Tag: Matt Adams

First base belongs to Stephen Piscotty

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Let’s just play along in a world where Jason Heyward signs with the St. Louis Cardinals and retains his spot in right field. All signs point to the two sides coming to an agreement sometime this winter. I wouldn’t bet your mortgage on it, but take a leap of faith with me anyway and let’s talk about first base in 2016. For my money, the position belongs to Stephen Piscotty, the Stanford whiz kid who came up and energized what existed of the Cards second half attack.

Piscotty was one of the few Cards to contribute more than a solo home run in the postseason against the Chicago Cubs. He helped put Game 1 away, tried to pull his team back in Game 3, and started off Game 4 right with a two run home run. He was the Cards best hitter from August until the end, so that means you make room for him in 2016. Whether it is in the outfield or at first base, Piscotty will play.

When Heyward returns, he takes over right field. Randal Grichuk, who was challenging Kris Bryant and Joc Pederson for the rookie of the year award before an August elbow injury slowed him down, takes over center field. Matt Holliday enters the final deal of his seven year contract and will play in left field. An offseason of rest should do that 35 year old body good after an i  njury plagued 2015 campaign. Tommy Pham and Jon Jay will anchor the 4th and 5th outfielder spots, giving the starters rest and challenging for more time. Don’t sleep on Pham remaining a mere backup, but he starts 2016 that way if J Hey returns.

That leaves first base to Piscotty and for good reason. I am sorry, but the Matt Adams starter show at first is over and has been for a while. Since the midway point of 2014, Adams has lost his power stroke and become an ordinary hitter. He doesn’t even take the ball to left field anymore or hit for average. This trend was in high gear before he tore his quad in May. Adams was on a tear in the first half of 2014, but after the All Star break, he only slugged .358. In 2015, he slugged .377. Somewhere along the line, Adams lost his big gravy boom stick. When he was slugging, his weak showing against lefties was digestible, but once the power left he became a dry entity. The future is now, and that is Piscotty, who I like call “COTTY” because it’s less characters on Twitter and rolls off the tongue better.

Piscotty is too good to make wait. He hit .305 in 233 at bats and slugged .494 and contributed several big hits down the stretch and in the playoffs. If the Cards want to get better on offense, shoving three guys at a position and seeing who sticks isn’t the right move. If the Cards retain Brandon Moss(same type of hitter as Adams but more flexible in field), there’s no room for Adams. If the plan is to bring Heyward back, there is no room for Adams. He’s a worn out idea in St. Louis and with the decreasing slug and out of time position play, he could be a trade candidate this winter. With Piscotty’s emergence, Adams became expendable.

First base is an important spot to have nailed down heading into 2016 with a beefier more menacing division to deal with and Stephen Piscotty solidifies that position for the Cards moving forward.

What the return of Randal Grichuk means to the Cardinals

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You hear that? The roller coaster is getting put back on the tracks. Ladies and gents, Randal Grichuk has returned after an 18 game absence. Suddenly, from the shadows of doubt, disbelief and an unknown rehab schedule, the Rosenberg, Texas product is stable again. I couldn’t have been more surprised looking down at my phone and seeing the press release. Where was the timetable? The elbow strain that was combustible for weeks but now is back in session. What does Grichuk mean to this team when healthy? Randal’s impact to this Cardinals’ lineup when healthy is comparable to a new ride opening at Six Flags. Just watch and admire.

Randal ExperienceAnother smoking gun waiting for his chance in what is expected to be a closely contested game at Busch Stadium. He is one of the few players on this team that can’t make the starting lineup yet still linger just as deadly. Clint Hurdle will be thinking about Grichuk the entire night. That’s the Grichuk effect in a nutshell. An oncoming storm that you must prepare for in advance. The kid can fail to get the sweet spot of the barrel on the ball and still hit out to right center field for a home run. That’s how good he is.

