Blogging About Baseball

When the St. Louis Cardinals began Spring Training, they did so with Khalil Greene as their projected starting shortstop. The team acquired Greene in an offseason trade with the San Diego Padres. Whether it was poor scouting or lack of disclosure about his condition, it wasn’t long before Greene went into a slump and then onto the disabled list for social anxiety disorder.

Brendan Ryan stepped in and the Cardinals never looked back.

Ryan was drafted by the Cardinals in the seventh round, 215th overall, in 2003. He battled his way through the minors and on June 2, 2007, he made his MLB debut against the Houston Astros. He finished 2007 with a .289 average in 60 games played at 2nd, 3rd, and shortstop. In addition to his versatility, Ryan became known for another skill: pranking.

A rib cage injury sidelined Ryan during Spring Training 2008 and the first month of that season. In 80 games, his average dipped to a paltry .244, but his flexibility in the field was a good fit for Tony LaRussa. His seriousness about the game was the only thing stopping him from being a complete player.

This season, Kyle Loshe and Joel Pinero talked the pitching staff into growing mustaches for team unity. The rest of the team soon joined in. And when everyone started shaving them off, Ryan’s ‘stache was the last one standing. True to form, he started growing it longer towards the end of the season in order to curl up the corners a’la Rollie Fingers.

And this time, his goofy attitude was welcome. He was the starting shortstop. He was making great plays. He was hitting well. He’d found his way.

The 2009 season started with a lot of changes from “The Boog,” a nickname Ryan’s father gave him. He came in more determined and slightly more serious. By June, Ryan was starting every day at shortstop. The position isn’t easy but it’s made even harder when the fans remember seeing one of the greatest of all time there, “The Wizard” Ozzie Smith.

Ozzie’s fielding percentage was .978 career. When Smith was 27, the same age Ryan is now, his fielding percentage was .984. Brendan‘s fielding percentage was also .984 but in 105 games. Only Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies (155 games/.990) and Troy Tulowitzki (151 games/.986) of the Rockies were higher than Ryan’s this season. A full season at the position could see Ryan’s number improve.

Ryan’s batting average improved to .294 in 2009. He had 114 hits, 19 doubles, 7 triples, and 3 homeruns, one of which was his first career grand slam. A newfound discipline at the plate made him a valuable hitter for LaRussa. Ryan could be stuck anywhere in the lineup, and he normally was. Dependability with the bat, and speed on the bags, makes him more valuable to a team that uses flexibility and versatility on a daily basis.

Ryan may take the game more seriously but that hasn’t stopped his joking nature. As teammate Jason LaRue said during a pregame interview, “He’s just looking for attention.” The reason for LaRue’s comment? A pair of scissors sneaking into the frame, pretending to cut LaRue’s long locks. The camera panned out enough to show Brendan smiling widely under that ‘stache.

And it didn’t stop him from playing wiffleball with Joe Mather at Busch either.

Or acting in the St. Louis Cardinals “Play like a Cardinal” commercials.

Even LaRussa got into the pranks. After Ryan had been removed, Tony convinced his shortstop that there was a special rule that a player could reenter the game once on the last day of the season. Ryan, never one to miss an opportunity to play, grabbed his batting helmet. It didn’t take long for him to realize he’d been had.

The 2010 Cardinals will be back with a vengeance. Some players will be gone. New ones will be ready to show devoted fans what they can do. And Brendan Ryan will be there at shortstop making great plays, getting on base, and pranking whomever he can when he’s not in the lineup. The Boog will be there in all his glory. Take it or leave it.

Written by LS Murphy. Mrs. Murphy is an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan and is a consistent contributor to Cardinal’s Mix. She can also be followed on Twitter.

While the umpires in both leagues give reason to shout “FAIL“ every time they get it wrong (Tim McClelland, anyone?), there is another cause: TBS. The coverage for this postseason was simply horrible. So, thank you Philadelphia for making quick work of the Dodgers during the NLCS, sparing fans more dull commentary from Chip Caray and Dick Stockton.

How has TBS failed? For starters, the play by play was boring and the language was repetitive. Even when the umpires made an obvious error, the lack of excitement from the booth left something to be desired. Not to mention the horrible calls, mainly made by Chip Caray. He started his poor play by play during the Twins/Tigers tie-breaker. Nick Punto hit a line drive into left field. Caray called it a “Line Drive. Base Hit.” And the ball sailed into the left fielder’s glove. He quickly added “Caught out there.”

It continued during game one of the Yankees/Twins ALDS when Delmon Young caught Nick Swisher’s fly ball. Caray’s take on the play? “A base — fly ball, I should say — out to center field. That ball was hooking and nearly fell in front of Delmon Young.” Was he even watching the game? Being the son of a legend does not make you a good analyst.

It wasn’t always Chip’s fault. Point fingers at Dick Stockton as well. At one point during the NLDS between the Cards and Dodgers, he referred to Ronnie Belliard as Ronald Belisario. While I understand that they play on the same team and their names are similar, at this level in broadcasting those mistakes are unforgivable. Dan Quayle could do better, even if he can’t spell.

And don’t even get me started on how many balls were “fisted” into play.

They need fresh blood in the booth. MLB needs to put their own people in the show.

