The St. Louis Cardinals will send nine players on to the field Monday at Chase Field in Phoenix for their season opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but they won’t have many replacement options if one, or more, of those players can’t play the entire game.

The team will have a dugout full of bench players, of course, but recent injuries have suddenly taken a lot of talent that would be on the bench and put it into the starting lineup.

The Cardinals already had limited depth at the middle-infield positions once Rafael Furcal found out at the beginning of spring training he couldn’t throw and would need elbow surgery. Pete Kozma suddenly became the team’s first option at shortstop with Ronny Cedeno as the back-up.

But then the team released Cedeno on March 19 after he hit .290 in 16 games with the club.

That left the Cardinals with three middle infielders: Kozma, Matt Carpenter and Daniel Descalso.

Carpenter had all but wrapped up the starting job at second base, but third baseman David Freese eventually succumbed to a sore back that had plagued him much of the spring. Freese will now start the season on the disabled list, and Carpenter will have to take over the third base job in the meantime.

As the game of musical chairs goes, Descalso will fill in at second base, and Ryan Jackson will take the spot on the bench as the team’s back-up middle infielder. However, Jackson has hit .136 so far in spring training and hit .118 in 13 games with the big-league club in 2012.

Granted, that is a very small sample size, and the Cardinals have seen with players such as Kozma how past struggles don’t predict a bad future. Kozma hit .236 in more than five years in the minor leagues before helping spark a late-season surge by the Cardinals in 2012 with a .333 batting average in 26 games.

Still, a player who hasn’t hit above .150 as a major leaguer isn’t much of an insurance plan to open the regular season.

The Cardinals made Freese’s move to the disabled list retroactive to March 22 so he will be eligible to play in the team’s home opener April 8 against the Cincinnati Reds.

So if all goes well, the Cardinals should have their starting third baseman back within the first week of the regular season, which would allow Carpenter to move back to second base and Descalso could become the utility infielder that provides solid production when the starters need a day off.

Right now the Cardinals can’t afford for their starters to take a day off.

And that could be something to keep in mind late in the season when Kozma and Carpenter, who have started a combined 95 games in two seasons, start to feel the fatigue of a full Major League Baseball schedule.

The same could be said for the Cardinals pitching staff, as well. Closer Jason Motte’s injury had a ripple effect through the bullpen and the starting rotation.

Mitchell Boggs will have to fill Motte’s spot at the back of the bullpen, but Motte’s injury also made Joe Kelly more valuable in a relief role instead of the fifth and final spot in the rotation, which went to Shelby Miller, who the Cardinals have groomed to be a starter throughout his minor-league career.

Kelly at least pitched out of the bullpen in college and made 15 appearances as a reliever last season for the Cardinals in the regular season and playoffs combined.

The Cardinals have remarkably sustained success through a multitude of injuries in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

They’ll have to maintain that resiliency again in 2013, but this time there is no Carpenter, Descalso, Jon Jay or Allen Craig to insert into a key situation late in the game. Those players now must be the team’s foundation instead of its accessories.

Minor League baseball is truly a joy.  Seeing a combination of players that may or may not be the next best thing in your organization can carry a feeling of something special on any given night.

Last night in Omaha, the AAA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, the stars aligned in a way that happens very seldom.  A combination of rehabbing major leaguers, top prospects, and an ace level starting pitcher just starting his 2012 conditioning converged on Werner Park to put on a show for a sell-out crowd.

Roy Oswalt would toe the mound for the visiting Round Rock Express, finding Royals prospect Jake Odorizzi opposing him in relief of another rehabbing major leaguer, Everett Teaford.  The Storm Chasers’ lineup would feature Chris Getz and Salvador Perez beginning their rehab assignments for the parent club as well as one of the top professional hitters at any level, Wil Myers.  The game would not disappoint in any way, especially for the home crowd.

After Teaford got his work in over two innings, Odorizzi would throw six and two-thirds innings of one run baseball to ensure a win for the home team.  Odorizzi would string together 10 strikeouts over only two walks on his way to a victory over the opposing ace.  Roy Oswalt?  He did not fare so well.

The third inning would be the downfall of Oswalt as he would give up a lead-off double to Anthony Seratelli he would get one out before surrendering three consecutive base hits loading the bases.  With bases juiced full of Storm Chasers, Wil Myers stepped to the plate.  In just 18 AAA games, he has already hit five home runs, adding to his 13 home runs in 35 AA games this season.  His 19th homer of the season would come on a 2-0 count as a grand slam off one of the most successful major league pitchers in recent memory.

