Storyline: The St. Louis Cardinals have some of the best veterans in baseball. But, this year, the Cardinals have talented rookies who are looking to take veterans’ spots.
Courtesy: CBSSports.com
Cardinals’ manager Mike Matheny finds himself in quite a dilemma this MLB season. His rookies that have a ton of potential. Now that may seem like a good thing, but Matheny must choose between young talent with potential and older, well-established veteran players.
The Cardinals have veterans considered to be some of the best in baseball, such as Matt Holliday and Jhonny Peralta. But, this year, the Cardinals have talented rookies who are looking to take veterans’ spots.
Díaz looking to Pass Peralta, Tejada
Jhonny Peralta is coming off a proficient season last year. He batted .275 and drove in 71 runs in his second season in St. Louis. However Peralta tore a ligament in his thumb during spring training and is not expected to be back on the field until mid-June at the earliest.
The Cardinals picked up former Mets shortstop, Ruben Tejada, to fill the void. However, the injury bug hit Matheny and the Cardinals again: Tejada played for just a brief stint in Jupiter before straining his quads. Tejada is now serving a rebab stint in Double-A Springfield. It’s unknown when he’ll fully recover. So it wasn’t looking good for the defending NL Central champs at shortstop.
Courtesy: cardsblog.com
Enter Aledmys Díaz. He’s definitely a guy who has paid his dues. Díaz played 5 years in Cuba before defecting to the United States in 2012. After being picked up by St. Louis in 2014, he made it all the way through the Cardinals’ minor league system—Palm Beach, Springfield, and Memphis—before making his MLB debut on April 5 against the Pirates.
Díaz got a base hit in his first MLB at-bat. Three days after that, he hit his first major league HR. He has continued the trend, too. The 25-year-old is batting above .400 with two homers and eight RBIs in the young season.
Peralta was projected to be one of the Cards’ leaders this season, and Tejada was signed to replace Peralta. In fact, Tejada’s signing sent Díaz back down to Triple-A Memphis. So will Perlata and Tejada still have a job later on this year? Or has Díaz turned the tables?
Spectacular Rookies in the Outfield = Trouble for Matt Holliday
With the departure this off-season of fellow veteran players Peter Bourjos and Jon Jay, Matt Holliday finds himself competing with a number of rookies for his starting position.
First, there’s Stephen Piscotty, the outfielder/first baseman who made his much anticipated debut in late July of last year. He has been a solid contributor ever since. Then, there’s Randal Grichuk, who was forced into a starter role due to Jon Jay’s injuries last season. But Grichuk would do anything but disappoint with a proficient BA of .276 in ‘15.
Courtesy: gettyimage.com
But the main story so far this season has been center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker. After working his way through the Cardinals’ farm system, Hazelbaker started on a hot streak when he doubled in his first MLB at-bat. He hasn’t looked back. The rookie has already accounted for 14 Cardinals’ runs this year.
The rookies not only have better range and speed in the outfield than the aging Holliday, but they’re also getting on base more. Most of the rookies are batting .300 or above while Holliday is currently batting just .225. Can Holliday step it up? Or will this wave of talented rookies force the 36-year-old to become a utility player?
Is Waino’s Career in Decline?
Adam Wainwright has been spectacular ever since he made his MLB debut for the Cardinals back in 2005. Starting out as a relief pitcher he was the closer for the Cardinals in the clinching games of the NLCS and World Series in 2006. After that performance, he was promoted to starter—one of the best moves made by former manager Tony La Russa during his time in St. Louis.
Wainwright continued his winning ways with a blazing fastball and amazing curveball until he suffered an elbow injury that sidelined him for the entire 2011 season. He had a poor 2012, too, before finally making a comeback in the 2013 season.
After Tommy John surgery Wainwright couldn’t throw the same fastball, but his movement has enabled a comeback. He’s pitching at the same, elite level he was before the injury.
Adam Wainwright (photo, zimbio.com)
However, Wainwright has been far from spectacular this year. The 34-year-old is 0-2, and he’s coming off one of the worst outings of his career—giving up 10 hits and 7 earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched in a loss to the Reds this past Saturday.
The Cardinals have a variety of younger pitchers who aren’t considered rookies anymore, but they’re still quite younger than Wainwright. They include Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha, Lance Lynn, and Jamie Garcia, who nearly pitched a no-hitter in his last outing. The Cardinals also acquired former starting Reds’ pitcher, Mike Leake, in the offseason. The 28-year-old now finds himself in the bullpen rather than in the starting rotation.
Wainwright claims on Twitter that his outing versus the Reds was a fluke. But is it possible that Wainwright has reached the decline of his career? If so, Leake may get the starting nod sometime later this season and Wainwright may be downgraded to his old role as reliever.
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The thing about the farm system is that it gives teams a chance to replenish the team. So can the Cards’ veterans step it up? Or will St. Louis have a new, younger identity this MLB season?
Time will tell.
