Tag Archive | "Controversy"

Kansas City Royals Power Rankings

Posted on 13 May 2013. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s week two of the I70 Baseball Royals Power Rankings, and to say this week didn’t go well would be an understatement.  The Royals defense was atrocious and their hitting and pitching weren’t too far behind. Let’s take a look at the power rankings through May 12.

JeremyGuthrie

#5 Ervin Santana- (Previously: #2) Santana saw his ERA “balloon” to 2.79 with a couple of mediocre starts this week. The right hander gave up seven runs on 15 hits in 12 1/3 innings of work against the Orioles and Yankees. On the positive side he only walked one in the two starts and now sports a 39-6 K-BB ratio.

#4 Lorenzo Cain- (Previously: #1) Cain was due for a cold streak, and boy did he find one. He was just 4/20 on the week with two walks and five strikeouts. Cain is still amongst the team leaders in most every offensive category, but he only has one RBI in his last seven games.

#3 James Shields- (Previously: #5) Shields moves up in the rankings after allowing two runs over 16 innings in two fantastic starts. The week started off in controversy for Shields when he was pulled after 8 shutout innings against the White Sox. Of course, the bullpen lost that game and set the tone for a treacherous week. Shields now sits at 2-3 with a 2.48 ERA and 53 Ks in 58 innings.

#2 Jeremy Guthrie- (Previously: #3) Guthrie didn’t have his best stuff against his former team, but still managed six innings with only one run allowed. He’s now gone 18 starts without a loss and leads the team with a 2.28 ERA. One concern for Guthrie moving forward is his recent control issues. He’s averaged nearly three walks per outing in his last four starts.

#1 Alex Gordon- (Previously: #4) Alex Gordon responded to being moved to the three-hole with a bang and a hot week rose his average from .306 to .320. The 29 year-old right fielder now leads the team in doubles (8), home runs (6), RBI (28), average (.320), and slugging % (.548). Gordon has been the lone bright spot in an increasingly bad offense.

Honorable mention: Luke Hochevar- Before you throw anything at me, yes Hochevar has been terrible at letting inherited runners score BUT he’s been outstanding outside of that. In 12 1/3 innings, Hochevar has allowed 10 baserunners and struck out 13 batters. He has an ERA of 0.73 and a WHIP of 0.81. If we could simply convince Ned Yost not to bring him in with runners on, Hochevar may actually be an asset.

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The Troubled Life Of Rogers Hornsby – Part 5

