Hammons Field is a great ballpark and I fully intend on spending a weekend there again this year. Hopefully, the club is still playing as well then as they are now. The offense that is . . . because the pitching has some issues.
As of Monday the 27th, the Springfield Cardinals lead their division by 3 games with a 11-6 record. Springfield in the Texas League North and Midland in the Texas League South division have identical records and are the only clubs in the Texas League with winning records.
Brett Wallace, Daryl Jones, Tyler Henley
OPSed – Say it like John Miller everyone! The S-Cards have two players OPS-ing over 1.000 and it’s not Brett Wallace or Daryl Jones. Steve Hill (1.302) and Daniel Descalso (1.116) are hitting like men possesed. They are 1st and 4th in the league.
The Walrus and the Carpenter – Brett Wallace and DJ Tools aren’t exactly slacking this season. The owners of OBPs north of .450, both players have been major offensive contributors with the bat. DJ also leads the club with 4 steals and 0 times getting caught.
Remember When – Mark Hamilton doesn’t want to be forgotten. The 76th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2006 draft is hitting well with a .874 OPS in 33 ABs. He’d have to put up a monster season to get back into the top prospects discussion but he’s not yet going the way of Mike Ferris.
Maybe Try Arnoldi Again – Tony Cruz is part of the catching rotation at Springfield. While it’s hard to get a feel for how that defensive transition is going, someone needs to get him a new bat. Currently hitting .217/.315/.239 with one extra base hit to his name, Cruz is one of the few lowlights of an otherwise potent offense.
All Together Now – The Springfield pitchers have combined for the worst ERA in the league. Their 5.96 mark is a full eight-tenths of a run worse than the next team.
Walk It Out – Andy Sonnastine, noted control artist, has thrown 343 major league innings. In that time, he’s walked 71 batters. In their 151 innings, the Springfield staff has walked 109 outpacing the next team, Midland, by 37.
Krafty – Tyler Norrick and Trey Hearne, neither of whom is known for outstanding stuff, rank 2nd and 5th in the league in punchouts. Norrick has taken well to relief as a lefty coming out of the pen. We questioned the release of Eric Haberer a few years back without trying to convert the lefty to relief and this is an example of why.
Statistics That I Hate (except when I can use them to my advantage) – The Springfield Cardinals lack a pitcher with a WHIP under 1. Everyone is allowing at least a baserunner an inning.
Entries (RSS)
“The Walrus and the Carpenter” … love the reference; hadn’t seen anyone else throw that together (though I may have missed it). Even moreso, I hope we get to see them as teammates in St. Louis.
I wouldn’t mind having the other Carpenter as part of that act too, if his arm hasn’t fallen off by then.
How’s the league playing this year, in terms of favoring pitchers or hitters? If Hill’s numbers aren’t too inflated by environment, he is beginning to look VERY interesting.
Sometime in 2010 and most definitely in 2011 (barring any trades), you could have Rasmus, Jones, and Wallace all batting near each other in the lineup (1, 2, and 5?). That’ll say something about the recent development of our farm system.
meant to say Jones (1), Rasmus (2), and Wallace (5).
Pierce,
Imagine this:
Jones, LF
Rasmus, CF
Pujols, 1B
Ludwick, RF
Wallace, 3B
Molina, C
Ryan/Greene, K/Greene, T/FA, SS/2B
Ryan/Greene, K/Greene, T/FA, SS/2B
Pitcher
Besides the MIF I think that 1-6 is a bit sick from both an offensive and defensive aspect with Wallace being your biggest question mark defensively.
Might have Descalso in the mix at 2B, with Niko climbing the ladder too.
Hey if you do make it down to Springfield this year, I’ve got great season tickets and would love to have another baseball junkie go with me.
hell, you might still have skip at 2b. that would be a monsterous lineup.