Let's Talk Nice About the Hitting Coach

There are many thankless jobs in professional baseball.  Every decision of a manager is easily scrutinized and criticized if things don't go as hoped.   A general manager who is praised when he signs a player the fan base is clamoring for can be lambasted by the same fan base when that player gets hurt or doesn't perform up to expectations.   But the singular most thankless job in baseball is that of hitting coach.

Often, the hitting coach is unknown by a majority of fans.  Most people outside of the clubhouse don't have any idea exactly what the hitting coach does, or has any idea of how much impact he has on the performance of the team.

Yes, being a hitting coach is truly a thankless job.  Normally, the hitting coach is invisible until a team-wide slump strikes his team.  Outsiders cannot judge him any other way.  And the truth is, is he really going to change the swing and approach of great hitters like Albert Pujols, Holliday, and Berkman?  No.

Mark McGwire

The St. Louis Cardinals have a high profile hitting coach in Mark McGwire.   And perhaps it is time to note that by all appearances, he is doing a fine job.

After a horrible first week of the season, the Cardinal batters have been the class of the NL Central division.  In fact, the Redbirds lead the Major Leagues with a 286 batting average - 15 points better than second place Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Their prowess with two outs and runners in scoring position has been exceptional so far. 

Matt Holliday has been training with McGwire for years, and is off to an unbelievably hot start to 2011. Holliday is still hitting nearly . 400 - his .393 average leads all MLB players.  Lance Berkman has been the steal of the off-season free agent pool with 10 HR's and leading MLB in RBI's after showing fading skills the last couple of seasons.  And of late, Daniel Descalso has proved to be clutch in late game high-leverage situations.

Hitting a baseball is a tricky thing.  If you've played any ball at any level, you know that thinking about what you're doing courts disaster.  If you're confident, you see-ball, hit-ball.  If you're not confident you miss the meat and swing at cheese.

From all I've read, McGwire's approach has been to look for a pitch the batter can handle, and put a good, solid swing on it.  Drive the ball.  In the long haul of the baseball season, that is the essence of the equation.  The recipe for success.

Another big mark in McGwire's favor is the lessening of reliance of video scouting of pitchers.  It may be the main culprit for the disturbing trend in recent years of the Cardinals turning rookie starters into Bob Gibson.  If you rely on video to prep for a pitcher, how do you prep for someone with no video?  You don't.  You need to go out and see-ball, hit-ball.

The sample size is small, and he can't swing the bat for his charges.  But what I've seen thus far, Mark McGwire is a success as hitting coach.

Cardinals Jaime was El Jefe Tonight

Jaime Garcia (source: Wikipedia)

Everyone in Cardinal Nation - if not baseball - is agog at the performance of Jaime Garcia tonight at Busch Stadium against the Milwaukee Brewers.  I have to admit I missed most of it as my sister-in-law had an automobile emergency at game time that I had to respond to.  I wasn't happy about missing the game, but a man must do what a man must do.

I caught the game in the top of the sixth via at bat on my iPhone as we drove back across the city towards home.  It did not take long to notice how quickly Garcia was getting the ball, getting signs, and delivering.  The score was 6-0 at this point, and Garcia's actions made me think more was involved.  A quick touch of the box score showed that my instincts were correct.

What I did see of the sixth and seventh inning told me that Garcia had it all working.  Every pitch was low in the zone, and the movement was exceptional.  The furtive swings of the Brewers' batsmen told me the backstory I had missed, and their body language as the looked at called strikes solidified my extrapolations.

In our house lives a beautiful 15 year old girl.  A girl who has lately  discovered the joys of baseball (I thank the Arizona Diamondbacks and their fun ball park for this).  After one out in the eighth, I was thinking I had the perfect opportunity to show her the second-by-second drama that only sports can provide.  And the build-up/release rollercoaster that is at the heart of what baseball is about.  But before I could stand up to do this, Garcia walked a man.  Now pitching from the stretch, he promptly lost the no-hitter to Yuniesky Betancourt (of all people) on a sharp ground ball that found the hole between second base and shortstop.

