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St. Louis Cardinals: Departed Players Are NOT Better

By Dr. Michael D. Miles

Mar 21, 2016; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker (91) is congratulated after hitting a two run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the game at Roger Dean Stadium. The Red Sox defeated the Cardinals 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker (91) is congratulated after hitting a two run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the game at Roger Dean Stadium. The Red Sox defeated the Cardinals 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 15, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Tony Cruz (right) chats with teammate catcher Yadier Molina (left) during spring training at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Tony Cruz (right) chats with teammate catcher Yadier Molina (left) during spring training at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Tony Cruz- C

Like Kozma before him, I was never a fan of Tony Cruz.  I wanted to like him because something told me that I should like the backup to Yadier Molina considering Yadi’s increasing age but I simply couldn’t buy into like Cruz because of his poor defense, poor offense, and- to me- seeming ineptitude at calling a game (a must for a catcher).

Before showing Cruz’s 2016 spring numbers, let me assuage any naysayers who might attack me instantly should I compare Cruz to Molina– this is not my intent and not what I am going to do.  Instead, I will use this section to compare Cruz to the player added thanks to his departure, Brayan Pena.

Let’s look at Cruz’s 2016 spring thus far:

Year Tm Age G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP OppQual
2016 KC 29 16 34 34 2 4 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 11 .118 .118 .147 .265 5 3 7.9

Is there anyone who even contemplates a desire to have this performance on the team?  These pitiful numbers are at the hands of players not even reaching the AAA-equivalency!  .118/.118/.147 in sixteen games?! No, thank you.

How about Pena?

Year Tm Age G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP SF OppQual
2016 STL 34 8 18 17 1 4 0 0 0 1 2 .235 .222 .235 .458 4 1 1 8.4

While not astronomically better than Cruz, Pena’s years of experience shine brighter than that of Cruz.  It is tough to produce, as Pena might well see, in the shadow of Yadi.  What was at once promised as a setback for Yadi this spring and thereby additional playing time for Pena, has turned into just the opposite.

In spite of this, however, Pena is out-performing Cruz and is doing so with a much better demeanor– reporters gush about him being the happiest player they know.  Anyone want Tony Cruz back?

Next: John Lackey

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