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2020 Stl Cardinals thread of....who knows?

pops

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 46470

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I'd start a Yadier Molina thread, but the usual suspects would just flip their lid and scream about 2011, so fuck it.

Nice Bernie article about Yadi retiring after 2022 . . . easy top 5 of my all-time favorite Cardinals:

Bernie Miklasz

Spoiler

Yadier Molina, Cardinal For Life. The Way It Should Be.

Aug 25, 2021

This is the way it used to be.

This is how it should be done.

This is an old-time baseball career.

An illustrious old-time baseball career in the sport’s present-day platform.

A forever partnership and relationship.

You play 19 seasons for the same team. You never had the desire to play anywhere else. What would be the reason? You could have chased more money, but what’s the point?

You play with distinction and make baseball history with the only team that you’ve ever loved, and in a town that you love. And it is a town and a team that loves you back — abundantly, unconditionally.

You lead your franchise to 11 postseasons, two World Series championships, four NL pennants, eight appearances in the NLCS, and MLB’s third-best winning percentage over your first 18 years.

You’re a 10-time All-Star who has won nine Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and the Roberto Clemente award. You are 39, and still feared by opponents and revered by your teammates.

You have set the standard for catching excellence, competitiveness, and leadership. You have handled dozens and dozens of pitchers and called thousands and thousands of pitches for a franchise that has MLB’s second-best ERA during your time as the brain behind the plate.

You have denied or dissuaded stolen bases with a revolver for an arm. But you have never stolen a paycheck. No, sir. Never. You have played baseball’s toughest, most punishing position and defeated pain and agony. The jabs of foul tips have stung or shaken you more times than you can count. And yet — and yet! — you fight to stay in the lineup, even when everything hurts. And when the weariness runs deep, you are at home in bed after games, working the iPad and looking at video to put together scouting reports on the hitters that will soon play against your team.

And when baseball people praised your defense but added that you’d never be a good hitter, you took the challenge and will end your career listed among the all-time leaders in important offensive categories for your team.

You are Yadier Molina.

Cardinal For Life.

Thank you.

“It will be my final season,” Molina confirmed during a Zoom video session with the media. “It will be my final season. That’s what I wanted to do … It’s going to be my last year. I want to finish here in this great organization.”

He’s the greatest and most indestructible catcher in franchise history.  One of the greatest catchers in major-league history. A future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and a future luminous presence in the Cardinals Hall of Fame.

In 2022 Molina will go out the best way: by being a Cardinal from beginning to end, for nearly two decades, and becoming one of the true legends at his position while repping STL. He’ll have a type of career that is all but impossible to achieve at a time in MLB when players hop teams — and front offices shuffle rosters in a way that lessen costs by replacing higher-salaried veterans.

Molina will go out by having a final, fabulous opportunity to show his appreciation for the Cardinals and their fans, and let everyone hug him back. He will be celebrated in every ballpark the Cardinals visit in 2022. They may boo him in Cincinnati, but that will come out of respect from years of fierce and entertaining baseball battles.

Molina’s catcher’s gear should be on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame. It should be on display at the Smithsonian. It should be studied by archaeologists. It should be examined by scientists.

I say that as a tribute to his high-quality endurance. Molina ranks near the top of MLB’s all-time leaders in games caught (4th) and games started (2,015.) He is fifth in most innings caught (17,450 and ⅔ ) and 10th in caught-stealing percentage (40.5%).

He is fifth in MLB history for defensive Wins Above Replacement (WAR) for catchers, and second in WAR runs fielding for catchers.

Molina is one of two men in MLB history — Johnny Bench is the other — that have caught 2,000 or more games for one franchise.

And the young catcher who couldn’t hit threw out that talk the way he throws out runners who dare to steal a base on him.

In franchise history Molina ranks fourth in hits (2,090) and soon will be third. He’s fourth in singles, fourth in doubles, seventh in RBI, seventh in total bases, 10th in extra-base hits, 10th in homers. When you look at these historical rankings, Molina’s name is hanging out in the company of Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Ken Boyer, Ted Simmons, Enos Slaughter, Sunny Jim Bottomley, and other heralded hitters.

It’s been a remarkable career.

This achievement doesn’t get talked about as much as it should: while it is more commonly pointed out that Molina has played in more postseason games than any player in National League history — there is usually a failure to include Molina’s distinction of playing in more postseason wins (52) than any player in NL history. He also has the most postseason hits (101) and doubles (19) by an NL-only player.

Defender.

Handler.

Leader.

Winner.

Yadier Molina.

“When you watch them play a long and distinguished and Hall of Fame career with the organization, to have someone to want to stay and be a part of something from Day 1 to where their career ends is just remarkable in this day and age,” Cardinals president of baseball ops John Mozeliak said via Zoom conference. “Anybody who was sitting on my side of the table realized here you have this treasure, this person who has been iconic for an organization, and what am I supposed to do – fight over money? … The man has earned a lot of respect.”

