Cardinals fans- Oscar Taveras is about to be brought up

[Todd4State]

I'm hearing that Matt Adams might go on the DL, which means Craig to first and Taveras to RF. There is also some speculation that this is being done because they are about to play some games against some American League teams too.

I just saw Memphis play about a week ago and then I saw the Cardinals and Yankees play. I was very impressed with both Grichuk and Taveras- both are absolute beasts. I really wanted to see if Taveras could handle playing CF, but he was playing RF the time I saw him.

I think the Cardinals need an impact bat- another guy that can hit .300 and hit 20 home runs. Taveras has that kind of potential- but is he ready? My hope is that he is. And I hope he is ready enough to stick so that they won't have to send him back to Memphis like they did with Wong and Grichuk. But it will be interesting to see how they work in Craig, Adams, Taveras, Grichuk, and Jay. Shane Robinson has already been sent down to accommodate Grichuk. So, I have to wonder who would be sent down if Taveras sticks? Maybe release Mark Ellis since Daniel Descalso can play three infield postions and if someone gets hurt, Greg Garcia can come up? Maybe Bourjos is the odd man out with all of the outfielders? Jay is hitting pretty well and is playing too well for me to warrant wanting to get rid of him.

Here's what I would do, or like to see:

SP- Wainwright
SP- Wacha
SP- Lynn
SP- Garcia
SP- Kelly

Bullpen- Miller, Maness, Choate, Neshek, Siegriest, Carlos Martinez, Motte, and Rosenthal.

C- Molina, Cruz and hopefully Ed Easley in September when the rosters expand.

1B- Adams
2B- Wong
3B- Carpenter
SS- Peralta

LF- Holliday
CF- Taveras- IF he can play CF, which is a question mark right now.
RF- Craig
Fourth OF- Grichuk

Bench- Jay and Descalso

That looks like a pretty good lineup once everyone gets healthy. I could see Choate getting released if they want another infielder on the roster- which I hate because Choate is good at what he does despite his stats this year.

[Lloyd Christmas]

About time. My dad has watched him play some in Memphis and said he doesn't have much sense on the base paths and does some dumb stuff on defense but that he still has a hell of a stick.

[DudyDawg]

That excites me, although I don't like seeing Adams to DL. But as far as bringing him up then back down, it seemed to do ok with Kolten Wong. He's still raw but hitting close to 275 I believe. So I think if we have to do the same thing w Tavares, it has proven not to hurt them too much, right? At least in Wong's case

[DudyDawg]

Considering he's likely coming in to be a filler to help w injuries (while getting him some Mlb experience). I don't expect him to come up and play like the kid for the Astros, obviously, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if he's only up for a short time and goes down again.

[Dawg61]

Guess the GM said fu*k it when the Giants were up 9-0. That's when the news broke. Haha love it when GMs go rage mode. Mets guy did it big time earlier in the week.

[Todd4State]

About time. My dad has watched him play some in Memphis and said he doesn't have much sense on the base paths and does some dumb stuff on defense but that he still has a hell of a stick.

I've only seen him play that one time, and he didn't do anything too dumb. But I do think he is a work in progress on some aspects of his game more than likely.

[Todd4State]

That excites me, although I don't like seeing Adams to DL. But as far as bringing him up then back down, it seemed to do ok with Kolten Wong. He's still raw but hitting close to 275 I believe. So I think if we have to do the same thing w Tavares, it has proven not to hurt them too much, right? At least in Wong's case

If he has to go back down, that's fine. But I'm hoping he stays because that means that he is tearing it up and is playing too well to be sent back down.

Wong was bad early in the year, and then he got sent down and fixed some things and now he is hitting pretty well. That .275 includes his slow start.

[DudyDawg]

I know what you mean, and I'm not saying I want him to be sent down or anything cause that only means someone is either hurt or not performing at a major league level, just saying that it is likely that he would see minors again and that doesn't worry me at all

[Todd4State]

Guess the GM said fu*k it when the Giants were up 9-0. That's when the news broke. Haha love it when GMs go rage mode. Mets guy did it big time earlier in the week.

As a fan I'll say this- there were times when I was watching the Cardinals play and Bourjos would come up to bat and the thought- "gee I it sure would be nice if that was Taveras at bat" crossed my mind pretty much every time he came up.

