. The weakened position of the Cubs’ bench is evident in the pinch-hitting results.

In terms of pitching, the Cubs starters yielded more runs than did the Cardinals starters, despite having better batting average and OBP against. Where the Cubs fell down is in slugging, where the Cardinals hitters had a significant advantage.

Looking at the relievers, the Cardinals group allowed the same number of runs as their Cubs peers, but they registered superior slash stats in all three areas despite facing considerably more opposing hitters.

To bring this point home, here is a summary of the respective pitching staffs’ results through the six games. The Cardinals pitchers clearly come out on top.

2009 thru 6G H2H ERA BB K
StL pitchers 4.77 22 54
ChC pitchers 5.67 25 45

Overall through two series, I would have to give the imaginary stats tiebreaker to the Cardinals. There are ten more regular-season games to go, with the next match ups coming on May 19-21 in St. Louis.

Hill the Homeless Hitman


As has been already been discussed here, the primary reason the Springfield Cardinals are tied for first place in the North Division of the Texas League is their offense, led by utilityman Steven Hill.

All Hill did on Tuesday night for the Double-A club was go 5-for-5, including three doubles and a final at-bat home run for 11 total bases. The 24-year-old scored three times in a 7-4 Springfield win at Midland. The night before, he slammed a pair of home runs.

For the season, which is now 12 games long for the 7-5 Cardinals, Hill has played in ten. The right-handed hitter hit safely in eight of those games. He is carrying a seven-game hitting streak, with multiple hits in five of those contests.

Through Tuesday, Hill is 18-for-38 at the dish, with half of his safeties having gone for extra bases (five doubles and four home runs). He has scored 11 times and driven in 11. Hill has drawn four walks and fanned eight times, though five of the strikeouts were in his first four games.

Behold the majestic batting line when this is all put together: .474/.523/.921/1.444 (BA/OBP/SLG/OPS).

In terms of the Texas League offensive rankings, Hill is first in batting average, slugging and OPS. He trails only Corpus Christi outfield James Van Ostrand in on-base percentage, .523 to .541.

Taken in the 13th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, Hill came into this season with a career line of .307/.345/.528/.873.

He began 2008 at A-Advanced Palm Beach, but the pitcher-friendly Florida State League was no problem. After hitting .341 in April, he was promoted to Springfield on May 10. Through 26 games, he was hitting .303/.330/.505/.835 with five home runs and nine RBI.

Defensively, Hill is a nomad. He spent most of his Double-A debut at first base (12 games), but also made nine appearances as a corner outfielder. At his most intriguing position defensively, catcher, Hill played in just four games.

Then on June 10, he was hit by a pitch, causing a fracture to the pinkie finger on his left hand. After missing two months, Hill returned for four rehab games in the Gulf Coast League before finishing with Palm Beach.

Hill was sent to the Arizona Fall League where he shined offensively. He hit safely in 11 of his 13 games and his OPS of .991 (in just 46 at-bats) was the best of all Cardinals prospects in the AFL, including top prospect, third baseman Brett Wallace.

The not-so-good includes the fact that Hill played over half his AFL games at designated hitter, not all that useful in St. Louis. He appeared in just four contests behind the plate during the two months, including just one in the final month (November).

There, I spoke with several scouts who like Hill’s bat but feel his release is slow. To wit, in those four AFL games he caught, opponents attempted nine steals against him, and were successful six times.

Coming into the season, his AFL and Springfield manager Pop Warner was quoted as saying that Hill would start behind the plate in 30% of his club’s contests. To date, that is being followed and in fact, slightly exceeded. So far in 2009, Hill has no appearances at first base, three in the outfield, three at designated hitter and four behind the plate.

With two more experienced first baseman on the roster, Mark Hamilton and Andrew Brown, it is not surprising Hill isn’t seeing time at first. Despite the majority of Springfield’s catching load being borne by another converted infielder, Tony Cruz, Hill’s time there has been ample.

The results have been mixed, however. While the Cardinals won all four games, Hill has one passed ball and enemy baserunners are 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts while he has been behind the dish.

Yet it is impossible not to come back to Hill’s hitting.

