I’m wrapping up a weekend move and returning to a normal schedule. All the minor league games were rained out yesterday so there’s nothing to report in that regard.
With the addition of Miguel Batista and optioning of Fernando Salas over the weekend, I was left wondering two things: 1) Will a position player or a pitcher be the first minor leaguer called up and 2) who will that player be?
I’m going with a pitcher and Lance Lynn which basically amounts to me betting on a starter going down with an injury. Other likely candidates might be Eduardo Sanchez, Fernando Salas, Matt Carpenter, Tony Cruz or Bryan Anderson. Anyone I’m missing? Care to make your own first up prediction?
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Salas, when they find out motte is hurt
Maybe I’ve missed something, has there been any report that he might be or are you just basing that on his spring numbers?
I am going to predict that Bryan Anderson doesnt see Bush Stadium again until TLR leaves.
I predict he doesn’t see Bush Stadium if LaRussa does leave. Not much of a market for AAA catchers that can’t catch. Hope Anderson gets it together though.
Tough call between Salas and Lynn….. I know I can’t have two choices but it’s 50/50 on who gets hurt first.
Side note, I’m still pissed we signed Laird and didn’t give B Anderson a shot this year, his bat has to make up for his glove right?!?! Also, glad to see D.D. getting a shot, hopefully he’ll be our everyday 2B in 2012 and we let Skipper skip his way out of town.
What do you really expect Anderson to contribute from an offensive roll, especially in a back up, one start a week scenario? Crappy defensive and a .240/.250 average at best is not something you want in a back up.
And how does playing once a week really help Anderson improve?
I’d be all but certain the answer is Salas, and soon. Bullpen jockeying will be going on early because of the long road trip the team takes right after opening day. Look for Salas to come up on that trip, with either Augenstein getting sent down (he still has options, right?) if he pitches a long stint and will be unavailable for several days, or one of T-Greene, Descalso, Jay or Craig, simply to lengthen the pen. (Of course that will also mean further shorting the already-short bench, but that’s the way TLR does things.)
Salas.
If a starter goes down, I predict that Augenstein takes the starting spot, requiring another bullpen arm. If a bullpen arm goes down, then Salas is up next.
I doubt they’d move Augenstein to the rotation, unless that injury happened within the first week or so. Lynn will be starting games in Memphis, and his arm will be ready to start. I would think they’d want someone that can come in and go 6 innings off the bat.
Stavinoha. LaRussa will explain that Craig needs to be playing everyday. Even though he should be playing every day instead of Berkman. But I’m sure when Berkman gets hurt, Jon Jay will be in the lineup everyday.
Stavinoha’s gonna have a hell of a time getting called up when he’s not even on the 40-man and the 40-man is already full.
Is Brian Tallet going to be on the roster? If not, they might have a spot there to open up. But, i honestly don’t remember hearing anything about Tallet all spring so I’m not sure if he’ll be in the plans or not.
hmmm…….Stavinoha won’t be called up because the 40 man is full yet above you predict Lynn as the first call up. Lynn also is not on the 40 man roster.
A credible outcome (all too credible…) with Punto’s sports hernia is that he will be out for long enough to get moved to the 60-man DL, which would free up a 40-man roster space for Stav or Lynn.
Punto’s already taking batting practice. I’ll be surprised if he isn’t back before the end of April, with T. Greene heading back down. TG apparently doesn’t like playing in the bigs. He was horrible this spring; only reason he made the opening day roster is because they have no other SS’s.
T. Greene is out of options. In this scenario, DD goes back down.
Punto himself can play adequate defense at short, can’t he? That would seem to make TG dispensable, particularly if Jackson is showing signs of developing as a hitter. Any chance he’d be outrighted?
Greene is not out of options. He used options in 2009 and 2010. He has one left.
My bad. I was thinking he was on the 40 for some reason. Okay, then, it won’t be Lynn or Stavinoha. Happy?
I am guessing Berkman to the DL within weeks, so I will say Adron Chambers. I am hoping the front office wouldn’t be so stupid as to expose anybody currently on the 40-man roster to waivers to create space for Stavinoha who is a bad defender and apparently only a AAAA hitter. Then again Tony was foaming about how much ‘they’ like Stavinoha just a few days ago and we have seen the f.o. give him who he wanted in past even when it was a bad baseball decision.
i think chambers and salas are the best bets.
I would go with Salas. It’s hard for me to say that because I think we see M Carp up before the end of May if only because we’ll have found out that Punto stinks with the bat by then.
Another side note to this discussion isroster management, link of what SLCard was mentioning.
If a move does have to be made to the 40-man (I know Wainright will be move to 60-day), who is in danger? I think it will be:
1) PJ walters
2) Tony Cruz
Agree with Walters. I dont know if he would be next but I think at this point they’d keep Cruz over Anderson.
i think walters is running out of time. samuel is high on my list of people to demote, having lots of relievers in the farm and with little progress from him. neither blake king nor maikel cleto need a roster spot, but the club may not be ready to put either through waivers.
Salas, they play the yo-yo game with the bullpen every year. For Lynn’s sake (and the big clubs fortunes) I hope he stays at Memphis till September. I’d like to see him get a full year of Triple A success but if the big club stinks I hope he is up sooner. Berkman will play well for a month and a half, everyone will be talking about how smart MO and Tony are then he’ll blow out his elbow or knee in the OF and not play again for the rest of the year. Bad defensive 34 year old first baseman don’t become outfielders, they become DH’s.
I have to go with Salas since I’m very surprised he was sent down. Garcia, though, will make the need for a starter the priority if he doesn’t find himself soon. I think they’d rather leave Lynn at Memphis until he’s consistently as successful as he was late last year so even Dickson or Walters could be the first.
I don’t see a position player getting the call unless there’s an injury.
Oops. Just saw today’s box score. Jaime’s back!! I knew it all along.
Well, we now know there is an OF opening, will the Cards go with Chambers or add a pitcher (Salas)?
Damn, you beat me by a couple of minutes
I am going to go out on a limb here and say Hamilton (just ’cause no one else has guessed him) given that Holiday is out. Unfortunately, I’m afraid it will be Stavinoha.