What was he doing before his elbow barked on August 16th? Have you seen the movie, Action Jackson?!!!? Grichuk was among the top rookies in baseball with 15 home runs, 44 RBI, and a .561 slugging percentage. In 289 at bats, Grichuk had an unreal 43 extra base hits. With a full slate of 550 at bats, Grichuk would end up with 75-80 extra base hits. He’s a special kind of lethal.

The drawbacks aren’t hard to recognize. His 97 strikeouts in the same low number of at bats(34 percent) signal a kid still getting to know the strike zone. A student with a few credit hours to go before he graduates from the Sombrero watch. It’s also important to remember the ripe young age of Grichuk(24 years old). With only 399 at bats to date, Grichuk has plenty of time to cut down on the strikeouts but here’s the fun part. The explosive bat will not go away any time soon. He’s learning to take outside heaters to right field and lay at least one slider per four sent to the plate. If this is a learning curve, what does the finished product look like next year?

Matt Holliday and Matt Adams are also expected back this month, but Grichuk’s bat brings the most excitement. The Cardinals have plenty of on base specialists. They need the cannon inserted into the middle of the sparklers to ignite everything. That’s Grichuk in a nutshell. Ignition.

What’s my lineup when Grichuk is ready? Matt Carpenter, Stephen Piscotty, Jhonny Peralta, Jason Heyward, Randal Grichuk, Yadier Molina, Matt Adams, and Kolten Wong. That’s a layered explosive device that will be set off at Busch before the homestand is over.

The Cardinals offense has found its way in the past two weeks but could use a boost. Now with Grichuk back, the run production should only increase. Sitting with 92 wins, the best team in baseball is only going to get stronger in the next few weeks. How hard it must be to witness from the outside of The Lou?

The appeal of Grichuk is universal and even appeals to the casual baseball fan, like my wife. When I asked her where Grichuk should hit, her response was simple. “4th because he’s hot and he can clean up.” Unlike most Cardinals who people have a hard time remembering, Randal Grichuk isn’t easy to forget. He may strike out, hit a 410 foot home run or whiz a single past the pitcher’s ear. All in one night. He’s an experience.

And that experience has returned.

Have a good night and thanks for stopping by.

-@buffa82

Which returning Cardinal makes the biggest impact?

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As August ages into its final stretch, I wanted to look at the fleet of returning Cardinals and the impact they could have on the team. Most of the injured squad are hitters and that is something the team sorely needs as the page is turned onto the final few weeks of the season. As the Cardinals sit with a 5 game lead on the Pittsburgh Pirates, any help to an ailing lineup is welcome. Who is coming back and what can they offer?

Matt Adams

Rescue at first! The big guy headed to Florida Thursday for extended baseball activities and could be back in very early September. Adams’ effect is vital due to the inconsistent and quite missing production from first base. Brandon Moss hasn’t taken off, Mark Reynolds has showed a little more life and the Memphis duo of Xavier Scruggs and Dan Johnson provided little pop. Adams, if healthy, could charge this lineup up at a weak spot.

Matt Holliday

Lineup stability! When Holliday goes into the lineup, he offers stability in a number of ways. He is also an on base machine who takes a good bat, stings line drives and is clutch. Holliday’s versatile hitting attack and veteran presence would be a big boost. He could back in mid the 2nd or 3rd week of September.

Jon Jay

Versatility! When healthy, Jay offers Mike Matheny a number of things, including starting all three outfield spots, on base percentage and a steady diet of hits. Jay’s wrist has deflated all of his tools in 2015, so if he is healthy, Jay can ignite this team up and down the order. Keep in mind his career stats, including a .289 batting average and .356 on base percentage. With Jay and Holliday, you get ON BASE beasts. Jay could be extending his activities more this week.

Randal Grichuk

Stand by! He’s on shut down mode right now with elbow soreness and swelling. He can’t do much until the swelling goes away so while it’s only a 15 days disabled list stint listed, I see Grichuk needing more time. Elbow’s are tricky. He could be a mid September lineup guy.

