Could Glaus lose his grip?
Just when we thought nothing would happen for the Cardinals before spring training, we see that there likely will be a new third baseman on Opening Day. But what happens if the replacement pulls an Albert Pujols?
Q: Hello Mr. Hummel. With the Glaus injury being the latest news on the Cardinal injury list, who can blame Cardinal ownership for not buying into some of these questionable, but tempting FA players that are still not signed? While Glaus is out, what do you think the Cards will do if one of these younger guys (Wallance or Freese) has a massive Spring, makes the big club and carries it over into the season? It could easily happen. I recall Terry Pendleton’s success when he first arrived in 1984. No one could get him out. Then you have Pujols in 2001. Do you have any thoughts about how this could all shake out if such a scenario occurred?
Thanks Mr. Hummel!
Dave
A: Pendleton actually came up during the season in 1984 but I see your point. I think most rational fans perceive that either Freese or Wallace will be the Cardinals’ third baseman a year from now anyway. I don’t think a fast start by either would cost Glaus his job, but the club might be more willing to trade Glaus before the season is over, especially if the team is out of the race.
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Q: Rick: Your thoughts on Ted Simmons not receiving consideration for the HOF
If I remember correctly, Simba retired as placing in the top five al-ltime switch-hitters for home runs and as having one of the highest BA for a catcher.
Granted he was not Molina with the glove. I am guessing that he was overshadowed all those years by Johnny Bench and Gary Carter.
You having a HOF vote, I would like your view.
Thanks Rick
JC
A: Ted did not get 5 percent of the vote from the baseball writers’ association in his first year of eligibility, thus eliminating him from the final 14 years he would have had on the ballot. But he was not eligible for consideration by the Veterans’ Committee until all 15 of those elections had expired. Finally, they have, and Ted will be among those considered in the next Veterans’ Committee procedure. I will do my best to trumpet his cause. But, as he reminded me recently, the final voting members of that committee _ the living Hall of Famers themselves _ haven’t voted anybody into the Hall in the eight years the process has been in place.
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Q: Mr. Hummel, thanks for sharing your HOF-caliber insights with us. It’s an honor for us, the Cardinals fans, to be able to correspond with you. There is beginning to be a buzz among some internet scribes about Mark Mulder’s recovery. Is there any chance that the Cardinals would give him another shot and that Mulder would give St. Louis a discount in return for the nice salaries he pulled while injured?
Christoper
A:Thanks, Chris. I don’t think there’s any way the Cardinals and Mulder go down that path again. For one thing, if Mulder is going to walk on somewhere this spring, it would be in Arizona where he lives.
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Q: Commish, On Wednesday, Mo hosted a chat on this site. There was one questioner that was extremely out of line as he was very obnoxious. I could not help but wonder why these questions were even addressed. If the questions were picked by a PD employee, he should be held accountable. If the questions were picked by Mo himself, my question becomes why would he diminish himself even addressing one of this poster’s queries, much less two? Is this ridiculous back-and-forth is what this off-season has come down to? Mr. Hummel, your status and wisdom are beyond question when it comes to matters baseball, as recognized by the Hall of Fame. Did this exchange puzzle you as well? Without stepping on toes, can you give us your opinion? Thanks
Roger
A: I would not have navigated as far into the deep end of the pool as Mo did, but he has final say over the questions. He seems to enjoy this give-and-take.
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(14 votes, average: 3.79 out of 5)
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Commish, if Mo were to call me to ask advice (which for some reason he has not), I would caution him to remain above the fray. When you make decisions that effect so many so emotionally, measure your words with care. The exchange that occurred in his recent chat only cheapens the organization.
On to my real question, will the recent Glauss injury put even more fan pressure on Mo to make a significant trade? If he succumbs, who, when, and with which club? Thanks Mr. Hummel.
Commish, if they get a left handed starter, which pitcher will it be. There is not much out there and we did not have a lefty in the rotation for the longest time. Also, will Motte learn a new pitch to go with his 100 mph fastball?”
Comish, With the Cardinals lack of activity in getting new free agents this yr wouldn’t it make sense to bring back Looper? I heard he is asking around 3 yrs 15 million which seems affordable. At least keep your team as good as last yr on paper is my thought. This waiting things out may hurt us.
Also with Tony not having a history of giving the ball to the young guys unless all else fails don’t we need another guy with experience who has closed sucessfully?
Not Izzy! just think Izzy while he was great he will be relied on regardless of success or failure because Tony Likes him. Any closers left? Why did ownership take so long?? They seem to be cutting corners or very patient. Which one? thnx
Commish,
I love the insight. I have a quick question though. With all the buzz surrounding Rasmus, Wallace, Freese, Motte, Perez, etc. is there any news on Peter Kozma? It seems like a long term solution is needed at shortstop. Any thoughts? Thanks, Nathan.
Mr. Hummel,
Thank you for your time. Do you have any knowledge the course of action the Cardinals took when Glaus was injured up to his surgery? If so, could you please document it chronologically? I’ve been unable to find any reports on this and I, along with most Cardinal fans are confused about what took place from September until Mid-January. Hopefully, you’ll be able to make some sense out this mess for us.
Thank you,
Brian R.
Commish,
Any word if the Cards have any interest in BJ Ryan? I know he’s owed close to 22 million over the next two years, but considering how much the Canadian dollar has dropped, I would think the Blue Jays would be racing to dump as much off their payroll as possible. Any chance they might eat a few million of his contract in order to be able to get rid of 18-20 million he’s owed?
Sincerely,
Brian R.
Commish,
Thanks for your expert insight and availability. My concerns with the 2009 Cardinals still come down to the bullpen. The 2008 team had a pretty decent lineup and starting rotation. The Glaus injury is not a huge surprise as he usually seems to have a couple DL stints every year. With the depth at 3B and the addition of Greene, it appears that the line up should be, at least, as good as last years team. Assuming there is a decent replacement for Looper (Wolfe?, McClellan?, Carpenter?,..) the starting rotation should also be solid.
Do you think the young bullpen pitchers are capable of improving that area of the team? And/or do you forsee any other activity to improve the bullpen in 2009? I just cannot understand why Mo would essentially neglect this facet of the team when it was undeniably the reason they fell out of contention last year.
Dear Mr. Hummel, I enjoy your insights during the lean off-season and am reasonably supportive of Mo’s patient approach. However, I have one criticism of Cardinal’s player development plan. There has been a middle infield problem for many years which has been addressed in every draft. Why, I would like to know, has there been so little effort in the lower minors to trade from position strength for position need. Other MLB clubs, like the Rangers, have a reputation of persistence in going after players who were targeted in the draft but missed out on? That is one reason why their farm system is number one now.
Kind regards, Les
I have a roster management question.
Is there really a 40 man roster in January? If my team’s roster is full, can I sign a free agent and not worry about how to get under 40 until the spring?
Just curious because the Yankees designated Chase Wright for assignment.
One thing that stood out to me in 2007 was the number of first inning runs the Cards allowed. It seemed like we were ALWAYS playing from behind. Last year it seemed like the trend was reversed. Is there any way you could look up the stats from the past two years and compare opponent’s first inning runs to ours?