St. Louis Cardinals http://www.cardslocker.com Daily Blog for St. Louis Cardinals Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:55:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.5 en The St. Louis Cardinals are hoping that Ryan Ludwick will rebound in 2010 http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/the-st-louis-cardinals-are-hoping-that-ryan-ludwick-will-rebound-in-2010/ http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/the-st-louis-cardinals-are-hoping-that-ryan-ludwick-will-rebound-in-2010/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:55:58 +0000 chinmusic http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/the-st-louis-cardinals-are-hoping-that-ryan-ludwick-will-rebound-in-2010/ 31-year old righty swinging Ryan Ludwick had a decent year in 2009 but the Cardinals are hoping that he gets back to his 2008 production. Ludwick played in 139 games for the Cardinals last season in which he was 129 of 486 (.265 avg, .775 OPS) with 63 runs scored, 22 homers, 97 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Ludwick only made 1 error in 133 games in RF last season but he showed poor range. Ludwick has a good arm as he had 9 assists out of RF last season. The Cardinals are hoping for big things out of Ludwick in 2010.

27-year old righty swinging Joe Mather is running out of time as he will try to make the Cardinals as a backup outfielder in 2010. He played in 59 games in Rookie+AA+AAA ball last season in which he was 38 of 202 (.188 avg, .573 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 4 homers, 28 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.

25-year old righty swinging Shane Robinson could win a backup job for the Cardinals in 2010. He played in 6 error-free games in RF for the Cardinals last season while showing poor range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LF IN 2010: B

]]> http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/the-st-louis-cardinals-are-hoping-that-ryan-ludwick-will-rebound-in-2010/feed/ Colby Rasmus is alone in CF in 2010 for the St. Louis Cardinals http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/colby-rasmus-is-alone-in-cf-in-2010-for-the-st-louis-cardinals/ http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/colby-rasmus-is-alone-in-cf-in-2010-for-the-st-louis-cardinals/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:47:44 +0000 chinmusic http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/colby-rasmus-is-alone-in-cf-in-2010-for-the-st-louis-cardinals/ 23-year old lefty swinging Colby Rasmus will have the starting job all to himself in 2010. He played in 147 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 119 of 474 (.251 avg, .714 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 16 homers, 52 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Rasmus is just scratching the surface of his potential so look for his offensive numbers to improve in 2010. Rasmus made 5 errors in 124 games in CF last season while showing below average range. Rasmus had 3 assists from CF as he has a decent throwing arm. I look for Rasmus to improve defensively as well as offensively in 2010.

25-year old righty swinging Shane Robinson will likely be the backup in CF for the Cardinals in 2010. He played in 11 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 6 of 25 (.240 avg, .511 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. Robinson also played in 100 games in AAA-ball in which he was 82 of 345 (.238 avg, .657 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 5 homers, 40 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Robinson played in 2 error-free games for the Cardinals in CF last season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: B

]]> http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/colby-rasmus-is-alone-in-cf-in-2010-for-the-st-louis-cardinals/feed/ Left field will be the domain of Matt Holliday in 2010 and beyond http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/left-field-will-be-the-domain-of-matt-holliday-in-2010-and-beyond/ http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/left-field-will-be-the-domain-of-matt-holliday-in-2010-and-beyond/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:39:33 +0000 chinmusic http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/left-field-will-be-the-domain-of-matt-holliday-in-2010-and-beyond/ 30-year old righty swinging Matt Holliday will be entering the first year of a seven year deal with the Cardinals that will make him a very rich man. Now he will be Albert Pujols protector in the lineup for a full year and it will be interesting to see what kind of outstanding numbers he can put up. Holliday played in 63 games for the Cardinals last season after coming over from the A’s in a trade and he was 83 of 235 (.353 avg, 1.023 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 13 homers, 55 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Holliday played in 156 games overall for the A’s and Cardinals last season in which he was 182 of 581 (.313 avg, .909 OPS) with 94 runs scored, 24 homers, 109 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Holliday played in 155 games in LF last season and he made 5 errors while showing average range. Holliday has a pretty good throwing arm as he had 7 assists last season. Look for Holliday to put up huge numbers in 2010 as long as he can stay healthy.

27-year old righty swinging Nick Stavinoha will likely back up Holliday in LF. He played in 27 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 20 of 87 (.230 avg, .621 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 17 RBIs. Stavinoha didn’t make any errors in 13 games in LF last season while showing pretty pathetic range.

