One of the men most responsible for the St. Louis Cardinals’ 2011 World Series championship is currently locked in a battle with the team to be paid more like the star he is becoming, but this isn’t the type of battle that should raise serious concerns.

David Freese is one of the most talented young position players the Cardinals have, and he has plenty of potential to grow into another St. Louis baseball superstar. So far, the team has gotten an incredible bargain with Freese, who has made just $1.7 million total in his four-year career and is currently the 16th highest-paid player on the team.

It’s time for Freese to start earning more money. In his four years with the club, Freese has hit .296 and his power numbers have increased exponentially each year. He finished with career highs in hits, homeruns, doubles, runs scored and RBIs in 2012. And don’t forget he has a career .345 postseason batting average and was the MVP of the 2011 National League Championship Series and World Series.

He could fairly easily make a case that he deserves more than the $3.75 million he is asking for this offseason. The Cardinals have countered with a $2.4-million offer. The case will go to arbitration sometime between Monday and Feb. 20 if the two sides can’t strike a deal.

Now, while all of this sounds as though Freese and the Cardinals can’t see eye-to-eye on his worth, this is more of just a typical baseball business deal. Nobody will have their feelings hurt too no matter how the case finally plays out. The Cardinals have already finalized similar deals with relievers Jason Motte, Mitchell Boggs, Edward Mujica and Marc Rzepczynski.

Even if the case goes to arbitration and the Cardinals win, Freese will be in line for a big-money contract within the next three years. He won’t be a free agent until 2016. By that point the Cardinals will know whether Freese is going to be a franchise cornerstone at third base or if he will succumb to his substantial injury history that has kept him from playing 100 or more games in all but one season.

However, the Cardinals would still be smart to lock Freese up with a long-term deal as soon as possible because player salaries will only continue to rise throughout Major League Baseball.

The Cardinals made a smart decision early in Albert Pujols’ career to sign him to a 10-year, $110-million contract in 2001, and that deal was considered a bargain by the time it expired at the end of the 2011 season. Pujols’ next contract was worth more than twice that amount when he signed a 10-year, $240-million deal last year with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Freese and the Cardinals would both be in better positions if they could work out a long-term deal sometime soon, but right now the organization has other pressing matters. Namely, Adam Wainwright’s contract.
Wainwright is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season, and his asking price will likely be astronomical if the Cardinals can’t sign him to a contract before he hits the open market.

The Cardinals did sign catcher Yadier Molina to a five-year, $75-million contract last offseason, so they will have a strong core group of position players for the next few years.

And that’s what makes Freese’s contract situation a tad bit irrelevant. The difference of little more than $1 million this year shouldn’t have much of an effect on future negotiations.

Freese will get paid what he is due at some point. How soon the Cardinals will be willing to make that commitment is what will be the most interesting part of this situation.

*Note: at the time of the writing of this article, Adam Wainwright had just completed a four-hit shutout, which provided a tremendous boost to an overused St. Louis Cardinal bullpen and a huge step towards Waino reaching the consistency he desperately longs to regain. He struck out 9 and walked only 1 and said “..that might be the best feeling I’ve ever had pitching…I’ve done some things that are pretty fun, but I can never remember feeling that emotional after a game”. Huge news in Cardinal Nation, but not a topic I want to delve into in this  space…however, rest assured that weighs easy on this writer’s mind as we deal with a tougher topic here…

Lance Berkman.

He is one of the guys that reminds me that baseball is ultimately a game people play because they love it, or at least at one point in time they did.  Berkman is one of the few guys that does not give “jock-talk” interviews, but actually speaks openly and honestly with the media. He stands up and takes the heat when the team does not play well. He is refreshingly honest about what he is good at, and what he is not. And he is also a dang good baseball player.

2011 postseason heroics aside (which will always be revered in Cardinal Nation), Berkman revitalized his career after a very disappointing and injury marred 2010. For the season, he played in 145 games, hitting 31 HRs 94 RBI and a slash line of .301/.412/.547. He was, in my opinion, unquestionably the first half MVP last year, putting up 24 HR and 63 RBI by the All-Star break. He did all of this after rehabbing a knee injury that greatly hurt his 2010 performance. Many doubted at 35 years old, he would be able to return to “the Berkman of old”, and that the Cardinals were throwing 8 million dollars down the drain last season.

We all know how that story ended. Berkman was a key piece of the 2011 World Series title, felt he could still contribute at a high level, and wanted to stay in St. Louis. Speaking openly with the club and the media, he said his services should be worth 12 million for the 2012 season, and the Cardinals agreed. Contract signed. Full speed ahead in the attempts to defend the crown.

Then come the injuries.

Berkman had just returned from the DL when he re-injured his right knee last weekend against the Dodgers, on a seemingly routine play. An MRI Monday revealed a tearing of the meniscus and cartilage responsible for cushioning the knee. Berkman is undergoing surgery this week, which will be his fifth knee surgery. Early prognosis is he will be sidelined a minimum of six weeks.

