Health & Fitness
Rob Rains Inside Baseball: 10 Questions Facing the Cardinals in the Second Half
By Rob Rains
The Cardinals arrived at the All-Star break with the best record in the major leagues and a one-game lead over the pesky Pirates in the NL Central.
How good will the second half be? The answer could be determined by the results from the following 10 questions which face GM John Mozeliak and the Cardinals as they enjoy the four-day break, Not surprisingly, many of the questions deal with pitching.
Does the team need to add a starting pitcher from outside the organization?
The trading deadline is less than three weeks away and there are quality veteran starting pitchers available. The question for Mozeliak and the Cardinals is the price, both in terms of talent the organization would have to include in a deal and the salary the club would inherit. The club has been reluctant to part with any of its top prospects, especially for a three-month rental, and it is likely that stance will continue. One of the strengths of the organization, however, is its pitching depth in the minor leagues and if a team was willing to take a couple of lesser prospects, or those a little farther away from the majors, perhaps a deal could be struck.
What can the team realistically expect from Shelby Miller and Lance Lynn in the second half?
If Mozeliak knew the answer to this question, he might be better equipped to answer question number one. If Miller and Lynn can pitch like they did in April and May, the team probably can get by with its internal options in putting a competitive rotation together. If Miller and Lynn continue to struggle as they have in recent starts, the need for outside help likely increases. At least in Miller’s case, the team hopes his 12-day layoff surrounding the All-Star break will give him time to work on refining the fastball command he needs to make his secondary pitches effective. Miller was much sharper in the second half of last season at Triple A, and the Cardinals hope that is the case again, at the big league level, this year.
Lynn is more of a quandary. He has 11 wins, near the tops in the NL, but the total is a little deceiving, just as was the case a year ago. He ran into trouble in the middle of last season too, and finding a way past those struggles this season will be crucial to the Cardinals’ success.
What can the team expect from Chris Carpenter the rest of the season?
Another question which is hard to answer, and which would help the team know what to do about acquiring another starter. Part of the answer to this question will start to come Monday night, when Carpenter makes his first rehab start at Double A Springfield. Pitching on normal rest, Carpenter will be able to make three starts before the trading deadline, which hopefully will give Mozeliak a read on what he can do for the final two months, and perhaps the postseason. Nobody will dispute Carpenter’s toughness and desire, but even he does not know what to expect until he gets on the mound in game situations.
Will Yadier Molina’s sore right knee continue to be a problem the rest of the season?
This is another major unknown. The one thing that is likely to happen is that Molina will get more days off during the second half than he did between April and June. No offense to Tony Cruz, but the organization knows that if Molina goes down for an extended period of time, the chances for the Cardinals’ success goes down significantly as well. Cruz, by playing a couple of times a week, could actually become more of a contributor at the same time that Molina is getting rest.
How will Carlos Beltran’s knees hold up the rest of the season?
Beltran was outstanding in the first half, as he was a year ago, but his performance fell off after the All-Star break last year when he started to wear down physically. There is a much greater opportunity to keep him fresh this year because of the presence of Matt Adams, who can play first with Allen Craig moving to right on days when it makes sense to sit Beltran.
Does the team need to make a deal for a shortstop?
If everybody else is contributing offensively the way they are capable of doing, this team should be able to succeed with Pete Kozma just playing great defense at shortstop. If the team is looking to upgrade the offense, however, one of the first positions to look at is shortstop, where Kozma’s production for the last two months has been next to nothing.
Trying to upgrade this position by acquiring a player in the middle of the year, however, is not likely as there is little available who would be better than the internal options. If Kozma continues to struggle, Daniel Descalso will get the first look, and it would not be a stretch to see Ryan Jackson finally get a callup from Memphis to give him another chance.
Can David Freese contribute more offense in the second half?
The Cardinals certainly hope the answer to this question is yes. Freese was awful in April, was good in May and June, but now is struggling again. He could well be playing for his future the next three months, not just with the Cardinals, but other teams will be looking at him as a possible off-season trade target, knowing the Cardinals have Kolten Wong ready to take over second base next year, with Matt Carpenter available to play third, his natural position.
Will Carpenter be able to match his first-half success?
Carpenter’s performance in the first half was the most pleasant surprise for the Cardinals. They thought he could hit, based on his rookie results last year, but they didn’t know he would be this effective of a leadoff hitter or adapt so well to second base. His performance has given Mozeliak many options as he looks to improve the club, not only before the trading deadline but in the winter, with the decisions about Freese and Wong in part dependent on whether the team wants to move Carpenter to third, and trade Freese, or perhaps include Wong in a blockbuster deal.
Who will become the right-handed threat off the bench?
If Carpenter was the best surprise for the Cardinals, the biggest disappointment was the performance of Ty Wigginton, signed to a two-year deal to be that right-handed threat off the bench. It is likely the team will not carry three catchers as soon as Molina is rested, which will open that roster spot for Brock Peterson, who has been hitting for both power and average at Triple A Memphis.
When, or will, Oscar Taveras arrive in St. Louis?
Before Taveras can even think about moving up to the Cardinals, he has to get and stay healthy. He missed much of the first half at Memphis because of an ankle injury and that has severely hampered his progress, not only offensively but in all phases of his game. The Cardinals believe he could hit now in the majors, just after his 21st birthday, but they want his defense and baserunning skills to improve. What he does at Memphis the next six weeks will determine whether he is a September callup, and whether the Cardinals decide he will be ready in 2014 will factor into the decision about whether to try and re-sign Beltran for next year.