The quick loss of the no-hitter once a man reached base did not surprise me.  In fact, I was looking for it.  The past week taught me some lessons.

It marked the fifth time this week that such an event occurred.

I first noticed the trend during Garcia's last start on Sunday when he started the game with four perfect innings.  But the fifth inning started with a single.  The it went  out, 2-run HR, walk, single, and a run-scoring single.  Then on Monday, Kyle Lohse was lights out again through two 1/3 innings, then he lost all control.  The Gaby Sanchez grand slam punctuating my point.  I thought it all a fluke until Jake Westbrook cruised through 4 2/3 innings Thursday without allowing a Florida Marlins getting a runner on base.  But once Greg Dobbs reached base and Westbrook began delivering from the stretch, the Marlins next 4 batters reached base and two runs scored.

Of course, the Marlins getting their first hit with one out in the eighth is hardly evidence of some latent failing amongst an otherwise outstanding starting staff.  But once Garcia finally let a runner reach base and approached Betencort from the stretch, the no-hitter was lost.

Why?  I don't know.  Perhaps losing a good groove then pitching from the stretch  is just enough to tip the balance of competition to the favor of the hitters.  It has also been a certain something the Cardinal hitters have exploited.  If nothing else, it's an interesting trend - one I noticed only because all the starters were lights out...until someone got on base.

I Miss Skip

(source: Wikipedia)

I have heard/read/inferred that segments of Cardinal Nation are not missing Skip Schumaker while he's on the DL.  Many of these opinions are based on a recent hot streak - and one scintillating home run - by Daniel Descalso.  I want to make a public statement: I still miss Skip.

Why do I miss Skip?  First, I have drank the Tony La Russa Kool-Aid.  I prefer proven veterans with a track record of success as my everyday player.  Skip has proven to be a successful big league hitter with a .290 career batting average.  He remains a liability against lefties, but he hits .308 against right-handed pitching.  And in case you haven't noticed, there is a preponderance of right-handed pitcher in baseball.  Additionally, he has been clutch in his career - batting .288 with RISP and .321/.371/.491 with runners on third base.
         
Secondly, Skip's defense is not as horrible as it is made out to be.  Clearly Descalso has the better skills at second (it is the position he came up playing), but Skip has some positives.  I have come to appreciate a good arm at second base, and Schumaker's hose was the envy of Rick Ankiel we he was in St. Louis.  A strong arm helps tremendously on turning double plays and on relay throws, and Skip's allows him some wiggle-room to compensate for his unfamiliarity on positioning and footwork in the infield.  And those instincts are improving.  Skip is a determined worker, who managed to fill a gaping hole in the roster in 2009 with only an off-season of training.  A more infielder-focused training regimen this past winter had Skip looking more fluid in the field this spring, with an easy to identify increase in range to his left.

Thirdly, his attitude and grit are needed.  The Cardinals will take the field of battle 162 times each season.  La Russa's clubs are celebrated for playing a "Hard Nine" innings every game.  Schumaker is the type of warrior his mates want fighting to the end every day.  Identified as a core player of the team by his manager, one can infer his teammates and coaches feel the same.  His sacrifice to make the adjustment to 2B goes a long way in my book.  A superlative defensive corner outfielder, his power wasn't up to the standards of that position, but it fits well as a middle infielder.

While Descalso has impressed thus far in his major league career, he still is just a .238 hitter who has had some awful at bats against elite pitchers this year.  Descalso at the moment is best used as a defensive replacement and spot starter.  He is still vulnerable to being over-exposed as a hitter at this stage in his career.
Surprisingly, as a left-handed hitter he hits lefties better than he does right-handers.  With David Freese's bad ankles and bad luck, Descalso provides depth at that position.  And the Cardinals have been desperate for a decent backup at third for some time now.

Yes, I miss Skip.  We need him in the lineup as the starting second baseman.  Descalso has value as a platoon against lefties and a late-inning defensive replacement at 2B.  It also gives La Russa the flexibility with resources that he so desires.  All of this adds up to utilizing Descalso in a way that maximizes his chances for success.

