- This topic has 233 replies, 22 voices, and was last updated 4 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
The Cardinal Nation’s no. 17 prospect in our 2026 #stlcards Top 50 countdown has an unusual pitching profile to go with a lot of strikeouts. What does Chen-Wei Lin need in 2026 beyond better health? https://t.co/8K98DJ3IGA pic.twitter.com/tGcW1OuWob
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) December 20, 2025
Really exciting write-ups on Lin. He signed in July, 2023, and 2025 was kind of a lost year in that Lin had health issues. And that’s not uncommon for a player to have a year like that. So, effectively, Lin has, so far, had one year, 2024, to concentrate on getting better, and he was lights out that year. (As Jack Buck would say on occasion ‘If ya’ wanna’ dance, ya’ gotta’ pay the fiddler’, which, in this case is Brian and Kyle.) What I’m trying to say is it would be nice if we could get some more conversation going on these write-ups.
Since I live about eight to ten minutes from Peoria and Dozer Park, Lin was fun to watch when he pitched. The write up on Lin was tethered to start and ends with some hope.
Keep up the fantastic writing!Thank you for the kind words, mudville and Lep. We appreciate it.
mud said:
What I’m trying to say is it would be nice if we could get some more conversation going on these write-ups.
How about some more subscribers? 10% off for the holidays!
Holiday Gift Memberships to The Cardinal Nation at 10 Percent Off!
I went to Dozer park one time for a game, and parked close to the stadium thinking that I was lucky to find a parking spot so close. Little did I know that I was parking in a wrecking zone. Some player hit a HR out of the park and the ball landed right on the roof of my brand new Buick leaving a dent in it. The locals who apparently knew about the danger of parking there probably thought that was funny.
I’ll be paying closer attention to Lin going forward. I hadn’t thought about him being 6’7” with a very good pitching motion and a 100 MPH fastball. Sounds like his off speed pitch and his splitter are enough to get him to the majors very soon if they want ti use him as a reliever.
Lep, I’ll be 20 min east of there this week! It’ll be warmish out but probably no games…. Hah.
Should be a great early season there with RR, Clarke, etc (fingers crossed Ryan Sloan)It’ll be interesting to see where they place a guy like Denial Ortiz and Jesus Baez.
I have a similar story. We were on vacation with a group and went to a Cardinals affiliate game in State College, PA. Allen Craig pulled a liner foul out of the park and it hit my wife’s minivan. Cracked the rear window and knocked off the wiper. Couldn’t find the ball afterwards.
Craig was with State College in 2006. That was also the year Mike Shildt moved from scouting to coaching and I first met him there. Mark DeJohn, a Cardinals legend, was the manager.
BB, this is joking obviously “But that’s having a minivan Karma coming back at you”!
I once half broke a sunroof on a Grand Prix/Grand Am as a kid, basically just splintered it like a rock would on the highway. It was a foul ball and a larger dude was in his car, wasn’t supposed to be parked there, but very hot out, running his AC I’m sure.
But that’s having a minivan Karma coming back at you”
One time I heard my wife mention to a friend that there is only so much trouble a man can get into when his ride is a minivan with a couple child seats strapped in.
No, BW, I didn’t get the ball and I don’t know who hit it, darn it! All I got was that dent in the roof of my brand new Buick and a lesson on parking at small stadiums.
CFIC – I agree. I will be very interested to see what Brian and Kyle have to say about Jesus Baez, in particular. I checked around and I couldn’t figure out why the Cardinals even have him in their top 10.
At no. 16 in The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 #STLCards Top 50 prospect countdown is a left-handed starter who topped the system in both strikeouts and walks in his successful pro debut season. @kyler416 details the wide spread of possible outcomes ahead for Braden Davis.… pic.twitter.com/KVSEF4xrkg
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) December 21, 2025
. . . if he can find some way to get to average command, then . . .
Most A level pitchers are if-then guys. Usually its if he can add a couple ticks. I guess Davis is if he can improve control without dropping a couple ticks. I think developing this kind of pitcher, who has made a living throwing it past everybody, is very challenging. More advanced hitters will wait him out. He will have to somehow come over the plate more. Then he gets hit. What does he do then? That is always what it comes down to. If the answer is add a couple ticks, he blows out his arm. So there needs to be a different answer. Too often there isn’t. We just have to wait and see what the A+ hitters do once they have some familiarity with him, and then what he does about it. His intro in Peoria went well, so keep fingers crossed.
Agreed, bling. Assessing prospects inherently includes a lot of “if, thens”, some of which never come to pass. As we get closer to the top 10, though, one would hope the odds of success increase.
All those strikeouts definitely grab your attention. But bb is right and Brian acknowledges the challenge off assessing a player who who seemingly strikes everybody our while racking up a so many walks. Plus he was awarded Pitcher of the Year, so the Cardinals must have high hopes for Davis, and with that, so do many fans. This is an intriguing prospect, definitely one to keep to watch.
Minor clarification. Mautz was the Cardinals organization’s Pitcher of the Year. We named Davis our Palm Beach Pitcher of the Year.
In a FREE article, at no. 15 in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 #stlcards prospect countdown for 2026 is a former 16th rounder who had an exceptional first pro season at Class-A. In which areas will Deniel Ortiz need improvement to become a Top 10 prospect? https://t.co/fxrqI7j5A6 pic.twitter.com/IpZNVz4nm4
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) December 22, 2025
At no. 14 on The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 #STLCards Top 50 prospect countdown is the organization’s top trade acquisition this past July, a former national top 100 prospect. Infielder Jesus Baez comes with big upside but also some major open questions. https://t.co/JgBtKeJ7mc pic.twitter.com/rrUQJ54zhN
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) December 23, 2025
What I took from the Deniel Ortiz article…Kyle Reis channeling his inner Mozeliak by comparing Deniel Ortiz to Albert Pujols. That was really the main thing. Lol
The last thing that I ever want to hear about a player is that he can be ‘lackadaisical’ ‘a certain type of malaise’ ‘some half-hearted throws from both third and second’ (Kyle) and ‘I, too, had heard the rumors about Baez’ lackadaisical play at times’ (Brian). In other words, to me it sounds like this kid is just plain lazy at times. He may be highly talented. But I have to wonder what he is going to be like over a long, full season. It is clearly wait and see with Jesus Baez. But if he truly lacks certain intangibles, then he needs to have some sort of epiphany to help him find the vibe, and that, of course, is always a possibility. I guess the Cardinals have him in their top 10 solely because of his athleticism and the potential that stems from that.
he can be ‘lackadaisical’ ‘a certain type of malaise’ ‘
Besides all that, there is the body type issue. “Thick” is a concerning description when discussing a left side infielder. Body type wise, I think of Albert, who could sort of manage 3B as a youngster, but that quickly changed, as his body type was not cut out for it.
You think of Albert and I think of Terry Pendleton, who at a “thick” 5-foot-9, played the hot corner for 14 seasons.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.