I bragged on Berkman’s honesty earlier, and will again. He is just not sure he wants to go through the grinding rehab one more time to get himself back to playing at an elite level at 36 years old. I can not say I blame him for feeling that way. It would be a terrible way for him to go out, but reality is, he may never play again. There is some time needed to figure out what the rehab process will look like following surgery, but I began to run through the “what-ifs’ regarding a Berkman retirement…and not from the standpoint of replacing his production on the field, but figuring out a way to keep his leadership, toughness, and knowledge within the organization.

The Cardinals have shown a trend towards hiring former players as coaches in recent years. Jose Oquendo has been third base coach for a long time, Mark McGwire the hitting coach the last two seasons, and John Mabry was brought into the fold as assistant hitting coach this season. Why not make Berkman an offer to stay on as a coach if he finds out his playing days are done? I realize there is not an open slot at this moment, but the organization should make a commitment to him, just like they did Mike Matheny, and give him a chance to scout or coach.

Of course, there is a great chance he would say no. He may want to return to his ranch in Texas or even rejoin the Astros organization. I just hope Mozeliak would make his best effort to keep Berkman in the mix after his playing days are over. The organization would be much stronger for it.

I want to be as clear as possible from the start: I am a huge Alex Gordon fan. I was there before the Kansas City Royals even drafted him, watching You Tube clips of that dreamy swing and praying Allard Baird didn’t mess up the chance to draft the prodigy that was Awesome Alex.

Alex Gordon courtesy of Minda Haas

I was also there on Opening Day, with the bases loaded, a sell-out crowd on its feet, and expectations very few would have any chance of meeting. My wife has his jersey, my kid has his rookie card…our family is all-in on Awesome Alex. That being said, I do have to wonder; is now really the time to give him a contract extension?

For a Royals’ fan, this question may seem equivalent to blasphemy. We waited so long for him to become what we’d dreamed he could. We went through ridiculously long slumps, excruciating injuries, broken promises and position changes. So before I go any further, I want to say I am not questioning if the Royals should extend Gordon at some point. I hope Gordon is a Royal for life and proves to be every bit the savior we anointed him back in 2007. But think back just 12 months ago, before his breakout season of 2011. Gordon was on his last leg and it would not have been completely absurd to suggest the Royals give up on him ever becoming the player they’d drafted him to be. Then came the declaration. Many scoffed and almost all of us felt uneasy when Gordon told the world he planned to “dominate” in 2011, but then he went out and did it. Gordon in 2011 was everything we’d hoped he’d be from the beginning. I don’t think I need to recite his statistics any more than they already have been but just consider a couple:

- His 140 OPS+ was the highest by a Royals’ everyday player in 10 years

- His 5.9 WAR (per baseballreference.com’s metrics) was the highest in 8 years

- He not only won a Gold Glove but actually received 3 votes on the MVP ballot, for a team that lost 91 games

- He set career highs in every single major offensive category

That seems like a good time to stop, because it brings me precisely to the root of my question. Did Alex Gordon just have a breakout season or a career year? Baseball history is full of players who have put together seasons as good as, and much better than, Gordon without ever really coming close to repeating the performance. Even Royals history has a few shining examples. Of the 11 Royals to put up an OPS + of 140 or better, only 4 (George Brett, Danny Tartabull, Hal McRae, Willie Aikens) did it more than once. The other 8?

Amos Otis – 31
Mike Sweeney – 28
Bob Hamelin – 26
Bo Jackson – 27
Darrell Porter – 27
Wilson Betemit – 28
Richie Schleinblum* – 29

*Schleinblum may be worthy a post of his own some day. He put up his 140 OPS in 1972 in the only season in which he was ever given more than 500 at bats. He also made the All Star game that year. He was then sent to the Reds as part of the Hal McRae deal, traded to the Angels 6 months later for a PTBNL, and traded back to the Royals in ’75 for Paul Schaal. From 1970-1975 Schleinblum played for the Indians, Senators, Royals, Reds, Angels, Royals, and Cardinals.

The numbers you see by the players’ names are their age when they had their career year. Notice how none of the one-timers are under 26? All of the players to do it more than once were 26 or younger, other than McRae. Does this mean Alex Gordon, who was 27, will never put up another season this good? No, not at all, but I do think it points out the probability is better that he just had his career season.

This matters for many reasons, most notably being that the Royals really don’t need to be in the business of signing players to multiple year deals based on the numbers put up in their career year. I expect Gordon to be a good player this year and moving forward, but I don’t expect him to do as well, relatively, as he did last season. If that does turn out to be the case, why the rush to pay him now when you still control him for two more seasons? Jeff Francouer is already locked up for 2 more years, Lorenzo Cain for the next 5, and you have phenom Wil Myers hopefully making a push to join the club in 2013. There are so many possible outcomes with those four players heading into 2012, why lock yourself into a long term deal? Well there are 2 reasons:

For one, this fan base, while energized and optimistic, is also leery of owner David Glass. Glass is viewed as cheap by many and detached by even more. If fan-favorite Gordon were to leave Kansas City and find the same success that Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran, and Jermaine Dye did nearly ten years ago it would be a hard pill for the fans to swallow. Not signing Gordon, after all the talk about it this offseason, could signal to fans that this is the same old Royals that can’t afford to keep any of their homegrown talent.

