***Official 2015 STL Cardinals Thread***

[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

• Made the postseason 10 times in the last 14 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.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Bats on the FA market rarely turn out well. Every article you see referencing Holliday gives some passing mention to the other guys that have signed deals that rival his and how pretty much every single one of them have been huge busts for the team that inked them.

Hollidays contract is one of the few $100 million+ contacts that I can remember that the team actually got their money's worth. I think Hamas pointed out last year that his WAR has pad for the contract last year. These last two years are freebies and we have another option year.

[O.city]

DJ, whats your solution to the lack of bats?

Draft and develop some?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

In they're defense though, I'm not sure many though carpenter or jay or Craig type players would be what they are/were.

No sale, hoss.

Prospect honks like myself did notice Carpenter and Craig because of how well they were hitting the ball in the high minors. Carpenter's obscene K/BB rate also stuck out coming up through the ranks. It's why I also wasn't shocked by Adams initial success (and have been so disappointed by his regression).

Guys that hit in the majors almost always hit in the minors. I don't see anybody I really like, apart from Carson Kelly. Kelly's struggling right now as well, but at least I see some positive signs in his approach. That said, if he doesn't take a step forward over the next 2 seasons, it's going to be time to start lowering my view on his ceiling as well. Wilson's the only other guy in the system that I can see becoming Allen Craig (there is no Carpenter and I don't see an Adams either). And Craig was just such an outlier that I don't think you can count on that happening again.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

No sale, hoss.

Prospect honks like myself did notice Carpenter and Craig because of how well they were hitting the ball in the high minors. Carpenter's obscene K/BB rate also stuck out coming up through the ranks. It's why I also wasn't shocked by Adams initial success (and have been so disappointed by his regression).

Guys that hit in the majors almost always hit in the minors. I don't see anybody I really like, apart from Carson Kelly. Kelly's struggling right now as well, but at least I see some positive signs in his approach. That said, if he doesn't take a step forward over the next 2 seasons, it's going to be time to start lowering my view on his ceiling as well. Wilson's the only other guy in the system that I can see becoming Allen Craig (there is no Carpenter and I don't see an Adams either). And Craig was just such an outlier that I don't think you can count on that happening again.

They could hit, I don't know that you or anyone saw Carpenter being an MVP candidate.

It sucks with Adams because he's not progressed, but he's always hit, I think he'll hit when he comes back.

It sucks seeing the Cubs bring all these bats up through the system they have though.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

This franchise also needs to develop/acquire a shortstop for the future. We kicked the can down the road with Peralta, but they've got to figure something out long term. We can't run Kozma like guys out there and expect results.

Man, where would this team be without that Peralta contract? What a huge HUGE acquisition he's been.

Edmundo Sosa appears to be their hope, but he's too far off, IMO. I think they were hoping that Diaz would be the gap filler but he's sure regressed a lot. The guy I saw in spring training last year looked a lot like a gap to gap .280 hitter with 10 HR pop and fringe/average defense at SS - someone that can hold down the fort until someone better came along. He's just not progressing.

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Hollidays contract is one of the few $100 million+ contacts that I can remember that the team actually got their money's worth. I think Hamas pointed out last year that his WAR has pad for the contract last year. These last two years are freebies and we have another option year.

And back to Peralta, by fWAR he's paid off his 4 year contract a mere 200 games into his Cardinal career. I just can't speak highly enough about how important he's been.

Originally Posted by O.city

DJ, whats your solution to the lack of bats?

Draft and develop some?

Well that's everyone's solution. Frankly, however, I'm not convinced they have the eye for hitters that they have for pitching at this point. Something in their scouting model allows them to find premier pitchers throughout the draft. I'm not seeing that in their hitters and I really REALLY worry that it went out the door with Luhnow.

I'd have made a harder push for Tomas and Moncada in the international market. Alternatively, I'd have considered blowing up the middle part of these drafts to make high bids on guys that fall due to signing concerns. Justin Bellanger would have been the kind of guy to do that with last year, IMO. Big time power 1b prospect that would fit in this system nicely; considered a 2nd round talent but/for signability issues. Instead of going all out to get him signed, we pissed away money on middle round JAGs, IMO.

Austin Wilson in 2010 was another guy that I always thought we didn't push hard enough to get signed. Last year it looked like we'd rue that decision, though he's really scuffling in high A this year.

Ultimately they need to find an impact hitter somewhere and if that means they end up using 11 draft choices and only signing 6 guys, so be it. Or if that means dealing with international signing penalties to get Yoan Moncada, oh well (though admittedly, I can go either way on that signing; there are fair arguments to both sides).

There is a complete lack of top end hitters in this system and that's going to absolutely murder us. Something aggressive needs be done to address that and fairly soon.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

They could hit, I don't know that you or anyone saw Carpenter being an MVP candidate.

It sucks with Adams because he's not progressed, but he's always hit, I think he'll hit when he comes back.

It sucks seeing the Cubs bring all these bats up through the system they have though.

Well hell, nobody predicts an MVP candidate.

But even those require the baseline ability to be a good player. Piscotty might have that, Wilson might have that. But when your entire high minors have 2 guys that reach the level of might be major league regulars, then the odds of hitting the powerball like we did with Matt Carpenter are long at best.

