There is a veteran outfielder available this off-season who, in 2018, had a .253 batting average, a .341 on-base percentage, and a .370 slugging percentage. His .712 OPS (a point higher than adding his OBP and SLG due to rounding errors) is just ahead of Kevin Pillar, who had an OPS+ of 93 at a…
The Paul Goldschmidt trade is a no-brainer. Unless it isn’t.
When news broke of a major blockbuster trade on Wednesday afternoon, one which sent six-time All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly, minor league infielder Andy Young, and one of the competitive balance draft picks that the Cardinals are frequently mocked for receiving…
Let’s not overthink it – the Goldschmidt trade is a definite “win”
There will desire to immediately find the negatives in the Cardinals' trade for Paul Goldschmidt. We should ignore it.
Banning the shift seems like a bad idea
I want to share a screenshot from the beginning of a Youtube clip of Willie McGee making a great catch in Game 3 of the 1982 World Series. You probably know the play. As you can see, there are three infielders on our left side of second base, presumably from left to right, Ken Oberkfell,…
What should Kyler Murray do?
Later today, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray is probably going to be announced as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and will likely finish in the top two, along with Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He is an exhilerating football player, and he is the kind of dual-threat quarterback that has been increasingly coveted in the…
The pros and cons of Paul Goldschmidt
In 2017, the Arizona Diamondbacks won 93 games and made it to the NLDS. In 2018, the Diamondbacks weren't quite as successful, but they did still finish over .500 and actually finished with a more positive run differential than the Colorado Rockies, who made it to the NLDS and finished the regular season proper with…
A millennial revisits “Heck of a Year” (after a few drinks)
I am twenty-nine years old, an age which is not generally considered "old", per se, but an age at which there is a major cultural difference between me and many of you who are younger than I am, particularly if you are several years younger than I am. I spent the first decade-plus of my…
Evaluating the 2019 Hall of Fame cases of the ex-Cardinals
Of the thirty-five men who made the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame, six played for the St. Louis Cardinals. And all did for at least a season, at that--there are no John Smoltz scenarios here where you have to squint to the find the Cardinals tenure on his Baseball Reference page. And while…
Cardinals Unveil New Alternate Jersey, Ozuna’s Sleeve In Jeopardy
Today at eleven, the Cardinals held a press conference at Ballpark Village, and as we all knew, no big free agent was unveiled, but the Cardinals organization made a bold move nonetheless by expanding their uniform repertoire. A hype video, and one Harrison Bader debuted the new jerseys, which will be worn as a road…
Let’s stop worrying what Michael Wilbon thinks about baseball
On Wednesday evening, to the surprise of nobody, New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom won the National League Cy Young Award. It was nearly unanimous, with just one voter not picking the Mets ace for the award for the league's top pitcher (and he voted for deGrom in second place). I agree wholeheartedly with…
My NL MVP ballot
Here is how I would have voted. For the final time (oh, man, I've done a lot of these, haven't I?), this ballot is not a prediction of how I think MVP voting will shape up but rather how I would vote if I had one. 1. Jacob deGrom--New York Mets: He isn't even a finalist,…
My AL MVP ballot
I wrote quite a few of these awards ballot posts, as you may have noticed. Some of them were more fun than others to write. But MVP discussions are what really matter. Everything was a precursor to this. Cy Young Awards and Rookie of the Year awards are fun discussions, but each is necessarily a…
My Cy Young Award picks
Tonight, the awards for the best pitchers in the American and National Leagues will be conferred upon (probably) deserving candidates and perhaps one or two new men will forever be known as "former Cy Young winner", a prefix to names such as R.A. Dickey and Rick Porcello. This sounds like a joke, but you don't need…
My Manager of the Year picks
There is something nearly impossible about evaluating the best managers in Major League Baseball, and because of that, Manager of the Year is arguably the most fun of the major awards to discuss. With Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, and MVP awards, one could just rank the top relevant players by WAR and submit…
My Rookie of the Year picks
We saw a bunch of MLB breakthroughs this season, and today, we will learn which players will join such immortals as Todd Hollandsworth and Andrew Bailey as Rookies of the Year in their respective leagues. The ballots submitted by BBWAA voters goes three names deep, and that is how long my ballot goes as well.…
Josh Donaldson, Bryce Harper, and the cost of stardom
Since 2012, when third baseman Josh Donaldson exhausted his rookie eligibility with the Oakland Athletics, Mike Trout has been the best player in baseball. Trout won a pair of MVP awards, deserved at least two (probably three) more, and has invited comparisons to Mickey Mantle which, if anything, underestimate Trout. With 64 Wins Above Replacement…
My NL Silver Slugger picks
This morning, I detailed my picks for the Silver Slugger awards in the American League. And now I'm going through my picks in the National League. Cool? Cool. Pitcher--Michael Lorenzen, Cincinnati Reds: There are two arguments for NL pitcher Silver Slugger, and one's side depends entirely on whether or not to classify Michael Lorenzen as a…
My AL Silver Slugger picks
Following the crowning of MLB's Gold Glove awards two days ago, it is now time for the Silver Sluggers. A slightly less popular award, largely because frankly the best hitters win MVP awards more often than the best fielders, the Silver Slugger honors the best hitter at each position. From a sabermetric perspective, I'm far…
We aren’t talking about these free agents, but maybe we should?
