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My (free) analysis of today's roster moves by the #stlcards. While the focus is on Yairo Munoz' release, eight members of The Cardinal Nation's Top 50 Prospects are among 13 others cut from big-league camp. https://t.co/16aVXOvWlE pic.twitter.com/d2OR3sgrr2
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) March 7, 2020
“He led the team in BA at .304 and OPS at .850”
Lead the club in K’s per BB too, by a wide margin, which leaves the batted ball profile. Lead the club in BA on balls in play, a full .048 pts better than league avg. A half season of PA’s is still a small sample size. He’ll play, but I’m tempering my expectations.
I do agree he probably viewed the miller signing as his downfall. I didn’t and don’t like the miller signing either but I don’t think he should have gave up. Come back healthy, go to triple A, do well and you never know. Injuries happen all the time.
I think Brian’s roster prediction is accurate although I think Cecil will have a short leash this year since we have some good young pitchers at Memphis wanting his spot. Cecil will be on DFA watch beginning opening day.
There’s a ton of potential bullpen depth on this team, and a lot of rotation depth as well. It would be nice if it didn’t have to be tested this year but you know it will. I like Brian’s roster and agree with others that Cecil is probably gone if he doesn’t perform right away. I could also see Gant being off the team before the end of the year, whether via trade or release if he’s not up to snuff. Guys like Whitley and Fernandez and Cabrera have a ton of potential to be stalwarts in the pen.
I pretty much like brains take as well. I think Kim is a question mark but only because of possible injury which brian noted. Im on record as saying carlsson should go down an dim going to stick with it, doesn’t mean he should stay down but that’s where im at but I understand peoples fascination with him. Im just a believer that when he makes the team, you are ready to give him the spot and not put him through the player carousel. Obviously if he ends struggling long term, you make changes but he shouldn’t be brought up to play off the bench. Fowler is just clogging up everything. If the cardinals have a legitimate offense, they can easily duplicate last year and I say maybe do it better. You can question some things about bader and oneil. But bader brings awesome defense, and great speed on the bases and oneil gives us a legitimate power threat, what really does fowler bring that’s a great positive over anyone else.
Edman is a good player and will be a big part of the team. The fact I do not see him as an every day starter seems to bother some.
Doesn’t bother me at all. We are all entitled to our opinions even if they are wrong. Based on Carpenters aggressive bat performance today (3 strikeouts) I would think that Edman may be an inch closer to a permanent job — that is until Mo brings Arenado in.
BTW – I do not do Twitter but I do read the posts from Twitter made here. Some non-TCN folks on Twitter make me wonder what they do to educate themselves. The gripes about Munoz’s release tell me that the great unwashed just spout off without putting their brain in gear or doing a tiny bit of research. JMHO.
I don’t know why anyone would be griping about the munoz release. He was error prone and he just basically walked off the job. He should have been released. Try just walking off your job.
The fact that last year’s most productive position player isn’t considered a starter by anyone on the planet should bother you. In fact, anyone who thinks like that should seek counseling.
Differing opinions is a positive way of cross checking our own opinion of players. It provides the opportunity to gather info we may have missed.
Telling others who disagree with your opinion to “seek counseling” is not only disrespectful, but gives the impression of a closed mind that has no room for others opinion.
Thank you for your monotonous view Mrs. Edman, and could you direct me to the ignore feature?
I think Dean has to be the current leader for the 26th spot. Let’s see if he can stay hot for the rest of the month. Carlson cooling off and Ravelo reverting to his mean.
Or if you prefer to reference Rabelo’s minor league numbers as his norm we can say that Ravelo has now dropped far below his norms.
As Brian as reminded us, Ravelo is out of options which will help him win any tiebreakers with Dean for the final roster spot.
Spring stats only matter to a point. The question as I see it is how big the difference between contenders for the last spot in the bench has to be to risk losing one of the two from the organization. Outfield depth is not particularly good at the upper levels of the system, so I think the Cards will want to keep both Ravelo and Dean, rather than risk getting caught short if the injury bug hits.
The only way to do that at this time appears to be to keep Ravelo up and send Dean down.
I still think that Ravelo will be good enough to take an occasional at-bat as a pinch hitter (as he did in 2019) and Dean will be the next man up. Then, after Williams, there isn’t anyone. I don’t think the Cards would want to be pressured to bring up Carlson before they believe he is ready, so Ravelo, Dean and Williams give them some short-term depth.
