***Official 2015 STL Cardinals Thread II***

[BigRedChief]

2011 World Series Championship
2012 NLCS. One win from another WS appearance.
2013 World Series. Two wins from another World Series Championship
2014 NLCS. Three wins from another WS appearance
2015 Clinched Central Division title and Home Field advantage in the playoffs. First team in MLB to win 100 games since 2011.

• Made the postseason 11 times in the last 15 seasons.
• Only 1 losing season since 2000.
• Reached the World Series 4 times since 2004 and won as many championships (two) the past eight seasons as it did from 1965 to 2005.
• Made the NLCS 9 times including the last 4 years 2011-2014
• Three million attendance? Take it to the bank.
• 65 post season wins since 2004. 22+ wins more than any other team.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Bryant is busy slurping from the Baez fountain of strikeouts. The guy finds it impossible to hit a ****ing change up no matter where it is. He is probably going to have change his swing. He has the most obnoxious upper cut.

My vote for RoY goes to Carlos Correa right now.

I saw him try and hit Shields' changeup and it was embarrassing.

[Hootie]

If the Cubs hold on to the 2nd Wild Card, that would be an incredible season for them. When the Cubs land Price this offseason, they could really give the Cardinals a run for their division for a while. But, you guys are right, they are the Cubs, they'll find a way to **** it all up.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

If Schwarber starts striking out in droves, then I'll have to agree with you.

I'm not sure if it's something in their approach at this point or if they just have a couple of high-end prospects who've never seen a pitch they wouldn't swing at.

Schwarber appears to be a completely polished hitter - if he becomes a 150 K hacker, then you have some serious institutional issues. I'd have never expected Soler to become the whiff machine he turned into this year. If they do the same to Schwarber, then something is rotten in Chicago.

I think the Cubs desperately need a new MLB hitting coach. I've never seen so many guys struggle with the same shit over and over and not tweak something. Addison Russell is the only guy to make a change in his stance/swing.

Part of the problem is probably them being told to work the count. They look at so many strike 1's right down the middle and swing at strike 3 sliders in the opposite batters box its infuriating. Rizzo is about the only hitter willing to ambush a fastball down the middle on pitch 1/strike 1.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by jd1020

I think the Cubs desperately need a new MLB hitting coach. I've never seen so many guys struggle with the same shit over and over and not tweak something. Addison Russell is the only guy to make a change in his stance/swing.

And even Russell just seemed to get back to where he was in AAA. He didn't show the K tendencies in the A's system that he showed shortly after arriving in Chicago. Moreover, he didn't really show them in April either, did he? My memory was that he just started falling apart in June.

I still think you let a damn good hitting coach get away with Bill Mueller; I just think the Cardinals are letting him waste away as Mabry's caddie here in STL.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And even Russell just seemed to get back to where he was in AAA. He didn't show the K tendencies in the A's system that he showed shortly after arriving in Chicago. Moreover, he didn't really show them in April either, did he? My memory was that he just started falling apart in June.

I still think you let a damn good hitting coach get away with Bill Mueller; I just think the Cardinals are letting him waste away as Mabry's caddie here in STL.

Russell's K% was actually lower in the Cubs minors system. He looked over matched when he was called up. Not sure if he was just guessing at the plate and wrong 99% of the time or he was nervous. He was constantly late on fastballs and his approach almost seemed like he didn't want to swing. He'd plant his lead leg and after it planted for a half second then he would swing. It was just awkward.

I ultimately think what they are being told to do is flawed. Instead of key holing a pitch they are trying to rack up 20 pitches an inning on the pitcher.

[O.city]

Lyons up, Garcia back down.


Laughable

[Swanman]

Originally Posted by O.city

Lyons up, Garcia back down.


Laughable

Garcia needs to praise the lord more.

[George Liquor]

Originally Posted by O.city

Lyons up, Garcia back down.


Laughable

Just DFA Kozma and leave Garcia up.

God damn, it's not that hard

[VAChief]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Your memory of Ron Gant is probably not quite right (I know mine isn't).

My memory of Gant is of a mistake hitting, K happy hacker with little strike zone discipline. Now go back and look at his career K numbers and BB numbers. No, he wasn't a low K guy by any means, but he wasn't anywhere near as bad as your memory probably portrays him. And he drew a bunch of walks in the process. He only had one truly bad K season over a 16 year career. Towards the end he got a little K happy but for most of his career he was a guy that was going to have about 60 BBs to 120 Ks.

Good lord, if Grichuk could manage that he'd be a legitimate superstar.

Gant is more like Ryan Ludwick than the free swinger you probably remember him as.

Truthfully, there aren't many good comps for Grichuk because most guys that do what he does just aren't very good. That's why I keep getting stuck with my Adam Jones comp (and even Jones doesn't have near the K rate Grichuk does). Statheads talk about the 3 true outcome players - Grichuk isn't even that. Grichuk is a 2 true outcome player at this point and I still don't know how he can possibly make that work long-term.

It will depend on how he adjusts. The optimist in me says he already has (compared to what we saw last year) to a degree. Pitchers will adjust as well. If I am a pitcher that sees that AB yesterday I wouldn't throw him a strike even 3-1. He either doesn't recognize and guesses or he still has trouble harnessing his over aggressive tendencies. Hopefully it is more of the latter and not the former. If he's a guesser, he will be lucky to have Uggla's career. If he marginally improves his K rate, he could be Gant, average to solid pitch recognition and who knows what he could put up.

At least he is getting the opportunity now. If he is going to grow he needs to play consistently. I think he can learn to cut down on the K's, increase his walk rate which will lead to better overall numbers.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by VAChief

At least he is getting the opportunity now. If he is going to grow he needs to play consistently. I think he can learn to cut down on the K's, increase his walk rate which will lead to better overall numbers.

Whereas I've stated my position on that in our conversations with the Cubs fan w/r/t Baez.

That kind of thing will change in the margins, but that's about it. I could see Grichuk getting to maybe a 25% K rate and a 8% walk rate someday, but expecting anything more than that is just pretty much ignoring the histories of players like him.

If he could buck the odds and get to a simple 3-1 ratio; say a 24% K rate and an 8% walk rate, he's be among the more dangerous hitters in the game and as a CFer with that kind of raw power, he'd be a legit 4-5 WAR guy. That's just a seriously tall order historically.

[George Liquor]

Wong sure does get thrown out stealing a lot

[O.city]

Wong shouldn't try and steal bases

[George Liquor]

Boom!

[O.city]

I think carp is back.

Grichuk doing Grichuk things.

Black Frenchy sticking his dick in PGMS ear, which is nice.

[Hootie]

Isn't Grichuk the guy Hamas hated earlier this season?