With big names like Bryce Harper and Josh Donaldson on fans minds, no one is really thinking about these free agents... but maybe they should?
What approach should the Cardinals take in free agency?
As it currently stands (and as is almost always the case for every team), the St. Louis Cardinals have fewer payroll commitments for 2019 than they did at the beginning of 2018. Gone are the $14 million salary of Greg Holland and $3 million salary of Bud Norris (and Greg Garcia, and whatever you want…
My NL Gold Glove picks
Following my American League rundown earlier today, here are my picks for the Gold Glove awards in the National League. Pitcher--Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks: That Greinke is the four-time defending winner of this award is probably all the evidence that is necessary to presume he will win again in 2018, but his numbers from this season…
My AL Gold Glove picks
Today, the American League and National League winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award will be announced. Here are my picks for the American League awards. I ignored the finalists and made my picks for who I believe deserves to win regardless of what The Establishment has to say. National League picks will be coming…
Adam Wainwright and the price of sentimentality
For thirteen days, I assumed that Adam Wainwright's final appearance in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform would be a mediocre outing on a Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, surrendering four earned runs, including a home run (though with perfectly fine true-outcome totals of one walk and seven strikeouts), in an 8-4 loss to the hated…
John Mozeliak Has Been Fine. Now, He Needs to be Better.
October baseball is upon us once again, and for the third consecutive season, the St. Louis Cardinals are not involved. This is only the second time since the late 90s that the Cardinals have gone three straight years without a postseason berth, so it's understandable why some fans are getting a little impatient. And for…
On enjoying things
Over a 30 day stretch within my last five weeks writing for Viva El Birdos, I wrote 46 posts. I don't know what possessed me to count the exact number. I knew it was a lot. During those thirty days, there were exactly two in which I didn't publish anything. By this point, I was…
Cardinals drop season finale 10-5, fail in quest to keep Cubs from NL Central crown
Dodgers beat Giants 10-6, eliminate Cardinals from postseason contention
The Los Angeles Dodgers scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning this afternoon at San Francisco's AT&T Park to defeat the San Francisco Giants 10-6, clinching at least a Wild Card berth and in turn, eliminating the St. Louis Cardinals from postseason contention in 2018. The Cardinals did their part earlier this…
9/29 Recap: Still Alive
Pre-game: After a four game losing streak, the Cardinals find themselves in a must-win situation. When your back is against the wall, you focus on what you can control first, which is win one game. Then pray that the Giants help you by beating the Dodgers today and tomorrow to force a game 163. It's…
If this is it: A Cardinals – Cubs series preview
One win. One stupid additional win at any point during the first 159 games of the 2018 Cardinals season and this final series with the Cubs would feel remarkably different. On the other hand, I suppose, turn one of their 87 wins into a loss and things for all intents and purposes would be finished…
This post made more sense when I wrote it: Constructing a Cardinals playoff roster
Last Sunday, with the Cardinals' odds of their season extending beyond this Sunday very good (or at least the odds of it not seeming like a long shot by today being extremely good), I decided to hammer out my hypothetical playoff roster. I was attending the next three games at Busch Stadium and wouldn't have…
9/26/18 Recap: Cardinals Stumble to 2-1 Loss at Worst Possible Time
Heading into the final week of the regular season the St. Louis Cardinals had the luxury of controlling their own playoff destiny. If they simply took care of their own business in these remaining six games, they wouldn't have to worry about what anyone else did. But after two devastating losses to the Milwaukee Brewers…
An (Stupid) Early 2018 Best Moments List
Editor's note: A few weeks ago, an anonymous reader e-mailed me to submit this post for consideration for publication on St. Louis Bullpen. This isn't normally how our writing process works, but this was too interesting to simply ignore. Some of the information is out of date, because of when it was written. The writer…
SMASH THE PANIC BUTTON -a 9/25 recap
So last night looked like it was going to be an amazing come from behind victory. Then it rained. And then it wasn't. But, it's time to get back up on the horse and play again today! Austin Gomber faces off against Gio Gonzalez (whom I did not know was a member of the Milwaukee…
The Marcell Ozuna trade is still good even if Christian Yelich is better
Marcell Ozuna's first few months as a St. Louis Cardinal were disappointing. He didn't hit well and he made a few ugly, high-profile defensive lapses which tarnished the reputation that comes with being a defending Gold Glove winner. But particularly in the second half of the season, Ozuna has come around. He has been an…
ALL I WANTED WAS FOR THE CARDINALS TO GO 6-0 TO END THE SEASON: An edited recap from 9/24.