The Storm Chasers would put a win on the board with a final score of 7-2 over the Round Rock Express.

Our favorite Royals photographer, Minda Haas, was on hand last night in Omaha to catch all the action and fun.  Below you will find a photo gallery of 50 pictures from Minda, with everyone from Teaford and Myers to Sal Perez and Roy Oswalt featured.  Enjoy the look at a truly special night through a very talented eye.

Feel free to use the buttons below to scroll through all the photos.

Anthony Seratelli Double Down The Line

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 49

All rights reserved by Minda Haas

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.
Follow him on Twitter here.

Spring Training Report #1: Naturals reporting to Camp
Former Naturals Looking to Turn Heads this Spring

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

Naturals/Texas League Notes

Naturals in Other Camps: At least eight former Naturals players are also showing up in other big league spring training camps around major league baseball.   Right-hander Juan Abreu (2009) has reported to camp with the Houston Astros after making his major league debut last season.  He’ll be joined by infielder Angel Sanchez (2008), an Astros’ non-roster invitee.  Kila Ka’aihue is also in camp with the Oakland Athletics and is expected to compete for playing time at first base and designated hitter with Daric Barton and former Texas leaguer Chris Carter (Midland, 2009).  Ka’aihue is out of options, and must make the big league roster or be exposed to waivers prior to being sent to the minor leagues.  Former Naturals’ starter Dan Cortes (2008-09) is in camp after signing a big league deal with the Washington Nationals following his release from the Seattle Marinerrs.  Right-hander Jeff Fulchino, who spent an abbreviated two-game stint with the Naturals in the first week of their history, joins him in Nationals’ camp as a non-roster player.

A trio of former Naturals – left-hander Dusty Hughes (2008), first baseman Ernesto Mejia (2010), and outfielder Jordan Parraz (2009) – are also in big league camp, with the Atlanta Braves, as non-roster invitees.

‘Manny being Manny’ at Arvest???  Divisive big league slugger Manny Ramirez agreed to terms on a contract with the Oakland Athletics this week.  Manny will have to serve a 50-game suspension violating major league baseball’s substance abuse policy.  There is a provision that would allow Ramirez to play a ten game stint in the minor leagues before joining the Athletics roster for their 51st game – which would be a road contest May 30^th against the Minnesota Twins.  This would put him on track to possibly begin a minor league stint on or around May 20th.  It is too early to speculate on where he may appear, or what minor league teams he may be with, but the Midland Rockhounds, Oakland’s Double-A affiliate, will be at Arvest from May 23-25th.  Should he appear in Springdale he would be the biggest name to rehab at Arvest Ballpark since Kevin Millwood made a rehab start against the Naturals in August of 2008, while on a rehab assignment from the Texas Rangers.

Top 100 Prospects: Several former and future Naturals are listed on the Baseball America top 100 prospect list.  Former Natural Mike Montgomery is ranked 23^rd, while Bubba Starling, the fifth over all pick in the 2011 draft, is right behind Montgomery ranked 24^th. Starling is not likely to see time in Northwest Arkansas before 2014.  The Royals had five players overall make the list, as current Natural Wil Myers is ranked 28th, and Jake Odorizzi is ranked 68th, and Cheslor Cuthbert, a promising third baseman from Nicaragua who is expected to begin the 2012 season with Wilmington, is 84th on the list.  Former Diamond Hog Zack Cox, who spent last season in the Texas League with Springfield, was ranked 88^th.  The Royals are one of three teams to have three players make the Top 30 for 2012.  The Mariners and Diamondbacks also accomplished the feat.

Transaction Log: Former Naturals’ right hander Roman Colon returns to the Royals organization after spending the 2011 season in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization pitching for Triple-A Albuquerque.  In 27 appearances the 32-year old Colon posted a 2-1 record and a 4.85 ERA in 27 appearances.  Colon spent the 2010 season pitching in Korea, and has been invited to big league spring training this season, but if he wins a job coming out of camp, that’s likely to be in the bullpen with Triple-A Omaha…The Royals also signed right-hander Steve Kent to a minor league contract.  Kent is a 22-year old Australian right-hander who has spent the last two seasons in Class-A ball in the Atlanta Braves’ system.  He’ll join the cast of arms competing for spots with Kane County and Wilmington, but could advance to Double-A later in the season.  Kent’s career minor league record is 8-10 with a 4.17 ERA in 67 career games, including 30 starts.  He posted a 7.77 ERA in 48 2/3 innings last season for Class-A Rome (GA), where he missed time with injury.

