Mail Call: PostCards with Luhnow
TOWER GROVE — The Cardinals draft gurus are entering the final stretch of scouting and preparation for the amateur draft, which is less than a month away. The Cardinals hold the 13th pick of the draft, the earliest pick they have had since selecting outfielder Shaun Boyd at 13 in 2000.
As the Cardinals begin to see production from their most recent drafts — from Mike Parisi (c/o 2004) to Skip Schumaker (c/o 2001) to Chris Perez (c/o 2006), all of whom had a key role in Sunday’s win — the selection and development of players has taken on new importance for the organization.
That is reciprocated with an increasing interest from the fanbase.
This week, Cardinals vice president of player procurement (read: farm and draft director) Jeff Luhnow has agreed to take part on the weekly mailbag here at Bird Land. You’ve heard of Chat with Mo? Here’s Mailbag with Jeff. He’ll answer questions from readers about the upcoming draft and about goings-on in the minor-leagues. He just won’t tell you who they plan to pick. Trust me, I’ve already asked …
To submit questions, write the usual place: PostCards@post-dispatch.com.
And here are some other places you can find everything from draft details, scouting reports, mock drafts, scuttlebutt and the usual array of stats and stories:
- Baseball America’s main draft page.
- MLB.com’s main draft page.
- Baseball America’s most recent mock draft.
- The player it has the Cardinals taking.
- Future Redbirds main page. (Nearing the mighty 1-million hit club.)
- Future Redbirds entries by “2008 MLB Draft” tag.
- Lengthy thread on Cards Talk that has collected “draft tidbits”.
Get the information. Bring the questions.
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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. 
What you’re speaking about is the “Classic Mechanics” studies that the Cardinals have done and the mini-camps that they held this past spring training. Yes, it has guided their hands when it comes to draft picks. Adam Ottavino is held up as an example of “classic mechanics” and that was one — just one — of the reasons he was the Cardinals first pick a few years ago.
dg
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DG,
Just a couple of questions. First, Speaking of Mr. Ottavino is Adam fairing any better recently. I know he struggled mightly the first part of the year. Secondly doesn’t really have anything to do with the draft but how long are they willing to wait on Ankiel’s shoulder before the DL. I am not a fan of the short bench we have now when there is Mather that is raking the ball here in Memphis. Thanks for the time.
Concerning Ottavino, The Springfield News-Leader baseball writer Kary Booher had some revealing quotes from the righthander this past week. Ottavino was on the DL earlier this month, and now he says this:
As for Ankiel, the tradeoff for the Cardinals is losing a player for a few days vs. losing him for a few weeks. We have seen the Cardinals go this route before — Scott Spiezio last year; Chris Duncan at one point last year — and it always strikes the press box as a bit odd when it gets about Day 5, Day 6 of the absence and they are still playing short. Ankiel said it would be a “couple days”. If it is — and say he’s ready to hit tomorrow, even as a PH — then it makes sense not to make a move and lose and additional 11 or 12 days of Ankiel.
That said, finding another way for Mather to move up could be necessary.
dg
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Thanks Derrick. The article clearly states that my questions should have gone to the posted ‘PostCards’ address and not to your blog. That is what I get for skimming.
BTW, despite our record against unknown, fill-in, lefties, we are going to play the next three games at a ’singles’ ball park. Couldn’t ask for a field more suited to our style.
With that said about the “singles park” in San Diego, the Cardinals dominated game one there with three home runs. I’ve never been to San Diego, but is the stadium really a singles park, filled with lonely people looking for one-night stands in a three-game series?
Say, is it purely a coincidence that Albert Pujols homered twice to LEAD OFF INNINGS after Ludwick had four blasts in the last 2 1/2 games including the first inning Monday night? The Albert solo shots are kind of too bad, amid all the stranded runners (and his own team-worst 2-for-15 with RISP in whatever period Bernie was writing about recently). But it’s got to be a good sign that he’s getting pitches to hit, even with the bases empty.
fuhrig, there were 3 1/2 HRs tonight, thank you. Izturis, while the beneficiary of a fan-interference, non-interference call on the HR, still would like to count his dinker as MLB does
congrats to Izturis, btw
but when are you going to big mac land? 
Oh, yeah, four homers on Monday, sorry. How could I forget Itchy’s dinger? After all, it caused a tiny tear (which the team doctors would call a strain) in the space-time continuum.