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Nootbaar may not be in the way, but he’s still LH competition. Nootbaar hitting .236 at Memphis. Burleson hitting .333.
I believe that Burleson has passed Nootbaar on the depth chart. Dickerson is the guy that the FO will force on the roster that will block Burleson. Its the Cardinal way. Burleson needs to be added to the 40-man roster in case there is an injury to one of our outfielders.
Dickerson or Nootbaar playing everyday? Nah. I don’t have a problem with any of our infielders playing in the outfield just as long as they’re hitting…. ala Donovan or Yepes. Edman is still the best option in the OF if needed….. let one of the others play SS.We’ve gotten used to hitters playing all around the field at the detriment of being good at one position. Errors (and errors not counted as errors) give the opposition more outs, something our pitching can’t afford.
The only reason Dickerson would block anyone is because of his $5M contract. He has pretty much been a disaster this year except for one windy day at Wrigley Field.
Guess it depends on what you’re looking for. Last season for Miami and Toronto, Dickerson had 6 home runs and 29 RBI with 365 plate appearances in 109 games. I do believe Burleson could fairly well exceed those type of numbers if called up.
Ny said:
1) Dickerson is the guy that the FO will force on the roster that will block Burleson. Its the Cardinal way.
2) Burleson needs to be added to the 40-man roster in case there is an injury to one of our outfielders.
1) Yep. That will require some time to play out first.
2) My only modifier is to replace “in case” with “when”. There is no need to do it yet. Burleson won’t be added to the 40-man until the day he is called up the first time. That’s the best way to do it.
However, one has to also consider the scenario when everyone is healthy. When Dickerson is activated, Yepez will likely be sent down. In my view, unless Yepez stinks it up back in Memphis, he will still be ahead of Burleson (and Nootbaar) in the pecking order. That seems the most realistic path just ahead.
Depends on on whether you want a left handed bat coming off the bench or especially in the DH spot against RHP.
That LHB as DH against RHP could easily be Gorman. Especially as Donovan has earned regular playing time, it is hard to sit him.
Yea at this point while I like Gorman, Donovan has been outstanding. There is zero reason for him to sit other than a rest day. Gorman still has question marks. But he can be a really valuable tool on the bench. Having Donovan behind edman with goldy batting third to me is the best lineup making that has been done in a long while for the Cardinals. You put bader batting 9th and it makes it even better.
I like what Donovan brings to the table, but he’s the one in question long term, not Gorman. We’ve seen the story before with how many guys who come in and light it up before turning into a pumpkin? Hazelbaker, Diaz, Grichuk, Piscotty, Dejong, etc etc.
I have zero doubt that Gorman will be a quality big leaguer. Donovan could be on a honeymoon. Hopefully he will maintain his level of excellence long-term.
I like Gorman a whole bunch. But Burleson gives you power with a very low strike out rate. Gorman was striking out at a 34% rate at Memphis before being called up. Burleson is striking out at a 14% rate. Gorman had a .266 BA at Memphis. Burleson is at .333 right now.
Burleson is having a good season. S***can Dickerson and let him have his shot at that lefty DH. Numbers don’t always translate. What matters is what they do on the field. You will never know if you don’t give em a legit shot. I like the spark the young players bring.
Personally I think Gorman is the one that could end up having a shorter career than Donovan. Yea we are in a power era but those guys are easy to replace. Guys like Donovan are like a white whale. You just don’t see guys that can handle the bat like he does
Now could the Cardinals get rid of Donovan over Gorman. Sure. But that would be because management is inept rather than any comparison of the players.IMHO, Gorman will be the starting second baseman. Donovan will be a floater who will play nearly every day as he spells guys. Burleson will the the DH against RHP and spot starter in the OF. The odd man out? PDJ.
I don’t necessarily think it’s fair to compare a 25 year old who went to college to a 22 year old who was drafted out of HS and lost basically a whole year to COVID. The development curves are simply different. I agree that Donovan has the look of a ballplayer. Gorman has adjusted to every level as a much younger player and I feel very confident that he will do the same in St Louis. He’s also a better defender, which will play a part.
On whether Donovan can sustain his debut batting numbers:
He uses the entire field, shifting against him is foolish. His two strike approach is textbook, old school.He reminds me of Jon Jay, but a notch better, and JJ was a career 104 ops+ as a Cardinal. Edman is a career 105 currently.
Throw in Donovan’s defensive versatility and you have a player whose fundamentals will come up big in big moments.
Back to Burleson….
It would make sense to get a look at Burleson vs MLB this season before deciding what to do about O’Neill’s arb/contract situation this winter.
Gorman had a .266 BA at Memphis. Burleson is at .333 right now.
I forgot to mention this earlier but Gorman was at .308 when called up and hit .274 there last year. Burleson has w slightly better hit tool, but Gorman has better power. Both should be solid MLB bats.
Do some really think that batting average and/or strikeout rate are the best way to evaluate players here in 2022? It feels more like selecting stats that support a pre-determined point.
Mark McGwire batted just .263 for his career. Ozzie Smith batted .262 over his career.
Joey Gallo’s career K rate is 37%.
I really like Burleson’s bat. Question is where does he fit defensively and is the bat at MLB level DH quality. Burleson can play 1B, and probably where he’d fit best defensively, but some guy seems to have that locked down for a few more years.
Personally I’d use Nootbaar in a trade for pitching this year, attempt to move Dickerson (Atlanta is a team that could possible have some interest), Burleson maybe get a chance at MLB if an injury comes about that a bat is needed, but is probably just depth this season if not.What if they were able to find a taker for Dickerson and then KC would want O’Neill (27, 2 more years of team control), Nootbaar, 2 prospects for Benintendi (28, free agent after the year) and Staumont? Burleson would be the deptch OF then if injury, then if Beninteni isn’t kept LF in 2023 could be open for Yepez and Burleson. And if Benintendi was kept Yepez and Burleson could be the bench bats with Sosa. Benintendi, Bader, Carlson, Arenado, Edman, Gorman, Goldschmidt, Knizner/Herrera, Donovan playing all over spelling whoever to be the DH and DH himself when needed.
I don’t know just quick brainstorming while McFarland continues to get hammered.I will say this about Batting Average. Goldy has a good one right now .346, Arenado .276 doesn’t right now. I like both bats. Who do you want at the plate right now? Goldy has struck out 51 times. Arenado 31. This comparison backed the BA not the K.
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