The second is related to that, if not directly. No one really knows what Gordon’s mindset is. I know he has said publicly that he wants to stay a Royal…Damon said the same thing. What I do not know is whether or not Gordon and his agent are pushing hard for an extension this winter. Is he going to be insulted if the Royals do not put something together for him? If he is, how will he react? Many a player has had a career year trying to prove to management they are worth the extension they did not get. Just as many have pouted and their performance has suffered because of it.

Personally, I see Gordon as the type of player to excel in this situation. The struggles at the beginning of his career have hardened him and I have a hard time seeing him pouting, especially if this team is successful early. Many clubs would have given up on Gordon after his terrible 2009-2010 and wanting to wait until next offseason to get an extension done should not totally erase the goodwill that has been built. If I were Dayton Moore, I would wait to sign Alex Gordon, knowing that if he duplicates, or improves upon, last season I will be digging even deeper into David Glass’ pockets next winter.

By signing a five-year extension with Kansas City, Carlos Beltran ensures that he will finish his career as a life-long Royal and will be firmly established as the second best player in team history.

Having spent 14 years patrolling centerfield of Kauffman Stadium, Beltran hopes his career will end on a more competitive note.

“We’ve lost a lot during the last decade here in KC, but with all the talent we’ve got coming up, I really think we’ll compete for championships before I’m done,” Beltran said.

Despite being slowed by injuries, Beltran has been one of the few bright spots for the Royals. When outfield mates Jermaine Dye and Johnny Damon sought greener pastures in the early 2000s, Beltran chose to stay in KC, joining George Brett and Frank White as the faces of the franchise.

“Sure I could have made some more money somewhere else, but I always wanted to be a guy who played his whole career for one team,” Beltran said upon signing the contract extension. “Some things are more important than money. Who knows where I’d be right now if I’d listen to that money-grubbing Scott Boras.”

Ok, so the reality is that Beltran is now a Cardinal. He’s also an ex-Giant, ex-Met, ex-Astro, and of course, ex-Royal. Beltran is now 34 and might possibly finish his career in St. Louis.

Beltran left KC at age 27, having played five and half seasons in a Royals’ uniform. Because of injuries and the natural decline of skills, Beltran played his best baseball before the age of 32. About half that time was spent in Kansas City.

Sadly, KC just missed out on some of Beltran’s best seasons – 2006 to 2008. In those seasons he won three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, made two All-Star appearances, and in 2006 finished fourth in the MVP balloting.

I really shouldn’t blame Beltran for his departure from KC. The team wasn’t paying top talents at the time, and they knew they had to deal Beltran when they could get a good return. It’s not his fault that the three players KC got in the trade (Mark Teahen, Mike Wood and John Buck) didn’t help the team rebuild.

What Beltran can provide the Cardinals and where Beltran stands among the greats of history are topics for another article.

But what interests me is just where Beltran would rank if he had played the same seasons, with all the same production, and with all the same injuries and decline of skill, in KC.

Here are Beltran’s career numbers compared to the best in Royals history:

Games – 1768 Beltran would rank 6^th currently and could move to 3^rd this season behind Brett and White.
At Bats – 6767 Beltran would currently be in 5^th place.
Runs – 1184 Beltran would already be in 2^nd place on the team list, with only Brett’s 1583 to shoot for.
Hits – 1917 Racking up hits isn’t exactly Beltran’s game. Even so, he would rank 6^th on the team list and could move into 2^nd this season. Only Brett and White collected more than 2000 hits.
Doubles –390 Beltran would be in 4^th place at present.
Triples – 73 Beltran would be a distant 3^rd behind Brett’s 137 and Willie Wilson’s 133.
Home Runs – 302 Beltran’s home run total might be different if he’d spent his entire career playing in Kauffman stadium. But for the sake of this game, we’ll give him full credit. Amazingly, only one other Royal has more than 200 homers – Brett with 317. Beltran would, in 2012, become the Royals all-time home run leader.
Runs Batted In – 1146 Beltran would trail only Brett, who drove in 1595 runs.
Stolen Bases – 293 Beltran is one of the most efficient base stealers in the game, but thievery numbers are down from the Royals golden years. Even so, he would rank behind only Wilson (612), Amos Otis (340), and Freddie Patek (336). In reality, Beltran ranks 6^th in team history.
Average – .283 Of players with more than 4000 at bats in a Royals uniform, Beltran would sit fourth, behind Brett (.305), Mike Sweeney (.299), Hal McRae (.293), and Wilson (.289).

Without a doubt, Beltran would rank as the second greatest player in Royals history, and by some measures could be considered THE greatest.

It’s been hard over the past decade for Royals fans to resist delving into a lot of “what ifs:” what if the Royals had kept the outfield of Beltran, Dye and Damon together; what if they could have held onto Joe Randa and Raul Ibanez, what if Mike Sweeney had stayed healthy…

I’m sure millionaire professionals like Carlos Beltran don’t waste time on “what ifs.” But if Beltran did, he might wonder what his legacy would be had he stayed in KC. He might think that players who jump from team to team during the prime of their careers are quickly forgotten. But players who grow up and grow old with the same team can become legends.

