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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