I think Mozaliak is at times too cautious with players in the minors. He probably should have brought Taveras up early last year and with hindsight and revisionist theory if he's not in Memphis maybe he doesn't hurt his ankle and then maybe he has an impact on the World Series. Mo also tends to want to sit on all the talent and not move any of it to make the team better at times. Fan perspective. It's probably better to have a conservative GM rather than an impulsive GM. But with the talent that the Cardinals have and the glut of pitching and outfield talent- they should not have had a SS like Pete Kozma last year. I think he has a major fear of being burned on a deal.

I do want to see some moves at the trade deadline- I'm just not exactly sure what I want as a fan just yet. Either an impact power hitter or an elite front line starter are at the top of my wish list. I'm not sure if I will get what I want or not though.

[Irondawg]

I still don't understand teh Bourjos deal - Jay was a fine stopgap to me and has proven to be a capable ML bat and then your AAA roster was loaded with OF's. They've got a glut of guys so I have to think that if Garcia's shoulder goes down and lynn does his typical 2nd half fade that they may make a move for a SP.

And what is up with Carlos Martinez? He's been terrible out of the pen.

[DudyDawg]

See what you're saying there as well, Todd, but the cards are just one of those few franchises in any sport that is low risk, high reward. So it's hard to question the front office of a team like that, even though the fan inside wants to see a guy like Tavares coming up earlier. One of the few teams you can trust to make the smart decision constantly, from things like paying Albert a huge amount or not, or bringing people up. They just seem to get it right more often than not

[Todd4State]

I still don't understand teh Bourjos deal - Jay was a fine stopgap to me and has proven to be a capable ML bat and then your AAA roster was loaded with OF's. They've got a glut of guys so I have to think that if Garcia's shoulder goes down and lynn does his typical 2nd half fade that they may make a move for a SP.

And what is up with Carlos Martinez? He's been terrible out of the pen.

Jay was lost at times in the playoffs and hit very poorly. Freese wasn't getting the job done either despite the fact he was a local favorite. They wanted Bourjos because he allegedly could hit LH pitching better and I don't think they anticipated Jay improving- that or they hoped it would motivate him to improve which it appears that is has.

Basically, the Cardinals decided that they would rather go with Wong, Carpenter and Bourjos as opposed to Carpenter, Freese and Jay. They've ended up with Wong, Carpenter, and Jay. Grichuck was what I think might end up tipping the deal in the Cardinals favor.

Carlos is young. He's still learning how to pitch. And he might be disappointed that he is not starting despite dominating in the Dominican Winter League as a starter and doing well in spring training. Carlos cutting off a ball instead of backing up home plate cost the Cardinals the game last night. That's inexperience and lack of focus.

[Todd4State]

See what you're saying there as well, Todd, but the cards are just one of those few franchises in any sport that is low risk, high reward. So it's hard to question the front office of a team like that, even though the fan inside wants to see a guy like Tavares coming up earlier. One of the few teams you can trust to make the smart decision constantly, from things like paying Albert a huge amount or not, or bringing people up. They just seem to get it right more often than not

True. It is what it is. The Cardinals don't get burned a whole lot when they do make a deal. And they've set themselves up to be competitive for the forseeable future.

They have a system and it clearly is successful. I'm excited to see what they draft in a couple of weeks.

[DudyDawg]

True. It is what it is. The Cardinals don't get burned a whole lot when they do make a deal. And they've set themselves up to be competitive for the forseeable future.

They have a system and it clearly is successful. I'm excited to see what they draft in a couple of weeks.

Lingo in the first round to be their set up man. One can dream

[Dawg61]

Bourjos is an elite defender. The deal with him has always been can he hit enough to warrant playing him. Terrific CF though.

[Todd4State]

Lingo in the first round to be their set up man. One can dream

He might make sense with their 34th pick assuming the guy from UNLV is gone. They'll probably go after another college pitcher with their 28th pick and maybe gamble a little bit on a high school kid with the 34th pick if I had to guess.

[Todd4State]

Bourjos is an elite defender. The deal with him has always been can he hit enough to warrant playing him. Terrific CF though.

True. And he can run well and is also a good bunter.