A Mid-Spring Audit of Cardinals’ Roster (complete with polls)
TAMPA, Fla. — After slicing eight more names from his spring-training roster, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said a scheduled meeting with him, his coaches and the front office “probably wasn’t still necessary” for Tuesday’s off day.
“This took care of it,” he said. “We have a good idea.”
The most notably cut Monday was outfielder Brian Barton. The former Rule 5 pick had struggled recently — 1-for-16 — and the Cardinals decision to option him to Class AAA was not a surprise. Going without his bat, however, is telling. La Russa cautioned against reading into the moves. “Don’t make one and one three,” he warned me. “It’s just two.” Looks like it’s just seven — as in seven infielders going north with the team. The cleaving of Barton from the roster leaves the Cardinals looking more and more like they’ll take a spare infielder into the regular season as they devote time to Skip Schumaker at second and Joe Mather at third. Those two and Joe Thurston also play the outfielder, further limiting the need for five outfielders.
Nothing is cemented. Nothing is even certain. There is probably a scenario where that seventh infielder becomes a 13th pitcher. Plenty is left to be decided in the second half of games.
This is what we know (or can take an educated guess) so far:
PITCHERS (10 of planned 12): RHP Adam Wainwright, RHP Kyle Lohse, RHP Todd Wellemeyer, RHP Chris Carpenter, RHP Joel Pineiro, RHP Ryan Franklin, RHP Kyle McClellan, LHP Trever Miller, LHP Denny Reyes, RHP Brad Thompson.
POSITION PLAYERS (9 of planned 13): C Yadier Molina, C Jason LaRue, 1B Albert Pujols, 2B Skip Schumaker, 3B Joe Mather, SS Khalil Greene, OF Rick Ankiel, OF Chris Duncan, OF Ryan Ludwick.
DISABLED LIST (2): LHP Jaime Garcia, 3B Troy Glaus.
After that, the Cardinals have some flexibility and some difficult decisions. Here is a breakdown of 15 others players still on the roster and still vying for a place with the major-league team. Some have performed well but still have a slim chance of making the team (i.e., Jon Jay), others have performed well and could change the way the Cardinals look at the construction of the roster (i.e., Jason Motte).
Each player comes with a poll that allows you to vote if the player belongs on the Opening Day roster or not (or if you, like La Russa said today, would rather wait and see how the next few weeks transpire). Save the toughest and most intriguing calls (read: Colby Rasmus) for your last poll. Scroll down, skip ahead or read on:
BLAKE HAWKSWORTH, RHP: On the 40-man roster. He earned the first start of spring training and has had some good outings to help his stock with the major-league club. Seems destined for the Triple-A rotation again to start this season. He wasn’t mentioned recently as a leading candidate for the long-relief role, while fellow minor-league pitchers P.J. Walters and recently optioned Mitchell Boggs were.
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JOSH KINNEY, RHP: On the 40-man roster. All you need to know is this — the 2006 postseason still carries a lot of weight with the Cardinals’ coaches and what Kinney did back then sweetens everything he does right now. Kinney has knocked the rust of his mechanics and pitched well in his previous four outings. Since a three-walk debut in Grapefruit League play, the righthander has four strikeouts in his previous three innings. He got a win and a save in relief last week. Hard to imagine a way he doesn’t go north.
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JASON MOTTE, RHP: On the 40-man roster. Drew raves today from Detroit manager Jim Leyland, according to the Tigers beat reporters. Motte has arguably been the most impressive of the young guns this camp. He’s shown a developing changeup and a better slider. He throws strikes. More strikes. Hard strikes. He hit 98 mph today consistently as he struck out every batter he faced. That’s a weapon to have in the bullpen, and it could be hard to send him to Triple-A — even if those secondary pitches need some workshopping in the minors.
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CHRIS PEREZ, RHP: On the 40-man roster. Conspicuously absent from the ninth inning in today’s tie game against Detroit. Asked about not using Perez, La Russa said: “He didn’t need to pitch today to show me.” OK. Perez hasn’t been as consistent as Motte and the numbers show that. Though he’s improved. He hasn’t allowed a hit in his previous four outings. But Motte has two appearances since Perez’s last. His second pitch also needs work.
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ROYCE RING, LHP: On the 40-man roster. Pitching for the other 29 teams as much as he is for the Cardinals. Numbers are likely to force him out of the Opening Day roster in St. Louis. Ring struck out two in his last appearance, but has allowed three runs in his previous 1 1/3 innings. Trever Miller is going to get the call against lefties, so Ring is going to have to make do with less-than-ideal assignments. And Reyes is coming.