To settle my excitement about the 2012 MLB Season down a bit, I decided to lay out a few predictions about what might happen next year.

First off, I want to start with: Who will be the Royals MVP next year?

There is no easy choice here. With the everyday lineup that the Royals will have on Opening Day next year, there are about 10 to 15 possible choices for this award.

My first thought was to pick Eric Hosmer.

The 22-year-old will be entering his first full season playing first base for the boys in blue. His third place finish in the A.L. Rookie of the Year vote did not do his season justice. If the award was based on who has the brightest future rather than who had the best complete year, Hosmer would have definitely took home the hardware.

However, I kept looking up and down the roster for someone that could put together a better year than Hosmer in 2012. Billy Butler, Jeff Francoeur, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez… The list goes on and on.

But for this award, I had to give it to Alex Gordon. He was voted the Royals’ best player, won his first Gold Glove, and received three 10th place votes for the A.L. MVP in 2011. He will still only be 28 years old at the beginning of next season, and I don’t have any reason to believe he can’t put up even better numbers.

Although I don’t think Gordon will get up to 20 outfield assists next season, he definitely has a shot to earn another Gold Glove. I picture his offensive numbers somewhere in the area of .300, 25 HR’s, and 100 RBI’s. That is, if he is moved out of the leadoff spot.

He might still be hitting in the one-hole next year, because the Royals still don’t have a true leadoff hitter. If he is still in that spot, expect his RBI’s to go down, but not by much.

Gordon did almost everything right this year. He showed his leadership on and off the field and deserved every bit of credit he received.

Before we give Hosmer the award for the next 10 years, let’s go ahead and give Alex one more shot.

Royals Tweet of the Week

whats up everyone! new to this twitter thing but ill figure it out.. hit me -duff

November 16, 2011 6:59 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@dduff23

Danny Duffy

Danny Duffy officially on Twitter. This should be a fun follow.

As I was sitting here, working away today, all of a sudden the Royals wire got very hot. Mike Sweeney was going to make an announcement with the Royals. Quickly the word came that Sweeney was going to retire from baseball and he wanted to do it as a Royal. This not so secret announcement became official about 4pm when Around the Horn KC made the announcement:

The #Royals have signed Mike Sweeney to a one-day contract. Sweeney has announced his retirement from baseball.

March 25, 2011 3:02 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@aroundthehornkc

Official Royals Blog

This hits home for many Kansas City Royals fans. Sweeney has had a mixed reaction in Kansas City when he appeared on the Royals Hall of Fame Ballot this year. I would be surprised if him and Appier are not voted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame this year but many people remember him negatively and don’t think anyone other than Appier should get in on the ballot. I tend to always see the positive in the Royals so I asked some of my twitter and facebook followers to describe what Mike Sweeney meant to them.

Some remember Sweeney in a positive fashion. Andrew Johnson lamented he was the most personable Royal when he was a kid. Lana Royer remembered him as beloved, never lazy and someone the fans miss. One of my twitter followers spoke common words among many fans; “Good guy, good player, hated by most royals fans cause he got a (large) contract, got hurt…”. Shizzyrocks on twitter said, “He has always been wrongfully hated.” Many people echoed the part about being unfairly hated because he earned a huge contract for being the “best player on a terrible team,” as griney55 on twitter said.

It is easy for me to say how great the Royals legends are but I think it’s important to really realize how great of an all around human being Sweeny was on top of being a great player. Start with how great of a player he was. Sweeney played 12 years in Kansas City. He was an All-Star 5 of those years (2000-2003, 2005) and received MVP votes 3 of those seasons, never finishing above 11th (2002) in the voting. 2002 was his best season where he hit .340. This is the 2nd highest batting average in Royals history behind George Brett’s near .400 season. Had it not been for a 2-16 final four games, Sweeney would have won the AL batting crown.

Sweeney made no more than 265,000 his first 5 years before getting a bump to $2.25 Million his first MVP caliber season. His contract rose over the next couple years before getting a $55 Million contract. (On a side note what is it with $55 million contracts and the Royals but I digress.) This contract garnered much anger from the public. It could easily be argued he had earned it after having 3 MVP-like seasons and he would have probably still been loved but the later years of the contract were absolutely injury ridden. In fact when I asked how some remembered him at least 20-30% of the responses included injured or injury prone.

Sweeney was sent to the disabled list with nerve irritation in 2003 an injury that would create multiple stints between 2003 and 2006. In 2006 he played only 60 games while making $11 million. This started to turn the home town fans against him. He actually did have good offense during his late years in KC but was restricted to the DH and limited on at bats due to the injuries.