Although it seems Sosa is ticketed for Memphis it’s good knowing that we have him close to STL. He has been impressive so far during ST.
It is not unusual for elite talents to go directly to the major leagues from AA with or without limited exposure to AAA. Not saying that is what will happen with Carlson but it is not that unusual.
I feel the final roster will be determined first by contracts, options and injuries. Would love for Sosa to get a shot but the Miller signing pretty much blocks that along with Edman as a super utility player.
However, as the season goes along performance will dictate more.
With the recent injuries this is probably the team folks, really only a couple bullpen spots up for grabs.
Wong, Carp, Goldy, Dejong, Oneill, Fowler, Yadi, Bader
Wieters, Thomas Edman, Ravelo, Miller (if healthy, if not Sosa)-Dean has options so gone as Ravelo doesn’t, Williams is not close, and Carlson’s clock will be manipulated in the guise of giving Fowler time whether his spring deserves it. Knizner will play every day at AAA and that was a given once Wieters was back. No one else is really even in the discussion with Munoz gone. Schrock probably deserves a chance with how well he handles the stick (in fact i’d prefer him to Ravelo)
Jack, Hud, Cmart, Waino, Ponce (because we need Kim in the pen)
LOCKS: Gallegos, Brebbia, Gant, Helsley, Cecil, Kim (because Miller is hurt)
PICK TWO: Webb, Junior, Genesis, Whitley, Reyes-I say pick TWO but really pick ONE as Junior has got all the headlines as even a closer candidate, which is just preparing us for him making the team. Whitley has gotten a lot of those kind of remarks too, so we may see that, however Webb has pitched well so really I think it just comes down to a righty or a lefty Whitley or Webb. Cecil will be given the Carp and Fowler treatment. As good as Gant has been starting he is in the pen and Genesis will be starting at AAA, and Reyes needs to work on his control and they will put him in the closer role at AAA is my prediction. POnce and Kim are fighting for the 5 spot, which could swap to Kim in and POnce in the pen OR even Ponce at AAA so he can get reps and Webb and Whitley making the team. Also, let’s not act like there is a question over the closer role, it’s Gallegos’ until he fails.
So basically all left to figure out is:
-Ponce or Kim for #5
-Webb or Whitley for last man in the penIMO- I’d go with Kim at #5 and Webb and Whitley in the pen, Ponce to AAA
However, I think the club will go with Ponce at #5, Kim in the pen (explained by their early talking points of him being a swing pitcher when they signed him), and then go with Webb so they don’t lose him as he is out of options. Also, because of their concern for Cecil having 3 lefties isn’t so bad.Injuries could change all of this, maybe even a surprise release of Cecil could also change it. Miller being healthy is really the only thing to determine for the bench.
Fowler, Carp, Cecil all get free passes because of their contracts, despite all these recent articles about “earning their spots” and “not being handed anything”. They are being handed their spots, and maybe they have earned that. But let’s not act like they aren’t.
jager said:
Carlson’s clock will be manipulated in the guise of giving Fowler time whether his spring deserves it.
You mean service time manipulation like they did NOT do for countless others in the past, including at least two guys on the roster now, Flaherty and Hicks?
They are also giving time to O’Neill and Thomas, two who seem to have deserved the chance for an extended look. Carlson will along soon enough.
Interesting that some have lobbied hard for Carlson to go North under the argument the best 26 should go but dont make the same case if Dean is one of the best 26.
I get that Ravelo doesn’t have options and we could lose him. Is he incrementally better than 10 other OF’s that will hit the waiver wire or become FA’s over the next month?
Brian Walton
I still think that Ravelo will be good enough to take an occasional at-bat as a pinch hitter (as he did in 2019) and Dean will be the next man up. Then, after Williams, there isn’t anyone. I don’t think the Cards would want to be pressured to bring up Carlson before they believe he is ready, so Ravelo, Dean and Williams give them some short-term depth.
I would think Sosa would be a likely *next man up* from Memphis before Williams. In Sosa’s case, Edman would handle the additional outfield needs.
Sosa is certainly possible, but three utility infielders, two of whom also play outfield, one OF and one backup catcher is not an ideal bench configuration. Hard to look ahead and know who is going to be hitting well for Memphis when the regular season gets going, but chances are the call-up could be the hottest bat at the time. Could be Knizner, too.
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