The Cardinals arrived at the All-Star break with the best record in the major leagues and a one-game lead over the pesky Pirates in the NL Central.
How good will the second half be? The answer could be determined by the results from the following 10 questions which face GM John Mozeliak and the Cardinals as they enjoy the four-day break, Not surprisingly, many of the questions deal with pitching.
Does the team need to add a starting pitcher from outside the organization?
The trading deadline is less than three weeks away and there are quality veteran starting pitchers available. The question for Mozeliak and the Cardinals is the price, both in terms of talent the organization would have to include in a deal and the salary the club would inherit. The club has been reluctant to part with any of its top prospects, especially for a three-month rental, and it is likely that stance will continue. One of the strengths of the organization, however, is its pitching depth in the minor leagues and if a team was willing to take a couple of lesser prospects, or those a little farther away from the majors, perhaps a deal could be struck.
What can the team realistically expect from Shelby Miller and Lance Lynn in the second half?
If Mozeliak knew the answer to this question, he might be better equipped to answer question number one. If Miller and Lynn can pitch like they did in April and May, the team probably can get by with its internal options in putting a competitive rotation together. If Miller and Lynn continue to struggle as they have in recent starts, the need for outside help likely increases. At least in Miller’s case, the team hopes his 12-day layoff surrounding the All-Star break will give him time to work on refining the fastball command he needs to make his secondary pitches effective. Miller was much sharper in the second half of last season at Triple A, and the Cardinals hope that is the case again, at the big league level, this year.
Lynn is more of a quandary. He has 11 wins, near the tops in the NL, but the total is a little deceiving, just as was the case a year ago. He ran into trouble in the middle of last season too, and finding a way past those struggles this season will be crucial to the Cardinals’ success.
What can the team expect from Chris Carpenter the rest of the season?
Another question which is hard to answer, and which would help the team know what to do about acquiring another starter. Part of the answer to this question will start to come Monday night, when Carpenter makes his first rehab start at Double A Springfield. Pitching on normal rest, Carpenter will be able to make three starts before the trading deadline, which hopefully will give Mozeliak a read on what he can do for the final two months, and perhaps the postseason. Nobody will dispute Carpenter’s toughness and desire, but even he does not know what to expect until he gets on the mound in game situations.
Will Yadier Molina’s sore right knee continue to be a problem the rest of the season?
This is another major unknown. The one thing that is likely to happen is that Molina will get more days off during the second half than he did between April and June. No offense to Tony Cruz, but the organization knows that if Molina goes down for an extended period of time, the chances for the Cardinals’ success goes down significantly as well. Cruz, by playing a couple of times a week, could actually become more of a contributor at the same time that Molina is getting rest.
How will Carlos Beltran’s knees hold up the rest of the season?
Beltran was outstanding in the first half, as he was a year ago, but his performance fell off after the All-Star break last year when he started to wear down physically. There is a much greater opportunity to keep him fresh this year because of the presence of Matt Adams, who can play first with Allen Craig moving to right on days when it makes sense to sit Beltran.
Does the team need to make a deal for a shortstop?
If everybody else is contributing offensively the way they are capable of doing, this team should be able to succeed with Pete Kozma just playing great defense at shortstop. If the team is looking to upgrade the offense, however, one of the first positions to look at is shortstop, where Kozma’s production for the last two months has been next to nothing.
Trying to upgrade this position by acquiring a player in the middle of the year, however, is not likely as there is little available who would be better than the internal options. If Kozma continues to struggle, Daniel Descalso will get the first look, and it would not be a stretch to see Ryan Jackson finally get a callup from Memphis to give him another chance.
Can David Freese contribute more offense in the second half?
The Cardinals certainly hope the answer to this question is yes. Freese was awful in April, was good in May and June, but now is struggling again. He could well be playing for his future the next three months, not just with the Cardinals, but other teams will be looking at him as a possible off-season trade target, knowing the Cardinals have Kolten Wong ready to take over second base next year, with Matt Carpenter available to play third, his natural position.
Will Carpenter be able to match his first-half success?
Carpenter’s performance in the first half was the most pleasant surprise for the Cardinals. They thought he could hit, based on his rookie results last year, but they didn’t know he would be this effective of a leadoff hitter or adapt so well to second base. His performance has given Mozeliak many options as he looks to improve the club, not only before the trading deadline but in the winter, with the decisions about Freese and Wong in part dependent on whether the team wants to move Carpenter to third, and trade Freese, or perhaps include Wong in a blockbuster deal.
Who will become the right-handed threat off the bench?
If Carpenter was the best surprise for the Cardinals, the biggest disappointment was the performance of Ty Wigginton, signed to a two-year deal to be that right-handed threat off the bench. It is likely the team will not carry three catchers as soon as Molina is rested, which will open that roster spot for Brock Peterson, who has been hitting for both power and average at Triple A Memphis.
When, or will, Oscar Taveras arrive in St. Louis?
Before Taveras can even think about moving up to the Cardinals, he has to get and stay healthy. He missed much of the first half at Memphis because of an ankle injury and that has severely hampered his progress, not only offensively but in all phases of his game. The Cardinals believe he could hit now in the majors, just after his 21st birthday, but they want his defense and baserunning skills to improve. What he does at Memphis the next six weeks will determine whether he is a September callup, and whether the Cardinals decide he will be ready in 2014 will factor into the decision about whether to try and re-sign Beltran for next year.
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