Sweeney was not resigned by Kansas City in 2008 and he signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics. After a strong spring, Oakland did purchase Sweeney’s contract but the injury bug would strike again and Sweeney was laid up with arthroscopic surgery for four weeks on June 11th. He returned but was cut September 9th. 2009 saw Sweeney get a Spring invite to the Mariners and he would make the Opening Day Roster. He was removed from the game due to back spasms in his very first at bat. His first home run as a Mariner was the 200th of his career and ironically came against former club, The Oakland Athletics. Sweeney would return to the K and hit his 100th home run in that venue, this one coming as a member of the visiting team.

Sweeney received another minor league deal with the Mariners and actually beat out Ryan Garko for the starting 1b job. The Mariners sent him to the Phillies for cash later that season. He would make his one and only playoff appearance going 1-1 in the NLDS.

Sweeney signed a 1 day contract March 25, 2011 and retired a Kansas City Royal.

While Sweeney had a decent career, he should also be applauded for what he was as a person. Sweeney was beloved by many from all around the country. When I asked on twitter for people to give what they thought of Sweeney, I had many local responses, some I mentioned above but I also received from Sarah in Texas (@luckiexstar), “pretty much nicest guy ever :)” and from Sam Endicott (@cottman3) “And that when I worked for the SF Giants Spring Training he shook my hand and smiled when I gave him directions to the clubhouse.” These people are not in the Royal Blue Sea every day and they echoed many of the local thoughts of the man. Other local thoughts included Clinton Corley (@clintoninc) “class act player who played the game the right way. Great w/ fans and with players around the league”. And Clinton DeMontel (@Clintonde) “Mike Sweeney is the best man in professional sports. Hard work, dedication, a rich, rightful life. All of these come to mind”. These 2 summed up how many in KC felt. I personally remember the 2010 Royals Fan Fest where he came as a fan and signed autographs as people asked until he got swarmed and his little boy got scared by the mass of people. He then had security around him mostly to protect his child and allow him to enjoy his time. He didn’t have to come to fan fest but he wanted to be around a team he loved. A couple weeks later he was signed by the Mariners, but that day I felt he was a Kansas City Royal again.

Sweeney has several awards for Community Involvement. Some of these awards include (but not limited to) The Royals Mr. Baseball award which is the top honor at the Royals award dinner and is named after Ewing Kauffman. The Royals present an award bearing Sweeney’s name annually to the player in the organization who has been the best representative on and off the field. He was also a nominee for the Roberto Clemente award and is still involved in Kansas City’s Mercy Children’s hospital and Boys and Girls Clubs.
Most will remember him as a positive man who loved the city and the city loved back. Some remember him as a zealot while others remember him standing for something he believed in. While many Kansas City fans may have once remembered him as an over paid player, injury prone player , most will remember him as a class act who played the game right. So few players play the game the way he did. Injuries or not, Mike Sweeney was a great player and this is one fan who is happy to know that Mike Sweeney is now and forever a Kansas City Royal.

In closing Sam Endicott asked me: “Do you think the #Royals retire Sweeney’s number??” Sam, I don’t know. I seriously doubt it because when you think about the three retired, they are the best of the best. Let’s see if Sweeney gets into the Royals Hall Of Fame and go from there. If they don’t I will not be surprised but if they do I would be all for it.

Thank you Mike Sweeney for being a great player on some truly awful teams. I hope you call Kansas City your post baseball home because the city would be proud to have you as part of this organization for many years to come.

Troy “KCRoyalman” Olsen can be found on twitter (@kcroyalman) and here on I-70 Baseball every Monday with Bill Ivie at 10pm central time.

During the offseason we have been taking a look at the past, giving readers a timeline of St. Louis baseball throughout history. Last time we learned about Enos Slaughter’s mad dash in the 1946 World Series and how the Cardinals reacted to Jackie Robinson’s arrival in the majors.

What can be said about the Cardinals in this time period besides: they were not very good. After winning 95 games in 1949 and fighting down to the last game of the season for the pennant with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team tumbled, bumbled, and crumbled to a measly 78-75 record in 1950. After four strong years as the skipper for the Cardinals, Eddie Dyer was so embarrassed by his team’s performance in his fifth year that he quit before owner Fred Saigh could think to fire him.

The only bright spot was, of course, Stan Musial. Musial was on a tear, winning his fourth batting title in just his age 29 season, and turning in a second place finish (all while on a fifth place club) in the MVP race. While Stan was putting up a .346/.437/.596 tear, no one else on the team made it about a .290 batting average and no pitcher could make it to even 15 wins and an ERA under 3.15.

Coming into 1951, Saigh handed the reigns of the team over to longtime shortstop Marty Marion. While only 33, Marion was already feeling the end of his playing career. His one season managing the Cardinals was actually his last full season playing as well as his last in St. Louis. Despite having someone the rest of the team respected leading the charge, the team itself was just not that good. They did improve from the year before and finished with an 81-73 record, and while this did propel them from fifth to third in the National League, they were still fifteen and a half games out of first.

The ace of the staff in 1951 was Gerry Staley. Allow me to read your mind by saying, “WHO?” Really, who were these guys in the Cardinals rotation? The only names that still had relevance were Max Lanier of the Mexican League fame and Harry “the Cat” Breechen, but both of them were 35+. Howie Pollet’s best days were behind him. No other pitchers are even noteworthy for something small.