24-year old lefty swinging Jon Jay is the Cardinals’ #13 rated prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. Jay played in 136 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 142 of 505 (.281 avg, .732 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 10 homers, 54 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He will have a legit shot to make the Cardinals this spring as a backup outfielder.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LF IN 2010: A

]]> http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/03/08/left-field-will-be-the-domain-of-matt-holliday-in-2010-and-beyond/feed/ The St. Louis Cardinals sign Felipe Lopez http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/27/the-st-louis-cardinals-sign-felipe-lopez/ http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/27/the-st-louis-cardinals-sign-felipe-lopez/#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:09:07 +0000 chinmusic http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/27/the-st-louis-cardinals-sign-felipe-lopez/ The Cardinals have signed 29-year old switch hitting SS/3B/2B Felipe Lopez to a 1-year, $1.75 million dollar deal with incentives. Lopez played in 151 games for the Brewers and D-Backs last season and he was 187 of 604 (.310 avg, .810 OPS) with 88 runs scored, 9 homers, 57 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. In his 9 years in the majors, Lopez has played in 1,024 games in which he is 1,025 of 3,805 (.269 avg, .738 OPS) with 536 runs scored, 80 homers, 391 RBIs and 115 stolen bases. Lopez will likely start at 3B if David Freese is not ready to handle the starting job or shortstop if Brendan Ryan is not ready to start the year due to injury. Regardless of where he plays I see Lopez getting at least 450 at bats for the Cardinals in 2010 and I love the signing for them.

]]> http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/27/the-st-louis-cardinals-sign-felipe-lopez/feed/ The St. Louis Cardinals will have a old fashioned training camp battle at 3B for 2010 http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-st-louis-cardinals-will-have-a-old-fashioned-training-camp-battle-at-3b-for-2010/ http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-st-louis-cardinals-will-have-a-old-fashioned-training-camp-battle-at-3b-for-2010/#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:50:50 +0000 chinmusic http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-st-louis-cardinals-will-have-a-old-fashioned-training-camp-battle-at-3b-for-2010/ 26-year old righty swinging David Freese and 25-year old righty swinging Allen Craig have waited patiently in the minors for their big chance and they will battle this spring for the starting job at 3B for the Cardinals in 2010. Freese has a slight edge in this competition heading into spring training. Freese played in 17 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 10 for 31 (.323 avg, .837 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. Freese also played in 74 games in Rookie+AA+AAA ball last season and he was 71 for 227 (.313 avg, .931 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 12 homers and 48 RBIs. Freese didn’t make any errors at 3B for the Cardinals last season while showing below average range.

25-year old righty swinging Allen Craig is also a player on the rise. Craig played in 126 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 152 for 472 (.322 avg, .921 OPS) with 78 runs scored, 26 homers, 83 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Craig is slightly behind Freese as spring training starts but he’s not too far behind to catch up quickly.

27-year old righty swinging Joe Mather is a big longshot to win the job at 3B. He played in 59 games in Rookie+AA+AAA ball last season and he was 38 for 202 (.188 avg, .573 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 4 homers, 28 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Mather did play in 54 games with the Cardinals in 2008 and he was 32 for 133 (.241 avg, .780 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 8 homers and 18 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 3B IN 2010: C

]]> http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-st-louis-cardinals-will-have-a-old-fashioned-training-camp-battle-at-3b-for-2010/feed/ The St. Louis Cardinals are hoping for a encore out of Brendan Ryan http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-st-louis-cardinals-are-hoping-for-a-encore-out-of-brendan-ryan/ http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-st-louis-cardinals-are-hoping-for-a-encore-out-of-brendan-ryan/#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:39:25 +0000 chinmusic http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-st-louis-cardinals-are-hoping-for-a-encore-out-of-brendan-ryan/ 27-year old righty swinging Brendan Ryan stepped up last season when the Cardinals had a hole at shortstop and he heads into spring training as the starter for 2010. He is rehabbing from wrist surgery so he will get a late start this spring but he should be ready by opening day. Ryan played in 129 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 114 for 390 (.292 avg, .740 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 3 homers, 37 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Ryan also played great on defense for the Cardinals last season as he only made 8 errors in 105 games at SS while showing out of this world range. The Cardinals hope that Ryan can maintain his bat and defense over a whole 162 game season.

34-year old righty swinging Julio Lugo will backup Ryan at SS in 2010. He played in 56 games for the Red Sox and Cardinals at SS last season and he made 8 errors while showing average range.

26-year old righty swinging Tyler Greene will battle for a backup job this spring. Greene played in 48 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 24 for 108 (.222 avg, .594 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers, 7 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Greene also played in 89 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 99 for 340 (.291 avg, .851 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 15 homers, 42 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. Greene played in 30 games at SS for the Cardinals last season and he made 3 errors while showing good range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SS IN 2010: C+

]]> http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/20/the-st-louis-cardinals-are-hoping-for-a-encore-out-of-brendan-ryan/feed/ The St. Louis Cardinals have the same cast at 2B for 2010 http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-st-louis-cardinals-have-the-same-cast-at-2b-for-2010/ http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-st-louis-cardinals-have-the-same-cast-at-2b-for-2010/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:58:34 +0000 chinmusic http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-st-louis-cardinals-have-the-same-cast-at-2b-for-2010/ 30-year old Skip Schumaker did a solid job for the Cardinals at 2B after converting from the outfield last spring. He played in 133 games at 2B for the Cardinals last season and he made 9 errors there while showing above average range. Schumaker played in 153 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 161 for 532 (.303 avg, .757 OPS) with 85 runs scored, 4 homers, 35 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Look for him to build off his solid 2010 season as he will likely improve even more on defense while still hitting well.