Check nwanaturals.com for our Spring Training Report, where we’ll continue to follow Royals’ minor leaguers in spring training as well as cover other baseball information that pertains to the Naturals and the Texas League.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale.  Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

KANSAS CITY, MO (February 10, 2012) – The Kansas City Royals and FOX Sports Kansas City today announced a 142-game television schedule for the 2012 season, featuring two exhibition games and 140 regular season games.

The Royals and FOX Sports Kansas City are entering the fifth season of a long-term agreement in which FOX Sports Kansas City is the exclusive television home of Royals baseball.  The 140-game regular season television schedule features 66 road games and 74 from Kauffman Stadium.  Every game on FOX Sports Kansas City will be preceded by a 30-minute pre-game show, “Hy-Vee Royals Live,” and followed by the “Boulevard Royals Live” post-game show.  All 140 regular season telecasts will be presented in High Definition.

In the booth, Ryan Lefebvre returns for his fifth season as the play-by-play voice of the Royals on FOX Sports Kansas City and he will be joined in 2012 by former major leaguer Rex Hudler as the analyst.  Also joining the Royals’ broadcast booth this year is play-by-play announcer and Kansas State University alum, Steve Physioc.  Both Physioc and Hudler worked together in the television booth of the Angels for 11 seasons.  Lefebvre and Physioc have each agreed to multi-year contracts, with Ryan slated for 90 regular season telecasts while Steve provides the call on 50 games.

“During the winter months, Ryan relayed to us a desire to expand his responsibilities and have a larger presence in the radio booth, thus bringing in a strong veteran announcer like Steve Physioc enabled us to give Ryan that flexibility,” said Mike Swanson, Royals Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting.  “The addition of Steve brings a familiar voice back home to the Midwest and affords us the luxury of having both he and Ryan on radio and television throughout the season.  As for the addition of Rex, he was a ‘run through a wall’ type of player and brings that same high-energy style to the broadcast booth.  His enthusiasm for the game of baseball is infectious and it translates very well on the air.”

“This is a great day for our broadcast team,” said Lefebvre.  “For me professionally, I get to work with two of the most enthusiastic and respected men in our business, and personally, I’m grateful the Royals have allowed me to return to the Royals radio booth in a larger role.”

FOX Sports Kansas City’s coverage of Royals baseball kicks off with a Spring Training telecast from Surprise, Ariz., on Friday, March 30, when the Royals host the Chicago White Sox at 8:05 p.m. (CDT).  A second exhibition game will be broadcast on Tuesday, April 3, when Kansas City visits the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park in a 9:05 p.m. (CDT) start.

FSKC will air Kansas City’s Opening Day contest on April 6 at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

In part 4 of this multi-part series, we take a look at the trades of the Dayton Moore administration that were made in 2009 for the Kansas City Royals.

Click the years to see the previous articles:

2006
2007
2008 

As we move on to 2009 and beyond, it is important to note that the data begins to become a little less reliable.  The reason being that there are fewer years on which to judge a player.  If the Royals traded an established major leaguer for a good prospect that has yet to break into the major leagues, based on the formula we use, the Royals may not get any credit for the trade.  But overall, it should even out both ways, especially when we combine the WAR scores for all of the years at the end.

As was illustrated in last week’s column, 2008 was a bad year for Dayton in terms of trades.  Injuries were to blame for part of this, as was plain bad luck.  Even so, by 21st century Royals standards, 2008 was not that bad of a season.  For one, they didn’t finish in last place.  Finishing 75-87, it was the Royals best season since the fluky “smoke and mirrors” 2003 season.  With Zack Greinke ready to take the leap into superstardom and an elite closer in Soria, there was some positive momentum going into 2009.  On top of this, right after the 2008 season, the Royals dealt for speedy centerfielder, Coco Crisp, and slugging 1B Mike Jacobs.  There was definitely an attitude amongst Royals people that they would have an opportunity to compete for the division in 2009.  So let’s see how Dayton fared in his trades in that year…

April 1, 2009: The Kansas City Royals traded Ross Gload and cash to the Florida Marlins for a player to be named later. The Florida Marlins sent Eric Basurto (minors) (May 13, 2009) to the Kansas City Royals to complete the trade.