Molina’s age, 39, has led to some erosion in his defensive skill — especially the movement behind the plate in framing and blocking pitches. And except for his consistently superb touch in coming through with RBI hits when runners are in scoring position, Molina has been a below-average hitter overall (based on adjusted OPS) in four of the last five seasons.

But there’s no need to sweat or fret over this now — just like it was silly to moan about Derek Jeter’s faded offense and defense during his final two seasons with the Yankees. Some players — very few players — transcend the usual methods for parsing statistics.

There have been many great players. But fewer all-time great players. And even fewer all-time great players that have extensive and successful careers with one team, in one town. Molina is to the St. Louis Cardinals what Derek Jeter was to the New York Yankees.

Molina remains a treasure, valued by his team and his teammates and the fans that savor watching one of the inner-circle preeminent Cardinals competing for them.

The Cardinals won’t be paying Molina $10 million next season to take a bow.

They’ll be paying him because he still shuts down a running game and bats well over .300 with men in scoring position. They’ll be paying him because he still makes his team better. The Cardinals will pay him because love and respect and impact can’t be measured by a price or advanced metrics.

And the Cards will be paying Molina because he’s one of the most prolific winners that this classic, historically profound team has employed in its 100-plus seasons. These attributes still endure for the iconic Yadier Molina, Cardinal For Life.

Thanks for reading …

–Bernie

 

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pops

pops 7044

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Interesting way the schedule is shaping up. Milwaukee will have probably clinched by the time the first series starts with them next week (officially anyway) and while the cubs are always hard to beat,  they are horrible. 

Win the series in SD this weekend and who knows. 

I feel a helluva lot better without Reyes closing,  I know that. And if we really make a run we could have Flaherty and Hudson for the playoffs. 

 

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pops

pops 7044

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2 hours ago, You don't know me said:

If they do hold onto the second wildcard spot, I fully expect Mo to use that as his reasoning for not making one big move in the off season. "We're already a really good team.  We just need for our current players to stay healthy."

Adolis Garcia

Randy Arozarena

Kolton Wong

That's enough for me to see mo go, regardless of what happens this year. 

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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 54837

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After losing to the Braves on Aug. 5, the Cardinals were eight games out in the race for the second National League Wild Card spot and had just a 1.5% chance of reaching the postseason, according to FanGraphs’ playoff odds. Six weeks later, St. Louis’ odds are up to 41.5% and the Redbirds are the favorites to win the second NL Wild Card.

With their three-game sweep of the Mets at Citi Field the past three days, the Cardinals have won five straight and are 23-14 dating back to Aug. 6.

Here’s how St. Louis has been able to turn its season around and get back in the postseason race.

1) Adam Wainwright has turned back the clock

Jack Flaherty is the Cardinals’ ace, but injuries have limited him to all of three starts since the end of May. Stepping up to fill the void has been Wainwright, who turned 40 on Aug. 30 and is in his 16th MLB season.

Flaherty went on the injured list with a strained oblique on June 1. Since then, Wainwright has gone 13-3 with a 2.27 ERA over 130 2/3 innings spanning 19 starts, including two complete games. The Cardinals have gone 15-4 in those starts.

He’s been especially impressive over his past 11 starts, notching a 1.72 ERA and averaging seven innings per outing. St. Louis lost just one of those 11 games.

Wainwright's resurgence in 2021
Sep 14, 2021 · 5:02
Wainwright's resurgence in 2021
This isn’t unfamiliar territory for Wainwright, who was one of the game’s best pitchers from 2009-14, a span in which he averaged 18 wins and 226 innings per year (excluding 2011, which he missed following Tommy John surgery) while posting a 2.83 ERA (135 ERA+).

However, that doesn’t make his run any less surprising. Even when factoring in his 3.15 ERA during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the veteran right-hander entered this year with a 4.43 mark (93 ERA+) since the beginning of ‘16, so it appeared his days as an ace were well in the past.

2) Paul Goldschmidt is hitting like an MVP

Wainwright's outstanding stretch on the mound has coincided with a similar resurgence at the plate for St. Louis' first baseman.

In his third season with the Cards, Goldschmidt had a .247/.315/.405 slash line with 11 homers over his first 78 games, though a look below the surface reveals the veteran was more unlucky than anything else.

Through June 29, Goldschmidt was tied with the Astros’ Kyle Tucker for the most outs (68) on hard-hit balls (95+ exit velocity) in MLB. The 104-point gap between his .405 slugging percentage and .509 expected SLG -- based on quality of contact and strikeouts -- was the largest number in the Majors as well (min. 200 plate appearances).

Since June 30, Goldschmidt’s xSLG is .590. His actual slugging percentage in that span? .596.

Going back to Aug. 6, when the Cardinals really ramped up their postseason push, Goldschmidt has hit .343 with nine homers, 12 doubles, 27 RBIs and a 1.070 OPS in 36 games.

Paul Goldschmidt's solo home run
Sep 15, 2021 · 0:19
Paul Goldschmidt's solo home run
Goldschmidt’s counterpart across the diamond, third baseman Nolan Arenado, also has done his part to spark St. Louis’ turnaround. While Arenado’s slash stats aren’t as impressive as Goldschmidt’s, the third baseman has produced 11 homers and 33 RBIs since Aug. 6. Five of his homers in that span have either tied the game or put the Cardinals into the lead.

