November 2006
The Case For Kennedy
It seems as if a homecoming of sorts may be in order, and from a couple of standpoints actually. Adam Kennedy, the double play partner for David Eckstein on the 2002 World Champion Aneheim Angels, as well as a former St. Louis Cardinal, is rumored to be a possibility at 2nd base. Multiple unconfirmed rumors have led me to believe that the Cardinals have made offers to Mark Loretta, Ronnie Belliard, and Kennedy, basically to see who wants the job bad enough. Assuming those rumors are true, my choice is Kennedy. He strikes out WAY less than Belliard. Kennedy is a lifetime .280 hitter, with two seasons of .300 or better. He has excellent chemistry with David Eckstein. Loretta lines up comparable to Kennedy, but is five years older. He is a lifetime .299 hitter. He would also be a good choice. But in my opinion Kennedy is a better option. Kennedy has played everyday for a World Champion, he has wonderful chemistry with Eckstein, and was brought up through the Cardinals system. He was just on the brink of catching on with the Cardinals, when he was traded along with Kent Bottenfield to the Angels for some guy named JIM EDMONDS. Personally, if I were Walt Jocketty, I would have considered giving Aaron Miles a shot at the everday job. He would be my first choice. But he will provide a good player off the bench hopefull since we seem intent on filling the job via a free agent. It is becoming a pattern in St. Louis where we don’t spend much on 2nd base, and get a good caliber player only for them to move on. Fernando Vina, Placido Palanco, Tony Womack, Mark Grudzeilanek, Ronnie Belliard, etc. Belliard would be ok, but I have heard he wants to go to the Mets and will be too much money for too little results.
He had wanted to go back to Cleveland but then they went out and snagged Josh Barfield, so that would seem unlikely. No matter who ends up at 2nd base, I am sure of one thing and that is that the Cardinals aren’t as concerned about that as they are about their pitching. In my opinion Kennedy is the man, assuming that Miles is destined to be a bench player. Miles did an excellent job filling in at shortstop for Eckstein this past year, and would provide a great back up at either position should injuries occur. It is obvious though, that Walt is looking to bring in a bigger name though, and leave Miles in that role. It is probably going to cost in the ballpark of 3.5 million to get Kennedy, but that is a good price if he continues to produce. My prediction is that very soon you will see Adam in the Cardinals uniform.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there….
Thanks,
Josh
The Future of Chris Duncan
From the moment we first saw Duncan, my wife and I nicknamed him "Slop". The only thing more mammoth than his Homerun potential was the gigantic wad of tabacco always being jostled around in his mouth. His tounge was always moving, and thus "Slop" was born. Being from Memphis, I got to see a lot of him, and just knew that he was destined to be great. "Slop" and John Gall provided some pop in the Memphis Redbird’s lineup. So when Duncan finally got his chance this year, I was smiling as I told everyone, "I told you so…". I am getting a little sick of people saying we should trade him, or that he ***** defensively. I am here to tell everyone: Duncan is a big piece of the Cardinals’ future. His defense will improve. You have to remember, his natural position is 1st Base, and he is learning the outfield in the Major Leagues for the most part. Yes, he looks like a drunk ballerina at times going back on fly balls. Nothing that a little fungo bat and some practice can’t fix. I am telling you, he is not only going to be a good player, he will be All-Star callibar. In only 280 at bats, he shelled out 22 HR’s. Some players get twice that many at bats, which would have put him at 44. He probably plays rightfield a little more skillfully than left, because of the similar angle from that of playing 1st Base, but with Encarnacion in Right, he will probably see a lot of time in Left. I love Tony LaRussa, but I am very critical about the way he would often sit him against lefties. Give the man a chance to play….EVERYDAY!! He isn’t a strain on salary, he provides power, and his defense can only improve. Just think if the Twins had given David Ortiz more of a chance, what he could have done to their lineup. He came up with a similar reputation, a less than average defensive player with incredible power. Chris Duncan should patrol our outfield for years to come.
I have read a lot of people suggest that we dangle him as trade bait for a pitcher to an american league team where he could play DH. In my opinion, that is silly. Whoever you get that would be worthy of a Chris Duncan would no doubt cost a lot more, and then you have to replace him in the outfield. Tony LaRussa used Speizio, Duncan, Wilson, Taguchi, Schumaker, Encarnacion, Edmonds, among others, and everybody still got their at bats. Along with Wainwright and Reyes, I think Duncan is our among our top prospects. His power and batting will no doubt provide some pop alongside Pujols, Rolen, Edmonds, etc. Give the guy a break, I can’t think of anyone who became a skilled outfielder overnight. Chris Duncan, has developed into the kind of power hitter that we need in St. Louis. His defense will improve, mark my words.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there….