Author's Note: As I thought about last night's recap, I regretted some of my more strident, and at times frankly Trump-like, characterizations of personalities and events from the game. I know that you fine consumers of baseball information have a number of options from which to choose when seeking Cardinals information and analysis, and I'm…
SMASH THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS INTO A MILLION PIECES–a series preview
I find series previews to be simultaneously timely and unnecessary, and I've always had an uneasy relationship with writing them. I don't think that's that much to be said about matchups, and particularly once the season has developed, any fan who cares enough to read a series preview knows generally what the St. Louis Cardinals…
Take time out of your day to hail the Lizard King–a Cardinals/Giants recap
After besting Madison Bumgarner and Dereck Rodriguez with, on paper, inferior starting pitchers on Friday and Saturday, Sunday afternoon's battle between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants seems like an easy win. But this is baseball, a very stupid sport, so nothing could be assured. Here were the starting lineups. https://twitter.com/SFGiants/status/1043898666795204609 https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1043892834141720576 I've been…
Cards Win a Nail-Biter in Extras, 5-4
Good Waino is still a thing, Tyler O'Neill is a bad, bad man.
The Cardinals are facing the Giants and honestly what could possibly go wrong? A series preview
In the 1987, the St. Louis Cardinals faced the San Francisco Giants in the National League Championship Series, and in seven games, they emerged victorious. This is surely a treasured memory for Cardinals fans who remember it, particularly given how the other three postseason series featuring the Cardinals and Giants have gone. In 2002, 2012,…
Battle of the 3-1 collapses: 1996 NLCS vs. 2012 NLCS
I have learned now that while those who speak about one's miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more. -Dmitri Young, possibly Here’s the thing when your favorite baseball team blows a 3-1 playoff series lead: You can feel it happening, in fact you KNOW it’s happening well ahead of time. Usually just a…
9/19/18 Recap: Cardinals Drop Way Too Early Series Finale to Braves 7-3
Today, the St. Louis Cardinals played the Atlanta Braves in a game that began at 11:10 a.m. St. Louis time. Normally, I'm all for daytime baseball if it's on a weekend or a day when I have no prior commitments, but...today is Wednesday. I can't really watch baseball at my job, especially when the game…
The most deGrom-like pitchers in Cardinals history
New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is having one of the best seasons in Major League Baseball this year. He is a strong candidate for the National League Cy Young Award on the merits of his Wins Above Replacement marks; by the WAR measure used by FanGraphs, deGrom is the single-best pitcher in baseball this…
*Smiley face with sunglasses emoji* -a 9/18 recap
The Cardinals are riding a two game win streak coming into tonight's matchup with the Braves. Austin Gomber is on the mound as he looks for redemption after an early exit in his last start. Lineups https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1042165168678096903 https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1042131750439346176 Game Notes Only one hit for both sides through the first three innings. Gomber and Anibal Sanchez…
A look back at the trades the Cardinals made (and didn’t make) at the deadline
There are, if you want to be literal and frankly very obnoxious about it, thousands of trades that the St. Louis Cardinals did not make at this season's non-waiver trade deadline. They did not trade Luke Weaver for Mike Trout. They did not trade Greg Garcia for Mike Trout. They did not trade a player…
Cardinals face off with rebuilt Braves: a series preview
When I was a kid, the Atlanta Braves were a juggernaut. Yes, they only won one World Series during that time, and I don't even remember it (it is the most recent World Series I do not remember at all), but every year, they were in contention. In 1990, the Braves finished in last place,…
Adam Wainwright impresses as Cardinals salvage final game of Dodgers series
All right, Adam Wainwright is pitching, Matt Vasgersian is announcing, and I'm admittedly not super excited about this game at all. Not gonna get drunk like during yesterday's game, but gonna be grumpy probably. Buckle up! Here are the lineups. https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1041435555265896449 https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1041446672830787584 Wainwright retired Joc Pederson (I guess in light of what happened with Vontae…
Dodgers push Cardinals out of playoff position as local recapper day-drinks his way through it all
So I wasn't originally supposed to recap this game. I was supposed to sit in my apartment, laying low and probably having my fair share of adult beverages because all I have to do today is attend a wedding this evening and I'm getting a ride for it. As it turns out, I'm recapping, but…
Meet the Large Adult Sons of the Cardinals Farm System
Although baseball is a game where players come in many shapes and sizes, we can admit that when we think of baseball players, we think of certain molds. Tall, lanky pitchers, statuesque outfielders, small, scrappy infielders, and stocky catchers- these are the typical archetypes we fall back on, and by in large, these archetypes tend…
9/13/18 Recap: Tyson Ross Takes Kershaw Deep in 9-7 Loss To Dodgers
The Cardinals begin a critical four game series late in the season against the Dodgers tonight. Currently the Dodgers are the most imminent threat to the Cardinals' playoff hopes, sitting two games behind in the wild card standings. A dominant series by the Cards could put them back even further. Tonight we will see a…
9/12/18 Recap: Missed Opportunities Abound for Cards in 4-3 Loss to Pirates
At this point in the year, the St. Louis Cardinals will take any series win they can find as they try to scratch and claw their way into the postseason. Taking 2 of 3 from a divisional foe is certainly better than the alternative. Still, the nature of today's 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates…