Next year?  It could be a different story.  If Descalso keeps growing - and hitting - as he has been lately, it might make for some tough decisions for St. Louis GM John Mozeliak when Schumaker's contract ends after this season.  Maybe then Skip can be rewarded for his sacrificial move to 2B with a bigger contract with a lesser team in need of his talents.

But for now, we need Skip.  Cardinal Nation should be missing him as I do.

The Lance Berkman Factor

Lance Berkman celebrates a home run (Getty/Bob Levey

I remember when I heard the news that one of my most favorite players was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.  I was bartending at the time, and as I came into work my customers broke the news to me.  I was delighted.  I knew this player was solidly in the autumn of his career - a career that seemed to be snowballing to the end because of injuries.  But I did not care.  I cherished the idea that his ability to take over any given game with his bat was only matched by a tremendous amount of baseball savvy.  I believe I did in fact dance a little jig once I determined they weren't pulling my chain.

The year: 2004.  The player: Larry Walker.

Now it is deja vu all over again.  In the past off-season I was thrilled in a like manner with the news that Cardinals GM John Mozeliak had fought off the efforts of his Chicago Cubs counterpart and secured Lance Berkman for a year.  I did not dance a jig this time, but I was pleased.

I knew of Berkman's knee injury.  I knew that he had in his past played a passable if ugly outfield, but had been relegated for years to first base.  I had concerns, but the pluses of having this guy with the Birds on the Bat far outweighed the negatives - despite the overwhelming response of an underwhelmed media.  I did not hesitate to claim a charter membership in the Lance Berkman Fan Club  amongst the Cardinal fans on twitter.

But I never thought Berkman would be this good.  Apparently, the Houston Astros never thought he'd be this again, either.

Berkman returned to his old stomping grounds this week and destroyed Houston in Minute Maid Park.  He laced 8 hits in 14 at bats during the series, including 2 home runs, two doubles, and drove in eight runs.  That gives a slashline of .571/.571/1.143 and and an incredible OPS of 1.714.  On Thursday, Berkman raked in a 4-5 night, 2 homers, a double and 11 total bases.  He had a home run, a single, and 4 RBI in the Cardinals 9-run sixth inning alone.  His 3-run blast that inning was from his weaker right side giving St. Louis a lead it wouldn't relinquish and made a winner of starting pitcher Kyle McClellan.  He also added a solo shot in the ninth.

And he wasn't simply a weapon with the bat, he showed some glove with at least two eye-popping catches in right field.  His wonderful running catch deep in the right field corner on Wednesday was a big factor in St Louis holding off the Astros late inning rally.

Berkman is now batting .410 on the season, which is second in the Major Leagues behind teammate Matt Holliday's .432 mark.  Berkman's 8 HR is second in MLB and he ranks 3rd in RBI with 22.  He is also riding a streak of seven straight games with multiple hits.  Additionally, he ranks first in the majors with 66 total bases, first in slugging at .795, second with an OPS of 1.263, and fourth in on-base percentage with .467.

It's a helluva start for a player deemed to be over the hill.  But his knees have been given a chance to heal and provide a solid base from which he can hit the ball with authority.  And he has.

It is only April, and the baseball season is a long one.  It is not out of line to remain concerned if Berkman's health will hold up enough to maintain his regained power.  But unlike Walker, Berkman does not suffer from a degenerative condition that leaves his short-term future cloudy.

If he stays healthy, Berkman could leave Mozeliak open for questioning his judgement in signing the Big Puma.  No longer wondering why the GM went out on a limb to sign Berkman, but rather "why for only one year?"

Cardinals Showcase Mark Hamilton

Mark Hamilton

With the poorly timed Designated Listings of valuable contributors Skip Schumaker and Allen Craig, the St. Louis Cardinals made a surprising call-up from Triple-A Memphis, first baseman Mark Hamilton.  Additionally, the forgotten Nick Punto was actived from the DL.

