2024 Spring Training News

At Winter Warmup Bakeshow commented that he had worked hard all offseason to lose weight and improve his agility. And what does he get for it?………..

I think there is 0% chance both Carp and Baker are on the roster.

Harsh. Really harsh.

My overall take on Matt Carpenter’s career is that he was an above average to good hitter. In the batter’s box I’d characterize him as a sort of Keith Hernandez/Mark Grace Lite. In every other area that applies to the game of baseball I’d have to say he was a significant liability. He brought a borderline oven mitt to any position at which he manned up…He ran the bases as though is cleats were plodding through 18 inches of wet concrete…And he sometimes seemed as though the space between his ears was nothing more than a coconut shell that had been picked clean by a tribe of starving Polynesians…I remember when he had roughly 10 games to get a couple of base hits that would have vaulted him over the 200 hit mark in ’13 and he came up short with 199. It seemed to me at that time as though he were in a mental slump as opposed to a hitting slump. And most of us recall Helton embarrassing him at the 1B bag a couple of seasons later. I liked Matt Carpenter okay, but he wasn’t near a very smart baseball player and anytime he wasn’t standing in the batter’s box there was a decent chance he could hurt your chances.

I’d sac bunt every time in extras and Eddie knows the type of mitt that suits him best.

TD I just thought it was odd seeing our center fielder taking infield practice.

mike I remember seeing Gomber pitch in Peoria. He was a man amongst boys. I thought he would be a dominant force all the way to MLB. I should have know better than to get carried away over an A ball guy. Still, he’s done ok for himself.

Maybe we can assume that last year’s payroll increase talk was the only smoke and mirrors that has or will ever come out of the FO. In which case trying to read the tea leaves would be a waste. I guess I didn’t think of that.

As far as the position player regulars, guys I have not yet seen on any of the tweeted photos are Nootbaar, Goldschmidt and Donovan. Doesn’t mean they aren’t there yet, maybe camera shy or I just missed it. I think report day for them is tomorrow (Monday).

Not sure about the hitch but from what I have seen and read Gray brings that Chris Carpenter type personality to the mound, which is good. Maybe he can help fill the leadership vacuum.

Posted by Denton
“Word out of #STLCards camp is that the sweeper thrown by newcomer Riley O’Brien on Saturday had 21 inches of horizontal break, per a source. Another key element: He threw it at 84 mph just behind a fastball that was at 98 mph.”

I figured we would hear some harping about the large movement O’Brien has on that wiffle ball pitch. It is not news to anyone, nor is it what matters. The issue with him is control, and there was no mention of whether he was around the plate. His brief ML stints were disasters because hitters just didn’t swing, and he has had big problems with that in AAA as well. We will have to see if he has sharpened it up, and hopefully someone will have an eye out for it and tell us.

I saw where Denton reported that Walker is bigger, especially in the arms and shoulders, and checked in at 259.4 lb. That would be up 15 lb from what the Cardinals official site and Baseball Reference has him, which is 245.

Assuming he is in fact bulked up, we will have to see how that plays, at the dish and in the field. I can’t imagine it will help his fielding any.

Charlie Marlow commented in his report that Walker stayed in Jupiter during the offseason so he could work with the Cardinals’ trainers. One other thing that Marlow said, that I thought was interesting, was that Walker’s dad went to MIT and his mom went to Harvard.

On Walker’s draft day as reported here at The Cardinal Nation:

“Walker also has solid pedigree as his Mom attended Harvard and his Dad attended MIT. Additionally, his mother played basketball and ran track. Walker is pretty smart himself too, as he committed to play baseball at Duke, causing some scouts to believe that he will be a tough sign.”

Cardinals Select Jordan Walker in 2020 MLB Draft’s First Round

I have met Derek and Katrina Walker multiple times, as recently as WWU. They are impressive people.

Some folks on social media are suggesting the players are not interested in what the manager is saying. Without being there, it would be really hard to conclude that or anything else.

But, what I did find clear and interesting is the placement of clubhouse stalls. Note Gorman, Walker and Nootbaar all in a row, with Arenado next to Noot on the other side. Also, Winn placed between Carpenter and Carlson.

First team meeting held before first full squad workout for the #Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla. #stlcards pic.twitter.com/RPNxqxyaGQ

— Robert Cohen (@kodacohen) February 19, 2024