1952 brought a third manager in as many years in Eddie Stanky. Stanky was on the tail end of a solid playing career spent with the Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, Giants, and Cardinals. He spent three plus years at the helm for the Cardinals, but never finished above third place in any of those years. Besides Stanky playing bits of the season from the bench, the only remarkable name on the Cardinals’ bench was Gene Mauch. Yes, that Gene Mauch who went on to manage for 27 years with the Phillies, Expos, Twins and Angels. His one season wearing the birds on the bat was completely unremarkable, as he only appeared in seven games and had four plate appearances, but he was there!

The team again climbed a bit in the standings, again finishing third at 88-66, but this time only eight and a half back from the Dodgers. Interesting names on the team (or at least interesting to me) included Vinegar Bend Mizell and Lefty Chambers, who pitched, outfielder Peanuts Lowrey, and backup shortstop Virgil Stallcup. Regulars Musial, Enos Slaughter, and Red Schoendienst were the stalwarts of the lineup, all hitting over .300 and trying to keep the lineup afloat, but they were outmanned by teams like the Dodgers and Giants who had long since broken the color barrier on their team.

At the end of the 1952 season, Fred Saigh got himself in hot water with the IRS, who claimed that Saigh had evaded paying income tax. He was sentenced to fifteen months in a federal prison, and decided to sell the team. While he received many lucrative offers from groups in Milwaukee and Houston, Saigh wanted the team to stay in St. Louis, so he sold the team to Gussie Busch, owner of Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company. While Saigh was hurt that his honor had been taken, he did get the last laugh, as he purchased stock in Anheuser-Busch after selling the team. Forty years later, the roughly $6 million dollars he invested in the company had been turned into closer to $60 million dollars!

Gussie Busch was a character. While his original plan to rename Sportsman’s Park “Budweiser Park” was thwarted, he countered with Busch Memorial Stadium, a name that has now graced the façades of three different stadiums for the Cardinals. When he came in, he wanted to do anything and everything to win, and was willing to spend whatever it took. He quickly dropped over $300,000 on three players:

Memo Luna was purchased from Mexico. He was so excited that he was becoming a Cardinal that he pitched a doubleheader that night, and never pitched a full game afterward. Alex Grammas was purchased as part of a trade with the Reds, and never came to be anything more than a good field/no-hit shortstop. The real piece here was Tom Alston, a first baseman from San Diego Padres, who were at the time a Pacific Coast League Triple A team.

Alston was an interesting case in that he became the first African-American player that ever wore the birds on the bat. He was supposed to be a star, or at least that was what Gussie Busch thought. He was never really interested in scouting or looking for good talent, instead taking the word of the first person that talked to him and dropping the money to get the player.

Alston was not ready for 1953, but based on his career 91 games spread out over four seasons, he would not have made a difference. One of the real stories of the 1953 season was the emergence of Harvey Haddix, who came out of nowhere to win 20 games as a 27 year old with only seven games experience in the majors before the year started. Alas, Haddix and Staley, who won 18 games in his best professional season of his career, could not keep an entire pitching staff afloat.

Likewise, Musial and Schoendienst could not prop up an otherwise lackluster lineup. Red had probably his most productive year in his career, actually swiping the team batting title away from Musial for the first time in years. The team finished at 83-71, again in third, where they seemed to have become quite cozy.

Third would have been a dream in 1954, as the team tumbled to a 72-82 record and sixth place in the eight team National League. This was their worst finish since 1932, in which the team finished with the same record under Gabby Street.

The real story in 1954 was a young outfielder by the name Wally Moon. While not a great fielder, his bat did the talking for him, as he was a contact hitter with just enough pop to make him noticeable. His arrival in St. Louis was controversial as Busch and company sent longtime fan favorite Enos Slaughter off to the Yankees to make room for Moon on the roster. In his very first at bat, he arrived to the plate with chants of “We want Slaughter” raining down on him. His response was to hit a home run right then and there. He carried that strong bat all the way to the Rookie of the Year award, winning out over other notables of Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Gene Conley.

How far could Moon, Musial and company carry the team? Could they haul them back into contention?

Angela Weinhold covers the Cardinals for i70baseball.com and writes at Cardinal Diamond Diaries. You may follow her on Twitter here or follow Cardinal Diamond Diaries here.

Here are the final seven players on the list of top KC A’s players as ranked by wins above replacement (WAR) as found on Baseball-Reference.com. (Click here for Part I.)

7. Ray Herbert ∙ P ∙ 1955, 1958—61 ∙ 152 GP ∙ 7.5 WAR

Herbert made a living as a serviceable pitcher for 14 years in the majors, including a standout year with the A’s in 1960. The A’s purchased his contract from the Tigers before 1955 and used him sparingly that season before sending him to the minors for ’56 and ’57. He returned to Kansas City in ’58 and had a solid year, then regressed a bit in ’59. Then came the big 1960, in which Herbert started 33 games for the A’s, registered a miniscule 3.28 ERA (122 ERA+) and the second highest WAR (5.8) among pitchers in the AL. The A’s sent Herbert packing to the White Sox in the middle of ’61. That was enough to propel Herbert to the highest spot on this list for a pitcher.