Hamilton's recall was surprising.  He is a power bat who plays a position that he will not be filling - first base.  He is most likely to be used as a pinch hitter and a couple of on-the-job training starts in the outfield.

We expected Adron Chambers to get his cup of coffee for the next fortnight, but the organization is suddenly short on available outfielders after a frightful collision that robs us of reading Shane Robinson's last name arching over his smallish shoulders.  It's also in the best interest of team and player for the still developing Chambers to get regular playing time in the minors than rot away on big league pine.  Hamilton, on the other hand, really doesn't have much left to prove in the minors.

What Mark Hamilton needs to prove is value to another team as a Major League player.  It is unlikely that if Albert Pujols finds a different franchise to pony up the paychecks for his demands in free agency, a career minor league player will replace the future Hall of Famer on a perennial contender.  Hamilton's true worth to the Cardinals organization is as a trade chip.  Without playing time with the parent club, he isn't much of one.

This is what I believe the reasoning was behind his being the butt in the seat on the plane to St. Louis.  Hamilton needs to show that his long, looping swing can fulfill his minor league home run totals against top calibre pitching.  A couple of dingers in a couple of weeks would make a non-contending team take some notice of him - especially in the DH League.  It's a little something something St. Louis GM John Mozeliak could find handy to have in his back pocket around the end of July.

Our First Look At Nick Punto

I am excited to finally see Nick Punto sporting the Birds on the Bat across his chest.  The very definition of a super-utility guy, Punto is a weak bat-strong glove infielder who gets in base despite a low BA.  He was a valuable member of many successful Minnesota Twins teams the past few years.

An off-season signing of the Cardinals, Punto arrived in Jupiter belly-aching with an aching belly.  He was diagnosed and supposedly fixed with a surgeons blade.  The sports hernia maybe the very reason Punto was deemed expendable by the Twins.

When the Redbirds signed him, I heard from many Twins fans - either on twitter or via email - that Cardinal Nation was gonna love this guy.  Many in Minnesota thought that letting Punto escape was a bad move.  He's a gritty-gutty gamer, who often was in the middle of good things - cut from the Jose Oquendo sparkplug mold.

Dirt on the uniform and thinking between the ears is Punto's hallmarks. And those qualities will always endear a Cardinals player to this life-long fan.

Cardinals 2010 Nightmares Still Haunt 2011 Dreams

Jaime Garcia was a dream last year.  A revelation as a rookie starter for the St. Louis Cardinals, winning 13 games with a sparkling 2.82 ERA.  But more importantly, the young man is a left-handed starter, a rare commodity for the Redbirds short on development and long on humbling disappointments (Rick Ankiel, Mark Mulder).


And Garcia was a dream today, tossing a complete game shutout of the San Diego Padres while striking out a career high nine batsmen.  He managed to get out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth inning without allowing the situation spiral out of control - something he was prone to due during a rough spring training.  Garcia's masterful outing will ease the sleep of Cardinal Nation after the team started the season with two nightmarish games, both losses.

Tonight, this Redbird fantatic will be tossing and turning.  The monsters of St. Louis' disappointing 2010 campaign seemingly have not been eradicated by a busy off-season.  The scariest monsters being sloppiness of play, and untimely hitting.

Situational Hitting

The antennae go up every time a weak grounder is hit to a middle infielder with RISP and less than 2 outs.  Just like last year, I see too many batters not taking good at bats in that situation.  I love aggressive hitters that see the pitch they want and attack it no matter the count, but the key is to attack your pitch.  Swinging at the first pitch and grounding weakly to SS is not the mark of a formidable offense.

Luckily, the sample size is small, and the biggest offender so far has been Pujols - so there is a real hope for better results in scoring opportunities than we have seen thus far.  But Cardinal Nation on twitter has already expressed distain for all the St. Louis batters taking swings at the first pitch.  Often those pitches aren't choice ones.  I will grant you that the Padres have a roster full of pitchers capable of making a team look lost at the plate in a three game series.  Too often against the Cardinals, they did.


