tlombard wrote:I'd put money on the 'not healthy' reason for his lack of production the past couple of months.
Then again, age does impact your health so you can't rule out age related decline completely but I don't think anybody gets this bad this fast based on aging one single year.
They don't typically collapse that quickly without injury related issues, which could be part of Carpenter's struggles. IMO, there are multiple factors in Carpenter's struggles this year. The biggest is his BABIP is down 30-40 points from expected despite good contact percentages and his HR/FB rate is down as well, despite plenty of hard hit balls. I'm sure the shift isn't helping him, but he really should be quite a bit better than he has been just by rates alone.
So, some age-related decline. Some bad luck. Some panic-hitting, where he mentally tries to get himself right and compounds the problem. Add it up and it's a problem. Projections are optimistic about him. I am as well. He should be and will be a productive player soon enough, and it would be a mistake for fans to toss him aside. As they did with Fowler last year... and Ozuna last year... and Weaver last year... and Goldschmidt this year... and Carson Kelly... and I can go ahead and point to Mikolas, Flaherty, and Bader, too, as guys that will probably be just fine (fine as in they'll perform according to reasonable expectations) in the long run.
Honestly, fans seem to have lost the ability to display any patience or any understanding of the ebbs and flows of a baseball season or a player's career. And they latch themselves onto anything that looks good, no matter how thin it is (see Tommy Edman or Randy Arozarena).
This is the way the whole world seems to be going right now...
he just isnt that good any more, he is a avg player now and is getting payed well....
ShildtForBrains wrote:3 rbi on 2 hits vs ABQ the other night. Maybe he's worked out whatever was bothering him.
Without Gyorko as a late season option for depth, Carp might be needed. (for better or worse)
Carp is definitely needed...Edman is not a long term solution. I like Edman a lot as a fill in or back up utility player; but we need a productive Carpenter to even have an outside chance of postseason.
ShildtForBrains wrote:3 rbi on 2 hits vs ABQ the other night. Maybe he's worked out whatever was bothering him.
Without Gyorko as a late season option for depth, Carp might be needed. (for better or worse)
Carp is definitely needed...Edman is not a long term solution. I like Edman a lot as a fill in or back up utility player; but we need a productive Carpenter to even have an outside chance of postseason.
How can you say Tommy isn't a long term solution??? He's better and younger. Better and younger is by FAR preferable to older and fading. How can there even be an argument on the issue?
ShildtForBrains wrote:3 rbi on 2 hits vs ABQ the other night. Maybe he's worked out whatever was bothering him.
Without Gyorko as a late season option for depth, Carp might be needed. (for better or worse)
Carp is definitely needed...Edman is not a long term solution. I like Edman a lot as a fill in or back up utility player; but we need a productive Carpenter to even have an outside chance of postseason.
How can you say Tommy isn't a long term solution??? He's better and younger. Better and younger is by FAR preferable to older and fading. How can there even be an argument on the issue?
Hey Ducky. How's the spirit world? Can you send down the ghost of Stan? Cardinal nation is not the same without him. I completely agree with you. Edman is much better at helping the cards lose so we can finally tank. That is an excellent plan. If only you wrote a screenplay about it before you became a ghost. You could have called it Major League and made a fortune.
ShildtForBrains wrote:3 rbi on 2 hits vs ABQ the other night. Maybe he's worked out whatever was bothering him.
Without Gyorko as a late season option for depth, Carp might be needed. (for better or worse)
Carp is definitely needed...Edman is not a long term solution. I like Edman a lot as a fill in or back up utility player; but we need a productive Carpenter to even have an outside chance of postseason.
How can you say Tommy isn't a long term solution??? He's better and younger. Better and younger is by FAR preferable to older and fading. How can there even be an argument on the issue?
Hey Ducky. How's the spirit world? Can you send down the ghost of Stan? Cardinal nation is not the same without him. I completely agree with you. Edman is much better at helping the cards lose so we can finally tank. That is an excellent plan. If only you wrote a screenplay about it before you became a ghost. You could have called it Major League and made a fortune.
ShildtForBrains wrote:3 rbi on 2 hits vs ABQ the other night. Maybe he's worked out whatever was bothering him.
Without Gyorko as a late season option for depth, Carp might be needed. (for better or worse)
Carp is definitely needed...Edman is not a long term solution. I like Edman a lot as a fill in or back up utility player; but we need a productive Carpenter to even have an outside chance of postseason.
How can you say Tommy isn't a long term solution??? He's better and younger. Better and younger is by FAR preferable to older and fading. How can there even be an argument on the issue?
Hey Ducky. How's the spirit world? Can you send down the ghost of Stan? Cardinal nation is not the same without him. I completely agree with you. Edman is much better at helping the cards lose so we can finally tank. That is an excellent plan. If only you wrote a screenplay about it before you became a ghost. You could have called it Major League and made a fortune.
This post confound's me. Can you state your stance with a little less cuteness?
BTW, on "send down Stan"...the spirit world is not up or down. It exists on this plane. Musial hangs out around the batting cage.