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BRIAN BARDEN, UT: On the 40-man roster. Others may get more press, but Barden has a solid glove and a handful of fans where it matters — in the Cardinals brain trust. The righthanded-bat helps. The ability to play shortstop, second and third base help. He’s a steadying force. Oh, and he’s hitting .333 with a .391 on-base percentage this spring. He’ll have to be dislodged from a utility spot, or the Cardinals will have to side with flashes of upside vs. his seasoned glove.
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TYLER GREENE, UT: On the 40-man roster. The aforementioned flashes of upside. It’s possible to say that no prospect this side of Daryl Jones did more to help his stock last season than Greene. That has continued this spring. He’s shown polish in the fields and moments of power at the plate. He’ll have to be optioned out to Triple-A, but it’s his first option year. He’s played well and played a lot but that .229 average and the benefit of having him play everyday at shortstop in Triple-A Memphis will likely sway the decision.
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BRENDAN RYAN, SS: On the 40-man roster. He has the most experience in the majors of all the utility possibilities. Like Kinney he’s all but on the team. The glove is reliable, but the bat hasn’t been as consistent as the Cardinals need for Ryan to really blossom as a utility infielder and pinch-hit option. He would do a lot for his chances and his playing time if the offense comes around. Quite similar to Kinney and Brad Thompson, with the only difference between Thompson is listed as on the team because the Cardinals have said they will take a long reliever into April and he’s the incumbent. Same could be said of Ryan. He’s the incumbent.
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FERNANDO SALAS, RHP: Not on 40. Took the loss in Monday’s game at Detroit by allowing the winning run in the ninth inning. He’s a pitch-maker. Despite initial concern about his readiness to pitch at this level, Salas has stuck around through a few cuts — including today’s. Doesn’t mean he’s long for the major-league camp, just that he’s getting a longer look than initially expected. Helps that he had seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings before Monday’s. Long, long shot to crack the big-league bullpen, barring injury, until September.
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P.J. WALTERS, RHP: Not on 40. Earned a merit badge about a week ago when La Russa volunteered his name as a candidate for the long relief role. Walters has caught and surpassed pitchers picked higher in the draft and picked years before the draft to become one of the on-the-cusp starters for the Cardinals. He’s got a great pitch — his changeup. He’s also a groundball pitcher. Had a hiccup in his second appearance, but recovered to throw three shutout innings with five strikeouts in his most recent outing. Strong audition — but he’s destined to be in the Triple-A rotation, where performance there will dictate if he’s the first guy up.
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BRYAN ANDERSON and MATT PAGNOZZI, C: Not on 40. Both are getting their work in and jockeying for position on the depth chart. Anderson has spent most of the spring as not only the Cardinals starter at Triple-A Memphis but also their “No. 3 catcher.” Not bad considering the club often likes to have a vetering, like Justin Knoedler, in that position — that just-in-case he’s needed position. Pagnozzi is one of the most important species of spring: The good soldier.
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JOE THURSTON, UT: Not on 40. There’s room on the 40-man roster so adding the non-roster invitee to the active roster isn’t a concern. With each passing day his chances of making the team strengthen. Colleague Joe Strauss had the rundown of Thurston’s recent play this past weekend in the Post-Dispatch. He also plays the outfield and is the most experienced of the group at second base — during a minor-league career that included a Player of the Year award in Triple-A, a base-hits crown and gobs of innings as a starting second baseman.
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JON JAY, OF: Not on the 40. Says something that the prospect — an “official prospect,” as we tend to call them around the spring training fields — remains around after several cuts, including the ones Monday. Jay has little chance of going north with the club. He’ll be a starting outfield in Memphis this spring. But a worthy parlor game we’ve been playing asks the simple question: If Jay were a righthanded hitter would he be on the team? And that begs the followup: Isn’t he likely to have a longer career as a major-leaguer because he hits lefthanded? Jay is batting .375 with a .412 on-base percentage. He’s suited for left, but he can play the other two spots in the outfield as well. Impressive spring for an impressive prospect who has shown he’s a lot more like Skip Schumaker than even we all thought. Strong springs and a blistering bat will replace that fourth-outfielder label with a everyday-player opportunity.
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COLBY RASMUS, OF: Not on the 40. Finally. Rasmus. Since his Chat with Tony (trademarked, patent pending), Rasmus has played much better and much steadier. He laced a double Monday and finished the game 1-for-4 while also playing well in center. Do keep an eye on those strikeouts however. In his past three games, Rasmus is 2-for-9 with five strikeouts. That’s the kind of whiffing that gets noticed — and gets reassigned. Still, there is an influential bloc of Caridnals brass that wants to see Rasmus make this major-league team and get playing time as part of a four-man crew. It will take a strong finish to make that happen. The allure of getting him every-day playing time in center in Memphis will influence final decision. What’s your call on whether he should come north after the exhibition games in Memphis or stay there?
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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. 