6. Bob Cerv ∙ LF ∙ 1957—60 ∙ 413 GP ∙ 8.5 WAR

Cerv is another player on this list who spent time with the Kansas City Blues as a member of the Yankees farm before joining the A’s. His contract was purchased from New York prior to the ’57 season, and he spent the next three and a half years as a fixture in the A’s left field. Much of his value came from one season, 1958, when he broke out with the greatest season a KC A’s player ever had: 38 homers (a Kansas City record, A’s or Royals), a .305/.371/.592 slash line (159 OPS+), an All-Star game start, the third highest WAR in the AL, and a fourth place finish in the MVP vote. The season would have been remarkable enough from a healthy player, but Cerv battled through serious injury. From the book The Kansas City Athletics by John E. Peterson: “(Cerv) was batting .344 on May 17 and led the American League with 11 home runs and 30 runs batted in when he broke his jaw in a collision at home plate…Cerv broke his jaw in two places when the left side of his face collided against (Red) Wilson’s shoulder.” Cerv forced himself back into the lineup after missing just three games, and continued playing at a high level in spite of his jaw being wired shut and living on a liquid diet for a month. He homered six times during that span. Again from Peterson’s book: “By the end of the season Cerv suffered a broken jaw, a broken hand, two broken toes along with an injured knee and ankle.” The season sticks out like a sore thumb in Cerv’s long career, which was otherwise fairly unremarkable.

Cerv is the highest ranking outfielder on the list; the top five spots are all held by infielders:

4. Hector Lopez ∙ 3B ∙ 1955—59 ∙ 586 GP ∙ 8.9 WAR

Lopez shifted between various defensive positions throughout his 12 year career, but the A’s deployed him primarily at third base. Bill James has called him “As bad a defensive player as you would ever want to see,” but he made up for defensive shortcomings with his bat. He wasn’t an elite slugger in his four and a third seasons in KC, but hit consistently. His final tallies with the A’s feature 99 doubles, 67 homers, and a 107 OPS+. He was swapped to the Yankees (who else?) mid-season 1959 in a trade that netted the A’s the other number four on this list:

4. Jerry Lumpe ∙ 2B ∙ 1959—63 ∙ 715 GP ∙ 8.9 WAR

A Missouri native, Lumpe attended Warsaw High School and Southwest Missouri State. As a college basketball player, he won back to back NAIA national championships. The Yankees signed him to play baseball, and he broke into the bigs with them as a part-time player between ’56—’58. When he was sent to the A’s in ’59, he became the everyday second baseman for the next four and half seasons. He was a consistent presence in the A’s lineup, and was especially good in his career years of ’61 and ’62. He was sent to Detroit in the trade that brought Rocky Colavito to KC for the ’64 season.

3. Wayne Causey ∙ SS ∙ 1961—66 ∙ 689 GP ∙ 9.0 WAR

Causey was another consistent presence in the A’s middle infield, and garnered some MVP votes in his career years of ’63 and ’64. Causey didn’t hit for a lot of power, but was a tough out in his time with the A’s (.350 OBP). According to Jane Charnin-Aker on baseballlibrary.com, Causey kept losing his position to hotshot rookies while with the A’s. Dick Howser knocked him off short, then Ed Charles off third. He held down short in ’63 and ’64 before Bert Campaneris took over. After his playing days, Causey spent some time as a scout for the Royals.

2. Norm Siebern ∙ 1B ∙ 1960—63 ∙ 611 GP ∙ 12.1 WAR

Another Missouri native, Siebern hails from Wellston in the St. Louis area. He teamed with Lumpe on the back-to-back NAIA champion basketball teams at Southwest Missouri State. Siebern joined the A’s in the Maris trade—it is ironic that even though the trade was infamously bad, the A’s did get a terrific player in the deal. I rate Siebern as the best hitter the A’s had for all four seasons he played with the club—a rare bout of consistency in the ever volatile A’s lineups. His ’62 was especially impressive: he played every game, bashed 25 homers, and got on base at an eye-popping .412 clip to go along with a .495 slugging percentage. He represented the A’s at the All-Star games of ’62 and ’63. Like Causey, Siebern also went on to do some scouting for the Royals.

1. Ed Charles ∙ 3B ∙ 1962—67 ∙ 726 GP ∙ 14.4 WAR

Ed Charles, a 29 year-old rookie in ’62, wore the KC A’s uniform for more games than any other player, and judging by wins above replacement, provided the most value to the team. Signed by the Boston Braves in 1952, Charles racked up nine seasons and 1,148 games in the minors before finally getting his break in the form of a trade to Kansas City. He broke into the majors with style, fashioning a .288/.356/.454 hitting line (114 OPS+), and continued on as a supremely reliable presence as the A’s third sacker for five years. According to Charles biographer Ed Hoyt, Charles “offered no standout skill, but usefully adequate levels of contact, power, speed, and defense.” Like David DeJesus on recent Royals teams, Charles never rose to stardom or All-Star recognition, but quietly contributed in all aspects of the game. That steadiness over many years added up to significant value. Hoyt writes that Charles “achieved fame as a baseball poet, reciting his poetry on television a few times a year and mailing verse to young fans with requested autographs.” Following his individual success with the A’s, he was sent to the New York Mets in a 1967 trade. In his final playing year, Charles enjoyed the ultimate team success with the 1969 “Miracle” Mets. The 36 year-old provided a veteran presence on the mostly baby-faced champions.

