MVN - Most Valuable Network

Five Things You Didn’t Think You’d See In Memphis On Memorial Day

As I sit here in Autozone Park watching today’s game between the Memphis Redbirds and the Nashville Sounds, here are a few things I thought I would never see on Memorial Day 2008:

1. Jeff Weaver pitching a AAA game in Memphis - Just watching Jeff Weaver on the hill brings back memories of Game 5 of the 2006 World Series. Jeff Weaver resurrected his defunct pitching career when Dave Duncan made him one of his now famous reclamation projects. After dropping Sidney Ponson, the Cardinals needed an arm. Enter Jeff Weaver. A Jeff Weaver that was released from the Angels to make room on their roster for his little brother Jared. But Dave Duncan took Weaver under his arm and Weaver in return became a valuable member of the rotation, helping them in winning their 10th World Series title (well 11th in my opinion, but we won’t talk about 1985). Weaver left St. Louis after that year, signing for more money with Seattle. And he returned to his “funk”. He is now with the Brewers organization, trying to pitch his way back to the majors. So here he is, pitching in Memphis today for the Nashville Sounds, the Brewers’ AAA affiliate. And he doesn’t even look like the old Jeff Weaver. Hs long hair isn’t the only thing missing. His speed is down about 4-5 mph on his fastball, and his movement is mediocre at best.

2. Colby Rasmus hitting .186 - If you had told me that Colby Rasmus would be hitting .186 coming into today’s game in Spring Training, I would have asked you where you buy your crack. If ever there was a blue chip prospect, it is Colby. He has all the tools, and had an excellent season last year, an excellent stint with Team USA, and an excellent spring with the Cardinals. But Colby is known for slow starts. But this slump is beyond a slow start. For the first time in his life, Colby has hit a wall. He will be fine in my opinion, but he needs plenty of time here at the AAA level. In my opinion, the Cardinals should be thinking about Rasmus coming up in 2010, not 2009. Besides, I think the Cardinals have more than enough outfield talent this season. Colby has the luxery of taking his time to develop. Colby has lost his lead-off spot on the Memphis Redbirds and is hitting farther down in the order until he regains his stroke.

3.  The Future of the Redbirds up in the air - I also didn’t think I would see the future of the Memphis Redbirds’ affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals up in the air at this point.  I mean, Memphis as the AAA team for St. Louis makes perfect sense, but the Redbirds only have an agreement with the Cardinals through this season.  The Memphis Redbirds have had some financial struggles the past few seasons and are the only not for profit team in all of minor league baseball.  Those two things make them less appealing in my opinion to potential buyers.  And that was my hope, that the Cardinals would just buy the Memphis Redbirds.  Friday, Bill DeWitt and John Mozeliak were in Memphis to meet with the Redbirds about the future of their relationship.  All indications are that they will hammer out a new agreement.  But I have to say, I didn’t think I would see this if you had told me a year ago.  Attendence is down, but with the Redbirds in first place in the PCL North, maybe that will bring more fans out to the ballpark.  It is still the nicest minor league park in all of baseall in my opinion.  And the 2008 version of the Redbirds is  much better than last year’s.

4.  The Redbirds in First Place - While I am happy to see the turnaround the past few weeks by the Memphis Redbirds, I have to confess that I didn’t think the Memphis Redbirds would be atop the PCL North.  But they are.  And they have more prospects than they have had in a long time.  Joe Mather, Coby Rasmus, and Nick Stavinoha make up the outfield and all have incredible potential.  David Freese has been a pleasant surprise for the Redbirds, even though every time I look at him, I just think of Jim Edmonds being traded away.  And now worse than being away from St. Louis, Jim Edmonds is now a Chicago Cub.  Oh I hate to even say that.

5.  Actually this last one I should have seeing coming.  Anthony Reyes posting a 2.04 ERA as a member of the Memphis Redbirds rotation.  Never before have a I seen a player that is so good at the AAA level, yet struggles at the major league level to even keep a job.  A move from the Cardinals rotation to their bullpen briefly benefited him, but then the Anthony of old reared his ugly head again.  He quickly earned a demotion to Memphis.  And wouldn’t you know it?  He is pitching well again.  He has allowed just 4 runs in 17 2/3 innings of work as a member of the Memphis rotation.  But I say, let him pitch here all season.  We don’t need him in St. Louis and he could benefit from time at AAA.

So there you have it folks, the five things I didn’t think I would see on this Memorial Day 2008.  And as of the writing of this article, the Memphis Redbirds are leading Jeff Weaver and the Nashville Sounds 5-3.

Mather On Verge Of Getting The Call

Rick Ankiel has a sore right shoulder.  And it is preventing him from swinging at 100%.  And it has also kept him out of the lineup the past two games.  He is scheduled to see the Cardinals doctor tomorrow and if it is decided that he needs to rest a week or so, then the Cardinals will probably put him on the 15 day disabled list.  While that isn’t good news for Cardinal Nation, it is good news for Joe Mather.

Joe Mather had a great spring training with the Cardinals and is having a great season at AAA Memphis.  He is hitting .316 with 8 home runs in 27 games and the Cardinals have said that IF they put Ankiel on the DL, then Mather should expect a call-up.  I would LOVE to see Mather join the Cards.  He has incredible potential.  He, in essence, totally replaces Chris Duncan.  He has just as much power (more these days), plays better defense, and can play first base too, just like Duncan.  So he could back up Albert if needed.  Dunc just isn’t the same since his hernia surgery.

So while Memphis needs Joe Mather, St. Louis may soon come calling.  But not to worry, I think Nick Stavinoha (.375) can lead this Redbirds offense. One thing is for sure, Colby Rasmus sure isn’t.  He is hitting .182 and has been taken out of the lead-off spot some too.  I think Colby will be okay, he is known for slow starts.  But you have to hit better than .182.