A journeyman bench player, Gload spent 2 pretty meaningless years with the Royals, so seeing him get dealt was neither a blow nor a surprise.  One might have thought the Royals could have gotten more than a 40th round pick in Eric Basurto, but apparently not.  Basurto, to his credit, is still playing baseball in the Royals organization and spent last season in Double A Northwest Arkansas.  He likely has little to no upside, so this trade was pretty meaningless.

Gload: 1.3 WAR with Marlins (2009)

Basurto: 0.0 WAR (has yet to appear for Royals)

Marlins win trade by 1.3 WAR

July 10, 2009: The Kansas City Royals traded Derrick Saito (minors) and Dan Cortes to the Seattle Mariners for Yuniesky Betancourt.

The critics came out of the woodwork for this one.  At the time, the Royals needed a shortstop in a bad way.  After Mike Aviles was injured early in the season, they were left with a combination of Willie Bloomquist and Tony Pena Jr.   Many would make the argument that by making this trade the Royals worsened their shortstop situation.  And the numbers would support that.  Not only was Betancourt carrying a relatively hefty contract, but he absolutely positively sucked.  In 2009, he was far worse than replacement level. Rumor has it Seattle fans were laughing when the Royals traded for Betancourt.  In his defense though, he was much better in 2010 than in 2009, even leading the team in home runs that year.

Saito: 0.0 WAR (never appeared for Mariners and appears to be out of baseball)

Cortes: -0.1 WAR with Mariners (2010-2011)

Betancourt: 0.0 WAR with Royals (1/2 of 2009 and 2010)

Royals win trade by 0.1 WAR

September 3, 2009: The Texas Rangers traded Tim Smith (minors) and Manny Pina to the Kansas City Royals for Danny Gutierrez (minors).

This is one of those trades that cannot be fairly judged using the WAR statistic.  The Rangers have absolutely nothing to show for this trade, while the Royals have likely their backup catcher of the future in Pina, along with Smith who is still in the organization.  But the advantage is only 0.1 WAR so the impact is minimal for the purpose of this study.  Despite what the #’s below say, this trade was a big win for Dayton and company.

Gutierrez: 0.0 WAR (never appeared for Rangers and appears to be out of baseball)

Smith: 0.0 WAR (has yet to appear for Royals-played last season in Double A Northwest Arkansas)

Pina: -0.1 WAR with Royals (2011)

Rangers win trade by 0.1 WAR

November 6, 2009: The Chicago White Sox traded Josh Fields and Chris Getz to the Kansas City Royals for Mark Teahen.

This one is interesting.  When it was first made, it looked kind of good.  Teahen’s production had begun to tail off signifcantly in Kansas City.  Many believed that it was because he had gotten himself so mentally screwed up by the constant changing of positions.  This may have been true.  So the White Sox acquired him and signed him to a multi-year deal to make him their everyday 3rd baseman.  The Royals were picking up their new everyday 2nd baseman in the speedy Chris Getz, and Josh Fields, a 3b/OF who had hit 23 HR as a rookie in 100 games in 2007.  Fields quickly did nothing in KC, and Getz proved himself to be nothing more than a steady defensive 2B with some speed and no power.  And when I say no power, I mean NO power.  In 2 years with the Royals, Getz has a total of 18 extra base hits.  His 3 home runs in 2009 with the White Sox is starting to look VERY suspicious.  Teahen  picked up right where he left off with the Royals, and eventually continued to regress.  He was eventually sent off to Toronto in the middle of last year, and is currently without a team.  So this trade, which at the time was a very important one for the Royals, turned out to be pretty meaningless for both teams involved.

Teahen: -1.2 WAR with White Sox (2010 and 1/2 of 2011)

Fields: -0.1 WAR with Royals (2010)

Getz: 0.6 WAR with Royals (2010-2011)

Royals win trade by 0.7 WAR

Based on the study, the Royals lost by 0.6 WAR on 2009 trades.  The good news though, is they gave up very little.  Perhaps Dayton was scared off by what happened in 2008, or perhaps he learned from it.  One might argue that they missed an opportunity to get more for Teahen, but at least they weren’t burned by it.  They added Pina, who while maybe not a huge part of the future, is a part of the future nonetheless.  Getz is still with the ballclub, though his role for this coming season is in question.  Next week, we take a look at Dayton’s 2010 trades.

Today at the St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm Up, a slow morning turned rapid-fire with Matt Adams, Brandon Dickson, Daniel Descalso, and J.C. Romero all taking turns in front of reporters in a short span of time.