Posted on 16 January 2012. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals seemed to have a knack for finding trouble.
In part five of this five part historical series, Andrew Martin takes a look at some of the trouble Hornsby ran into over the course of his life. You can read more of Andrew’s baseball history on his website.
With his .358 career batting average, Rogers Hornsby rates as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. While the “Rajah” dominated on the field, his life was full of struggles and controversy. In particular, he was a regular in the legal system, constantly popping up in investigations and law suits. As the years have passed, much of his troubles have been forgotten. However, it is a fascinating study to explore the near constant nature of his connection with trouble.
Case 14: As Hornsby’s playing career wound down, he continued to be surrounded by controversy and negativity. In 1934 his wife Jeannette petitioned the court for a divorce, claiming that on many occasions Rogers had “laid violent hands on” her and “threatened to do her bodily harm.” She claimed that he had an unpredictable temper and was very domineering, “thereby making life impossible and unendurable to this defendant.” She also alleged that he “often cast reflecting remarks upon her moral character” and accused her of being with other men.
Despite such a strongly worded petition, later that year Jeannette Hornsby withdrew her request for a divorce, telling the press that her husband was welcome to return home “if he will promise to behave.” She revealed that Rogers had aggressively attempted to win her back by calling her nightly, and trying to gain forgiveness. The divorce suit was dismissed on December 8th, and her lawyer announced a complete reconciliation had been reached.
While the couple avoided divorce in 1934, their marriage was not destined to last. In 1953, Jeannette filed again for divorce, and accused her estranged husband of spending $25,000 that she had inherited, while he was out of work. It came out that they had not lived together as a couple for years leading up to the suit, but she finally decided to make their split official once she discovered her money was gone.
Jeannette testified at a hearing that she sought $600 a month in support, but the judge felt that was an excessive number. Hornsby was ordered to pay $400 a month in alimony and $200 in legal fees. This decision helped conclude the case, and a divorce was granted to the couple. No mention was made of Jeannette’s missing inheritance.
Case 15: Perhaps the most salacious incident that Hornsby was involved in, regarded the death ofBernadette Ann Harris. The 55 year-old divorcee fell to her death from her third floor apartment in a North Side hotel in Chicago in 1953. A coroner’s inquest eventually ruled the death a suicide, and that the victim was “temporarily insane due to despondency.” Although he played no part in her death, Hornsby was dragged through the press during the investigation because of his unusual connection to the victim.
Hornsby was notified of Harris’ death after police found a card in her purse that read, “In case of accident notify Roger Hornsby.” They also found a plaque in her room reading, “Roger Hornsby, the best player of yesterday.” He came to be part of the investigation when Harris’ will named him her sole beneficiary. Her will was found by an Illinois Attorney General’s office representative in a North Side bank deposit box, which also contained $25,000 in cash, mostly in $100 and $50 bills.
Hornsby told investigators, and later, reporters, that Harris had been his good friend and secretary since 1945, and that she handled most of his financial affairs. That was partially true, but she was also his romantic companion, increasing the level of scandal over her death.
Hornsby testified in front of coroner Walter E. McCarron. When Hornsby was asked if Harris had possibly died because of violence, he responded, “Oh no. She was depressed.” Hornsby testified that Harris had been going to doctors and believed she was losing her sight, voice, and hearing. “I think she took her own life.” He further stated that “She feared she would be put in an institution. I told her that as far as I was concerned, that would never happen.” It became evident that Harris was disturbed and Hornsby in his own way had done what he could to take care of her despite her obvious issues.
The night of her death, Harris dined with Hornsby and two unidentified men, before she accompanied Hornsby to a train station where he departed for St. Louis. Hornsby said that Harris seemed more depressed than usual that night, telling him, “I won’t be able to see you again. I am going blind.” It proved to be the last time he saw his companion alive. It was a sad tale, but because of the Hall of Fame baseball player involved, it became a prominent news story.
Case 16: The final time Hornsby’s name was involved in a legal case came in 1961, and involved a soft drink company. The 65 year-old Hornsby sued 7-Up and distributors Joyce Seven-Up Bottlers Inc. and the Chicago Seven-Up Bottling Co., for a million dollars, alleging copyright infringement. 7-Up had published a book of baseball advice, featuring Hornsby that he felt was done without his permission.
The suit charged that the firms had published and distributed since 1956, a composite of seven books Hornsby had written in 1936. Their book was titled, “7-Up Presents: How to play baseball, by Rogers Hornsby,” and was fairly popular with baseball fans. It is uncertain as to what the outcome of the suit was, but if Hornsby’s past was any indicator, a settlement of some sort may have been reached.
For as successful as Rogers Hornsby was on the baseball diamond, his life off the field was one of trouble and scandal. Although his legacy has notoriously labeled him as a hard man who thought of little else other than baseball, his personal issues have largely been ignored. While many of the cases he was involved in were personal in nature, he has not received the same amount of scrutiny as other Hall of Fame players with their own issues. Hornsby was a fantastic player who had a much more interesting and troubled life outside of the game than he is typically attributed, which deserves to be part of his story.

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The Troubled Life Of Rogers Hornsby – Part 4