Aaron Stilley also bloggercizes at Kansas City Baseball and makes tweet-tweets here.

The I-70 team has selected Matt Holliday as the 2010 Cardinal position player of the year. When a site supporting a team boasting Albert Pujols on the roster picks someone other than Pujols for this honor, some explanation is needed, perhaps even necessary.

By most measures, Pujols’ 2010 campaign was a step down from his norm both offensively and defensively. He posted his third-lowest season in batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. He finished with his lowest wOBA in a season since 2007. Albert grounded into the more double plays (23) than any season but the 2007 campaign (27). He struck-out more than in any season since his rookie campaign of 2001. On defense, his UZR/150 dropped for the fourth straight year and was barely above average (1.1). His Dewan (+/-) also dropped for the fourth straight season, and he received a negative value (on straight-on chances) for the first time in his career. He was rated the #8 defensive first baseman by that Dewan metric.

To be fair, for the mere mortal, Albert’s 2010 season line of .312/.414/.596 would garner quite a lot of MVP votes. he posted an OPS+ of 173, which is only 1 point behind current MVP favorite Joey Votto. But when your career averages are .331/.426/.624, well, it’s a down year for you.

Matt Holliday did not continue at his 169 OPS+ pace from 2009, but he did put up excellent numbers. Matt’s 149 OPS+ for 2010 is only 1 point off his career high, and he posted that 150 while playing half his games at Coors Field. His .312/.390/.532 line is right on his career averages (.317/.388/.543). He just missed (.396) cracking .400 wOBA for the fourth time in his career. He lowered his strike-out total for the fourth consecutive year. For the first time since Ryan Ludwick (2008 version) the Cardinals had someone who could, and did, make teams pay for pitching around Pujols. Holliday also had a tremendous defensive year. His UZR/150 came in at 8.7, best in the NL and fourth-best in the Majors. He posted the second-best Dewan (+/-) number of his career, and was ranked as the #3 left-fielder by that metric.

His superior glove work closed the WAR gap between the two. Fangraphs rated Pujols at 7.3, Holliday at 6.9 (second and fourth in the league among position players, respectively). By Baseball Reference’s calculation there was a slightly bigger difference; Pujols pulled a 7.2 to a 5.5 for Holliday (AP led the league, Holliday was sixth, among position players per the B-R ranking).

Or, we can throw all that statistical analysis out and simply say this. Matt Holliday was the most consistent Cardinal hitter the entire season. He did not go into an extended funk at any point, and whatever was going on around him he just produced. Pujols ended up with better numbers, but Holliday was the cornerstone for this year’s offense. And that’s before we bring in his defensive prowess in left.

Congratulations to Matt Holliday on his selection.

I was only a few months old when the I-70 Series happened, but as a baby I was in attendance at a few of the games. Of course I have no memory of the series. I do, however, remember George Brett.

My memories are not from ’85 but from a time when the Royals were still winners. A time when the stadium was always full. A time when having season tickets was something to be proud of. So, instead of a stat-filled recap of Brett’s career, I am going to focus on what I remember of Brett as a player.

For most people under the age of 30, George Brest is best remembered as the raving mad man who rushed onto the field ready to kill someone during the infamous Pine Tar Incident. Everyone remembers that image of George Brett, that image of pure emotion, pure passion for the game, and a pure reaction.

I remember George Brett not as my favorite Royal, but as the guy who went out there and did the same thing every single game. He got the clutch hit, made the hard throw, and just pretty much made the extraordinary look routine every night he took the field. I remember not wondering wether George would get a hit, or holding my breath on the long throw from third, because I always knew he would come through when the team needed it.

I also remember Brett being the guy everyone loved, but at the same time hated. George Brett was the face of the team, the heart of the team and the leader of the team in the fans’ eyes. People knew where he lived, where he ate, who he hung out with. His life and personality were always a topic of conversation. Every company wanted George Brett to have their product in his hands.

George Brett was, and still is, the Kansas City Royals. He is the face of that team, the I-70 Series and all things Kansas City, and that in my mind is the biggest stat from the I-70 Series.

George did exactly what everyone expected him to do in 1985. He tore the cover off the ball in the regular season, blasting 30 home runs; he became the MVP of the 1985 American League Championship Series; and he drove the ball all over the field in the World Series, including a four-hit performance in Game 7. He truly lived up to the legend.

George Brett will forever be remembered for that magical Fall 25 years ago when he led the Royals to a world championship.