OT: OT: Lets Go Cardinals! (All Baseball Talk Here) Part 2

[Memento]

So, he needs everything to be all PLD before he gets going.

I never said that. Walker had a great rookie year. He finally looked like he did his rookie year in September. Yes, last year was a lost year. Last year, he was terrible for the most part in the majors, but he - and Victor Scott, for that matter - looked better late in the year with adjustments. It gives me hope that with future adjustments, he could still be a part of our future.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

I never said that. Walker had a great rookie year. He finally looked like he did his rookie year in September. Yes, last year was a lost year. Last year, he was terrible for the most part in the majors, but he - and Victor Scott, for that matter - looked better late in the year with adjustments. It gives me hope that with future adjustments, he could still be a part of our future.

From what I remember, Walker had a fantastic start to his rookie year, was coached into a swing adjustment, then he faded and was sent down. He hasn’t been the same since.

 

[joe galiba]

From what I remember, Walker had a fantastic start to his rookie year, was coached into a swing adjustment, then he faded and was sent down. He hasn’t been the same since.

his hitting had really cooled off after the hot start, all he was hitting was ground balls
the real problem was his inability to lay off down and away pitches, which he improved a little on at the end of this year

 

[ChicagoBlues]

his hitting had really cooled off after the hot start, all he was hitting was ground balls
the real problem was his inability to lay off down and away pitches, which he improved a little on at the end of this year

He looked decent for the most part this season. Cardinals need a boost and Walker could be part of the future with the upcoming regime change.

 

[joe galiba]

He looked decent for the most part this season. Cardinals need a boost and Walker could be part of the future with the upcoming regime change.

his defense was noticeably better, if, at the big league level, he can keep laying off unhittable pitches away and learn to take the hittable pitches away to right I think he will have a good year

 

[SirPaste]

He looked decent for the most part this season. Cardinals need a boost and Walker could be part of the future with the upcoming regime change.

The guy is definitely part of the future, he is only 22 which is pretty young for baseball players, most dont break in until around 23-25. He was definitely rushed through the system and not handled correctly but without a doubt the org still sees him as a big part of the future.

 

[Memento]

The guy is definitely part of the future, he is only 22 which is pretty young for baseball players, most dont break in until around 23-25. He was definitely rushed through the system and not handled correctly but without a doubt the org still sees him as a big part of the future.

Right, and development - especially baseball prospects - is far from linear.

Chase Davis - our 2023 first round pick who is actually a few months older than Walker - didn't hit any home runs in his first season after being drafted and a lot of the last one. He struggled mightily. Now he's in Double-A and poised to be a potential left fielder of the future.

Andre Pallante turned himself from fireballer to pitcher and back to fireballer with development, and now he could potentially be our number two starter (or perhaps ace if Gray is dealt).

Hell, Rick Ankiel should be the proverbial poster-boy for "baseball development is not linear".

I trust Walker's development and his potential to be a part of the future. I trust that they have a plan with it. The vast majority of prospects aren't Pujolsian right off the bat, and they don't have to be to help our team.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

The guy is definitely part of the future, he is only 22 which is pretty young for baseball players, most dont break in until around 23-25. He was definitely rushed through the system and not handled correctly but without a doubt the org still sees him as a big part of the future.

The Cardinals have two studs in Walker and Winn. The two catchers make a decent tandem. The team needs Gorman to take a major leap, but I’m not counting on it.

I don’t know much about this specific team, but being strong up the middle is definitely key in many sports. There is some sign that the middle can be a strength.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856804509768712544

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

 

[Memento]

f*** YES!!!!!

So happy that we managed to jump to #5. It reminds me of the Twins, in 2023, actually. They made a huge jump, got Walker Jenkins, who is currently ranked as the #2 overall prospect on MLB.com. If we could get someone similar (hoping for Xavier Neyens to solve our third base problems, permanently), add in a second-round pick, a Comp B pick (which we got because our fans didn't show up for enough games), and a bunch of smart trades both before and during the season, and we really could rebuild our entire farm system in a year.

 

[Mike Liut]

That was a pleasant surprise

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Throw back to JD Drew being that last top 5 pick

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Throw back to JD Drew being that last top 5 pick

He had a couple good years, but I was always left wanting more. On the other hand, he came through with a solid post season in 2007 en route to a World Series Championship with the Red Sox.

 

[Memento]

He had a couple good years, but I was always left wanting more.

The best part of J.D. Drew was the moonshot he hit to the upper decks in right field in old Busch. My brother has that ball after a couple of elderly gentlemen gave it to us as kids. Drew even autographed it, and my brother was over the moon, since he was his favorite player. Seemed like a quiet dude.