Posted on 15 January 2012. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals seemed to have a knack for finding trouble.
In part four of this five part historical series, Andrew Martin takes a look at some of the trouble Hornsby ran into over the course of his life. You can read more of Andrew’s baseball history on his website.
With his .358 career batting average, Rogers Hornsby rates as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. While the “Rajah” dominated on the field, his life was full of struggles and controversy. In particular, he was a regular in the legal system, constantly popping up in investigations and law suits. As the years have passed, much of his troubles have been forgotten. However, it is a fascinating study to explore the near constant nature of his connection with trouble.
Case 11: Another lawsuit alleging erratic driving was brought against Hornsby in July, 1931, Hornsby was named as defendant in suit brought by Miss Effie Blume, a nurse. David Young, the couple’s chauffeur, and Jeannette Hornsby were also named as co-defendants.
Blume claimed she suffered injuries while she was a guest of the Hornsby’s in May, 1930. A car owned by them, and driven by Young, ran off the road and overturned near Bloomington, Illinois. Blume lost an eye and suffered other devastating injuries which she said prevented her from working as a nurse. This suit also disappeared from the public view almost as soon as it appeared; presumably solved with yet another settlement.
Case 12: Hornsby’s lax habits with his finances were brought under a microscope, when the federal government went after him for failure to pay income taxes. The return in question was initially from 1927, when it was believed that Hornsby had not paid the proper amount in taxes. Hornsby asked the board of tax appeals to mediate between him and the government over the amount he owed. He had been originally assessed $2,763, but was later told he owed an additional $8,782, consisting of $7,026 for taxes and $1,756 in penalties for not filing his report on time.
In his appeal, Hornsby indicated that his home was in Forth Worth, with half of his income listed as his and half as his wife’s, in conjunction with Texas community property law. The government contacted him because their evidence contradicted his return, and showed their belief that his home was in St. Louis, Missouri, and that only time he spent in Texas were trips to visit relatives. Missouri did not have a community property law that allowed the splitting of property and income, which reduced taxes owed.
Hornsby had reported his 1927 income as $36,603, but the government doubled this and added $700 in World Series money, $300 for newspaper articles ghost written in his name, and $154 in “personal expenses.”
As the case unfolded, the government filed two income tax liens against Hornsby totaling $21,282. A lien filed on October 8, 1932 was for 12,871, representing the back taxes he allegedly owed, including interest and penalties for 1927 and 1928. Another lien for $8,412 was filed on September 13th. Examiners claimed they found additional money in the bank that was not accounted for in Hornsby’s tax returns.
As with most tax delinquency cases, there was not much Hornsby could do to help himself once it was determined he owed money. Although he avoided more severe penalties, he was made to pay back everything was claimed he owed, which took a number of years and made even more problematic because he did not have the funds to make good on his obligation.
Case 13: The tax trouble encountered by Hornsby showed that even though he was one of
the highest paid players in baseball, he had no money. At least there was not enough to pay his tax debts. Up until that time he had led a comfortable, yet not overly extravagant lifestyle. It is reasonable to presume that much of his earnings were lost during the course of gambling. That combined with his tax troubles painted Hornsby into a corner financially as his playing career wound down.
In December, 1932, it was determined that Hornsby’s St. Louis county home was to be sold at a foreclosure auction. A published advertisement of the auction stated he had failed to meet an interest payment from October 16th and that certain county taxes were delinquent.
The Hornsby property consisted of 86 acres, a 14 room house, and several barns. When purchased in 1928, he had paid $40,000. A saddened Jeannette Hornsby described the sale as “another hard knock.” She pragmatically said the house was too large and cost too much to keep up. Subsequently, the Hornsby’s moved to an apartment and never fully recovered financially. Hornsby spent the rest of his days searching for a big payday, and while he did alright for himself, he never again approached the level of financial success he had experienced as a star player.
For as successful as Rogers Hornsby was on the baseball diamond, his life off the field was one of trouble and scandal. Although his legacy has notoriously labeled him as a hard man who thought of little else other than baseball, his personal issues have largely been ignored. While many of the cases he was involved in were personal in nature, he has not received the same amount of scrutiny as other Hall of Fame players with their own issues. Hornsby was a fantastic player who had a much more interesting and troubled life outside of the game than he is typically attributed, which deserves to be part of his story.

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The Troubled Life Of Rogers Hornsby – Part 3

