Comments on: Future Redbirds 2011 Top 20:#5-#1

By: whopperman

whopperman — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 05:16:28 +0000

The game I was at, I never saw Purke’s fastball above 91-92, and the other game I saw in Omaha, Blair never got above 90 on the stadium gun against Clemson. I don’t know whether the TV gun was the same as the stadium one. I don’t doubt that Purke was really throwing 95, it just didn’t register as such on the stadium gun.

I will certainly concede that the stadium gun isn’t everything

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 13:53:40 +0000

Are you sure? I seem to remember Purke hitting 95 with the fastball but he was throwing alot of sliders. Gast was throwing harder than he had all season but im not sure he was throwing harder than Purke.

By: whopperman

whopperman — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 06:47:33 +0000

I saw Gast pitch in the CWS against TCU. In a game Matt Purke dominated, Gast had the highest radar gun reading.

Purke’s obviously way better, because it’s not just a radar gun contest, but him hitting 94 on a gun that nobody else got above 92 on was impressive.

By: jjray

jjray — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:33:42 +0000

Despite the fact that I’ll turn 50 in 2011, I dislike calling young players kids. They are professional athletes. I think I typed kid then perhaps overcorrected with the formal “Mr. Cox”. Then again, when I was in grade school, the teaches called 12 year olds “Mr. ___________”.

By: jjray

jjray — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:28:27 +0000

No, option not used on Cox in 2010 but you can’t wait until his last option year (2013) to bring him up to the MLB. He needs to get a nice chunk of MLB playing time in 2012 so that if he struggles he can be sent down to the minors where he can right he ship. You do a prospect a great disservice if he is brought to the majors on his last option year to sink or swim before he is ready for the pressure.

By: Tackle Box

Tackle Box — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:07:01 +0000

I just know that sentance originally read:

“…finding the best position for Cox….”

and then you added the “Mr.” just to avoid someone as juvenile as me making a comment, right?

/8th grade humor

By: JC

JC — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:42:54 +0000

You have a very optimistic view on Freese IMO. I see more doubles and less HR’s assuming he can stay healthy. 100 RBI’s is only if he hits in a position in the lineup that would allow for that to happen. I get what your saying…he’s on the 40 man and we need to find a spot for him…but progress him at his best position and let him mature as a hitter. If he is blocked all over the place then trade him or the guy blocking him. If we think Holliday can move to RF and he can play some LF then maybe we try that. But keep him at 3B and let his hitting do the talking in his first full year. Worry about a position change down the road if you feel he can do it. And the discussions around he is better than Skip is crazy. Even if that is true he would need to be QUITE a bit better for it to even make sense. Skip’s D killed us in a number of games in 2010 and we all are just praying he improves in 2011. I don’t want to go through that again at such an important position (anything up the middle) again. And abe froman is correct…we didn’t waste an option on him last year so he has to be on the roster in 2014.

By: abe froman

abe froman — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:47:29 +0000

i dont think they used an option on him in 2010. that should leave three left. first one gets used in 2011. second one gets used in 2012. third one gets used in 2013. by 2014 he has to be up for good.

i don’t think there is a huge harm in having him try 2b, but i dont see the point in either. i dont think he can stick there. being better than skip defensively isnt saying much. moving skip to 2b was about needing a cheap infielder because the cards were paying adam kennedy to go away and thinking skip could fill a need as a leadoff hitter. therefore, they forced the situation. there will be different needs in 2012 in beyond. no need to force him to 2b. i think he’s better off focusing on adding some power to his swing and improving 3b defense than trying to learn a new position.

By: Tackle Box

Tackle Box — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:12:59 +0000

Okay, now I’m going to ask about Martinez.

Where is he most likely to play this year? Is he ready to step up to QC? I figure he’ll be held until ss starts.

By: jjray

jjray — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:12:32 +0000

Ken Oberkfell broke in at 2B then moved to 3B after two or three seasons. Cox kinda reminds me of Oberkfell. Same height, both bat left. When Oberkfell played 3B, his body was chunky. The organization has a greater need at 2B than 3B near term. Is there a harm to playing Cox at 2B for a season in the minors to see what he looks like there? Is that harmful to his progression? I think not. The experiment can be aborted if he fails miserably from the inception. 3B is basically a position where the player reacts to the ball off the bat. It’s all about the first step. 2B is much more difficult in that there is more ground to cover and the need to work the pivot. Obviously, the throw is different. I don’t think it harms Cox to spend time at 2B in the minors and even if all working at 2B does is qualify him to be an emergency 2B, that’s not a bad thing. If Cox could demonstrate a sufficient competency at 2B to constitute an upgrade over Skip, then we could turn 2B over to him until 3B becomes available (ala Oberkfell). Freese has more power potential than Cox. If Freese shows himself medically unable to play in 2011, then I agree that this Cox at 2B talk is academic. Cox probably pushes Carpenter aside but Freese holds the potential to be a 25 HR / 100 rbi guy (if he could ever stay healthy, which is a big question-mark right now). The problem with Cox is that he is on the 40 man roster. We need to find a place for him to play on the big club in the very near future. 2011 is an option year for him. I think he needs to be on the MLB roster in 2012 and, wouldn’t you know, Skip’s contract ends after the 2011 season.