I still think the best thing he contributed to the Cardinals was getting Adam Wainwright.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

The best part of J.D. Drew was the moonshot he hit to the upper decks in right field in old Busch. My brother has that ball after a couple of elderly gentlemen gave it to us as kids. Drew even autographed it, and my brother was over the moon, since he was his favorite player. Seemed like a quiet dude.

I still think the best thing he contributed to the Cardinals was getting Adam Wainwright.

I recall that moonshot. Very cool that that ball ended up with your brother. And signed, to boot!!!!

 

[TheDizee]

In addition to having the Dodgers, Padres and Angels on his wish list, Arenado would also be willing to accept a trade to the Phillies, Mets or Red Sox, per a source close to the negotiations.

Why bother trading him if all you are going to get is crumbs. Arenado has left so much to be desired during his career as a redbird.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

In addition to having the Dodgers, Padres and Angels on his wish list, Arenado would also be willing to accept a trade to the Phillies, Mets or Red Sox, per a source close to the negotiations.

Why bother trading him if all you are going to get is crumbs. Arenado has left so much to be desired during his career as a redbird.

Or the Indians or Royal or Cubs or Rays or.....you get the picture. Anywhere but STL.

 

[sbet1998]

The Cardinals have quickly become a sad joke. Lost their TV deal, trading off stars and acting like getting the 5th overall pick is a win.. I dont even need to bring up Mozeliak's horrible decisions that led them to this point..

 

[BrokenFace]

In addition to having the Dodgers, Padres and Angels on his wish list, Arenado would also be willing to accept a trade to the Phillies, Mets or Red Sox, per a source close to the negotiations.

Why bother trading him if all you are going to get is crumbs. Arenado has left so much to be desired during his career as a redbird.

I gotta push back on Arenado not doing well enough as a Cardinal. He mostly came as advertised to me and, even these last 2 years, would have been great if he was on a competitive team. He didn't opt out of his contract when he could have after either of his first two years here because he believed in this organization. He likely would have made more money and definitely would have been on a more competitive team if he had opted out. Not his fault this organization has been terrible at trading (outside of the Arenado and Goldy trades), drafting/developing, and free agency for the better part of a decade now.

I'm mostly pushing back because I've not been impressed by the Arenado slander I've been hearing from STL media these last couple of weeks. That's something other cities do that ours shouldn't. The guy should be pissed that he was convinced to stay by this front office telling him they'd be competitive, only for them to drop the ball year after year. His last 2 seasons were disappointing, but he could have been NL MVP either of those seasons and we wouldn't have been close to being contenders anyway.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

The Cardinals have quickly become a sad joke. Lost their TV deal, trading off stars and acting like getting the 5th overall pick is a win.. I dont even need to bring up Mozeliak's horrible decisions that led them to this point..

I mostly agree with you, but trading off stars who are aging while they still have SOME value is a good move. And picking 5th instead of 14th or whatever it was is very much a win.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate the state we’re in too, but they’re at least (finally) trying to fix it.

 

[Mike Liut]

In addition to having the Dodgers, Padres and Angels on his wish list, Arenado would also be willing to accept a trade to the Phillies, Mets or Red Sox, per a source close to the negotiations.

Why bother trading him if all you are going to get is crumbs. Arenado has left so much to be desired during his career as a redbird.

I’d give him away for free just to get out of his contract.

 

[Memento]

The Cardinals have quickly become a sad joke. Lost their TV deal, trading off stars and acting like getting the 5th overall pick is a win.. I dont even need to bring up Mozeliak's horrible decisions that led them to this point..

Better the fifth overall pick in a strong draft than the fourteenth or later.

Believe me, I haven't been happy with their direction in some time, and I've been vocal about it. But at least they're trying to fix their mistakes now, and at least Mozeliak will not be at the helm. This is Chaim Bloom's team.

On a minor note, we passed on selecting a prospect for the Rule 5 draft. A little shocking and a bit disappointing, given that we had thirty-eight players on our forty-man roster.

 

[Mike Liut]

Better the fifth overall pick in a strong draft than the fourteenth or later.

Believe me, I haven't been happy with their direction in some time, and I've been vocal about it. But at least they're trying to fix their mistakes now, and at least Mozeliak will not be at the helm. This is Chaim Bloom's team.

On a minor note, we passed on selecting a prospect for the Rule 5 draft. A little shocking and a bit disappointing, given that we had thirty-eight players on our forty-man roster.

Is 2025 considered a strong draft?

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]