Adams and Dickson will enter Spring Training trying to break camp with the big league club, having built reputations as important pieces of the Cardinal farm system already. Descalso, after making a name for himself in 2011 as a versatile player whether starting or coming off the bench, expects to be in the thick of the competition for the second base job. And Romero comes to the Cards looking for redemption both personally and professionally.

The afternoon promises to be exciting as well. Former manager (weird) Tony LaRussa has been in the house all morning signing autographs and talking with fans. But he’s not the only star from the 2011 World Series Champions making the rounds today. Jason Motte, Jake Westbrook, Jon Jay, Jaime Garcia, Lance Berkman, and Matt Holliday are among the big leaguers still scheduled to appear. A formidable lineup indeed.

Not to be outdone, the Cardinal alumni will be out in force today as well. Tom Lawless, Chris Duncan, Danny Cox, Todd Worrell, and Tom Henke are just some of the former Redbirds scheduled to appear. And the Cards’ radio broadcast team of Mike Shannon and John Rooney will also be entertaining fans this afternoon.

But the biggest drama to unfold today may be the resolution of just which number new Cardinal Carlos Beltran will wear. Historically, Beltran has worn #15 and on last year’s Cardinal team, that number belonged to Rafael Furcal. Even though Beltran has a little more tenure as a Major Leaguer (which may normally sway a player to give up his number), Furcal has obviously been a Cardinal longer. And yesterday, the Cardinal shortstop told reporters he was not giving up #15…after all, he did win a World Championship with the number on his back. Apparently that information made it to Beltran because last night he tweeted (@carlosbeltran15) a request for input on what his new number should be. So perhaps Beltran will make his decision before his scheduled Winter Warm Up appearance Monday, or maybe he and Furcal can come to some kind of agreement on a swap. Or maybe someone will solicit a decision from former Cardinal Jim Edmonds (@Jedmonds15), clearly the franchise’s most famous #15 from the last decade.

Help me decide 3,8,13,40,43????

January 14, 2012 9:33 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@carlosbeltran15

Carlos Beltran

Oh, the suspense. Stay tuned.

Chris Reed is covering the 2012 Winter Warm Up all weekend for I-70 Baseball. Follow him on Twitter @birdbrained.

What to do with Skip Schumaker? What not to do with him? Both are important questions for the Cardinals this offseason. Since coming onto the scene for the Cardinals in 2005 Skip has done any and all things asked of him by the organization.

Making his way to The Show as an outfielder with a rocket arm Skip saw limited action in ’05 & ’06 totaling only 78 at bats those first two years. Finally in 2007 Skip earned a role as a 4^th outfielder and bench player. Rewarding their faith in Skip in return gave the Cardinals a .333 batting average, .358 OBP and a .458 slugging percentage in 188 plate appearances.

This was enough to move him into an everyday role for 2008. Still playing all three outfield positions Skip continued his strong play. In 594 plate appearances Skip showed he could do perform full time delivering with a .302 BA, .359 OBP and 22 doubles and a career high 8 HR’s. To boot, he finished the year with a .990 fielding percentage.

And how was he rewarded for his performance…he was moved to second base. Now asking a 9-year old little leaguer to learn a position is one thing, asking a 28-year old major leaguer to do it is another. He was not moving from left field to right, he was moving from the outfield, in. Skip spent all of spring training 2009 learning to play. He didn’t want to play 2B, but he did want to be a Cardinal. This is what the organization asked and this is what he did.

Skip now in his third season as the Cardinals primary second baseman has continued to deliver. I am not claiming Skip is the second coming of Rogers Hornsby. He is not, but it’s not his fault either. He did not ask to play second base, he did it for the club. Through all the fan, media and blogger criticism he has in fact gotten better.

After a dip in 2010, the only time as a regular player his average fell below .300 Skip is back at his career averages. Coming last night’s Brewers tilt he was batting .302 and his OBP back up to .346. Perhaps most impressive, his fielding percentage as a second baseman is at a career high in 2011 at .985.

Skip is a valuable weapon in Tony LaRussa’s arsenal and will be for TLR or whoever is sitting in the manager chair in 2011. In a step to raise his value even more Skip took to the mound this year. Striking out two in his one inning and showing off that arm for the radar gun.

My point is this. You do not need to pay Skip Schumaker $5 million a year. But you do not, you cannot let him walk away.

As usual these are just my thoughts…keep on reading and you’ll get up to speed.

Follow me on Twitter @SportsbyWeeze or check out my thoughts on the Rams at RamsHerd.com

Also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SportsByWeeze

Kansas City may no longer be the Siberia of the major leagues.

