St. Louis Cardinals: Spring Training Check-in, March 3

The St. Louis Cardinals will return to televised broadcast of the Spring Training games this weekend but before we enjoy those games, let’s take quick moment to check in on the stats through the games played on Thursday.

The St. Louis Cardinals have now played seven Spring Training games. In these seven games, the Cardinals hold a 5-2 record. While Spring training win-loss records hold absolutely no bearing on the regular season, it is nice to see the Birds winning.

Speaking of winning, former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa never cared whether his team won or lost during the spring months but that doesn’t seem to be the case with now-manager Mike Matheny. Having said that, I do like the fact that the Cardinals want to win now.

Why do I care if the Cardinals win or lose in Spring Training? Quite honestly, I want them to win each and every day but I especially like the idea of winning early to establish the culture of winning. Having come in just under the necessary mark to make the postseason in 2016, I think it is paramount that the team become more comfortable with winning than losing.

In addition to establishing the winning way, Spring Training is important in the fact that it provides opportunities for younger guns to learn what it feels like to win when facing the challenging pitching of the major leagues. This is deeply important into the season when injuries occur and the farm is needed to supply the next man up.

Seven games is an awfully small sample size but can provide us a glimpse into what this year’s players may have in store for we members of Cardinals Nation. To get the best idea, this slide show will look back at the past seven games and detail players based on fielding positions.

When it comes to pitchers, this slideshow will look at each pitcher to have climbed the mound thus far and will attempt to make predictions for the season based on the minimal results thus far.

What do you think? Are you excited for the real season to start or are you enjoying the spring games? Thanks for reading and enjoy this quick re-cap.

The St. Louis Cardinals have a slate of starting outfielders who should instill fear in opposing teams, but even the backups and prospects have come to shine this spring.

The 2017 St. Louis Cardinals outfield will be made up of Randal Grichuk in left, Dexter Fowler in center, and Stephen Piscotty in right. These are three great bats on the plate and great fielders to be sure. Are they the best in the majors? No but that might not matter.

Starting with these three, Grichuk has appeared in three games so far and six at-bats. In these he has posted a slash line of .500/.571/1.33. Wouldn’t that be incredible should he carry this into the season?! To entice you even more, he has smashed two double and one home run in these at-bats. I’ll take some more of that, please!

Fowler has appeared in four games and four at-bats. In these he has posted a slash line of .250/.600/.250. While not flashing the pine as Grichuk has, Fowler has shown incredible patience at the plate resulting in five walks. Oh, and there was this little thing known as a stolen base tossed in there too.

Piscotty, the incumbent name that will be slotted in the four spot replacing departed Matt Holliday, has appeared in four games and eight at-bats. In these he has posted a slash line of .125/.300/.125. While this isn’t great, Piscotty is approaching the plate differently than in years past so there will be a learning curve.

Other outfielders who have appeared in Spring Training games thus far include:

• Nick Martini (1.00/1.00/2.00 in one at-bat) who will likely start in Memphis in 2017;
• phenom Magneuris Sierra (.500/.545/.600 in ten at-bats) who should start in Memphis in 2017;
• Chad Huffman (.300/.364/.300 in ten at-bats) who will likely start in Memphis in 2017;
• Anthony Garcia (.286/.286/.714 in ten at-bats) who will likely start in Memphis in 2017;
• Jose Martinez (.273/.429/.818 in eleven at-bats) who should start in St. Louis in 2017;
• Tommy Pham (.273/.333/.273 in eleven at-bats) who will likely start in St. Louis in 2017;
• Harrison Bader (.200/.200/.600 in ten at-bats) who will likely start in Memphis in 2017; and
• snooze-fest Todd Cunningham (maybe I’m burned by him after praising him for so long; .111/.273/.111 in nine at-bats) who should be released from the St. Louis Cardinals at the end of Spring Training.

Of these, the regulars excite me even with Piscotty under-performing currently. Of the backups, I really want to see Martinez make the team but some of the prospects are providing some nice pressure. These prospects to watch include Sierra and Huffman.

All of this said, I believe the 2017 Cardinals should have a much improved outfield as compared to the 2016 squad.

The St. Louis Cardinals have a slate of starting infielders who will present a solid infield to support each of the Cardinals pitchers.