Thanks,
Josh
The 2007 Bullpen
Earlier, I addressed the starting rotation, in my article entitled "Pitching, Pitching, Pitching". Now I would like to start a series of articles where I will address what I would like to see happen regarding the bullpen. After yesterday’s signing of Randy Keisler, we now have four lefties in our bullpen that are on the active roster: 1.Tyler Johnson 2. Randy Flores 3. Ricardo Rincon (That’s right, he should be healthy) 4. Randy Keisler. I don’t see all four on the opening day roster, but I do see possibly three of them making the team. I have to say that the role of Steve Kline/Ray King should fall on the shoulders of Tyler Johnson. The Left handed specialist/set up role, where LaRussa has always had a go to Lefty that can come through big should be given to Tyler. Anyone that watched the post-season saw that NASTY curveball he threw up there. He is VERY exciting to watch, and I am glad we have him on our team. I watched him a lot this year in Memphis, and I think he wil be a member of our team for a long time. Tony LaRussa has said, "He has plus stuff. Many of his pitches are unhittable. He’s just got to be consistent getting them over the plate." So let me work the bullpen backwards. In my opinion, the clear choice for closer is Adam Wainwright. He is a much cheaper option than Izzy, has shown to perform in the clutch (World Series Closer), and biggest of all is that Izzy probably won’t be ready to pitch till later on in the season anyway. If I were Walt Jocketty, I would trade Izzy NOW for whatever you could get, to unload his salary. You might end up with a surprise like we did in Aaron Miles, when we traded Ray King to Colorado last year. Not only that, but the cash freed up by dumping Izzy’s salary would enable us to go after a top quality starter. So, Wainwright is my closer. Braden Looper is my right handed set up man. The above mentioned Tyler Johnson would have the left handed specialist/set up duties as well. Also in the pen I would have Josh Kinney, Josh Hancock, and Randy Flores. The remaining spots could be filled out by Ricardo Rincon, Randy Keisler, Brad Thompson, and possibly Chris Narveson. That is assuming we don’t pick up a free agent of a higer caliber than those just mentioned. I am sure my bullpen will evolve as the off season does, but if I had to pick it today, these would be my choices. I would get Jorge Sosa out of town so fast that he would pass Jason Marquis on the expressway out of St. Louis. He showed me NOTHING. Yeah, so he can throw fast. Big deal, most of the Major League hitters I saw tee off on him weren’t that impressed either. Neither were the Braves when they got rid of him. So here you go here is my 2007 Bullpen if I had to set it up today:
Wainwright Looper Johnson Kinney Hancock Flores Rincon
Closer Set Up LHP/Set Up RHP RHP LHP LHP
This still leaves out some people that could make the squad, like Brad Thompson, Randy Keisler, Chris Narveson (who led the 2006 Memphis Redbirds in Wins),Brian Falkenborg, and Andy Cavazos. Chris Narveson could even prove to be a starter one day, so maybe you leave him down in Memphis. And don’t forget Alan Benes, who I wrote about yesterday. Should he not make the rotation, he could contribute from the bullpen, similar to a Cal Eldred role, a veteran comeback player with a lot of knowledge.
So there you have it, so far. My thoughts may change as the season nears. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there….
Thanks,
Josh
Cardinals Ink A’s Lefty for Bullpen
The Cardinals picked up a left handed arm to help in their bullpen Thursday. Randy Keisler is a 6’3", 190 lb. Texan, who played college ball at LSU, being named to the All SEC World Series team his Junior Year. He only pitched 10 innings last year, and only has 133.1 innings in his entire career, sporting a career ERA of 6.82. 
He has already been with the Yankees, Padres, Reds, and A’s, with most of his action coming in 2005 when he pitched 56 innings for the Reds. Not knowing much about him, I will reserve commenting too much other than to say that in my opinion a left hander is always something you look at these days. The Cardinals have signed him to a one year, $425,000 split contract. That means if he doesn’t make the squad and ends up in the minors, he will make $110,000. If he doesn’t make the club out of spring training, maybe he could end up in the ‘pen in Memphis. I would look for him to be a Randy Flores/Tyler Johnson type as far as how LaRussa could use him.
The ERA looks a bit high, but with the limited amount of innings pitched, it is hard to judge him by stats. Time will Tell. Overall, in my opinion it sounds like a good pick up. Not very expensive, and very little risk.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there….
Thanks,
Josh
Hidden Starter for Cards in Memphis?