Don’t Worry About Colby

Colby Rasmus has a reputation for starting slow at times.  And that seems to be the only shortcoming in his game.  He is a five-tool player and the Cardinals top prospect.  The Cardinals were so confident in his abilities, that they let Jim Edmonds go to San Diego, knowing that they were in good hands.  Rick Ankiel is keeping the spot warm in St. Louis right now, with Colby starting the year here in the Bluff City.  His only job?  To get at bats.  He needs to get quality at bats at the AAA level.

Through the Memphis Redbirds’ first 19 games, Rasmus is hitting .221 with only 2 home runs and 7 RBI’s.  But don’t worry Cardinal Nation, this guy is the real deal.  He is mature beyond his 21 years.  He plays focused and when he gets in a groove, watch out Memphis.  He is taking good at bats for the most part.  I have seen him have a few strikeouts where he shouldn’t have gone after pitches out of the zone, but more times than not, he is hitting the ball solid, he just isn’t finding the holes.  He defense has been solid and he has got a heck of an arm.  And you have to remember, this is his first month to play above AA ball, so there is a learning curve after all.

The concern with Rasmus, in my opinion, isn’t whether or not he will start hitting.  But rather, who spot does he take when he does make it to St. Louis.  The “Fab Five” as I call them are Skip Schumaker, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Chris Duncan, and Brian Barton.  Schumaker is hitting .324 and doing an excellent job as the lead-off hitter for St. Louis.  Rasmus is batting lead-off for Memphis, just like he did for Team USA last fall.  But in my opinion, he has too much power to be in the number one slot.  Besides, how do you tell a guy like Schumaker that .324 isn’t good enough.  I see Rasmus as more of a number 2 hitter.

In addition to Schumaker’s success, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, and Chris Duncan have all been spectacular as well.  Tony La Russa already has his hands full trying to decide who starts each night.  Everyone keeps making it very hard for Tony to keep them out of the lineup.  Then you have Brian Barton, a rule 5 pickup that provides the team with MUCH needed speed and a good bat off the bench.  His arm is weak and his defense is average.  But he is the speedster that we clearly lack.  But as a rule 5, he must stay on the major league roster, or be offered back to Cleveland for $50,000.

So what does all that have to do with Rasmus?  Well, what it means is that Rasmus will more than likely be called up at some point this season and that Tony La Russa will have some major decisions to make.  If it were up to me, I would put Schumaker in left, Rasmus in center, and Ankiel in right.  And Ludwick would be my fourth guy.  Duncan, while he is doing well, would be possible trade bait.  He would be attractive to an American League team especially, as a possible DH.  And Barton, well, time will tell if he has what it takes to make it as a big leage hitter.  His speed definitely makes him worth keeping around to see.

But for now, Colby will continue to collect at bats here in Memphis.  And I will continue to track his progress, as we watch perhaps the best minor league prospect to ever come up through the Cardinals system since Albert Pujols.

Colby Rasmus Is Headed To Memphis

Colby Rasmus is the most highly touted prospect to come through the Cardinals system in a long time, and perhaps, ever. Even Albert Pujols wasn’t this highly anticipated before making it to the majors. Rasmus hasn’t even swung a bat yet at the major league level, but the Cardinals are completely confident that he will be roaming center field in St. Louis for years to come. As a matter of fact, they were so confident, that they traded away Jim Edmonds to San Diego. Yes, the Jim Edmonds that was my favorite player to ever put on a Cardinals uniform. The Jim Edmonds that made spectacular catches into an art form. The Jim Edmonds that palyed over 1000 games as the Cardinals’ center fielder. The Jim Edmonds that single handedly saved the season for the Cardinals in 2004 by hitting a walk-off home run in game 6 and a game saving catch in game 7 of the NLCS that sent the Cardinals to the World Series. And yes, the Jim Edmonds that was supposed to hand the torch over to Colby Rasmus. So yes, Rasmus is THAT good of a prospect that the Cardinals sent Jimmy to San Diego in preparation for Rasmus.

But there is no rush to bring Colby Rasmus into the mix in St. Louis just yet. Coming off a very successful season at AA Springfield, another successful stint as the leader of Team USA, and then a very productive spring training with the Cardinals this month in Jupiter, he still needs some seasoning. Think of him as being in a similar position as Rick Ankiel was in last year, when he headed to Memphis. Everyone knew he had the talent, he just needed at bats. And these two have more in common than you might think. Just like Rick, who was a pitcher until he retired from the mound and redefined himself as a power hitting outfielder, Colby was also a pitching phenom for his high school in Northern Alabama. He was a dominating lefty, whose favorite Major Leaguer was Randy Johnson. These days though, Colby is being called the next “Chipper Jones,” a comparison that I don’t mind at all.

He is VERY solid defensively, has a great range and a strong arm. At the dish, he has a good eye, his for a decent average, and has incredible power potential. I could see him hitting lead-off, second, third, or even cleanup at the big league level one day. He is definitely the type of prospect that you don’t come across everyday. Most guys “develop” in the minors. Very rarely do you see the level of talent and potential that Rasmus brings to a club.

And as a native Memphian, I couldn’t be happier about his coming to the Memphis Redbirds. I agree with the Cardinals’ management that he isn’t quite ready for the majors and that there is definitely no need to rush his development. And the fact that he could be the best talent to don a Memphis Redbirds uniform in quite some time is exciting as well. He will be good for Memphis, no matter how brief his stint in the bluff city. I fully expect him to bolster attendance and inject some excitement into a team that should be much improved from last year. So listen to me when I tell you, get down to Autozone Park and check out Colby Rasmus. And remember his name.