Marco Gonzalez Close to Signing with Cardinals.

A week ago today the Cardinals drafted Marco Gonzalez a pitcher/first baseman from Gonzaga. The reports that are coming in has both parties close to an agreement. It was also reported that he will be getting a $1.85 signing bonus once the negoitations for his contract is over. Gonzalez will be in St.Louis next week to take his physical before all the paper work is done and signed off on. I have heard that this kid is eager to get his career with the Cardinals going. Hopefully he will shine like Wacha did in the minor leagues and gets called up soon.

David Freese Imo's Spokesman

I refrain from making jokes from this small bit of news. I think it's great that Freese has a great appetite to chow down on some Imo's. According to a recent article in the St.Louis Biz Talk, Freese frequents the Imo's in Ballwin all the time. Well here I the whole article on the business venture that had brought Freese and the Ino's Franchise together:

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese has signed a three-year contract with Imo’s Pizza to promote the local pizza chain. The contract began June 1.
President Margie Imo told the St. Louis Business Journal that the pizza chain reached out to Freese following his MVP-award-winning 2011 season. Freese, who at the time said he loved eating pizza, is a frequent customer at the Imo’s location in Ballwin, Imo said.
“It seemed to be a natural fit,” Imo said.
MSW Marketing, which has held Imo’s marketing account for 20 years, will produce about four TV spots featuring Freese. They’ll broadcast sometime in mid-July. Promotions also include radio, print and digital spots in addition to meet-and-greet events. Ed Musen, a partner at MSW Marketing, said Freese will receive free Imo’s pizza during the extent of his three-year contract.
Imo’s officials also announced plans to donate $10,000 to Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis, an organization that helps children with disabilities.
Imo’s Pizza is led by President Margie Imo and CEO Ed Imo. The company employs about 5,400 employees and posted revenue of $96.6 million in 2012.

source: Matthew Hibbard

Does Freese have a Future with the Cardinals?

David Freese has been a topic of discussion amongst my friends at work in regards to his future with the Cardinals. This year Freese will make $3.15 MM and should get a raise in arbitration during the off season. I tend to think for being a popular hometown hero that won the MVP Award for the 2011 World Series he just might be traded in order to bring someone else into his role. Well today Ken Rosenthal reported a hunch I had for quite a while. He reported that he thinks the Cardinals may trade Freese during the offseason and move Matt Carpenter over to third base and finally bring up Kolten Wong that is the heir apparent to the second baseman position. The Cardinal Fan Base would have a heart attack if this would happen but think about it. Cardinal Nation's favorite short stop for a few short years was David Eckstein. Just like Freese, Eckstein was the MVP for 2006 World Series. He also appeared in two All Star Games as a Cardinal in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 Eckstein left the Cardinals as a Free Agent and landed with the Bluejays. Seems like the fans weren't that concerned when the Cardinals let him walk, but was that the issue? I think they didn't want to pay him what he deserved. Ok back to David Freese. Matt Carpenter would be a cheaper way to go since he is making $504,000 and won't be arbitration eligible till 2015. Plus who would they get if they traded Freese, a front line pitcher? a starting position player? or something more valuable upper tier rookies. I am sure this is a discussion that may find some fans unbearable to think about. I really think the front office is projecting Kolten Wong to become the next big second baseman since Tommy Herr. I would go for that.