Adam Wainwright

Health concerns abound here! As I noted in a column this week, expecting Waino back this year is a little foolish. He simply doesn’t have the time to get ready. He needs major league starts. He is recovering from a tricky injury, with the Achilles heel. Why rush that when deciding who doesn’t make a playoff start of your current 5 is hard enough? Cancel Waino out for 2015.

Jordan Walden

Unlikely! With the acquisitions of Steve Cischek and Jonathan Broxton, General Manager John Mozeliak was sounding the alarm that Walden and Matt Belisle were not coming back anytime soon. I would be surprised if I saw Walden on a postseason roster much less in September. He’s not throwing right now. See him in 2016.

 

That’s it. The Cards start play in San Diego Friday night with a 77-43 record, the best in baseball. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any leaks in the tank. Returning Cardinals could play a huge role these last 6 weeks.

2013 St. Louis Cardinals: Top 5 Stories

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There comes that time of the year where you need to look back on a season and count the topical story lines that resonated with you.   Big or small, personal or professional, it is one’s job to put their own spin on a story and how it surprised them or brought them closer to the sport.   This season, the St. Louis Cardinals made it to the World Series and came within 2 wins of their 12th World Championship.

This is a season where we saw unlikely players turn into star performers.  Before the new year came into focus, the Cards were hoping on Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia to be key starters, for Jason Motte to be their closer and for Rafael Furcal to make a miraculous comeback from an elbow injury to play shortstop.   In short, that didn’t happen.  None of that happened.  With the exception of Garcia making a few starts, those players ended up contributing nothing.   This is where miracle workers came into play.

Nearly two months after the sting of that near victorious run ended, I look back at the top 5 stories, in no particular order, from 2013.

1.)The Emergence of Matt Carpenter

With Furcal gone, Matt Carpenter turned in one of the most historically prominent seasons by a second baseman, made all the more legendary with it coming from a first time lead off man and second baseman.   Carpenter ranked in the top 5 in the league in hits, doubles, on base percentage, and runs scored.  With his 55 doubles, 199 hits and 126 runs scored, Carpenter did more fill a role and spot in the lineup.  He took ownership of it.  Before the season, Carpenter had been a fine bench player in 2012 but no one expected him to become the league wide threat he was in 2013.  This is another great find, sign and put to use piece of talent by the Cardinals coaches and front office.  While incoming talent like Kolten Wong and Peter Bourjos might make fine leadoff men, it will be hard to push Carpenter from that spot in 2014.

2.)Edward Mujica Rescues the Closer Role

Sure he flamed out in September, but let’s not forget what Edward Mujica did for the Cardinals.   When the fire alarm sounded in April with Motte’s Tommy John Surgery and Mitchell Boggs’ implosion, the Cards had a serious problem.   They didn’t have a closer and saw limited options in house.  Instead of making a desperate premature move on the market, the Cards looked to a guy they signed to be their 7th inning guy in 2012 and had never closed before.   All Eddie did was convert 37 of 41 saves while only walking 5 hitters in 64.2 innings.   Sure, he wasn’t as effective in September when a few injuries and harder contact from the hitters doomed his season and saw a change happen in the final week of the season.  However, far too many Cards fans forget to mention what this guy did for the team in a dire time.  While Trevor Rosenthal was the imminent revelation, what Mujica did took everyone by surprise.   All hail the Chief and good luck to him in Cleveland.

3.)Waino Finds His Way Back

After a tumultuous return from Tommy John Surgery in 2012, where he went 14-13 with a 3.94 ERA and was inconsistent, the staff ace found his way back to the circle of domination in 2013.  He went 19-9, made 34 starts, pitched 241. innings(not including the playoffs) and tallied 5 complete games with 2 shutouts.   He returned to being the dynamic rotation horse we have come to know him as.  After signing a huge contract extension, Waino didn’t cool off and become ordinary.  He went back to being extraordinary for a St. Louis Cardinals team that lost two prominent starters before the All Star Break.   After a rough early September start against the Reds, Waino finished the final month 4-0 with a 2.15 ERA.  In 2013, the Cards got their ace back.

