Riffs from Memphis, from Barton to Phelps
MEMPHIS — Brian Barton edged closer to his scheduled return to the majors even as he was robbed of a extra-base hit late in Friday’s game against New Orleans. The Cardinals’ rookie outfielder smoked a shot to deep right-center field only to have Zephyrs’ center fielder Jesus Feliciano speed into the gap, snare the ball and carom off the wall.
The catch said as much about the hit as the fielder.
His second hit stolen, Barton sank his average to .300 with a 1-for-5 evening in the Redbirds loss. Barton has three home runs and 10 RBIs on his 20-day assignment to the minors to recover from a broken hand. It appears that Sunday will be the outfielder’s final day in Triple-A Memphis, and a move to the majors appears likely. As a player selected in the Rule 5 draft, Barton must be on the major-league active roster when not on the disabled list or the Cardinals can lose their rights to him.
He called the rehab assignment — which was also an excuse to get him the playing time he wasn’t getting in the majors — a needed boost.
“It helps, it has helped,” Barton said. “It’s helped get me back in the groove. I felt like I was losing it there for a little while this season. Now I’ve got it back again. I feel like I can help down the stretch. I feel ready to go.”
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Brendan Ryan started at second base Friday night, the first time he remembers playing a position other than short for the Redbirds this season. Ryan shifted to shortstop later in the game, and he expects to move around the infield until he is called up. Manager Tony La Russa told Ryan that he would be up in September, if not sooner.
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Randy Flores has pitched 4 2/3 innings since being optioned to Memphis, allowing a total of two earned runs, walking two and striking out three. He said the innings and the situations have helped him work on the wonky delivery that led to inconsistency this season at the major-league level.
“I not sure what got me into bad habits, but bad habits were gotten into,” Flores said. “It takes repetition in game situations to break those habits. I’m making progress. You need a batter in the box to get the work. It just helps to have a batter to make those game-speed adjustments. … It (the delivery difficulty) happened over, and now I’m here to correct it.”
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Jason Motte, the converted catcher, has a strikeout in 24 consecutive appearances. He also has just gobs of strikeouts. Motte has struck out 96 batters in 56 2/3 innings. Put another way, the righthander has collected 170 outs this season, and 96 of them have been strikeouts. Used as a setup man and closer, Motte has an overpowering fastball and he has continued to refine a cutter. The pitch varies from slider — with more depth to its break — to the sharper, tighter bite of a cut fastball. Once he harnesses the pitch, he can use it as both: take a little off for a more pronounced bend, put a little on to give it late movement that plays off his fastball.
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What Ryan Ludwick did to win the National League Player of the Week award a few days ago didn’t even make him the hottest hitter in the organization, let alone in baseball. That title went to Josh Phelps, Memphis’ first baseman. The former big leaguer went 9-for-28 with seven home runs and 15 RBIs in a week span. He sweetened those totals with a three-homer game on July 29 and then he added to those totals with a 3-for-4 game Wednesday that also included a home run.
Hitting coach Mark Budaska said that Phelps has “shifted his gun sites” to unblock his power and better exploit his swing.
“He changed his direction with his step, moved his gun sit a little over,” Budaska said. “Phelpsie is a professional hitter. We just to get him going — all his power was to that right, right-center area. His hot zone was out there. He moved his gun site a bit, and not he’s hitting that inside pitch a lot better. He pulls the ball with power without giving up the power he has to right or center.”
Teammates said Phelps homers weren’t just over the wall, but out of sight.
Several of them have gone over the three-story trees that make up the batter’s eye here at AutoZone Park. Phelps, who bats righthanded, has 20 home runs against righthanded hitters this season. He’s went 19-for-46 in the 11 games before Friday’s, and went 6-for-12 with two home runs and five RBIs in the series before this weekend’s.
