INSIDE PITCH
With the Cardinals having
established their top four starters -- right-handers Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny -- much attention this spring is centered
on who will be the last starter and who will go to the bullpen if he is beaten
out for the final spot in the rotation.
Included in the mix for a rotation
spot are right-handers Kyle McClellan, Mitchell Boggs and Blake Hawksworth. All
of them enjoyed success in the Cardinals bullpen last year -- McClellan was a
reliever all season -- and manager Tony La Russa admitted that their good
bullpen work weighed heavily in the decision to possibly move them into the
rotation.
"If we feel the bullpen needs more
help, then the better guy may go to the bullpen," La Russa said. "The bullpen is
really important. We're not going to back off the bullpen at all. It's too
critical."
The other prime rotation
candidates are veteran left-hander Rich Hill, who had some starting success with
the Cubs, and promising lefty Jaime Garcia, who pitched effectively at the end
of last season in the minors following his recovery from Tommy John elbow
surgery in 2008. But the 23-year-old Garcia never has pitched 150 innings in a
season.
La Russa said he and pitching
coach Dave Duncan "haven't had a lot of conversations with people in the
organization about it, but (Garcia) is coming off serious surgery and he's a
really good-looking prospect. He definitely should be thinking
long-term.
"I don't know how much he'll rein
himself in. He knows there's a spot there, but he should use really good sense.
In fact, he'll be one guy who gets talked to on a personal basis about
this."
WHERE: Roger Dean Stadium,
Jupiter, Fla. The Cardinals have been there since 1998,
but there have been changes all around. With the Orioles moving to Sarasota,
Fla., and the Dodgers previously going to Arizona, the Cardinals have only the
Marlins (who share a complex with the Cardinals in Jupiter) and the Mets as
opponents any closer than two hours away.
TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE: INF/OF
Joe Mather, if his troublesome left hand has healed, could provide depth at
several positions. Mather displayed power, speed and defensive ability in 2008
before getting hurt. After briefly holding the Cardinals' third base job last
spring, Mather had a lost 2009 season at Class AAA Memphis and Class AA
Springfield.
TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT: RHP
Ryan Franklin had a splendid 2009 season as the Cardinals' closer and made his
first All-Star team, but he weakened down the stretch, causing some offseason
doubt in his ability to replicate his 38-save season.
AUTHORITY FIGURES: Tony La Russa
returns for his 15th season as Cardinals manager, having won 1,232 games in St. Louis and 2,552 games overall, which is third on the all-time list. The
65-year-old La Russa, for the first time with the Cardinals, has only a one-year
contract, fueling speculation that this might be his last season on the field.
The coaching staff returns intact with the notable exception of former Cardinals
star Mark McGwire replacing Hal McRae as the hitting
coach.
NOTES,
QUOTES
--Former Gold Glove catcher Mike
Matheny, who has been a spring instructor, has been hired as a special assistant
for summertime work in several areas. GM John Mozeliak said Matheny would help
evaluate players at Class A Quad Cities and Class AA Springfield, assisting Jeff
Luhnow, the vice president of scouting and player development. Matheny also
would serve as a roving catching instructor and spend a couple of days a month
with the major league club, Mozeliak said. Matheny, a St. Louis County resident, has indicated interest in
getting back in uniform as a coach or even a manager, but he has said he would
have to work things around his family.
"I want to keep my foot in the
door," Matheny said. "I want to be productive, but I'd hate to have a regret by
jumping in (to a full-time job)."
--Cardinals Hall of Famer Red
Schoendienst, who helps out in spring training and before games during the
season, is beginning his 66th consecutive spring in a big-league uniform.
Schoendienst said he signed a contract every year to remain with the
organization, even though he probably has a lifetime pass. "I'm not holding
out," Schoendienst said. "I'm just trying to hold on."
--INF/OF Joe Mather, who struggled
last season at both Class AAA and Class AA after being sent out as the final cut
of spring training, said an injured left hand that had bothered him for the last
two seasons had healed and he was taking aim at a regular
job.
"As far as I'm concerned, nobody's
handed the job to anybody at third (base)," he said. "I don't think anyone is
outright that much better than I am. I'm pretty confident in my ability there.
And there's always a role position that I feel comfortable doing,
too."
--OF Nick Stavinoha, who
contributed some key hits as an extra man in the middle of last season, reported
with the pitchers and catchers and will catch many pitchers' warm-up sessions
this spring. Stavinoha, who caught in college, handled one game, a winning
effort, at Class AAA last year. He hit .282 for Class AAA Memphis and .230 in 87
at-bats for the Cardinals.
--New hitting coach Mark McGwire
said he had been recruited twice before to be a hitting coach, by Seattle and Colorado, but declined both
invitations.
--CF Colby Rasmus, ready for his
second season, was one of the early arrivals in camp. "I think last year (a
first-round playoff loss) left a little sour taste in people's mouths," Rasmus
said. "We could have done better than we did."
BY THE NUMBERS: 4,773, 2,552,
2,217 -- Major league games managed, won and lost by Tony La Russa, who is tops
in all three categories among living managers.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Is something taken
away because there were substances? Yeah, I'm sure it's not the same. But I
still marvel at how he was able to concentrate and pull that off. It was
remarkable." -- Manager Tony La Russa, talking about the 1998 season, when Mark
McGwire hit a record 70 home runs for the Cardinals but later admitted he was
using steroids at the time.