Posted on 14 January 2012. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals seemed to have a knack for finding trouble.
In part three of this five part historical series, Andrew Martin takes a look at some of the trouble Hornsby ran into over the course of his life. You can read more of Andrew’s baseball history on his website.
With his .358 career batting average, Rogers Hornsby rates as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. While the “Rajah” dominated on the field, his life was full of struggles and controversy. In particular, he was a regular in the legal system, constantly popping up in investigations and law suits. As the years have passed, much of his troubles have been forgotten. However, it is a fascinating study to explore the near constant nature of his connection with trouble.
Case 8: Finances were just not Hornsby’s forte. He was sued by Dr. John H. Barto alleging that he had not been paid $387, dating back to January through March, of 1925, for the ongoing treatment of Hornsby’s pregnant wife, Jeannette. Barto obtained a judgment in his favor from a justice of the peace court in 1928, but Hornsby’s attorney later secured a reversal in a city circuit court on a technicality.
Case 9: Another accusation about a failure to pay a debt came in 1929. Hornsby had done improvements on his farm near Anglum, Missouri, and employed contractor Fred Newhausen to help with some specific projects. Hornsby changed his mind on the location of nests in a hen house, requiring extra work to be done. The lawsuit charged that he did not pay for the extra work, and asked for $500 in restitution. Newhausen claimed that the additional money was owed because the changes to the hen house were not part of the original contract he had agreed to with Hornsby. Keeping in line with previous lawsuits, this one was also settled out of court.
Case 10: In May, 1931, Hornsby and his wife Jeannette were named as co-defendants in a damage suit brought by Mrs. Rebecca Winner, who sought $15,000 in damages. Winner claimed she had been struck by a car driven by Mrs. Hornsby on July 14, 1930. The injuries she suffered incapacitated her, preventing the continuation of her occupation as a mid wife. While the suit was in the papers briefly, it too disappeared as quickly as it came; suggesting yet another settlement.
For as successful as Rogers Hornsby was on the baseball diamond, his life off the field was one of trouble and scandal. Although his legacy has notoriously labeled him as a hard man who thought of little else other than baseball, his personal issues have largely been ignored. While many of the cases he was involved in were personal in nature, he has not received the same amount of scrutiny as other Hall of Fame players with their own issues. Hornsby was a fantastic player who had a much more interesting and troubled life outside of the game than he is typically attributed, which deserves to be part of his story.

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Thinking Out Loud

Posted on 14 May 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Cardinals have settled into a pattern of winning. That is great news for them and for the fans, but it makes it tough to come up with fresh material for a blog post such as this one. There is no real controversy, other than the continued beating of the dead horse that is Ryan Franklin. So while trying to think of something new and exciting to write about today I says to my self, “Self—instead of one story, why not touch on several?” Away we go…

–The Cards have now won eight of their last nine series, and the ninth one was a split of a four-gamer against a pretty good (no, really) Florida Marlins club. Entering Friday’s action the Cards were 22-16, which is good for third-best in the National League behind the Marlins (told ya) and the Philadelphia Phillies.

–The series against the Cubs was an interesting one. Going into the series, the two teams were #1 and #2 in the majors in team batting average. The Cardinals scored a total of 19 runs on 36 hits; the put up Cubs 16 runs on 39 hits…but the only home run in the three-game set was the solo shot that landed in the street by Matt Holliday in Thursday’s finale.

–Speaking of Holliday, he was the only member of that game’s starting lineup that was not drafted and developed by the Cardinals’ farm system.

–A lot of Reds fans hate the Cardinals. I mean, really hate them. During the series at Busch, I spent the entire game online both crafting a blog post and monitoring Twitter topics #stlcards and #reds. The vitriol coming from Reds fans was really quite unbelievable. It was hate the Cardinals this, little bitches that, expletives and wishes for injuries to various players…it was non-stop. I thought maybe this was something every rivalry experienced, and I know the fringe is often the loudest no matter how many of them there are. So I did the same thing for one of the games against the Cubs. I did see a lot of “Cardinals suck” and things of that nature, but nothing like what was coming from Reds fans. Maybe those people are not truly representative of the majority of Reds fans. But I even saw this after the series was over! What could be the cause of this hatred? Is it resentment because of all the time the Cards spent winning division titles, league championships, and a World Series over the past decade or so? Did all of that really stem from the fight last season? If anything, I would think Cards fans would hate the Reds rather than the other way around. After all, the Reds were the ones doing all the kicking and screaming. Of course, some fans understand what it means to win with class…

–If you have not seen the video of Kyle Lohse’s impersonation of Tony LaRussa on Thursday, your assignment from me is to go to the cardinals.com video page (after finishing this article, of course) and watch it.

–The Cards have a chance to put a little distance between them and the Reds this weekend, and if recent history holds true they will do just that. The Cards won two of three at Busch Stadium a couple of weeks ago and 12 of 18 throughout 2010. The Reds won the NL Central crown, of course, and that’s what ultimately matters. First place is nice but means very little in May…remember, the Cards were in this position this time last year. It will truly come down to which team stays healthy. The Reds just got Scott Rolen, Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey back from the DL, so they will likely get a boost. Likewise, the Cards have had most of their success with key players like David Freese, Skip Schumaker, and of course Adam Wainwright on the shelf. Unfortunately, Freese and Schumaker will not see action for quite a while yet this season and Wainwright will not be back at all. So it will be interesting to see how sustained the Cards’ attack will be, and what will happen should anyone else go down.

