The Short Stop Situation

I feel very pessimistic when it comes to the short stop position for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. The way I feel about Rafael Furcal playing during the 2013 is about the same way that I feel about Chris Carpenter throwing off the mound this year.
Feb 19, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal (15) poses for a picture during photo day at Roger Dean Stadium. Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
I do not like the odds. I feel as if I am beating a dead horse here but the facts are the facts.

Furcal opted against having surgery in the offseason to fix his able. That, in part, is where he went wrong with his decision-making. Furcal should have decided to undergo surgery. At this point, if his elbow continues to show problems, I think such surgery is inevitable.

I did not want it to come to this. I don’t think anybody did. But what is the solution to this problem? I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t even know if Pete Kozma will be the answer. Nor do I think Ryan Jackson will be the answer.

I think there maybe a sleeper or even a dark horse selection for the short stop of the future. However, this is not as considerable of depth at short as there is at other positions in the organization. Everybody knows that the Cardinals pitching is stacked.

It is possible that some arms could be traded in order to acquire that somebody who will man the infield between second and third base.

In the mean time, since I very much doubt that Ronny Cedeno or Ty Wigginton work out in the long term, some alternatives are in the organization right now.

One possibility, though, won’t be ready until a few months from now due to an ACL injury. That player is Alex Mejia. The former Arizona Wildcat was named the PAC-12 Player of the Year and PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year for the 2012 season. Seeing a player get such honors in college, especially on the team that won the College World Series in the same year, does give me such hope that the Cardinals have found their solution at short.

Mejia was the first of six short stops that was drafted by the club in June. Interestingly enough, the Cardinals selected a short stop in the fourth round of both the 2011 and 2012 drafts. However, the 2011 pick, Kenneth Peoples-Walls, is further away from the majors as he played for the Gulf Coast League affiliate the past two seasons.

Greg Garcia, a 7th round pick in 2010, finished the 2012 season with Springfield and is expected to start the 2013 season with Memphis. He was invited to the Cardinals big league camp as a non-roster invitee and could very well make the squad between now and the season. Or, at the very least, Garcia could see a callup later in the season.