Source; Ken Rosenthal

Cardinals 2013 Draft Results

                                                                     Marco Gonzalez

This years MLB draft was fun to watch. There is a lot of young talent that could be full fledge starters with a year or two. A few polished players I have noticed that has that kind of talent includes Mark Appel (Astros) and Clint Frazier (Indians). Others of notice include Dominic Smith (Mets) and JP Crawford (Phillies). JP Crawford happens to be cousins with Carl Crawford. JP also is a product of the inner city baseball program in Los Angeles, CA.  So lets talk about the Cardinals draft picks. It was nice to see them pick two Left Handed Pitchers for their 18th and 28th picks. Last time the Cards picked a LHP in the draft was back in 1994 when they drafted Bret Wagner out of Lake Forrest University out of North Carolina. This years first round pick was Marco Gonzalez. Gonzalez also has skills in the outfield and at first base. Marco throws a fastball that tops out at 92 MPH but his specialty is the heater. Cardinals # 28 pick was Rob Kaminsky. The St. Joseph left-hander from Englewood Cliffs the first Bergen County player taken directly out of high school in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. In the second round of the draft the Cardinals picked Oscar Mercado a shortstop that attends High School in Tampa, FL. This is what Baseball Prospectus has to say about Mercado: Smooth actions in the field and one of the few true shortstop profiles in the draft class. Mercado projects to stay at short, but has shuffled around some this summer to accommodate the showcase format and has looked strong across the three-, four- and five-spots. He needs to add strength, but currently shows an ability to produce good backspin in batting practice and maintains a solid swing plane in-game that keeps the barrel in the zone. He’s an excellent baserunner whose instincts and aggression allow his average speed to play way up. Overall the Cardinals made a good splash in the first round. With two Lefthanders I wonder if this has anything to do with Jaime Garcia's injuries and mental state. Drafting Mercado also helps the team with the glaring hole problem they have at this position. Hopefully no more revolving door at the shortstop position.hts out LHP, Easy FB up to 94 mph and an absolute hammer to go with it. ights out LHP, Easy FB up to 94 mph and an absolute hammer to go with it.

Cardinals on Cliff Lee's Radar?

Amongst all the major league baseball rumors I read about, I seem to like this one the most. A twelve year veteran with an overall record of 132-80 and a 3.54 that tags along with that average why not consider this trade. Currently he has a 7-2 record with a 2.34 ERA. With the Phillies record of 30-30  they are having a sub par season so far. Since Lee has value the Phillies could upgrade some of their glaring problems. According to Paul Morosi the Cardinals are not on his no trade list an he yes he does have interest in playing with the Cardinals. The other big perk for Lee if he could play for the Cardinals is that his home is in Arkansas. The question is does the Cardinals need an ace, I would say yes. With Jaime Garcia out for the rest of the season and Westbrook out for another month the Cardinals have made it through with Joe Kelly, Michael Wacha, and Tyler Lyons. I tend to think in order for the Cardinals to dominate the NL Central they need Cliff Lee. The Cardinals have such a rich depth in pitching in which they could part ways with players like Joe Kelly, Mark Rezcpinski and Matt Adams. Morosi also noted that the Cardinals are not in the market for a pitcher but they could change their minds.

Source: Paul Morosi

McBrayer Draft Day Report: 2013

If you all didn't know today is Draft Day. MLB Network will air the draft at 7:00pm CT. Tonight's draft will cover the first round and first compensation of 2013 MLB Draft. Friday and Saturdays draft will be covered online on MLB.com. This year the Cardinals have # 19 and their compensation is at # 28. When Pujols left last year as a free agent the Cardinals drafted Michael Wacha which is now a starting pitcher on the Cardinals roster. Now that's big! This year Kyle Lohse left as a free agent, so I wonder who we would draft as a compensation. So who might the Cardinals might be looking at for todays draft. I tend to think they will go with another top notch pitcher for # 19, that will be major league ready in two years. Here are a hand full of players I think the Cardinals just might draft.....maybe.

Chris Anderson
RHP  Jacksonville University
6'4   225 Ilbs

Tim Anderson
SS East Central High School (MS)
6'1    180 Ilbs

Eric Jaglieo
3B Notre Dame
6'3 215 Ilbs

Sean Manaea
LHP Indiana State
6'5 215 Ilbs

This years budget covers the first 10 rounds of the draft. The money allotted to a specific pick does not have to be used there, though: if a team wants to draft a player who can be signed for less than the recommendation, they can, and they could then use the "extra" money leftover on a player who is more expensive than the recommendation. Here is the list of the thirty teams and their draft budget.