Two things are keeping Phelps from the majors: His position is first base and he’s not on the 40-man roster. While there are several things that could put him in the majors come September (after he’s placed on the 40-man, of course), one that stands out is this: He’s done well as a pinch-hitter. Phelps, the Yankees’ opening day first baseman in 2007, pursued a spot with a National League team for this season after going 10-for-35 with two home runs, seven RBIs, eight walks and eight strikeouts as a pinch hitter last season. His batting line as a pinch hitter was .286/.432/.543.
“I excelled in the role once I got used to it,” he said.
He recently played a game in right field for Memphis — to expand the possibilities, he said — but it’s the pinch hitting that stands out when it comes to September opportunities. He’s 4-for-6 with the Redbirds.
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Time to hit the road back home … (Update, 3:56 a.m.: Bernie if you’re reading this, the ride home was passed by holding Steady with a little “I went there on business … Sequestered in Memphis”, and, fittingly, with “King of New Orleans” and then, pulling into town, “Remedy”. Cranked up, of course.)
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
Great work as always, Derrick. I check out Memphis game action every night and often listen to Steve Selby doing the games on radio. I have always really enjoyed Triple A baseball. It’s wonderful to see the Cardinals with a good Triple A team again. We had good hitters at Memphis last year, but not much quality pitching. That has really changed this year. This year’s Memphis team reminds me a lot of the 2000 team that made it to the Triple A World Series. Even though Albert had spent most of that season at Peoria, his late-season promotion to Memphis gave us a little preview of what was to come. I remember a big game-winning 13th inning home run that he hit in the PCL playoffs. I believe that Josh Phelps could be a good addition for the bench in September. When I saw Memphis play recently I was very impressed with David Freese. Jason Motte’s strikeout figures are mind-boggling.Joe Mather was still with Memphis when I saw them and by now we have already seen how he can contribute. Thanks for the great update.
Thanks, DG. How close do you think Motte’s secondary pitch is to being major-league ready?
DG you crack me up man. you forgot one part though. “I went there on business, subpoenaed in Texas, sequestered in Memphis”. It was late though so I’ll give you that one. You got me curious about this Josh Phelps cat. he’s been perking up my ears the last few weeks. I’m reading the Wikipedia on him. He’s been well traveled. I remember Torre having high hopes for him awhile back. That’s the only thing I knew on him. I think he’s perfect trade bait. We signed him to a minor league contract so we didnt give up anything for him. He’s producing obviously. Why can’t we wrap him and Mather up for a high B minor league pitching prospect at the very least? I mean there’s no room for either one. Unless you ship Shu or Lud somewhere. and I really like Shu, kids got heart, but your not going to beat the cubbies when you got soriano leading off over there. Im just saying man, I hate to be negative and get on the whole “cards are hoarding their prospects” train. But what are we supposed to believe? A rookie gm who’s afraid to pull the trigger. Thats my blog for the day.
Guys like Phelps don’t have much trade value, and that has nothing to do with their ability. It has a lot to do with teams can get him in a few months anyway. He’ll be a free agent, and there will be teams who give him offers — if not here, then certainly in Japan. There’s some sense that Phelps should head to the AL, where he can be the 1B/DH type because he has such power. He likes the idea of being on an NL team as a PH/1B type because he’s had success in the role.
I did not forget the middle line there, just figured that would lead to a whole lot of questions about what shenanigans I got into in Texas.
dg
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Derek…. Are we looking at 3/4ths of the Cardinals starting infield at Autozone last night? David Freese at 3d, Tyler Greene at ss, and Brendan Ryan at 2d, with Albert at first. The entire Cardinal outfield now is already a former Redbirds outfield (excluding Felipe Lopez, if you are trying to count him an an outfielder).
So DG, what did happen in Texas?
I saw the Memphis Redbirds lose tonight. I was sitting 5 rows behind the Redbirds on-deck batter. Barton looked terrible. He struck out the first two times and took really bad swings at some really bad pitches. He ended up 0-5 including the game ending groundout with the Redbirds done 1 run and the bases loaded. It was an ugly evening for him.
