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Yeah, stopped there a couple of times. Once on the way during a drive to Garmisch and once on a trip into Austria on the way to Innsbruck. On one stop we sat at a table with three guys about my age from Moscow who all took on the look of a local commissar with the exception of one who was sporting a Yankee cap…No kidding. Our two groups had a lot of laughs together and I felt as though I was participating in my own personal detente…All three of them knew who Babe Ruth was, but were stumped by Mickey Mantle…Haha!
Great story. A flight surgeon and I grabbed a hop with the Texas ANG from Dallas to Bonn. Stopover in Goose Bay. We worked our way south and went skiing at Garmish. Had a few cold steins at the Hofbrauhaus.
Yeah, Garmisch is really nice. I’ve been there in both the winter and summer months. I’d have to say it’s probably the only place I’ve ever been that I enjoyed more in the winter.
I’m envious of you guys and your globe hopping adventures. The closest I can come to that is being sent by my parents to visit a cousin in a place called Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart. It was around mid 70s. My dad had been stationed there as a young man just after the war, and my older cousin was living there as a civilian working for the armed forces. I think he was on a tight leash, both due to his employment, and because his mom was my mom’s sister, and they ‘had a talk’ with him about not getting me in trouble. So you can imagine it was less fun than it might have been. Nothing resembling the exploits my dad would talk about when he’d had a few beers. I now value having had the experience.
I’d think 8 in the bullpen. The Athletic projections are interesting. I’d assumed Thompson would be in the pen, not Memphis, at season’s start. But if verHagen is healthy and doing what was expected last year, and if Cabrera is back to form, it makes sense he would start at AAA. I could see the Cards wanting to give Thompson more experience at starter. They’re gonna need a couple of the kids to be starters soon, if not this year, then next with contracts expiring. Will they have all five of Thompson, Liberatore, Woodford, Graceffo, and McGreevy in the rotation at AAA with one or two of them getting the call when injuries happen to the big league rotation? [Or will Hudson, Pallante, or verHagen get the injury starts instead?]
I’m also curious to see if Mercado gets the 5th OF spot instead of Burleson. I’d think that with Gorman, there would not be a ton of ABs for Burleson, who might do well to play every day in AAA for awhile more. Yepez would be 4th OF, playing when one of the main three needs a day off and getting subbed for by Mercado late if they are ahead. And they might well need a PR or late inning defender more than an extra PH off the bench. The Cards had only 102 PH ABs last year after 215 in 2021and 238 in 2019. With the DH, the bench is just a different beast than before. Alas.
In essence, the 4th or 5th DH PA could be called a PH PA for every game played. Rarely did a SP’er get 3 or more PA’s prior to the DH in the NL. And with the progression of BP’s getting more innings of work, the ratio should go up. In any event, like you pointed out, the DH dictates changes to countless aspects of the game.
Hey, Gags! Good to see you!
So if the bullpen is going to have 8, then the backend is pretty well set with Helsley, Gallegos, and Hicks. I really can’t see them sending Hudson down, so that’s 4. Pallante is probably for sure, so that’s 5. I’m guessing that the reliability of Stratton will mean he’s included. That’s 6 right handers. Not making the team would be Woodford (Rodney Dangerfield), VerHagen, Rodriguez, Naile, Pacheco, and Loutos. The left hand side is a question. Thompson, Cabrera, Liberatore, Naughton, Thomas, and Romero. A lot to choose from. My guess is Cabrera and Romero.
Hiya Cranny-
They lose VerHagen if he doesn’t make the team, and my bet is that he’ll be past his injuries. That would limit it to one lefty. Agreed on the other six, and on poor Woodford, likely to get in lots of mileage between Memphis and St. Louis this year.
They haven’t gone with just one lefty among the relievers to open the year for a long time. And if they do, the one they have better be very good and very durable. I don’t see any of those types on the current staff.
To be specific, I track Opening Day rosters back to 1996, when TLR first arrived. Since 1998, they have had exactly one year in which they broke camp with just one LH reliever. That was Andrew Miller in 2019, which was right after he was signed to a big contract and we thought he might still be pretty good. And the one lefty only happened because Cecil began the year on the IL.
So in the last 24 years, 23 times they had two or more lefties. And now the roster is one spot bigger than it was for most of that time.
Conclusion: It is far, far better odds to assume two lefties in the pen.
As usual, there are a couple days off the first week. After opening day and at the end of the homestand, which is six games. So they might go a pitcher short and then make a roster adjustment before heading out of town. If they wear out the pen in less than six games, we’ve got even bigger problems than we imagine.
Brian-
It does seem weird to only have one lefty. But….Helsley, Gallegos, and Pallante all had pretty good whips vs. lefties last year, all better than Cabrera or Romero. And I can’t figure out which of those 7 righties wouldn’t make the team, assuming all are healthy. Does Cabrera have an option left? If so, I could easily see Thompson edging him out. Really liked what I saw out of him in the pen last year.
We’ll see, but they’ve had righties with good splits before. That isn’t new and they still had multiple lefty relievers. I will say that Katie Woo’s projected pen only has one lefty (Cabrera) but she justified it by the RHP splits. I remain skeptical that would happen.
Having said that, all of the young pitchers have options, including all the lefties. (Not Hicks, Stratton and VerHagen.) So they will have considerable flexibility. And the Opening Day roster will change almost immediately, anyway, as the schedule example from blingboy above speculates.
Injury issues among the probable top 5 starters aside, if Hudson is healthy and pitching well, that may free up Thompson for pen duty. Otherwise, he may have to be next man up in Memphis. At least early on, until we see how some other guys are looking.
I have talked to scouts who think VerHagen can be fine as a long man. As has been covered, he was not healthy during 2022 so we will see if he is better post-surgery.
I don’t get what they see in this 32 year old VerHagen.
Here are his ERAs of the past few years.2016 – 7.11
2017 – 5.77
2018 – 4.63
2019 – 5.90
2022 – 6.65Am I missing something?
Yes, his 2020 and 2021 overseas in Japan are missing, which is why he was signed. Not the time before that. But you have already made your opinion known.
When I look at those lofty earned run numbers for the guy with the Dutch name, that silly “99 Red Balloons” song suddenly started playing. Utter torment…Haha!
Regardless of the earned runs, this guy allowed 10 HR’s in 34.1 IP and 5 HR’s in 21.2 IP in ’17 and ’22 respectively. Anyone who survives that sort of beating is lucky to have walked away with their life, not to mention $5.5 MM.
Gays, they can send Ver Hagen tô the minors if he doesnt make the 26. He hás less than 5 years service time. He would have tô pass through waivers but nobody is taking that contract.
My guess is that VerHagen will either be on the opening day roster or the IL. The frugal Cardinals aren’t going to eat that $3M until they have to. I suppose they could DFA him and dare him to declare free agency, which he wouldn’t because he would lose his salary. I suppose he could end up in Memphis that way.
I just don’t see who VerHagen beats out for a bullpen slot.
Stratton seems to have a better major league record.Verhagen will be on the roster unless he is hurt or his work in ST is utterly appalling. The money guys, like him and DeJong will get first crack at it even if they are outplayed in ST. The same with Matz as to a rotation slot. He doesn’t have to be one of the top 5 performers this spring, just healthy and arguably competent. Obviously we hope for good performances from them all.
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