–Barring something unforeseen, I do not expect any extracurricular scrapes between the Cards and Reds this weekend. I probably would not think this way if Cueto and Chris Carpenter were facing each other in this series.

Chris Reed also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter @birdbrained

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2010 Year In Review: Cardinals Outfield

Posted on 15 November 2010. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

On Saturday I mentioned that the shortstop has been one of the most talked-about positions all year, but it doesn’t hold a candle to outfield. If there was a time during the season when one of the outfielders wasn’t in the news, I’m having a hard time thinking of it.

From game one to game 162, at least one of the eight Cardinal outfielders to play in 2011 were in the news. Whether it was good or bad publicity, no position was talked about as much as the outfield this season.

Opening Day 2010 started with Matt Holliday in left, Colby Rasmus in center, and Ryan Ludwick in right. While two of those three ended the season at their respective positions, the season was full of controversy in the outfield.

The three mentioned above were the unanimous starters in April, but two highly-touted prospect outfielders made their own impacts on the team. Both Jon Jay and Allen Craig debuted in 2011, and both had very different levels of success.

Jay started his ’10 season with the AAA-Memphis Redbirds, and was the team’s best hitter for the first few weeks before his call-up. The 25-year-old played in 26 games before being sent back down. His first stint in St. Louis, Jay went 10-for-38 with four runs, two RBI, nine strikeouts, and no walks. He was sent down for a month before bringing brought back up, and St. Louis fans were introduced to a entirely different Jon Jay. Not only did Jay play in 23 games in July, he started 18 of them. In 72 at bats, he hit .431/.500/.667 with 14 runs, nine doubles, one triple, eight RBI, and 11 walks compared to only nine strikeouts. Jay had established himself as not only a Major League player, but a starter.

Allen Craig on the other hand… not so much. While Jay was emerging as one of the best hitters on the team, Craig was being one of the biggest disappointments on the team. From April through July, Craig hit a dismal .142, and was showing he obviously was not ready for the big leagues, even after accumulating more RBI than games played throughout the course of his season in Memphis.

The window of opportunity was shrinking day by day for Craig, until July 31st, when Ryan Ludwick was sent to San Diego as part of a three-team trade that brought Jake Westbrook to St. Louis. Up until that point, the Cardinals were 58-46 and Luddy was batting .281/.343/.484 with 44 runs, 11 home runs, and 43 RBI in 77 games. After the trade, the team went 28-30 and had one of the worst collapses of recent memory. Many fans blamed the trade began to question General Manager John Mozeliak. Unfortunately for Mo, that was no the last time he was the recipient of bad publicity.

Barely a month after the Ludwick trade, rumors of a different trade began to circulate. On September 5th, Cardinals center fielder Colby Rasmus reportedly requested a trade from Mozeliak due to the playing time he was getting from Manager Tony LaRussa. Later, both Rasmus and Mozeliak denied that the conversation ever took place, but Colby’s name has been in the middle of trade rumors ever since.

Like I said, the season was full of outfield-controversy. Strangely enough though, the Cardinals OF was one of the best in the league, and maybe the best in the National League. St. Louis finished near the top in almost all offensive categories, and ranked high in the defensive metrics as well.

It should be another interesting season in the outfield for the Cardinals. Matt Holliday, the lone star of the returning outfielders, should put together another fine season after his Silver Slugger Award-winning 2010 campaign. Rasmus may or may not be back, but if he is, his relationship with Tony LaRussa is something to keep an eye on. As for right field? Nobody really knows at this point. As of right now, the plan is for it to be a Jay-Craig platoon, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cards look at RF help this winter.

One thing is certain at this point. We all need to pray for less nonsense in the outfield in 2011. The distractions in ’10 are one of the big reasons St. Louis watched the playoffs from their sofas. If that continues, they may do it again.

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Defending Colby Rasmus

Posted on 13 October 2010. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In a season full of controversy, one of the biggest stories of the summer was what happened between Colby Rasmus and Tony LaRussa in August. Much has been made of the situation in the past couple months, and I hate to bring it up once again, but I feel the need to stress my standpoint on the issue.

We all know the story and how it all allegedly went down, so I will not waste everyone’s time with explaining how and why it all happened. However, I believe some fans need to step back and look at the whole picture before jumping to conclusions about Colby Rasmus and how he fits into the club’s future plans.