A good sign Sunday was the clutch piece of situational hitting new SS Ryan Theriot did to drive-in an insurance run in the ninth inning.  With Theriot not performing well with the glove in his first couple of appearances in Busch Stadium after replacing the popular Brendan Ryan, his clutch at bat is the other side of that coin.  Colby Rasmus also had a productive out in the fifth inning, moving Lance Berkman to third base and allowing Yadier Molina to stroke an RBI single through the drawn-in infield for the Redbirds first run.


A Not-So-Hard Nine

2010 showed us something I'm not sure we've ever seen - a Tony LaRussa managed club that seemed lax in the fundamentals.  If anything has been the main engine powering TLR's teams, it's that they play harder and with fewer mistakes than the other team.  Other than that scintillating but ultimately meaningless series in August against Cincinnati, 2010 was marked by the Cardinals sloppiness of play in key situations - especially against lesser teams.  This series was much of the same.

One very key point of Thursday's opening day game was the play that allowed the Padres to take the lead in the 11th inning.  Ryan Theriot took the error, but it all began to unravel with Jon Jay's three-hop dribbler of a throw to Theriot who was the cut-off man.  Theriot then clearly rushed the play, mishandling the throw and compounding it all with a poor relay throw to the plate.  Theriot did not handle that well, but it may have been a completely different situation if Jay simply makes a solid throw to the cut-off man.  That's little league basics.

Add in more nightmares from that game.  Matt Holliday getting picked off second to squash a rally, Skip Schumaker missing Yadier Molina's attempt to catch Ryan Ludwick stealing, and Pujols' team-record tying 3 GIDP's.  Mix in the innumerable walks the Cardinal staff gave up in Saturdays rout, and concerns about the teams readiness to play become valid questions.

With all these thoughts in my head, it will not be a sound sleep tonight.  But sleep I will because Jaime Garcia was a dream today. 

UCB Weekend

The Redbirds Report is very excited to get a chance to meet and greet other fabulous St. Louis Cardinals fans, as well as the great writers in the United Cardinal Bloggers network for UCB Weekend.


We will be meeting for dinner at Pujols5 in Westport.  This Tucson AZ resident just happens to be in Southern Illinois visiting my mother, and can't let a fabulous social opportunity like this to pass by.

It should be a great time, and would be over the top with a win today by our favorite MLB team.

I'll be dressed in red.  I should stand out in this crowd. 

Twitter is a great way to share your excitement.  Follow me @stimpy66, and the hashtag #stlcards. 

Matt Holliday and His Appendix Go On Holiday

Nice Dinger, Mr Holliday

Opening Day for the St. Louis Cardinals was a sloppy, frustrating affair.  Albert Pujols was great at being a rally-killer - grounding into 3 double-plays.  Ryan Theriot gained much hate from Cardinal twitter Nation for mishandling an absolutely horrendous throw from Jon Jay during the 11th inning disaster (why the hate on Theriot and not Jay confounds me.  Oh yeah, former Cub).  Skip Schumaker continues to show that the key to him continuing to be a second baseman will be his bat, not his glove.  And, of course, Ryan Franklin making a rather large mistake to Cameron Maybin with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Despite all the gaffs, there was some brights spots.  Lance Berkman was his usual, charming self as he introduced himself to Redbird fans, flying around the basepaths to score while sporting his new Birds on the Bat duds. Chris Carpenter was, well, Chris Carpenter.  Trevor Miller getting out of a tough eighth-inning jam by being a veteran LOOGY.  And David Freese showed us why the stories about his "old man" ankles should not have dominated spring training reports over his clutch batting.

But to this observer, the biggest bright spot was Matt Holliday.  Season after season, Holliday has been one of MLB biggest slow-starters, making his career by being an absolute rake once the weather heats up.  It is the slow starts that have kept him from ever being an MVP.  Holliday shouldered the load for the Colorado Rockies during their incredible 2007 September/October run to the World Series.  Holliday finished 2nd to Jimmy Rollins in the voting that year.  I've always thought that if the big, bald batsman would jump out of the gates and grab some early headlines, he would be NL MVP.  

