Major League Baseball goes through different stages of what is considered a player's peak. Usually, it falls somewhere in a player's late twenties, though in the late 1990s through early 2000s, when older baseball players such as Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds were Simply Working Harder Than Everybody Else Out There (after all, they were…
Kris Bryant, Yadier Molina, and the joy of our big, stupid rivalry
In the modern Online culture, we tend to grade viral social media moments on a curve. If a comedian writes a funny tweet, that's swell, but that is expected. But if Ted Cruz, very much not a professional comedian, replies to Deadspin soliciting requests for pictures of him playing basketball (I don't remember the reason--it…
What if the Cardinals just signed all of the free agents?
A widely-stated, probably not entirely true but spiritually mostly valid tagline for the mostly dormant 2018-19 offseason is something along the lines of "Every team could sign Bryce Harper or Manny Machado if they wanted." Baseball teams, after all, are extremely lucrative businesses, and while team owners have been more than willing to publicize the…
Chris Duncan and getting to know players
Chris Duncan made his St. Louis Cardinals debut on September 10, 2005, and he was almost immediately my least favorite Cardinals player. The reasons behind this were largely circumstantial. Duncan debuted not too terribly long after I began my first job, one which I hated, and one at which I was constantly tormented by the…
St. Louis is excited about Nelly recruiting Bryce Harper, but can we, um, not?
Bryce Harper was born on October 16, 1992, which means he was in first grade when Nelly’s breakthrough debut single “Country Grammar” was released. Speaking from my own experiences, I didn’t really know the popular songs released when I was in first grade at the time. I do remember “Macarena”-mania arriving the next summer and…
The Cardinals signed Andrew Miller, which is better than pocketing the money I guess
On Thursday night, the St. Louis Cardinals signed Andrew Miller to a still yet-to-be-announced contract (though KSDK's Frank Cusumano has reported that it is a two-year deal with a third-year vesting option). Like Brett Cecil, whom the Cardinals signed to a four-year, $30.5 million contract in the 2016-17 off-season, Andrew Miller is a lefty relief…
The Cardinals/Cubs rivalry is a myth, and that’s fine
On October 9, 2015, the St. Louis Cardinals hosted the Chicago Cubs in the postseason for the first time. It was the peak of a century-plus old series of matchups between what were, for decades, the National League's two westernmost franchises. Throughout most of their respective histories, one team (usually, though not always, the Cardinals)…
The case for keeping Dexter Fowler
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…
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…