In years past, it seemed every veteran in KC was ready to pack his bags and head for greener pastures. Dating back to the 1990s, it seemed no one really wanted to stay with the Royals if there were bigger paydays and playoff games waiting elsewhere.

The most bitter of those days was when the Royals had to sell off an all-star outfield of Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye and Carlos Beltran because they didn’t want to be Royals.

The trend continued right up to the past off-season, when the Royals had to part ways with Zack Greinke because the kid just could not wait around for the team to develop its young talent.

But in the last few weeks, at least one veteran has voiced his desire to help KC build a contender, then backed up those words by putting his name on a contract extension.

After putting together a solid first half, teams were actually inquiring about trades for the much-maligned Jeff Francoeur. But Francoeur went public, proclaiming his faith in the direction of the franchise and expressing his desire to be part of the movement.

Now, you might be tempted to question the motives of a player basically lobbying for a job. Considering it was just a few months ago that no one saw Francoeur as more than a platoon player, it might seem he was just trying to parlay a few good months into a secure gig.

But Francoeur could have kept silent long enough to let the game play out. A trade to a contending team at a time when he was playing well could have helped to resurrect his image.

Instead Francoeur chose to speak out about his satisfaction with the city, the team and the leadership of the franchise. And last week he signed on for two more seasons, making himself a part of the rebuilding project during those crucial seasons when he will be 28 and 29 years old.

What’s the big deal? Well, though Francoeur may not be Willie Mays, he is a legit major leaguer with experience in big markets and playoff races. And he wants to play the prime years of his career in KC.

That example should carry some weight with other players nearing the end of their contracts – Alex Gordon, Melky Cabrera, Joakim Soria. The Royals must put a lock on the revolving door that has permitted the exit of every talented player (minus Mike Sweeney) seemingly since the 1990s.

In order to build a winner, not only do you have to grow up young talent, you have to be able to retain the good players you want to keep. Signing Francoeur looks like a step in the right direction.

On Monday night, April 5, 2011, Kyle McClellan reached an important career milestone. After two arm surgeries and three years in the Cardinals bullpen, the Hazelwood West graduate was finally making his first major league start. When Adam Wainwright went down to an elbow injury early in spring training, a spot in the rotation opened it. Throughout all of spring training, McClellan out-pitched both Lance Lynn and Brandon Dickson, forcing the managers hand in the same manner as Jaime Garcia did in 2010.

Shortly before McClellan took the mound, sportswriter Rob Rains shared this interesting piece of information.

There will be history tonight at Busch:. Kyle McClellan is only the 10th StL born and raised pitcher to start for the Cardinals in 100 yrs.

April 5, 2011 4:44 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@RobRains

Rob Rains

A few moments later, Rob gave us the first two names on this list: Cliff Politte (1998) and Al Omsted (1980). You knew we couldn’t leave it at that, right ? Of course not.

Looking back at the last 100 years of Cardinals history, and perhaps casting a wider net over the St. Louis area to include De Soto, Missouri and Batchtown, Illinois, here is the list of those home town starters for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kyle McClellan

Kyle McClellan – Hazelwood West (Hazelwood, Mo). 1 start in 2011, and counting. And what an impressive start it was. In six innings of work, McClellan put aside any concerns about his ability to work through the opponents batting order more than once. He would face all but the bottom of the order three times, and over that span he would allow just six hits while striking out seven. The two Pirates runs came on a Lyle Overbay home run in the first inning, teaching the youngster a valuable lesson – veteran power hitters can smack a flat curve ball a long way. To his credit, McClellan adapted, and Overbay never saw another mediocre breaking ball. The bullpen would combine for three more scoreless innings, allowing a late rally to give the Cardinals a much needed win. McClellan would not get a decision, but earned the admiration of the big hometown crowd that was in attendance.

Cliff Politte

Cliff Politte – Vianney (Kirkwood). Cliff Politte would compile a 2-3 record in 8 starts for the Cardinals in 1998. He would then be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies where he would get a few more starts before being moved to the bullpen. That’s where Politte enjoyed his greatest success as a major leaguer, the best being with the Chicago White Sox in 2005. Politte would return to the Cardinals, pitching for Memphis (AAA) before retiring from baseball in 2008.