The 2017 St. Louis Cardinals infield will be made up of Jhonny Peralta at third, Aledmys Diaz at short stop, Kolten Wong/Jedd Gyorko at second, and Matt Carpenter at first. I am including Gyorko here since we aren’t entirely sure how well Wong’s shoulder will handle regular playing time just yet.

Starting with these and moving left-to-right around the diamond, Peralta has appeared in three games and five at-bats. In these he has posted a slash line of .200/.286/.200. While this isn’t eye-catching, he has managed to pick up an RBI and has not struck out once this spring. Will he allow Gyorko to steal third from him?

Diaz, last spring’s surprise player, has appeared in three games and eight at-bats. In these games he has posted a slash line of .500/.444/.500 thus continuing his impressive start similar to the one he showed in 2016. Diaz is quite simply a superstar and I look for him to continue to impress into 2017.

Wong and/or Gyorko will likely man second base. In Spring Training this season, Wong has appeared in three games an eight at-bats posting a slash line of .250/.333/.250. Gyorko has appeared in four games and nine at-bats posting a line of .556/.556/.889. While Wong is likely the better defender, I would prefer that Gyorko- if the trend continues- receive the lion’s share of playing time come opening day.

Matt Carpenter is solidly set to host first base come opening day and during the primary part of the season. He is currently suffering from back issues which have him listed as day-to-day. This isn’t that big of a deal right now but could become a major issue in the season.

Through Thursday, Carpenter has appeared in three games and five at-bats posting a slash line of .200/.167/.800. In other words, when he connects with pitches they go a long way. To this point, he has smashed a total of three RBIs this spring and one home run. He will do well, I think, in the number three spot in the order.

Let me devote some special space here for Matt Adams. Oh, Matt Adams… Through Thursday’s game, Adams has appeared in five games and fourteen at-bats posting a miserable .143/.143/.357. These numbers do not seem to suggest his new batting stance is helping at all. That said, he did smash a home run recently so maybe he is figuring things out.

I am not an Adams fan and my feelings would not be hurt to see the St. Louis Cardinals ship him off elsewhere. The problem there is that he currently carries no value. Alas, the Matt Adams experiment with St. Louis will likely continue. Let’s hope he turns it around.

Other infielders who have appeared in Spring Training games thus far include:

• Alex Mejia (SS; 1.000/1.000/1.000 in one at-bat) who will likely start the season with Memphis;
• Luke Voit (1B; .500/.500/2.000 in two at-bats) who will likely begin the season with Springfield;
• Paul DeJong (3B; .455/.455/.909 in eleven at-bats) who is a name to watch but who will likely begin the season in Springfield (though I anticipate a quick climb to Memphis in 2017);
• Edmundo Sosa (SS; .200/.200/.200 in five at-bats) who will likely begin the Palm Beach or Springfield;
• Wilfredo Tovar (SS; .200/.273/.200 in ten at-bats) who will likely begin the season in Memphis;
• AAA-journeyman Patrick Wisdom (3B; .200/.333/.400 in five at-bats) who will definitely begin the season in Memphis; and
• to-be-watched Breyvic Valera (2B; .111/.111/.111 in nine at-bats) who will start the 2017 season in Memphis.

Of these, the regulars in the way of Diaz and Gyorko excite me. Equally, however, Carpenter excites me even though we haven’t seen a great deal of impact yet. Peralta and Wong- to me- are wild cards and can do some real damage against opposing teams should their injuries stay at bay and allow them to play.

I won’t belabor the point on Adams so just jump above and read my ire. As to the prospects, I am high on Valera even though he hasn’t shown much this spring- yet- and am especially high on DeJong. Keep these names on your radar.

Year after year the St. Louis Cardinals must ask themselves who is the best fit to back up the castle that is Molina behind the plate and handling the pitchers. 2017 is no different.

The previous slides were lengthy and rightly so since there are so many prospects vying for the real estate of playing time. Behind the plate, the story is focused differently. Rather than battling for starting playing time, the St. Louis Cardinals catchers are all working to support Yadier Molina and to learn from this mastermind.

Let’s look first at our man of all seasons: Molina. Through Thursday’s game, Molina has appeared in five games and eleven at-bats. He has posted a slash line of .273/.385/.364. News has started circulating (and we have written about it here at Redbird Rants) that the team is beginning the negotiations to keep Yadi as a Cardinal through the end of his career.

