Former Cardinals Watch
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Former Cardinals Watch
Let's see if we can upset Michael, because I see three former Cardinals to watch this year. Albert Pujols shouldn't need a lot of explanation. Colby Rasmus was the most-hyped Cardinals prospect in the last ten years, and he was traded for a reliever and rentals, so the competence of the front office is at question. Dan Haren can add to the argument that the Mulder trade was the worst in franchise history.
Pujols is hitting 407/460/870 in spring training. Small sample sizes and all that, but there aren't a whole lot of people who can slug .870 in 50 ABs against high minors pitching. Pujols has a habit of losing weight during the offseason, and gaining it back during the season, but in the bit of video I've seen, he looks heavier than I remember last April.
Rasmus is hitting 184/268/224 with 15 strikeouts in 49 AB this spring. IOW throw another 49 straws onto the camel's back.
B-R has Haren pegged at 30-WAR through his age-31 season (no, I'm not using FIP-based WAR for a career measure), so he's still got an outside shot at a Hall of Fame career. Apparently he's still reasonably healthy, as he's registered 20K, 2BB, 0HR in 20 innings in spring training. But the average speed on Haren's fastball dipped slightly below 90.0 last year, according to FanGraphs, so the clock is ticking.
I went looking for information on Anthony Reyes, but couldn't find anything. The Indians released him last August, and he seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Sometimes Tommy John surgery doesn't work out so well. Daric Barton is ailing again, only getting 17 ABs in spring training, and skipping the A's weird trip to Japan. Joe Mather has hit 400/446/717 in 60 AB for the Cubs -- sample size caveats always apply.
Pujols is hitting 407/460/870 in spring training. Small sample sizes and all that, but there aren't a whole lot of people who can slug .870 in 50 ABs against high minors pitching. Pujols has a habit of losing weight during the offseason, and gaining it back during the season, but in the bit of video I've seen, he looks heavier than I remember last April.
Rasmus is hitting 184/268/224 with 15 strikeouts in 49 AB this spring. IOW throw another 49 straws onto the camel's back.
B-R has Haren pegged at 30-WAR through his age-31 season (no, I'm not using FIP-based WAR for a career measure), so he's still got an outside shot at a Hall of Fame career. Apparently he's still reasonably healthy, as he's registered 20K, 2BB, 0HR in 20 innings in spring training. But the average speed on Haren's fastball dipped slightly below 90.0 last year, according to FanGraphs, so the clock is ticking.
I went looking for information on Anthony Reyes, but couldn't find anything. The Indians released him last August, and he seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Sometimes Tommy John surgery doesn't work out so well. Daric Barton is ailing again, only getting 17 ABs in spring training, and skipping the A's weird trip to Japan. Joe Mather has hit 400/446/717 in 60 AB for the Cubs -- sample size caveats always apply.
- Jmodene
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Re: Former Cardinals Watch
Dan Haren, Hall of Famer? Um, ok.
Seriously, I don't see how that trade could have been worse than Carlton-for-Wise.
Seriously, I don't see how that trade could have been worse than Carlton-for-Wise.
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Re: Former Cardinals Watch
greenback44 wrote:Colby Rasmus was the most-hyped Cardinals prospect in the last ten years, and he was traded for a reliever and rentals, so the competence of the front office is at question.
- doe_boy
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Re: Former Cardinals Watch
To me, that was the worst. Not having Carlton in the 70s might have cost the Cardinals the eastern division crown in '73 and '74.Jmodene wrote:Dan Haren, Hall of Famer? Um, ok.
Seriously, I don't see how that trade could have been worse than Carlton-for-Wise.
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Re: Former Cardinals Watch
Wallace was optioned to AAA today by a bad Astros team.
- Tambourine Man
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Re: Former Cardinals Watch
The GRB Interview Kiss of Death strikes again...planet puma wrote:Wallace was optioned to AAA today by a bad Astros team.
- pioneer98
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Re: Former Cardinals Watch
Tack on 3 more ABs and he's 173/254/212 with 16 K's. Picked up right where he left off.greenback44 wrote:Rasmus is hitting 184/268/224 with 15 strikeouts in 49 AB this spring. IOW throw another 49 straws onto the camel's back.
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- heyzeus
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Re: Former Cardinals Watch
Allegedly he was sent down to work on his D at 3B and should be back soon. Good luck with that.planet puma wrote:Wallace was optioned to AAA today by a bad Astros team.
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Re: Former Cardinals Watch
Rick Wise was pretty good. So was Reggie Smith. Actually Smith's 1974 season was more valuable than Carlton's.Jmodene wrote:Dan Haren, Hall of Famer? Um, ok.
Seriously, I don't see how that trade could have been worse than Carlton-for-Wise.
WARs in the five years after the trade, and I'll be generous and zero out Mulder's 2006 season:
Code: Select all
Received Sent Net
Mulder/Haren+Friends 2.1 28.4 (26.3)
Carlton/Wise+Smith 19.1 25.0 (5.9)
Haren was responsible for 22.5 of that 28.4 WAR, which is to say he was not quite as good as Carlton, but if that 1972 season had been "merely" a 10-win season, the two of them would be interchangeable. That's how good Haren was from 2005 to 2009.
- Hungary Jack
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Re: Former Cardinals Watch
Alex Castellanos made some noise in Dodger camp before being sent down. I think there's a decent chance we'll see him in September.