There was another Cliff Politte in the Cardinals farm system in the early 1960s. He too was from St. Louis, and a pitcher, although from the port side. This Cliff Politte made it as far as AA, appearing in 10 games with the Tulsa Oilers in 1964. His minor league numbers suggest that he struggled with his control, but yet was impressive at both the A and AA levels. When a lefty like that disappears suddenly, an arm injury seems the most likely culprit.

What are the odds of two unrelated Cliff Politte’s from the St. Louis area, both pitching for the Cardinals ? Although I can find nothing linking the two of them, their ages are consistent for a father and son twosome.

Al Olmsted

Al Olmsted – Hazelwood East (Hazelwood, Mo). The big left-hander had a monster season for the Springfield Redbirds (AAA) in 1980, which prompted a September callup with the big club. He would make five starts in September, including an impressive 9 1/3 scoreless inning effort against the Philadelphia Phillies in his debut.

Olmsted would become part of Whitey Herzog’s team overhaul in 1981, being sent to the San Diego Padres in the Rollie Fingers deal. What makes this interesting is Olmsted would return to St. Louis a year later as the “player to be named later” in the Ozzie Smith trade. Injuries, including a torn triceps muscle, would keep Olmsted from returning to the major leagues after that impressive September in 1980.

John Fulgham

John Fulgham – Pattonville (NW St. Louis County, Mo). Fulgham was part of a core of young pitchers, including Silvio Martinez, Al Olmsted and Andy Rincon, that the Cardinals hoped would take them back into post-season play. Injuries shut all of them down far too early in their career, but in their brief time with the Cardinals, all were impressive. Especially Fulgham. The big right-hander has a most distinctive career statistic – all 14 of his career wins were complete games. His last start would come against the Houston Astros on August 27, 1980. He would be taken out of the game after just one inning. He would miss the entire 1981 season before trying to make a comeback in 1982. After struggling for two years in the Cardinals minor league system, Fulgham would retire from baseball in 1983.

Sonny Siebert – Bayless (St. Louis, Mo). The big right-hander had been an All Star starter in the American League with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox, earning one mid-season classic invitation with each club. He made a brief stop through his home town at the tail end of his career. At age 37, Siebert made 20 starts for the St. Louis in 1974. His last Cardinals win would come in relief, pitching the last 2 1/3 of the 25 inning marathon with the Mets, on September 11. In that game, another aging veteran turned back the clock when Claude Osteen threw 9 1/3 scoreless innings to set up the win for Seibert.

Jerry Reuss

Jerry Reuss – Ritenour (Overland, Mo). Jerry Reuss was a tall left-hander that the Cardinals drafted out of high school in 1967. He went on to a long and productive career, winning 220 games over his 22 year career. Those 220 wins puts Reuss at #75 on the major league wins list with Tim Wakefield (193) and Roy Halladay (169) being the closest active pitchers. Not known as a strikeout pitcher, his 1,907 is good enough for #79 on the all time list, although he will soon be passed by Johan Santana (1,877), Livan Hernandez (1,832) and CC Sabathia (1,794). To learn more about the career of Jerry Reuss, listen to the United Cardinal Bloggers show from Feb 19, 2011 where Daniel Shoptaw and I interview the former Cardinal hurler.

Harry Parker

Harry Parker – Collinsville (Collinsville, Il). Primarily a reliever in his major league career with the Cardinals, Mets and Indians, Parker did make four starts with the Cardinals in 1970. All three of his decisions in St. Louis (1-2) would come in relief. Parker pitched a brilliant came against Carl Morton and the Montreal Expos on September 27, 1970. In nine innings of work, he would hold the Expos scoreless. Unfortunately for Parker, Morton was even better, throwing 11 scoreless innings. Tom Hilgendorf would take the loss in relief when Adolpho Phillips (remember that name?) singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Expos a 1-0 victory.

Bob Miller

Bob Miller – Beaumont (St. Louis). Bob Miller had a long and productive career as a reliever, playing for many teams over his 17 seasons. From 1957 to 1961, Miller would get 22 starts for the Cardinals, before being the first player selected by the New York Mets in the 1962 expansion draft. After one season in New York, Miller would be traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he would enjoy his best years in the majors.

Jack Faszholz was born in St. Louis, but grew up in Berkeley, California. He did get one start for the Cardinals in 1953, but should probably not be on this list. At least not without an asterisk.

Eldred “Bud” Byerly – Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo). Bud Byerly pitched for the Cardinals between 1943 and 1945, making 14 starts. He would go on to pitch for Cincinnati, Washington, Boston and San Francisco. In addition to 237 major league appearances, Bud also pitched in 509 minor league games, as late as 1961.

