St. Louis Cardinals: Grichuk’s comments give too much credit

The St. Louis Cardinals traded their log-jammed outfielder for pitching depth. In response, the said outfielder shared lineup comments that assume too much for this writer.

The St. Louis Cardinals former outfielder recently complained that his playing time was tied too much to production. In other words, he complained that manager Mike Matheny cared more about whether a position player could hit or get on base and would award those who were producing over those who were not.

If you are like me, you immediately slammed on the brakes at Randal Grichuk‘s comments. My immediate thought was, “well, duh… a manager should play the players who produce the most for him.”

That said, I certainly do not disagree with the following tweet:

My lack of discord with the above tweet isn’t so much rooted in my dislike or distrust with Matheny as some might think from the outset. Rather, my agreement with the tweet is based more in the fact that the small samples of Matheny’s decision making are flawed.

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Now, having admitted my disgust with Matheny, and having recognized the truth to Grichuk’s comments regarding small sample size, I must also state that Grichuk’s comments are flawed. They are flawed in that they actually serve to illustrate the ineptitude of Grichuk’s batting growth. They are also flawed in that they give too much credit to Matheny.

Let me dig into each of these. First, Grichuk’s comments illustrate just why he will not grow as a hitter. Here’s the skinny on them: Grichuk’s comments take no responsibilities for his own flaw but instead complains that his former manager failed to “give him a chance.” A hitter destined to be great will take responsibility for his flaws and work to repair them.

This doesn’t seem to be the case with Grichuk and from his comments.

Second, and paramount in the comments, is the fact that they indicate that Grichuk believes Matheny uses statistics (performance) to evaluate and build his lineups. I wish this was the case but I’m struggling to find real evidence of this activity from Matheny.

Here comes my dislike of Matheny: I think a monkey throwing sh*t could build a lineup with the same accuracy as does Matheny. I’m hoping this will change and Mike Shildt can help take a stronger role this season building the lineups. In which case, should the statistics indicate that any position player is being out-performed, then- please God- let the out-performer play.

In short, I would much prefer position players, “…get[ting] two hits, or two hits and a walk, to be in the lineup the next day…”

And, lastly, I 100 percent agree with the following tweet:

At the end of the day, I honestly believe that if Grichuk takes time to invest in his growth then he will see positive outcomes. Likewise, should he land with a real hitting coach, then I trust that he will flourish. And that would be wonderful if it happens in Toronto and shows the St. Louis Cardinals’ front office who needs to go (cough, cough, Matheny and John Mabry).

Next: Cardinals' 2018 lineup

What do you, think? Should we put ANY stock in Grichuk’s comments? Are they polarizing? Does anyone who values the St. Louis Cardinals even care? Thanks for reading!