With Walt Jocketty being forced to work miracles due to the modern economics of the game, coupled with the fact that the Cardinals only have 2 of the 5 starting pitcher roster spots filled, I can’t help but wonder if the Cardinals are overlooking a talent that is right under their nose. Alan Benes is a name I am sure all of you remember. He was a member of the Cardinals staff from 1995-2001. He came in 7th in Rookie of the year voting in 1996. The little brother of Andy Benes, they helped form a valuable part of the Cardinals rotation for much of the 90′s. He has certainly not lived up to his potential, but he is still plugging away as a pitcher for the Memphis Redbirds. The 6’5", 215 pounder from Indiana pitched in 30 games for the Redbirds in ’06, starting 4, and sporting a 4.75 ERA. Those aren’t exactly numbers that get you called up, but the fact that he was a major league starter for 7+ years for the Cardinals/Cubs has to count for something. In my opinion the Cardinals should consider him an option under certain scenarios. Let’s pretend that we are lucky enough to land a top teir free agent pitcher this off season like Zito or Schmidt (see my article entitled "Pitching, Pitching, Pitching"). Well landing a pitcher like that would no doubt strengthen our rotation, but it would also mean that we would have much less to spend on the other spots in the starting rotation. 
And I don’t need to tell you what kind of miracle worker Dave Duncan is with reviving pitchers’ careers in the past. Players that have lost the edge or fallen into the pit of mediocrity, have come to St. Louis, and flourished and shined brighter than ever. Players like Dave Stewart, Dennis Eckersley, Woody Williams, Cal Eldred, and most recently Jeff Weaver have found themselves again under Duncan’s tootilidge. All I am saying is that if we find ourselves in that good position of landing a Zito or Schmidt caliber pitcher, the money required to round out the rotation will be critical. Why not give a shot to Benes. 
Why not invite him to spring training, and see how it goes. Worst case scenario, if it doesn’t work out, you have little to no investment. And if the Cardinals find themselves in need of bullpen help, I could see him easily taking Jorge Sosa’s spot. It would be difficult to **** as bad as Sosa did this year. I have seen him pitch this past year, and I can tell you he still has that competitive drive. So I say, give ol’ Alan another shot, at 34 he just might still have some left in his tank.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there….
Thanks,
Josh
“Clutch” is Coming Back
Without Scott Spiezio, I don’t think that the Cardinals would have won the World Series. The 34 year old was signed by the Cardinals in Spring Training 2006, He revived his career that had almost slipped away, redefined himself as a valuable role player. He sort of fit the Jonn Mabry role, and played 1st Base, 2nd Base, 3rd Base, Leftfield, and Rightfield. He batted .272 and had a .496 slugging percentage, which was the best of his career. His clutch hit the last weekend of the season was the most important hit of the season for St. Louis up to that point. They needed a win desperately, and he came through with a three run triple. Whether starting, or off the bench, I was always hopeful when he came to bat. His red soul patch caught on and created a following with the fans, giving us some unity and a feeling of togetherness among Cardinal Nation. In my opnion, his signing is HUGE for the Cardinals. He is signed through 2008, with an option for 2009. His two year deal will bring him $4.5 million. At that price you will not find a better player. Injuries strike every team, and you never know when, at what position, or for how long, you are going to lose someone. So it is nice to have someone like Spiezio to fill in wherever needed and start as well. He could very well be an every day player for the Cardinals, but I think Tony will continue to use him like he did this past year. A veteran player like Spiezio who is as versitale as he is, is hard to find these days.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there….
Thanks,
Josh
Edmonds + St. Louis = Match Made In Heaven
Since 1982, The St. Louis Cardinals have basically only had three Centerfielders. Willie McGee patrolled the astroturf in Center for the Cards during the 80′s, Ray Lankford was perched there in the 90′s, and Jimmy Ballgame this decade. And speaking as a life long Cardinals fan, I can tell you that there in NO ONE i would rather have in Centerfield than Jimmy. He is probably my favorite Cardinals player of all time. As I am sitting here writing this article, I look around at my office, and there are framed pictures of Jimmy all over my walls. The catch against the Reds on July 6, 2004 where he went up over the wall; The Homerun in Game 6 of the 2004 NLCS (which is probably my favorite Cardinals moment of all time); The catch the next night in Game 7 to save the season. In my opinion he is one of the best Centerfielders of all time. His flashy glove play has earned him Gold Gloves year after year, and he has hit some of the most dramatic Homeruns in the history of the franchise. I would have hated to see him leave after the sub par year he had. He battled through multiple injuries, still putting up decent numbers (.257 avg., 19 Hr’s, 70 RBI’s in 110 Games), to become the leader on and off the field that helped carry the team to their World Series Title. He finally got his redemption for 2004. He Finally got his World Title. So how could he possibly go anywhere else?
Well the answer is money and today’s baseball economics. 