Bill McGee

Bill McGee – Batchtown Il. Bill is another pitcher that probably didn’t make Rob Rains’ list. Batchtown is a small community on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. It is west of Pere Marquette Park and Grafton and due north of St. Peters. In the 1930′s, they might not have considered themselves part of the St. Louis metro area, but they are close enough for me.

McGee pitched for the Cardinals for between 1935 and 1941 before being traded to the New York Giants where he would spend his last two seasons. While in St. Louis, he would make 144 starts. He had a career high of 16 wins in 1940.

Bill Walker

Bill Walker – East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Il). Bill Walker was a left handed pitcher who was originally signed by the New York Giants. He would be traded to St. Louis in 1933. In 4 years, Walker would make 77 starts with his last being against his former club on September 14, 1936.

Leo Dickerman – De Soto, Mo. Like Bill Walker, Dickerman started his major league career in New York, but with the other National League team – the Brooklyn Dodgers. He would spend the last 2 years of his rather short major league career in St. Louis (1924-1925) where he would start 31 games.

Henry “Hi” Jasper – St. Louis, Mo. In his short major league career, Jasper would pitch for the White Sox, Cardinals and Indians. In 1916, Jasper would start 9 games for his home town team.

Gene Dale – St. Louis, Mo. Gene Dale was a tall right hander who pitched for the Cardinals in 1911 and 1912. He would start 5 games over that two year period.

Bob Netherton covers Cardinals history for i70baseball.com and writes at On the Outside Corner. You may follow Bob on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

Some think a .281/.314/.489 line with 20 home runs and 66 runs batted in equals $18million over three years. It does if you’re a catcher in the major leagues. John Buck of the Florida Marlins could not be happier. Those are the career best numbers Buck, the only major leaguer born in Wyoming, put up last year with the Toronto Blue Jays. Those numbers earned John a spot on the 2010 American League All-Star team, where he went 1 for 2 with a double, and a 3 year contract with the Marlins.

Some question whether the 1998 7th round draft pick of the Houston Astros, who came to the Kansas City Royals in the Carlos Beltran trade, has finally come into his own or if his season was merely the result of 437 plate appearances in a hitter’s ballpark in Toronto in a line up with fellow All Stars Vernon Wells and Jose Bautista. Buck, who turns 31 in July, will be starting his 8th season in the big leagues when he steps onto the field as the opening day starting catcher with the Marlins. His first 6 years in the majors, were spent with Kansas City before leaving for Toronto prior to the 2010 season. He was a career .235 hitter through 2009 with a career high of 18 home runs in 2007 and 50 rbi’s in 2006 with the Royals. Buck has not been in the majors because of his hitting. He has never shown much plate discipline, striking out 23.9% of the time while walking just 6.5% of the time. But with Victor Martinez out of the Marlins price range, it’s assumed they put a premium on Buck’s intangibles and leadership qualities he’d shown in Kansas City.

But Marlin fans are hopeful Buck can help fill the void created when secondbaseman Dan Uggla took his 33 home runs and 105 rbi’s to Atlanta in the off season. Early projections has put John batting seventh in the Marlins lineup ahead of rookie thirdbaseman Matt Dominguez, the 12th overall pick in the 2007 draft. Rightfielder Mike Stanton, who hit 22 homeruns in only 100 games last year as a rookie, is believed to be the cleanup hitter in the revamped Marlin lineup. Make no mistake, the key to the Marlins offense is shortsstop Hanley Ramirez and his .300 batting average, 21 home runs, 92 runs, 76 runs batted in and 32 stolen bases, hitting third. Chris Coghlan coming back from injury and putting up similar numbers he produced in his rookie season of 2009 when he hit .321 in 504 AB’s with 31 doubles and 6 triples but in the leadoff position in 2011 would be everything the Marlins could hope for. But if Buck can show the power he displayed last year in Toronto, there is definitely room in Florida for John to move up into the heart of the lineup.

Even if John can put up similar numbers to his 2010 season, I don’t think they will earn him an appearance in this years All-Star game, nor will they vault the Florida Marlins any higher than another 4th place finish in the powerful National League East. But coming from Toronto, Buck knows all about playing in a tough East division. If my projection of 70 Marlin victories for this season comes to pass, John Buck might even think he’s back in Kansas City. But this time, he’ll have an $18mm contract, the memory of a positive experience in the 2010 All-Star game and another year in the big leagues……and that would make anyone happy……no matter where you’re from.