ROSTER
REPORT
After winning their first division
title in three seasons, the Cardinals really had only one real offseason mission
-- to re-sign LF Matt Holliday. This they did at a cost of $120 million for
seven years. Their only other player-personnel move of consequence was to sign
RHP Brad Penny to replace departed RHP Joel Pineiro in the rotation. They also
made one prominent coaching change, hiring former slugger Mark McGwire to
replace Hal McRae as the hitting coach.
ARRIVALS: RHP Brad Penny (free
agent from Giants), LHP Rich Hill (minor league free agent from Orioles), INF
Ruben Gotay (minor league free agent from Diamondbacks).
DEPARTURES: RHP Brad Thompson
(released, signed minor league deal with Royals), INF Joe Thurston (free agent,
signed minor league deal with Braves), 3B Troy Glaus (free agent, signed with
Braves), INF Mark DeRosa (free agent, signed with Giants), INF Khalil Greene
(free agent, signed with Rangers), OF Rick Ankiel (free agent, signed with
Royals), RHP Joel Pineiro (free agent, signed with Angels), RHP Todd Wellemeyer
(free agent, signed minor league deal with Giants), RHP John Smoltz (free agent,
unsigned).
SPRING FOCUS: Having re-signed LF
Matt Holliday, the Cardinals' lineup should be in good shape for another run at
the World Series. 3B David Freese, a rookie, is the only real unknown in the
equation, and the Cardinals might have to bring in a veteran presence to compete
with him. A fifth starter is needed, as well as bench help, specifically from
the left side. Much of the focus will be on new hitting coach Mark McGwire as he
returns to baseball after eight seasons out of the game and amid commentary
about his use of performance-enhancement drugs when he
played.
PROJECTED
ROTATION:
1. RHP Chris
Carpenter
2. RHP Adam
Wainwright
3. RHP Kyle
Lohse
4. RHP Brad
Penny
5. LHP Rich Hill or LHP Jaime
Garcia
Penny, a free agent acquisition,
replaces RHP Joel Pineiro, a 15-game winner who signed with the Angels. RHP Todd
Wellemeyer had the most starts from the fifth spot last year, but he wasn't
re-signed, so Hill, Garcia and perhaps RHP Kyle McClellan will contend for the
fifth spot. No Cardinals lefty started a game last year, as Cy Young Award
candidates Carpenter and Wainwright led an often-dominant, all-right-handed
rotation.
PROJECTED
BULLPEN:
RHP Ryan Franklin
(closer)
RHP Jason Motte
RHP Kyle
McClellan
RHP Blake
Hawksworth
RHP Mitchell
Boggs
LHP Trever Miller
LHP Dennys Reyes
Franklin had a stellar, 38-save season in his
first full year as the closer, although he was wobbly at the end. The bullpen
was one of the strengths of the division-championship club, and it is likely
that it will return almost intact this season. McClellan might be moved into the
rotation, if the need arises.
PROJECTED
LINEUP:
1. 2B Skip
Schumaker
2. CF Colby
Rasmus
3. 1B Albert Pujols
4. LF Matt
Holliday
5. RF Ryan Ludwick
6. C Yadier Molina
7. 3B David
Freese
8. SS Brendan Ryan
The key lineup question for
manager Tony La Russa is the No. 2 spot. Does he go for "damage," as he likes to
put it, with CF Colby Rasmus, knowing that Rasmus, one of his best base
stealers, isn't apt to run much in front of Pujols? Or does he go at Nos. 1-2
with Schumaker and Ryan, neither of whom hits for much power nor walks much, in
front of Pujols and Holliday?
PROJECTED
RESERVES:
C Jason LaRue
INF Julio Lugo
INF/OF Joe
Mather
INF Tyler Greene or INF Ruben
Gotay
OF Allen Craig
Other than LaRue and Lugo, the bench figures to
be inexperienced. Craig, who batted .322 with 26 homers and 83 RBIs at Class AAA
Memphis, is the most intriguing of the lot. The 25-year-old was signed as an
infielder but has been moved to the outfield, where he is not an accomplished
defender. Still, next to the batter's box, the outfield appears to be his best
position. Switch-hitting Gotay, signed as a minor league free agent, is
competing with right-handed-hitting Greene, one of the Cardinals' fastest
runners who has some power but was overexposed at bat last season in a couple of
brief trials. Mather, a valuable extra man in 2008, had a terrible season (.176
at Class AAA Memphis and .209 at Class AA Springfield) in 2009 as he had
continued trouble with a left hand on which he had surgery in
2008.
TOP ROOKIES: David Freese, who
came on strong late last season after recovering from a left ankle injury
suffered in a January auto accident, will be given the first shot to win the
third base job that belonged mostly to Mark DeRosa in the second half of last
season. Freese was 7-for-12 in a late recall from Class AAA
Memphis.
LHP Jaime Garcia, a 23-year-old
from Mexico, pitched effectively in the
last month of the minor league season after recovering from Tommy John elbow
surgery. He is considered a candidate for the one remaining starting berth,
although pitching coach Dave Duncan is hesitant about Garcia being able to pitch
that many innings yet. Garcia never has worked more than 150 innings in a
season.
RHP Pete Parise had an outstanding
Caribbean Series while pitching for Puerto Rico
and he has an outside shot at a big-league relief job. Parise had eight saves,
most of them late in the season, as he helped pitch Memphis to the Pacific
Coast League championship last year.
MEDICAL
WATCH:
--1B Albert Pujols (arthroscopic
right elbow surgery in October 2009) has resumed hitting, and he should be fine
for the start of spring training.
--SS Brendan Ryan (right wrist
surgery in February 2010) should be healthy for the start of the regular
season.
--LHP Rich Hill (left shoulder
surgery in August 2009) is expected to be ready for spring
training.