The initial numbers were records for the station, the highest in the 33 years of its existence, but that does not mean it’s a success. When the Yankees make the playoffs, television numbers skyrocket. New York is a huge market. So is Los Angeles, and there were two teams from California still in the hunt. And when TBS is the only place that baseball fans can go for a game, the numbers will be fattened.

MLB needs to step forward and demand changes in the coverage. Cal Ripken and Dennis Eckersley are fine in the studio but how about trying them in the booth? They know baseball. Then again a ten year old knows more than Chip Caray, Carl Sager, and Dick Stockton combined. Or MLB can bring in their own team. At a minimum, they can demand that Sager dress like a respectable human being and not a wannabe pimp. Lavender suits, Sager? Really?

Unfortunately, TBS has a contract through 2013. It’s entirely up to MLB on how the 2010 post season goes. Let’s hope the public outcry at the horrible coverage is heard. And be glad that Fox had the ACLS Game 4 coverage. Joe Buck’s outrage over Tim McClelland’s blown call was appropriate. Chip Caray would probably have argued in favor of the ump.

Written by LS Murphy. Mrs. Murphy is an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan and is a consistent contributor to Cardinal’s Mix. She can also be followed on Twitter.

The other day I profiled 2010′s top free agent starting pitchers.

I purposely left the biggest question mark of them all out of the discussion: Aroldis Chapman.

Chapman is a 6’4″ lefty out of Cuba. Chapman’s fastball hits 100 miles per hour on the gun, actually clocking at 102 in a Cuban game, but usually sits around 96 when he doesn’t rear back. His two-seam fastball hovers at 91-92 and his slider is thrown in the low-80′s with a hard, glove side break. He doesn’t have a true changeup.

Chapman also has youth on his side. According to unverified documents, he’s just 21 years old.

His tantalizing natural stuff and still-moldable skill set seems to peg him as a future number one starter.

This past weekend, Chapman and his agent, Edwin Mejia, met with several teams in New York City. On his itinerary was the usual suspects, the New York Yankees and Mets and the Boston Red Sox, but also several other surprising teams: the two Chicago clubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles.

The Oakland Athletics, despite their small payroll and generally lackadaisical attitude towards high profile free agents, have also recently disclosed serious interest in Chapman. The St. Louis Cardinals have also since thrown their hat into the ring.

According to a New York Post contributor, Chapman’s asking price (suspected to be upwards of $60 million) may price him out of some markets.

It is suspected that Chapman will command $30-60 million, a figure between the initial contracts of fellow Cuban defector Jose Contreras and Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka. In 2003, Contreras signed a 4-year, $32 million contract with the New York Yankees. In 2006, Matsuzaka signed a 6-year, $52 million dollar contract, not including a posting fee of $51.1 million.

Chapman is just the most recent example of Major League Baseball teams’ willingness to throw big money at an unproven commodity.

Chapman, however, could also be the best case for overspending.

Contreras was already in his early 30′s when he signed with New York. He never had triple-digit stuff, but by the time he reached American soil, he was a right-handed veteran with a mid-90′s four-seam fastball, an able sinker and slider, a curve and a developed changeup. He was MLB-ready and after getting knocked around for a year, became a good major league starter.

Much like Chapman’s 100 mile per hour fastball in 2009, Daisuke Matsuzaka’s gyroball was the focus of everyone’s attention in 2006. The 26-year-old (at the time) Japanese pitcher was believed to throw eight different pitches and was expected to be an ace from the day of his signing. In the three seasons since arriving in America, Matsuzaka is 37-21 with a 4.00 ERA. His problems with American physical conditioning, which he views as a reason for his struggles in 2009, are well-documented.

Chapman is much younger than Contreras or Matsuzaka were when they made the transition. Major League pitching coaches still have time to standardize his mechanics and to work with him on his varying release points. If there’s any gripe with Chapman, it’s his underdeveloped control.

During his time with the Holguín club in 2006, Chapman ranked first in strikeouts, but also sixth in walks. Through the 2008 season, he led the Serie Nacional with 130 strikeouts in 118.1 innings pitched. He was also fifth in walks and first in wild pitches, allowing 62 and 14, respectively.

From video, it’s clear that Chapman lacks confidence in his breaking stuff, starting batters off almost-exclusively with a hard fastball.

Chapman will either be a pitching coach’s dream, or his worst nightmare. His delivery doesn’t have too many moving parts, like other hard-throwing lefty Dontrelle Willis, but it might not be a quick-and-easy fix either. Early in his career, Chapman worked almost exclusively from a three-quarter slot, slinging the ball to home plate. Over the years, however, his release has gotten gradually higher, wreaking havoc on his fastball control.

Chapman’s inability to throw from a consistent slot had compounded his control problems. When he’s throwing overhead, fastballs consistently run in on the feet of righties and outside on lefties. And according to the U.S.S. Mariner’s observations, his curveball is best from three-quarters.

Pitching coaches will most likely recognize his natural three-quarters delivery and relegate him to that slot.

Chapman’s physique is also a huge plus. On paper, his height (6’4″) isn’t too intimidating, but when one sees him rise from his thick, stilt-like legs from the mound, he becomes an ominous presence.

Aroldis Chapman is a true rarity, a developed physique with tremendously overpowering, raw stuff from the left-hand side. He’s been pegged as the “#1 prospect in the world,” but his future in Major League Baseball remains to be seen.

At just 21-years-old, Aroldis Chapman could be this offseason’s best excuse to spend big money.