Through his first 36 games at the Double-A level, 137 at-bats, he has nine home runs and 20 RBI. Over the two partial seasons, Hill’s combined Texas League line is .350/.382/.620/1.002.

It is hard to believe that Triple-A Memphis won’t soon come calling if Hill continues to inflict offensive damage like this.


Programming note: I will be joining friends and National League Tout Wars competitors Lenny Melnick and Paul Greco on “Talking Baseball Live” on BlogTalkRadio Wednesday evening at 8:10 p.m. Eastern/7:10 p.m. Central. The focus will be fantasy, but the Cardinals will surely come up in the discussion. Call-ins are accepted.

Cards early attendance down more than MLB average


The AP is reporting that attendance at Major League Baseball games is down 6.9% over the first two weeks of the season compared to 2008’s final results. Average attendance was 30,298 per game for the first 183 games over the opening two weeks of the season, down from last year’s final figure of 32,539.

For the Cardinals, approaching the start of their second homestand, the club is averaging 38,408 through their first seven home games. Opponents were divisional rivals the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros.

Using the AP methodology, that is down from last season’s 42,382 season-long average per-game ticket sales at Busch. It represents a 9.4% decline year-to-year, larger than the 6.9% cross-MLB drop.

In all fairness, attendance typically does rise in the summer months, but I used the Cardinals 2008 full-season amount to provide an apples-to-apples comparison to the AP numbers.

In my opinion, a more valid analysis would consider relative counts between the first homestands of 2008 and 2009. The Cardinals opened each of the last two seasons at Busch. In those initial six games last year, the club averaged 40,457 against the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals.

The 2009 first homestand average represents a 5.1% decline in attendance in St. Louis.

Prior to the season, reports estimated the Cardinals to be projecting 3 million in attendance, which would be down 14% from the 3.43 million achieved in 2008. At least based on the initial series drop of 5.1%, the 14% seems pessimistic.

None of this reflects ticket revenue, which may be down even more. Early indications were that higher-priced seating areas were suffering from the most sluggish demand.

Recent email ticket offers from the club seem to bear this out as All-Inclusive tickets for the Astros and Mets series have been featured as well as All-Inclusive Champions Club deals for the Phillies games on May 4-5.

Cardinals are atop the stat sheets


As I always do before a radio appearance, I pull the most recent stats sheets for the Cardinals and the National League. I was a bit surprised at what I saw.

With 11 games played and eight wins in the bank, the team is one or often two decisions ahead of the other clubs. Still, the Cards have some impressive stats in the average as well as the counting categories.

Here is a very quick run through some of the team highlights.

Offense

Batting average: #1 in the NL at .299. The next closest club, the Mets, are 17 points behind.

Home runs: #1 (tied) with 13.

When is the last time the Cards paced the NL in long balls for an entire season? It was way, way back in 1940. Johnny Mize led the Cardinals, the National League and MLB with 43 home runs, so he gets the photo.

The original “Big Cat” was my personal choice as the #13 Cardinals player of all time. Though Mize came out #18 in the final voting, I offered a case comparing his numbers with those of Albert Pujols. Though he didn’t remain a Cardinal as long, Mize’s stats were Pujolsian.

Though the Cardinals finishing number one in the NL in home runs likely won’t happen in 2009, it is a fine start.

Sacrifices: #1 with 11. A stat that shows a team working together. The next closest team total is seven.

Strikeouts: Fifth fewest at 58. Good to see that with all the offense the club isn’t striking out a lot.

On-base percentage: #1 at .377.

Slugging: #1 at .479. The next closest clubs are 34 points behind.

Pitching

ERA: #5 at 3.34. The pitchers are first at 2.86 while the relievers are in the middle of the pack of their NL peers at 4.28 runs per nine innings. Thursday’s game helped bring the two Cardinals groups closer.

Hits: #2 at 92. A by-product of playing more games.

Runs allowed: Tied for seventh at 41. Not bad at all considering the hits allowed.

Walks: Fifth fewest at 31. Very impressive.

Strikeouts: #4 at 72. Not what the staff will be known for, but the youngsters help.

Opposing batting average: #4 at .241. Keeping the runners off base.