Team	Picks	Team Total
Astros	10	$11,698,800
Cubs	10	$10,556,500
Rockies	11	$10,199,400
Marlins	12	$9,503,100
Pirates	11	$8,884,600
Royals	11	$8,290,700
Twins	10	$8,264,400
Yankees	12	$7,957,400
Diamondbacks	11	$7,229,600
Mets	11	$6,990,000
Cardinals	11	$6,907,900
Red Sox	10	$6,830,200
Padres	11	$6,808,900
Rays	11	$6,694,900
Rangers	11	$6,553,800
Tigers	11	$6,467,400
Blue Jays	10	$6,398,200
Orioles	11	$6,387,900
Indians	9	$6,188,800
Mariners	10	$6,132,700
Reds	11	$6,046,700
Phillies	11	$6,045,100
Athletics	12	$6,036,800
White Sox	10	$5,301,600
Dodgers	10	$5,211,700
Giants	10	$4,712,200
Braves	10	$4,522,300
Brewers	10	$3,944,600
Angels	9	$2,998,200
Nationals	9	$2,737,200
Draft Order 1. Houston Astros 2. Chicago Cubs 3. Colorado Rockies 4. Minnesota Twins 5. Cleveland Indians 6. Miami Marlins 7. Boston Red Sox 8. Kansas City Royals 9. Pittsburgh Pirates (M. Appel - unsigned) 10. Toronto Blue Jays 11. New York Mets 12. Seattle Mariners 13. San Diego Padres 14. Pittsburgh Pirates 15. Arizona Diamondbacks 16. Philadelphia Phillies 17. Chicago White Sox 18. Los Angeles Dodgers 19. St. Louis Cardinals 20. Detroit Tigers 21. Tampa Bay Rays 22. Baltimore Orioles 23. Texas Rangers 24. Oakland Athletics 25. San Francisco Giants 26. New York Yankees 27. Cincinnati Reds 28. St. Louis Cardinals (K. Lohse)1 29. Tampa Bay Rays (B.J. Upton)2 30. Texas Rangers (J. Hamilton)3 31. Atlanta Braves (M. Bourn)4 32. New York Yankees (N. Swisher)5 33. New York Yankees (R. Soriano)6 1 Signed with the Brewers, who forfeited their first-round pick (No. 17 overall) 2 Signed with the Braves, who forfeited their first-round pick (No. 28 overall) 3 Signed with the Angels, who forfeited their first-round pick (No. 22 overall) 4 Signed with the Indians, who forfeited their Competitive Balance Round B pick (No. 69 overall) 5 Signed with the Indians, who forfeited their second-round pick (No. 43 overall) 6 Signed with the Nationals, who forfeited their first-round pick (No. 29 overall) Source MLB/ Baseball America

Molina gets a One Day Suspension

I just love this picture. This is why you have your brother on the same team. He will have your back or hold your back when the going gets tough. Word just came in that Yadier Molina will receive a one day suspension for the alteration with Umpire Clint Fagan. Molina will appeal the suspension, for now he will be playing in tonight's game with the Diamondbacks. It is not known as of yet if Manager Mike Matheny will get fined or not for his comments towards the umpires. We will have to wait and see.

Wacha Wants to Stay!!!!!

Just saw a little factoid for tonights game. Michael Wacha is the 5th Cardinal Rookie to start a game since 2002. The Cardinals had to option Michael Blazek to the Memphis team to make room for Wacha. What's amazing to me is the fact that Wacha was last years 19th pick for the Cardinals. He has been major league ready since the start of this years Spring Training. His mind set has been described by other coaches as a very mature starting pitcher. Wacha actually drove from Memphis to St.Louis Wednesday morning. When he arrived he was swarmed by reporters. It looks as if he was ready for the scripted banter between Wacha and the media but when we was asked if his trip to the majors was going to be a short stay he responded, "I'm here to stay". You have to love this kids optimism. He comes to us with a 4-0 record with the Memphis team. He has an 2.05ERA in nine starts. I have a feeling that tonight's Neilsens ratings will be high for Fox Mid West Sports tonight. This is a must watch game as Wacha goes against Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie.

source: MLB

Here Comes Wacha!!!!