Behind Yadi this season is most likely going to sit (or squat as the position requires) Eric Fryer. I am overjoyed at this and think he will serve nicely. This spring he has appeared in three games and five at-bats posting a .400/.400/.800 line.

Knocking on the door, and maybe even usurping Fryer, Carson Kelly is very nearly ready for MLB every day action. That said, I see him starting in Memphis so that he can play every single day and garner attention as his best value to the Cardinals might actually come in the way of a trade.

That said, Kelly has appeared amazingly in three games and five at-bats posting a slash line of .600/.625/.600. Keep a keen eye on Kelly as I’m sure the rest of Cardinals Nation and all of MLB surely is.

The other catching prospects to have appeared in games include:

• Alberto Rosario (.400/.400/.600 in five at-bats) who will likely begin the season in Memphis;
• Andrew Knizner (.000/.250/.000 in three at-bats) who will likely begin the season in Johnson City; and
• Gabriel Lino (.000 across the board in a mere two at-bats) who is a confusing piece but will likely begin in Springfield or Memphis.

Let’s jump to the chase here: sign Molina to a long-term extension so that he will retire a Cardinals. Let Fryer serve as backup for the full season. Find a new expensive piece for whom to trade Kelly. The end.

Pitchers have always been the pride of the St. Louis Cardinals and this year’s squad- despite losing the fireballer- should serve the team well in 2017.

The St. Louis Cardinals suffered a rough blow when phenom Alex Reyes fell prey to Tommy John surgery. Fear not, Cardinals Nation, as this season’s squad should fare well enough. That is if injury will stay far away from the team.

Let’s start with the rotation that will be front-loaded by the newly-extended Carlos Martinez. Martinez has appeared in three innings this spring and has surrendered one hit, one walk, and recorded one strikeout.

Next up, Adam Wainwright, who has rediscovered his curve ball (according to him). He has appeared in two innings and has surrendered three hits, three earned runs, two home runs, and has recorded three strikeouts. Cause for worry? Maybe not yet but something to watch for sure.

Next up, recently-returned Lance Lynn. Lynn has appeared in two innings and has surrendered four hits, one earned run, one walk, and has recorded zero Ks. Lynn was formidable when he was healthy so let us hope he returns to this form.

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Mike Leake– of whom I am not fond- has actually impressed me this spring. He has appeared in three innings and has surrendered zero hits and all while striking out three batters. Will 2017 be the season that Leake pulls it all together?

Then we add the true wildcard to the mix in the form of Michael Wacha. Wacha has appeared in two innings surrendering four hits, one walk, and recording two strike outs. Wacha is the slot-fill for the absent Reyes and we need him to be amazing, but will he?

Other notable (too many to actually cover) arms this spring have been:

• Chad Baker who has appeared in 2.2 innings having surrendered two hits, zero runs, and while recording one strikeout;
• Brett Cecil who has appeared in two innings having surrendered three hits, zero runs, and while recording three strikeouts;
• Mike Mayers who has appeared in three innings having surrendered one hit, zero runs, and while recording three strikeouts;
• Trevor Rosenthal who has appeared in two innings having surrendered one hit, zero runs, and while recording one strikeout;
• Jordan Schafer who has appeared in two innings having surrendered three hits, zero runs, and while recording four strikeouts;
• Luke Weaver who has appeared in 2.2 innings having surrendered two hits, one earned run, two walk, and while recording one strikeout;
• Sandy Alcantara who has appeared in 3.1 innings having surrendered eight hits, four earned runs, four walks, and while recording five strikeouts; and,
• Austin Gomber who has appeared in 3.1 innings having surrendered six hits, four earned runs, and while recording three strikeouts.

The bottom line is this: the rotation must be great this season. The pen arms are suitable and can well hold games but what we witnessed last season (cough, cough, Leake) when the rotation would suffer weak games, the Cardinals simply could not bring things back from the break.

That said, I believe that this year’s rotation has the promise of great things. I am not overly optimistic, however, as we have a great deal of unknowns. Will Waino be bueno? Will Leake patch the holes in his pitching mechanics? Will Lynn come back with a fury? Will Wacha be the solution we need.

Time will tell if these answers are positives or negatives.

Next: Weaver's Repertoire

What do you think? Are you excited for the season? Which names are you watching? Follow me on Twitter and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!