34-year old righty swinging Julio Lugo will be the utility infielder for the Cardinals in 2010. He played in 51 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 41 for 148 (.277 avg, .783 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 2 homers, 13 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Lugo played in 88 games overall last season with the Red Sox and Cardinals and he was 72 for 257 (.280 avg, .757 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 3 homers, 21 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Lugo made 2 errors in 30 games at 2B for the Cardinals last season while showing above average range. It’s nice for the Cardinals to have a player like Lugo on the bench because he is a capable starting player at 2B, SS, 3B or the outfield.

27-year old righty swinging Ruben Gotay was brought in to compete for a spot on the bench in 2010 for the Cardinals. He played in 118 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 101 for 371 (.272 avg, .879 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 11 homers and 57 RBIs. But, he made 7 errors in only 41 games at 2B in the minors last season. He will need to improve defensively if he’s going to have any chance of making the Cardinals this season.

26-year old righty swinging shortstop Tyler Greene is a natural shortstop but he can fill in at 2B for the Cardinals if needed. He played in 7 error-free games for the Cardinals at 2B last season while showing above average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2010: B

]]> http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-st-louis-cardinals-have-the-same-cast-at-2b-for-2010/feed/ John Tudor was a dominant pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/29/john-tudor-was-a-dominant-pitcher-for-the-st-louis-cardinals/ http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/29/john-tudor-was-a-dominant-pitcher-for-the-st-louis-cardinals/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:11:13 +0000 chinmusic http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/29/john-tudor-was-a-dominant-pitcher-for-the-st-louis-cardinals/ Lefty starting pitcher John Tudor was only with the Cardinals for five seasons but he made his mark. He played in 128 games (125 starts) for the Cardinals and he was 62-26 with a 2.52 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Tudor finished second in the voting for the Cy Young Award in 1985 for the Cardinals. He pitched in 36 games (all starts) in 1985 for the Cardinals and he was 21-8 with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He also threw 14 complete games with 10 shutouts in 1985. Tudor is #2 all-time in Cardinals’ history in ERA (2.52) and he is #2 in WHIP (1.08). Tudor was not in St. Louis too long but he was great for them.

]]> http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/29/john-tudor-was-a-dominant-pitcher-for-the-st-louis-cardinals/feed/ The St. Louis Cardinals have the best 1B on the planet http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/29/the-st-louis-cardinals-have-the-best-1b-on-the-planet/ http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/29/the-st-louis-cardinals-have-the-best-1b-on-the-planet/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:05:38 +0000 chinmusic http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/29/the-st-louis-cardinals-have-the-best-1b-on-the-planet/ 30-year old righty swinging 1B Albert Pujols is the best hitter on the planet, period! He played in 160 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 186 for 568 (.327 avg, 1.101 OPS) with 124 runs scored, 47 homers, 135 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Pujols has a nine-year career batting average of .334 with a 1.055 OPS for the Cardinals. He has averaged 119 runs scored, 40.7 homers and 123.6 RBIs per season for the Cardinals and there is no reason to think he won’t put up those same kind of numbers this year for the Cardinals. The only chink in Pujols’ armor is his defense as he made 13 errors in 159 games at 1B last season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 1B IN 2010: A+

]]> http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/29/the-st-louis-cardinals-have-the-best-1b-on-the-planet/feed/ The St. Louis Cardinals sign Rich Hill http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/26/the-st-louis-cardinals-sign-rich-hill/ http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/26/the-st-louis-cardinals-sign-rich-hill/#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:43:11 +0000 chinmusic http://www.cardslocker.com/2010/01/26/the-st-louis-cardinals-sign-rich-hill/ The Cardinals have signed 29-year old lefty starting pitcher Rich Hill to a minor league deal. Hill pitched in 14 games (13 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 3-3 with a 7.80 ERA and 1.87 WHIP. Hill has now pitched in 78 games (70 starts) in his major league career and he is 21-20 with a 4.87 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Hill has good stuff as he has only allowed 359 hits in 395 1/3 career innings in the majors and he has whiffed 355 batters. It will be up to pitching coach Dave Duncan to get Hill to throw more strikes as he has walked 177 batters in his major league career. Hill will battle for the #5 job in the Cardinals’ starting rotation this spring.

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