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Kelly as better than Molina is just hopeful thinking. Mo made the right call. If Yadi DL’s, then Kelly comes up, but until then Kelly needs to work on the bat.
Defensive catchers are not hard to sign. He’s good roster depth and it wouldn’t surprise me if that is his ceiling.
it is true that Valera is somewhat expendable…but i guess i just want him to get a better shot… i am allowed to be bias
as for Reyes to the 60day…i know he is throwing and all of that, but every time i read about him throwing i also hear almost twice as much how they are being “careful” with him
he can still throw and get ready while on the 60day with rehab games etc.
i think he is one of the best 13 we have…but then where does that put Mayers, Lucas, Sherriff, etc etc etc…they will never forever be passed…barring injury… and 60 days while Reyes gets back into the swing of things might help to further evaluate those guys in what chances they may get whether in MLB or minor league
If he wasnt playing until May at best anyways he was going to miss 30 days anyways…and i am sure that date is an estimate anyways… one extra month to be “careful” isnt the worst especially when all we hear about is the great arms we haev in addition to Reyes who are ready to produce…
the scenario where our season is dependent on Reyes being able to go May 1 seems a pretty bleak one IMO… an extra 30 days is not a lot of extra time that migth allow for another player to be kept in case other injuries happen etc.
I’d hate to lose Valera over 30days…. but if CC is right and no one woudl pick him up, then i’d love to hold onto Valera without his 40 man spot…
Valera hit for more power than I realized this past year. Still, the scenario for him to contribute this year seems like long odds. It would probably require simultaneous injuries to 3 of Garcia, Munoz, Wong, and Dejong. (With the 3rd injury Carpenter moves off of 1B.) So what are the chances of that happening? It would also require that Valera was playing better than Wisdom, Tovar, and Schrock. Just seems rather unlikely to me.
I feared Reyes would follow Motte and lose five or six miles per hour off his fastball after Tommy John surgery, but the more I think about it, I think the rise in velocity and drops conversely are largely a matter of confidence. Some pitchers who knew they were throwing with minor tears see a rise in velocity after the surgery. Pitchers like Motte who suffer a more sudden tear have a natural drop.
The talk has been that Reyes is looking electric makes me think that greater forced caution early may be wiser than jumping on the enthusiasm of good health now.When I saw him in his first spring outing, Reyes topped out at 95 and looked more focused on control than velocity. It may take him a while to fully air it out and if so, I am fine with that. He has six more weeks to prepare.
I’m seeing more and more writers state that they think Munoz will make the team over Bader. Interesting.
Edit. I checked myself and Goold is one such writer. He has Munoz over Bader, although the logic he cites is identical for both players. It is not like one is a prospect and the other is not.
“…it’s more likely the Cardinals choose development and playing time over sitting and rusting…”
Munoz is talked up as a super utility guy, but that is Greg Garcia’s job. Munoz would have a plus as an outfielder, but Bader is the best outfielder. This seems a decision on who to have up first, but no one will apparently stay with St. Louis too long.
P.S. Goold also has the same eight relievers we have discussed all along. The strong springs of Mayers and Lucas were noted, but unless something goes very wrong, I find it hard to imagine they would send down Bowman. Maybe Brebbia later, but the longer he stays and produces, the less likely it is going to be. These relievers are far more proven as major leaguers than is Bader, for example.
I still think it is more likely Mayers, Lucas and the other pitchers in Memphis are going to have to wait for an injury in St. Louis. And unless it happens quickly – in April – Alex Reyes will be ready to gobble up the opening ahead of them.
It is not like Bader has had a bad Spring his OPS is only slightly less than that of Munoz. The idea that Bader will get better development by being in AAA and playing regularly would seemingly apply equally to Munoz. In other words, the normally cited reasons seem weak.
The fact that Munoz can play all over the field seems to be giving him some momentum. Versatility is important with a 4 man bench.
I’m thinking now that Munoz will go north with the team. I hope he can continue to produce as he is getting chances to play many different positions. Also, the guy can flat out hit.
That being the case, Bader will join the Memphis OF that can rival a few of the outfields that MLB teams run out there.
Normally, even with the versatility of Munoz I’d be saying we should go with Bader. However, given the hitting prowess of Gyrko and Wong this Spring, Munoz may be a starter by mid-April.
Balder should go N if it were me, he has done everything to earn the spot this spring and he by FAR better OF than munoz
Ive been worrying about Gyorko for a couple weeks now too CC…
i was leaning to BAder a week ago but now i think i want Munoz…
however i wonder if we get both for the first week or two despite the eventual 8man pen coming
Within the last day, the Cards affirmed it will be an eight-man pen to open the season. So the decision will come down to one of the two, barring unexpected injury.
I am worried about Gyorko not one iota. Last spring, he hit .191. In 2016, he batted .196 in his first spring training with the Cardinals. Getting the pattern?
Yeah I knew Mo was full of crap when he said “they might” go with 7 man bullpen to start the season. I even said at the time I didn’t believe him and some people gave me grief over it.
Using an 8-man bullpen is beyond stupid. I can’t wait to see a relief pitcher having to bat late in games because the FO is incompetent in having only 4 guys on the bench.
I believe they wanted to go with a seven-man pen briefly, but they don’t want to send down Brebbia or Bowman. Since no one is injured, they have no other choice. It is that simple.
Sure they have choice. Dump Dud Norris because he sucks. Cut him and you have your 7-man bullpen. Johnny Mo has a long history of making misleading statements. His 7-man bullpen comments are just more proof.
I think Mayers makes the team, Brebbia is sent down briefly, unless there is an injury, or they decide to cut Norris, which is doubtful due to 3,000,000 reasons only. Also, Bader makes the team. and Munoz does not, but as Brian said earlier, Greg Garcia is probably non tendered next year. Or ideally. this would be an ideal time to make a 2 or 3 for 1 trade to alleviate the 40 man logjam.
I wonder what player might be available from another team at cut time next week, possibly as a reliever upgrade? I surely think we could pick up someone on waivers better than Norris.
I will also expand that Mayers gets a multiple inning role, which will go to Reyes when he comes back
Also, I favor the 7 man bullpen with Munoz making the team as well as Bader. but that cuts out Mayers probably..
The fact that they are not the only team makes no difference. They are times you may need 8 relievers but 7 should be the norm.
The 8 man pen would be easier to deal with in the AL because you don’t need as many pinch hitters but the Cardinals seem to like it, or at least Matheny does. Specialization is here to stay.
Baseball has taken a few turns on bullpens. For most of its history, baseball used bullpens as a last-ditch landing spot for failed starters and nothing more. In a movement popularized by Tony LaRussa, teams began to distribute more innings and more talented pitchers into the bullpen. With the popularization of advanced stats in the early 21st century, bullpens became unfashionable as the sheer math of “relievers pitch less and therefore matter less” became the popular wisdom. But as bullpen usage has increased, relievers need to be capable of pitching multiple games in a row, even as the size of bullpens has increased.
John Fleming from VEB sums up the role of the bullpen in the game of today. Starters go less innings (pitch counts) and relievers are needed to cover those innings. More managers have more data and use it to use the righty-lefty switch at increasingly rate. The skippers never want to run out of relief arms and probably have nightmares about that happening. They also must have a plan in close games to have arms ready for extra inning affairs. 8 relievers may be here to stay for a while until or unless the game morphs.
the Cardinals arent the only NL team either
Anyone can disagree with 8 man pens…there are times when i dont like it either…but i am not going to act like Matheny is the only one doing it or that he is somehow reckless by doing it or that it is some proof for condemnation for Matheny or the management
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