He seemed to play with very little energy, and that’s what disappointed me most. Maybe he knows he’s going back to St. Louis and doesn’t feel like he’s really playing for much in Memphis at this point. I don’t know. But I was very disappointed with his performance. I had been a big fan of his until tonight, and now I’m a little more cautious.
How much value does Schu really have? He can’t hit LH pitching, and he has an above average arm. I have a hard time seeing Schu on this team next year. Ras will be in CF, Luddy in LF, Ank in RF, Joey Bombs as your fourth outfielder. Then things are open for the 5th outfield spot, there are a few major questions. Will Lil Dunc be healthy at some point next year? Were does Barton factor in? Then there are the prospects like Jon Jay that at some point in ‘09 will be ready for the bigs.
Interesting that we might be looking at 3/4 of the future infield for the Cardinals. At this point I’d still rather have Brian Barden over Tyler Green, but i really don’t think either Barden or Green have much of a future with Cards. The Koz will one day take over at SS, and by 2010 I’d expect The Walrus to be close.
I’d like to see Ryan played more at 2B. I love his energy an if he could develop better discipline at the plate, and start finding ways to get on base and utilize his speed then I thing he is the best option at second base……
I agree with Pat. Barton looked more the way So Taguchi looked when Taguchi first joined the Cardinals from Japan and seemed overmatched. I don’t think being injured with Cleveland, then sitting the bench for the Cards, and finally getting hurt again, has done the guy any good at all. He needs an extended period of everyday play, which he will not get sitting on the bench in St. Louis. Right now, Joe Mather and even Felipe Lopez bring more to the table than he does for a team struggling to remain a contender.
DG,
Direct question here: What exactly is Brian Barton’s future in the organization? He’s an under-powered, right-handed outfielder with speed but suspect defensive skills. He’s widely expected to be playing in Memphis next season. But to what purpose has the team given him a major-league roster spot all season? To have a guy who’s probably not in the top 6-8 outfielders in the organization? Who’s ahead of him: Ludwick, Ankiel, Mather, Schumaker (a left-handed version of Barton with a better glove), Rasmus, Stavinoha, Jay? And what about my man, Marti? I’m not bashing Barton or anything, but I don’t see where he has a future here. Maybe he adds AAA depth (like Ludwick last year? sure, that worked out), but it’s a heck of a thing to waste a major-league roster spot for a year while trying to contend, just for AAA depth the next year. Especially given how many times this team has played short-handed for a week or longer with various non-DLed injuries, like Ankiel now.
Thanks and regards.
Fuhrig,
An excellent question. I don’t see Barton as deep on the depth chart as you do, but that’s partially because once you get past the surefire starters — Ankiel and Rasmus — I’m not sure how you differentiate between the group. To be sure, Schumaker and Mather have distinguished themselves with performance, especially Schumaker. But Barton has more power than you describe and he’s got speed that intrigues in the leadoff spot — or, with TLR around, No. 9.
I did not mention Ludwick because, as Joe Strauss described in Sunday’s paper, it is hard to get a bead on how the club sees Ludwick. Clearly, there’s the possibility of a Ludwick-Rasmus-Ankiel outfield, and that in a lot of ways that is how 2009 projects. Where that would leave Barton is probably in Triple-A, or as a fourth/fifth outfielder in the majors. Barton fits the description of an asset for the Cardinals. A player who contribute with his speed, where there’s an opening … or add to a trade.
dg
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dg:
I find it interesting that no one is talking about Jarrett Hoffpauir. Last season, it seemed that everyone was clammering for his promotion as the answer to our needs at second base, yet now very quiet.
B.J.P.
B.J.P., I’m not DG, but I think part of the reason that nobody is talking about Hoffpauir is the fact that he is only hitting .267 at Memphis right now. He is not exactly tearing it up at Memphis ,similar to the way he did last season.