Rifts between players and LaRussa aren’t anything new. Actually, it seems to happen very often. Too often. Scott Rolen is the obvious one, but it is the Anthony Reyes situation that sticks out to me because it is very similar to Rasmus’. I-70′s Michael Metzger compared the two in September, and if Colby Rasmus continues to follow the same path that Reyes took, the St. Louis Cardinals could become much worse.

If you remember, Anthony Reyes was one of the top pitching prospects in the majors in 2005, but struggled with the big league club in 2006-2008. Reyes’ problems with management became public starting in the first half of the 2006 season, and they continued to progress until he was traded before the trade deadline in 2008.

Now, a very familiar thing is happening with Colby Rasmus. As you all know, Rasmus was the Cardinals’ number one prospect in 2007 and 2008. Unlike Reyes, Colby has had success and has become one of the best center fielders in the MLB. Nonetheless, Rasmus is not happy with the way he is being treated by management, but who can blame him?

Tony LaRussa and the rest of the coaching staff has, for lack of a better term, screwed around with him all season. Rasmus is one of those guys that needs to be in the lineup as often as possible. Instead, Tony decides to bench him for guys like Aaron Miles, Skip Schumaker, and Jon Jay. I am perfectly fine with those three being role players, but when they are taking away at-bats from the third best hitter on the team, something is wrong.

I honestly cannot blame Rasmus for being upset. If I was him and my manager wouldn’t play me, I’d want to find a new one. It is that simple. Some St. Louis fans were very offended by Colby reportedly asking for a trade. How is that fair? We need to remember that he did not want out of St. Louis. What he wanted was to get away from a manager who benches him for any reason he can find or, in some cases, make up. How can fans blame Rasmus for wanting a manager who supports him? I know I’m not going to. I would feel the same way if I was him, and so would you.

Management has misused him time and time again. Maybe, just maybe, he wants a chance to play every day. Maybe he wants a manager who believes in him. He’s one of the best outfielders in the game and his manager doesn’t have his back? What’s up with that?

I’ve heard the term “whiner” when describing Colby Rasmus, but he is not a whiner. He just wants to be utilized. The Cardinals aren’t making the most of his talent, and there are plenty of teams that would love to. Don’t blame Rasmus for wanting that.

Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more clear that the Cardinals may very well part ways with Rasmus, despite General Manager John Mozeliak assuring fans that it would not happen. Over the past week, there have been several reports indicating that a few teams are preparing to “make a strong push” for the center fielder. The teams interested include the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, and Arizona Diamondbacks, among others. Of those three, non have a center fielder who can replace Rasmus. In fact, there may not be an outfielder in the MLB who can realistically replace Colby.

Rasmus is 24 years old, has 25-30 HR potential, the Cardinals are paying him the league minimum, and they have him locked down until after the 2015 season. I think it goes without saying, but I’ll say it again anyway: the Cardinals are much worse without Colby Rasmus.

How is the front office going to replace a young, extremely low-cost center fielder with tremendous upside? They can’t. Offensively, he has been golden. Sure, he strikes out more than most, but his plate discipline and patience will improve with age.

In 2010, Rasmus had a slash line of .276/.361/.498 with 85 runs, 23 home runs, and 66 RBI in 144 games. What impresses me the most is his line drive and isolated power (ISO) rates. He hits a line drive 22% of the time. To put that into perspective, only seven outfielders in the league have a higher LD%. Of those seven, only three are 25 years old or under. His ISO is even more impressive. ISO is basically just a number that shows a player’s true power, and anything above .200 is considered very good. Rasmus’ 2010 mark was .222. Again, only seven outfielders had a better mark, but only two were 25 or under.

Defensively, Rasmus has had a few lapses, but all in all he is a very good fielder. To prove it, just take a look at his 11.752 zone rating. Out of all the center fielders in the league, nobody’s zone rating is higher. Not only is he a good fielder, he has more range than anybody at his position.

So before you call him out and demand that he gets traded, please remember that Rasmus simply cannot be replaced. He needs to be one of the cornerstones of the franchise, and if Tony LaRussa doesn’t like that then somebody needs to remind him that replacing an old manager is much easier than replacing a young, upcoming star.

Justin Hulsey covers the Cardinals for i70baseball and his blog, Rising Redbirds, that is also dedicated to Cardinals baseball and their minor league system. You may follow him on Twitter @JayHulsey by clicking here.

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