Archive for the ‘St. Louis Cardinals’ Category

Courtesy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Cardinals organization has the greatest collection of talent in the league. There, I said it. Not to suggest they are the perfect team and sure-fire bet to win the World Series, but the talent on their big league roster is enviable and their minor league pipeline is stuff.

If the 2013 Cardinals have a weakness, it is the performance of their bullpen through the first month of the season. Just like last season (in which they lost in the National League Championship Series) and the season before (in which they won the World Series.) Before the Cardinals make their requisite sneaky trade to bolster their relief corps, they first must call up one of their ridiculous arms from the minor leagues.

Today is that day, as the Cardinals announced former fill-in closer Mitchell Boggs was demoted to AAA and 21 year-old pitching prospect Carlos Martinez will take his place, making the jump from double-A to the show.

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San Francisco Giants v St Louis Cardinals - Game Three

The St. Louis Cardinals have been dealing with a case of the injury bug for most of spring training, and the news keeps getting worse. Before spring started, they learned they would be without starter Chris Carpenter for the season, and just as spring was getting underway, learned starting shortstop Rafael Furcal would miss the year after needing Tommy John surgery. Today, the Cardinals announced closer Jason Motte will likely begin the year on the Disabled List.

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St. Louis Cardinals v Philadelphia Phillies

2012 Record: 88-74, 2nd NL Central
2012 Pythagorean Record: 93-69
Impact Player: C Yadier Molina
Impact Pitcher: RHP Adam Wainwright
Top Prospect: RF Oscar Taveras 

Significant Acquisitions: CP Ty Wigginton, LHP Randy Choate

Significant Departures: 1B Lance Berkman, RHP Kyle Lohse, 2B/OF Skip Schumaker, RHP Kyle McClellan

The St. Louis Cardinals have been arguably the most successful franchise in baseball over the last ten years or so. Two world titles and numerous playoff appearances have been the result of one of the most thoroughly homegrown rosters in baseball. With the help of former farm director and current Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow and an otherwise terrific scouting and development staff, GM John Mozeliak and his crew have assembled a team that should be contending year in, year out for the foreseeable future.

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2011 World Series Game 7 - Texas Rangers v St Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are just rubbing it in now. As if compiling oodles of young talent to go with the bevy of established stars on their roster isn’t enough, now the Cardinals feel the need to buy off the free agency years of said talented young players.

Allen Craig is the latest Cardinals player to sign a long-term contract extension, inking a five-year deal worth $31 million with an option for a sixth, keeping Craig in St. Louis until 2017. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Craig will make $1.75 million this year, $2.75 million in 2014, $5.5 million in 2015, $9 million in 2016 and $11 million in 2017. The 2018 option is $13M with a $1MM buyout.

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The St. Louis Cardinals farm system is getting a lot of attention right now. The prospect rankings of the world are slowly rolling out, each one offering more breathless praise for the unbelievable assortment of talent compiled by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Keith Law unveiled his ESPN In$ider organizational rankings today and the Cardinals top the list. The combination of high ceiling talent, most of which is close to the big leagues, makes the Cardinals current prospect collection the mother lode.

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The St. Louis Blues will honour Stan Musial by wearing No. 6 Musial jerseys during the pre-game warm-ups before tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Musial, a Hall of Famer with the St. Louis Cardinals, died last Saturday at age 92.

Over his career, he won seven National League batting titles, was named MVP on three occasions, and won three World Series Championships in the 1940s.

Image via: sbnation.com

Doug Melvin is something of a badass. As the Brewers general manager, he runs his team well. They have Ryan Braun and Corey Hart and made the playoffs twice in recent years. It is a small market but they don’t seem to use it as a crutch, to the entire organization’s eternal credit. He also looks the part of a badass, a crucial aspect of badassery.

That said, taking tepid shots at the magnificent Cardinals and the way they do business is probably unwise, even if it was in jest.

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