This morning I was listening to MLB XM on the radio and was so surprise to hear them announce that Michael Wacha will start this Thursday against the Kansas City Royals. My first reaction was.....no way!!! are they joking? Well it is for real. With Gast out on the disable list Wacha will take his place. Here is the background on Wacha, The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Wacha was the Cardinals' first-round draft pick and the 19th overall selection last year out of Texas A&M. He's 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA that leads the Pacific Coast League in nine starts for Triple-A Memphis, holding opponents to a .187 batting average in his first full pro season. I hope Wacha can help out. I know Westbrook is out for at least month but Chris Carpenter may make a come back later in July. So Cardinals fans lets support Wacha's efforts. Pitching against the Royals should be an easy win for him.

Garcia Out for the rest of the Season

Will it finally happened. Garcia will have season ending surgery for his torn labrum in his left shoulder this Friday. Last year Garcia sought out an alternative for his issue. He didn't want surgery. Instead he did rehab and strengthening  before spring training. Last year three different doctors recommended Garcia to have surgery. Well with Garcia out what will the Cardinals do to fill in the gap. Will Chris Carpenter fill in to start instead of middle relief. Or will the organization finally give in and bring up Michael Wacha. Right now in Memphis Wacha has a 4-0 record with an 2.05 ERA. I guess this will be a wait and see situation. The Cards could also wait till trade deadline for a rent a pitcher from someone out there.

24th Annual Cardinals Care Golf Tournament

Registration is underway for the Ted Savage RBI Golf Classic that will be held Tuesday, June 11^th at
Forest Park Golf Course in St. Louis.

                The 24^th annual tournament hosted by Cardinals Care, was recently renamed the “Ted Savage RBI Golf Classic” as a tribute to former Cardinal Ted Savage who started the tournament to help kids in the St. Louis community who participate in the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Program. RBI is a Major League Baseball youth outreach program designed to increase participation in baseball among underserved youth, encourage academic achievement and preparation, promote greater inclusion of minorities into the game, and teach the value of teamwork.

                “Ted Savage is the perfect ambassador for RBI -- a living model for everything the program strives to achieve,” said Michael Hall, Vice President of Community Relations and Executive Director of Cardinals Care. “Ted grew up locally playing baseball in his neighborhood before embarking on a successful career in baseball as a player and front office executive.”

                The golf classic promises an impressive roster of celebrity participants including the likes of Whitey Herzog, Lou Brock, Andy Benes, and several other former Cardinals Players. The tournament starts at 9 a.m. and features first, second, and third place teams in each round. In addition to breakfast, lunch, beer, soda and snacks, each participant will go home with a goody bag.  For sponsorship information, registration or other information, please contact Cardinals Care at (314) 345-9418 or visit cardinals.com/rbigolf.

                Cardinals Care was established to give fans a way of teaming up with Cardinals players and the Cardinals organization to help children in our community – both on and off the baseball field.   Since it was established in 1997, Cardinals Care has invested $19 million in helping children, including providing $11 million in grants to over 800 non-profit youth organizations, and building 20 youth ball fields in neighborhoods in both Missouri and Illinois. In 2013, Cardinals Care celebrates the 10th anniversary of the innovative Redbird Rookies program, a free baseball league for kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play. In addition to providing all the uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and other equipment needed for each team, Redbird Rookies also provides extensive off-field support in the areas of health, education, mentoring and the cultural arts for each of the nearly 4,500 kids who participate in the program each year. 

 

Media Alert from the St. Louis Cardinals

What? Chris Carpenter a reliever?

The St.Louis Cardinals Bullpen has turned into a soap opera, "As the Bullpen Turns". With some movement on who is out and in we have seen Mark Rzepczynski sent to the minors and Seth Maness brought up. Then the next blow was Mitchell Boggs knocked down to Memphis for Carlos Martinez and Jason Motte finally concedes to getting Tommy John surgery. I just happen to love seeing Martinez up, he does have a lot of upside to bring to this bullpen thats in trouble. Well guess who is back in the picture, Chris Carpenter. Yesterday I had heard via Joe Strauss that Carpenter may return to the mound as a reliever. I thought he was done with baseball due to his injuries. According to John Mozeliak, Carp is feeling good. Chris is currently on the 60 day disable list so if he does return to help the bullpen it would be late June or early July. This is must see drama. Will Carpenter make it back as a Cardinal pitcher before the final curtain is closed. Will Boggs find his groove again and will Wigginton ever find acceptance from the UCB bloggers? Time will tell.