Spring Training 2011 gave me great hopes that this could be the year.  Holliday was slugging well in Jupiter - a notorious wind-tunnel that keeps batters humble.  It appeared coming into Opening Day, Holliday was primed to make this his best season and win the MVP award missing from his substantial MLB career.  And Game #1 showed as much.  He went 3-4, including a dramatic HR in the 8th that looked at the time like a clutch game-winner. 

But Holliday felt discomfort in his abdomen Thursday evening and went to the hospital.  Sure enough, it was appendicitis, and surgery was performed.  Luckily it was caught early, and only required laproscopic surgery to remove the offending vestigial organ.  But the most optimistic timetable for a return would be 10 days, with 2-3 weeks recovery time a more normal expectation.

So much for his fast start. 

All this leads to another odd question - which player kicked a baby at Roger Dean Stadium as spring training began.  Pujols' contract, Wainwright's Tommy John surgery, Nick Punto's hernia, Carpenter's hammy, Boggs' back.  Misfortune has been the theme for 2011 so far.  The good Lord is not shining his graces on Cardinal Nation this spring.

St. Louis Cardinals badge for Twitter

I've had a couple of fine Redbird fans ask me about the bird on the bat badge that is on my twitter profile picture (@stimpy66).
Just direct your favorite browser (or your least favorite, it should still work) to twibbon.com.  Input your twitter login info, and you too can splash a fine bird across your face (or whatever your profile pic may be).  Enjoy!

Opening Day 2011

It is upon us.  The first step in a grand journey to the land of October.  Hope is the very essence of the season.  Can't you smell it in the brisk spring air?  Can't you see it in the bright sunshine?  Major League Baseball's glorious opening day is here, and I'm a happy, happy fan.

Dreaming is the goal on this day.  Dreaming of Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday combining for 4 tape-measure HR's.  Dreaming of Lance Berkman greeting the faithful at Busch III with a 5-5 day.  Dreaming of Colby Rasmus doing the usual at the plate, while positioning himself appropriately in center field.

Fearless leader Chris Carpenter will take the ball today.  The nightmare of Opening Day 2007 with him walking off the mound with a right arm about to fall off is a distant memory.  Dreaming today of the long awaited no-hitter for our bulldog - the last remaining hole in his Redbird resume.

This fanatical, occasional blogger will man the twitter along with 100+ friends.  You can find my list of BIG St. Louis Cardinal fans @stimpy66/stl-cardinals.  Join us, and share the emotional roller-coaster that will be today.

The wonder of America's "Beautiful Game" is that we have no idea what will happen on any given day, nor do we know how we will feel at the end of the day.  Euphoria may be quashed tomorrow.  Likewise, despair will be banished soon (sorry, Cub fans, you are the exception that proves my rule).  That is the unique condition thrust upon those of us that live and breath a sport that is dominated by failure.  A hall of fame hitter fails nearly 70% of the time at the plate.  A superior team disappoints 60 times a summer.  Ain't it great!

This desert rat has the great fortune to be in the heart of Cardinal country.  Alas, I will not be in the STL today for the festivities, but in a smoky sports bar in Herrin, IL, sharing the joy of the day with fine folks dressed in similar red apparel, leaving my poor mother alone for 3 hours in the afternoon.  Sometimes, blood is not thicker than fandom.

Stan Musial, American Hero

No self-respecting fan of the St. Louis Cardinals cannot be unaffected by the events of today, as our one, true hero becomes ordained as a national treasure.  Unbelievable that it has taken this long to happen, but at this moment Stan Musial is in Washington D.C. to accept America's highest civilian honor as President Barack Obama presents The Man with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

I did have but one occasion to personally meet Mr. Musial.  It was many years ago that I took a stadium tour of Busch II, and as the tour went by the press box, Jack Buck and Stan Musial where there having a conversation.  Both men could not be more gracious, personally introducing themselves to each of us greeting us all like long lost friends.  It is a particular moment that shall last in my memory until my end.

Congratulations Mr. Musial.  You are indeed a national treasure.