4.)Michael Wacha and Matt Adams Became Real Deals

These two players turned into big time contributors in a time of need in 2013 and provided only a sample size of the rookie renaissance that happened with this team.  Wacha came up for the second time in late August and entered the rotation for good in September.   What Wacha did will never be forgotten.  His brilliance lies in the ability he showed to shut down good team more than once in such a short period of time.  His work against the Pirates and Dodgers in the playoffs, which followed a near no hitter against Washington in September, is why people are calling him the hybrid of Waino and Chris Carpenter.  Wacha, who was selected with the pick from the Angels in exchange for their signing of Albert, went from big potential to the real deal in less than a season.  Expect big things from him in 2014 and beyond.

Adams took over at first base for an injured Allen Craig in early September after providing bench pop and gave the lineup a real boost.   Adams took flight in the same game he relieved Craig, on September 4th in Cincinnati.  He launched a pair of 2 run home runs, each in extra innings and the second of which won the game in the 16th frame.  In 296 at bats in 2013, Adams hit 17 home runs and drove in 56 with a slugging percentage of .503.   He also proved to be quite nimble at first base.  With him in line for starting time come 2014, Adams gives the Cards potentially one of the best RH-LH combos at a position in a long time.  However it pans out, Matt Adams became a legit threat in 2013 after teasing us mildly in 2012.

5.)Thank You Carlos Beltran

When he was signed in the winter of 2011(or mere days after Albert signed with LA), Cardinal fans didn’t know what to expect out of Beltran.   Sure, he was the former Houston Astros outfielder who torched us in 2004-05 with big hits but this guy looked like he was breaking down and the chances of him staying healthy were sketchy at best.   What happened was too good of a story to believe at first glance, as Beltran ripped 56 home runs, drove in 181 runners, and hit .282 over the two seasons.  Most importantly, he played in 296 of a possible 324 games.  He answered the call of duty and then some in his time in St. Louis.   In the playoffs in each season, Beltran was the Cards top hitter.  While he had months where he slumped, Beltran always came back with a vengeance and gave the Cards one of the most feared arms in the outfield.   “Saved By the Beltran” became a coin phrase in the latter moments of 2013 as he gunned down runners at the plate and hit timely home runs.   He was a great presence in the community and also a strong presence in the clubhouse.  He will be missed in 2014 but I wish him luck in his endeavors and thank him for making the departure of Albert Pujols look seamless.

That’s all I got.  Sure, there were other great stories, but those 5 stood out to me.   Those 5 things were so important to us getting there.  Yadi Molina was amazing again and MVP worthy.  Kevin Siegrist, Seth Maness and Rosenthal became bullpen bulldogs.  Matt Holliday provided another solid season.   Craig was amazing before his injury and played on one leg in the playoffs as he contributed a few big hits.   Mike Matheny juggled injuries, problems, raw talent and ever changing circumstances as good as any manager in the league.   A lot of things happened this season that were important and good.  The 5 stories I listed above were the best in my mind.  Take it for what it is.

Photo Credit-www.newsday.com 

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Dan Buffa is the co-creator, administrator and writer for the movie website, film-addict.com. He also writes for the local blog United Cardinal Bloggers in addition to Arch City Sports and also writes for his personal blog, http://www.doseofbuffa.com.   He is a STL born and raised writer with a need to inform and the ability to pound out 1,000-1,500 word pieces with ease.  When he isn’t writing or drinking coffee, he is spending time with his wife and son in South City.  Follow him at @buffa82 on Twitter and reach him for thoughts, comments and general feedback at buffa82@gmail.com.