Derrick-
I know the team needs someone to fill the long relief role, but does that guarantee Thompson a spot on the 25 man roster? Can you see a scenario where Kinney, Motte, and Perez all make the team if the team only carries 12 pitchers?
I voted in all of the polls, but my roster only numbers 24. I left one roster spot open for Ray Durham or Mark Grudzielanek (or whatever other second baseman becomes available).
Duncan should not be on any MLB roster. (period)
What happens when Glaus comes back? Joe Mather has some “pop” and can play 5 spots in the field. The coach’s kid used to have “pop” and plays ZERO positions at the major league level
Just a thought ………
I think it’s wrong to put Brad Thompson with the group of makes the team. That doesn’t mean he won’t, of course. I actually think that Franklin is best suited for the long role - but I know they like him as the 8th inning guy.
Pitchers: Kinney & Motte
Between Kinney, Motte and Franklin, one of the 3 should be able to close out games. And I wouldn’t undervalue Leyland’s assessment of Motte.
Position Players: Barden, Thurston, Ryan and Rasmus.
We need some right-handed hitters to provide balance. We need some defensive infield replacements for late game situations. If they’re not starting, Ryan and Rasmus give us a couple of speedy pinch-runners.
Baseball: $4
Bats: $120
Gloves: $60
Chat with Tony: Priceless
Some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s La Russa.
Here is my 25 man for the Majors:
C - Molina
1b - Pujols
2b - Thurston
3b - Mather (for now)
ss - Greene
lf - Duncan
cf - Ankiel
rf - Ludwick
bench - Larue, Rasmus, Barden, Schumaker, Ryan
This will give Tony what he has always wanted, a team that is extremely maneuverable. Only Pujols, Molina, Ludwick and Greene will be set. He can play with the rest on a daily basis. So even though I set Duncan and Ankiel in the outfield and Thurston and Mather as starting in the infield its not quite true. Depending on matchups and performance Rasmus will sub in center a lot, Schu will sub at second and left a lot. Barden can sub anywhere on the infield. Even Duncan can sub at first when Albert needs a breather. Tony will be giddy with this roster. And most of the guys will be starving for at bats and starving to prove themselves. Memphis will be thrilled because they have a number of decent prospects waiting to crack the majors. Memphis should have a great team this year. When Glaus is ready in a month, Tony can reevaluate the talent down and up to juggle the roster.
Pitching Staff:
Starters - Waino, Lohse, Carp, Welle, Pinero
Relief - Miller, Reyes, Thompson, Kinney, Franklin, McClellan
Cl - Motte
Now that I think about it, Perez will end up in the minors to work on his pitch. I don’t like it, but the Cards organization (Tony) plays favorites a lot. They love Kinney. A lot. Franklin is a vet and will stick around no matter what. It will take a pitching injury (Pinero fingers crossed) to readjust. That or realy bad performances from a guy like Thompson or Joel. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if we were two months in and K Mac is starting with Perez back in the pen. My read is that Perez has better stuff but Motte is more refined.
Fantastic. Nice job putting this all together, what an excellent job! My take on some these names:
Tyler Greene: DG, I’m not sure that Tyler did a lot to “help his stock” in his time split between Springfield and Memphis last season. Bad strikeout rate, horrible walk rate, hit .259 at Springfield and .234 at Memphis, and the .OBP didn’t make marked improvement from ‘07 either. How did he help himself, DG?
Royce Ring: I don’t see any way he heads north with the team. He likely would have if Reyes had not been acquired, but now I think it’s a pretty sure thing that he’ll be playing AAA ball to start the year. By the way, what does this mean for guys like Charlie Manning and Ian Ostlund, and where they’ll begin the season?
Joe Thurston: Funny that he can be called the “most experienced” of all the 2B candidates in camp right now. He’s played only 15 major league games at second in his career. Still I like the speed element he brings to this team, and he’s got a solid glove, his big spring has given him a pretty good shot at heading back north in three weeks, in my opinion.
Colby Rasmus: Other than that brief stretch about a week ago, he just hasn’t looked comfortable at the plate. He’s only 22 years old, and a slow starter when you look back on recent years, so I’m not concerned concerned. A lot could change within the span of three weeks, but I see him heading north … as of right now.
Thompson is guaranteed a spot?!?…and Perez and Motte are not?!?!?!?! That is insane. McClellan or Franklin can be the long guy. Thompson offers nothing other than “versatility”.
There is no way that Tony takes Rasmus up with him. The kid is just not ready. As much as I see that most people on these sites want him to be the 5 tool talent that he is hyped to be, he has not proved anything. He needs to go down to Memphis and prove that he can hit at AAA before he gets a chance with the big team! He certainly is not going to get better by sitting on the bench in St. Louis or coming in to play defense for Duncan.