Walt Jocketty had three options in regards to Jimmy. First, he could buy out the option on Jimmy’s contract for $3 million and Jimmy would walk. Secondly, he could exercise the option and Jimmy would come back, but at a price of $10 million. This would have spent a lot of money that we need to save for other moves this offseason. The last option was to sit down and re-negotiate a new deal. And that is what they did, nailing out a two year deal. He will earn $8 million in each of the next two years, and then receive $3 million spread out from 2010-2019. This was the best possible outcome to the question of Jimmy and the Cardinals. So here’s to Jim Edmonds, who will go down in my book, as the best Cardinals Centerfielder of all time.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there….
Thanks,
Josh
Martin’s Mulder Musings
Mark Mulder told both Walt Jocketty and Tony La Russa that the Cardinals fans haven’t seen the real Mark Mulder yet. Even though he won 16 games in 2005, he has never been as good as he can be. I think he is one of the best left handers in the game today if he can get back to the form he had with the Oakland A’s. Just like Luis Gonzalez, his agent is Greg Clifton. Clifton said, "He is a premiere pitcher who did not have a premiere year. But there is a reason for that. And now he’s fixed." Mulder said he had a desire to show the fans in St. Louis the real Mark Mulder. It is very probable that Jocketty will offer him a one year incentive laden deal, sort of a rehab deal if you will, to show that he can get back in the groove. THEN, test the free agent market next off season when he will no doubt command near $10 – 12 million per year if he had a good 2007. Matt Morris did sort of that very same thing, when he came back on a one year deal in 2005. Then he cashed in with the Giants that offseason. In my opinion, I would love to have Mark Mulder on our staff. I didn’t include him in my projected rotation because I tend to think he will take what he can get in the free agent market this year. There aren’t a whole lot of high quality pitchers out there, so he may figure his value hasn’t been hurt. I think the Cardinals stance is appropriate – You are welcome to come back for a certain amount, and if you think you are worth more, then good luck and go get it. I know he has expressed interest in Baltimore, and the Mets have expressed interest in him. This will be an interesting story as it develops. He was one of my favorites, so I hope he re-signs.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there…..
Thanks, Josh
Gonzo to the Gateway?
Could Luis Gonzalez be headed to the Gateway City? Greg Clifton his agent, said that Luis said he "has never seen fans like that", speaking of the St. Louis fans. He seemed to have caught Cardianls’ Fever while broadcasting the post-season as part of the FOX broadcasting crew. Even thought he will be 40 next September, he was second in the league in doubles with 52 this past year, and hit .271 with 15 home runs. I am not sure how i feel about this. He earned over $10.6 million in 2006. The Cardinals Walt Jocketty admits he tried to trade for him this past summer and is still interested. Gonzo’s agent says 9 teams have contacted him about the outfielder. He could serve a Larry Walker role for us if we were to get him. A lot of this would depend on how talks with Jimmy go as well. If Jim Edmonds and the Cardinals are unable to come to terms, then we might explore something like this, even though we would still have to pay Edmonds’ $3 million buyout. We couldn’t even begin to afford his salary unless Jimmy left or we were able to dump some salary by trading Izzy. I am still thinking on this one, I may have more to say at a later time. But it isn’t a crazy thought to think that one day Gonzo could be wearing the birds on the bat, stranger things have happened.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there….
Thanks,
Josh
Bring Back Bennent
While we are talking about catchers, I thought I would go ahead and adress our backup catcher situation. Gary Bennent just filed for free agency. I really think this is a no brainer to re-sign him and here is why:
1. He is affordable – Let’s face it, back up catcher isn’t a position allocated to eat much salary and you can probably get him for close to his 2006 salary of $800,000 (which by the way was about double what they paid Molina). Anytime you can get someone on your 25 man roster for under a million that is as solid as he is, I say go for it.
2. Chemistry with the Pitching staff – Let’s face it. Einar Diaz didn’t have the confidence of the entire pitching staff as a backup in 2005, the way that Molina did under Matheny’s tenure, or as Bennent did this past year. He not only filled in, but played well. He called good games, and offered a reliable alternative should Molina need rest or get hurt.
3. Veteran Leadership – The Cardinals are the seventh stop for Bennent who has played for the Phillies, Rockies, Mets, Padres, Brewers, and Nationals. Anyone that has been around as much as he has, has seen a LOT of different pitchers, and that can only be good. A well traveled position player, and you sometimes hesitate and wonder why, but a well traveled backup catcher…I say sign him
4. Offensive Potential – There was a weekend in August against the cubs where Bennent carried the Cardinals on his back. A walk off game winning hit on Saturday, and then a walk off game winning Grand Slam the next night on ESPN’s Sunday Night Game of the Week. My Father-in-law had just asked me what the phrase "walk-off" meant, and i simply said…."THAT" and pointed to the screen. My point is Gary has the potential to contribute not just fill in.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there….
Thanks,
Josh
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