3) Tyler O'Neill continues to shine

Somewhat quietly, O’Neill has been one of the best all-around players in the Majors this season, as evidenced by his percentile ranks in these key categories.

Hard-hit rate: 96th percentile
Barrel rate: 95th
xSLG: 95th
Sprint speed: 98th
Outs above average: 81st

The 26-year-old left fielder has rebounded from his worst month of the season (.669 OPS in July) with two of his best, recording a .917 OPS in August and starting off September with a 1.054 OPS across 15 games.

O’Neill has five homers this month, including a pair of decisive blasts -- one in the fifth and one in the eighth -- against the Dodgers on Sept. 8 and Sept. 9, and a go-ahead shot in the eighth inning against the Mets on Tuesday.

O'Neill's go-ahead two-run homer
Sep 14, 2021 · 0:51
O'Neill's go-ahead two-run homer
4) Their defense is a difference-maker

Of course you know all about the defensive prowess of Arenado and catcher Yadier Molina, who have combined for 17 Gold Glove Awards, but they are far from the only defensive studs on the Cardinals’ roster.

St. Louis leads the Majors with 41 outs above average, and Arenado, Goldschmidt, O’Neill, second baseman Tommy Edman and center fielder Harrison Bader all rank among the OAA leaders at their positions. Edmundo Sosa, who has taken over for Paul DeJong as the Cardinals’ starting shortstop, also has proven to be an above-average fielder.

The 11-4 final score Wednesday against the Mets suggests the game was a blowout, but it would have been a lot closer if right fielder Lars Nootbaar hadn't robbed Pete Alonso of a three-run homer just a few plays after entering the game on a double switch in the bottom of the seventh inning. Alonso's blast would have trimmed the Cards' lead to one if it went over the fence.

Nootbaar's homer-robbing grab
Sep 15, 2021 · 0:24
Nootbaar's homer-robbing grab
The Cardinals’ pitching staff doesn’t miss many bats, with the 28th-highest strikeout rate (20.2%) in MLB, so the team's defense is incredibly important to its success.

No pitcher in the big leagues has benefited more from his defense than Wainwright this season. The Cardinals have produced 22 OAA behind him, the most in the Majors for any hurler by far. The Mariners’ Yusei Kikuchi is second at 10 OAA. Wainwright’s 33-point gap between his actual BA allowed and his xBA is tied for the 10th largest among qualifiers.

St. Louis’ defense has even helped turn veteran left-handers J.A. Happ and Jon Lester into serviceable starters since the Cards acquired both at the Trade Deadline.

Happ
With Twins: 6.77 ERA, 5.41 FIP, .306 BA, .281 xBA
With Cardinals: 4.08 ERA, 5.18 FIP, .243 BA, .260 xBA

Lester
With Nationals: 5.02 ERA, 5.42 FIP, .297 BA, .266 xBA
With Cardinals: 4.14 ERA, 5.39 FIP, .268 BA, .272 xBA

5) Luis García and T.J. McFarland have shored up their bullpen

García and McFarland were both signed by the Cardinals in July after being released by the Yankees and Nationals, respectively. The two have quickly become trusted members of St. Louis’ relief corps, bolstering a bullpen that was shaky for much of the season.

After allowing six runs and getting three outs in his first three appearances with the Cardinals, García has put together 22 straight scoreless appearances while notching nine holds in that stretch. McFarland, meanwhile, has held his opponent scoreless in 21 of his past 22 appearances while also recording nine holds.

Since Aug. 6, the Cardinals have the third-best bullpen ERA (3.06) in MLB. Before that, they ranked 19th with a 4.44 ERA.

T.J. McFarland ends 7th inning
Sep 12, 2021 · 0:15
T.J. McFarland ends 7th inning
6) Their competition has faded

While the Cards certainly have done a lot to help themselves, they’ve also been aided by the struggles of some of their chief competitors.

Each of the four clubs directly behind them in the NL Wild Card standings have posted sub-.500 records since Aug. 6, enabling the Cards to make up a ton of ground in six weeks.

Record since Aug. 6
Cardinals: 23-14
Padres: 13-22
Reds: 17-20
Phillies: 17-19
Mets: 15-23

St. Louis now controls its own destiny, though this race is far from over. The Cardinals have a huge series coming up at Busch Stadium against the Padres, who trail St. Louis by just one game. After that, seven of their final 14 games are against the NL Central-leading Brewers, who have won three of their four series against the Cards this season. St. Louis' other seven games are against the Cubs, who will surely be looking to spoil their rival's postseason chances.

 

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You don't know me

You don't know me 1161

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1982 was such a fun season. We went to at least 20 games that year. My dad would come home from work and pick me up then head to Busch. Never had tickets, so he would just walk up to the ticket window and ask for the best 2 seats together on the 3rd base side. I was in awe watching young Willie McGee do his thing in the outfield, at the plate and running the bases. He was so fun to watch.

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