Adams won't hit this year, IMO. He's failing because he's not trying hard enough. I'd kill to see Matt Carpenter get with that guy and say "Hey, when I was at TCU I almost ate/sat my way out of a big league career - you're well on your way". There's no better role model in all of MLB for how simply dedicating yourself to the craft can make you a star. How the hell Matt Adams can look across the diamond, see Matt Carpenter play, and STILL be a fat, braindead hacker with no refinement to his approach or addition to his game is just beyond me.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Well hell, nobody predicts an MVP candidate.

But even those require the baseline ability to be a good player. Piscotty might have that, Wilson might have that. But when your entire high minors have 2 guys that reach the level of might be major league regulars, then the odds of hitting the powerball like we did with Matt Carpenter are long at best.

Adams won't hit this year, IMO. He's failing because he's not trying hard enough. I'd kill to see Matt Carpenter get with that guy and say "Hey, when I was at TCU I almost ate/sat my way out of a big league career - you're well on your way". There's no better role model in all of MLB for how simply dedicating yourself to the craft can make you a star. How the hell Matt Adams can look across the diamond, see Matt Carpenter play, and STILL be a fat, braindead hacker with no refinement to his approach or addition to his game is just beyond me.

He for sure won't hit this year, they found a tear in surgery today so he's done for the year.

Yeah, he can't be effective at the weight he's carrying, although someone did tell me today that he's lost about 20 pounds since being here at SPringfield. I don't remember that, but apparently so.

Some guys just don't get it I suppose. For every Matt Carpenter, there's a 100 shithead assholes who never progress.

Piscotty is trying to hit more HR's this year, which is ok I guess, but I'm not a fan of the lengths they're going to get him to do it and how it's affecting the rest of his bat.

I just keep coming back to how badly they need Heyward to turn his shit around and become a cornerstone in RF

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

He for sure won't hit this year, they found a tear in surgery today so he's done for the year.

Yeah, he can't be effective at the weight he's carrying, although someone did tell me today that he's lost about 20 pounds since being here at SPringfield. I don't remember that, but apparently so.

Some guys just don't get it I suppose. For every Matt Carpenter, there's a 100 shithead assholes who never progress.

Piscotty is trying to hit more HR's this year, which is ok I guess, but I'm not a fan of the lengths they're going to get him to do it and how it's affecting the rest of his bat.

I just keep coming back to how badly they need Heyward to turn his shit around and become a cornerstone in RF

Eh, be a little careful with 'how its affecting the rest of his bat'.

He's hitting the ball harder than ever yet he's sporting a .250 BABIP. Give him the .300 BABIP that his hard contact rates suggest he should have and suddenly he's carrying a .270 avg with commensurate upticks in OBP and SLG to get an OPS in the .880 range.

The strides Piscotty's made this year are putting him back on the prospect radar, IMO. Without them, a guy that's confined to corner IF or 1b has very little value. I just wish he were a lefty.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Eh, be a little careful with 'how its affecting the rest of his bat'.

He's hitting the ball harder than ever yet he's sporting a .250 BABIP. Give him the .300 BABIP that his hard contact rates suggest he should have and suddenly he's carrying a .270 avg with commensurate upticks in OBP and SLG to get an OPS in the .880 range.

The strides Piscotty's made this year are putting him back on the prospect radar, IMO. Without them, a guy that's confined to corner IF or 1b has very little value. I just wish he were a lefty.

I'm just not a fan of forcing the HR. I've always felt Holliday is the perfect hitting profile, especially in his young days when he murdered fastballs.

If he can get his OPS in that range, he can be a big bat at the upper level.

[O.city]

I'd like to see them sink a little more money in the international market for position players.

[kcxiv]

I dont know if i can say good luck or what, but hope its a good game and no one gets hurt!

[O.city]

Looks like the rain is coming.

[George Liquor]

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

I'm just not a fan of forcing the HR. I've always felt Holliday is the perfect hitting profile, especially in his young days when he murdered fastballs.

If he can get his OPS in that range, he can be a big bat at the upper level.

Sure, but Piscotty wasn't going to approach holliday in his younger days. He was a slow shane victorino. A pure singles hitter with no defensive versatility isn't a valuable player.

Holliday was always a guy that crushed liners. Piscotty was a groundball hitter who occasionally squared up a double. He needed to add loft to his swing to turn more of the grounders into liners and some of the doubles into HRs. With 14 doubles and 7 HRs, it's definitely working. They're not turning him into an all or nothing hitter like Reynolds (his K rate is still quite good), they're trying to get him to become a rough equivalent to holliday.

It was a needed change. if he didn't add power, his walks were bound to fall off as well as pitchers lost any fear of him.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Sure, but Piscotty wasn't going to approach holliday in his younger days. He was a slow shane victorino. A pure singles hitter with no defensive versatility isn't a valuable player.

Holliday was always a guy that crushed liners. Piscotty was a groundball hitter who occasionally squared up a double. He needed to add loft to his swing to turn more of the grounders into liners and some of the doubles into HRs. With 14 doubles and 7 HRs, it's definitely working. They're not turning him into an all or nothing hitter like Reynolds (his K rate is still quite good), they're trying to get him to become a rough equivalent to holliday.

It was a needed change. if he didn't add power, his walks were bound to fall off as well as pitchers lost any fear of him.

Ok, gotcha. I don't hate it and there have certainly been examples of people changes approach like that for the better. I always think muscle memory stuff is tough though, but if it's for the better, so be it.