Redbird Roundup is back
After nearly a year-long hiatus, the Redbird Roundup is back. I hope to blog almost daily with my analysis and viewpoints on the happenings in Cardinal Nation. With that being said, let's get down to business.
Out of the Slump?
After a grueling stretch where the offense seemingly couldn't hit water in the ocean, the Cardinals have posted 19 runs in the previous two games. The slump has lasted for about a month, even affecting Albert Pujols, who has just two hits combined in the last two series. Ludwick hasn't looked comfortable at all since coming off the disabled list, Chris Duncan looks like he's been swinging an oar through Vaseline for the past month and Rick Ankiel has struck out in about 30 percent of his plate appearances.
Baby Bird
One of the bright spots during the Cards' poor play as of late has been rookie Colby Rasmus, who is really coming into his own. After his pinch-hit RBI single today, Rasmus is batting .273 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs, putting him in strong contention for Rookie of the Year consideration. Add that to the fact that he plays premium defense in center field, and you have the makings for a very strong first year for the 22-year-old Rasmus. He needs to be playing every day because he is the future anchor of the St. Louis outfield. Sure, he looks a bit lax at times in the field, but he is still by FAR the best outfielder the Cards have and that includes Ankiel, whose poor routes to balls are often overlooked because of the diving plays he has to use to make up for the ground he lost during his less-than-stellar routes. Let's just say Ankiel is no Magellan, and he will likely be navigating his way out of St. Louis at the end of this season (free agent + Scott Boras as an agent = gaudy asking price for a lack of production. Later, Ricky. Hello, Colby).
Help on the way?
Don't let this two-game influx of offense fool you; the Cards need another big bat in the lineup, and they need it quickly. Rasmus is currently the closest thing to protection Pujols has in the lineup, but he's not a clean-up hitter by trade. Ludwick has to get going to protect El Hombre, and someone else has to come in because with the current offense, the Cardinals are not going to continue to win. Troy Glaus will likely not be back this year, and even if he does come back, he will probably be useless. He's Scott Rolen version 2.0. The question is this: Do you acquire a third baseman such as Mark DeRosa or Adrian Beltre, or do you go for another big bat and continue to platoon the third base position? Leave some comments with what you think the Cardinals should do to bolster their lineup, and I'll discuss some options in another blog post tomorrow.
- -- Posted by BenchWarmer on Sun, Jun 14, 2009, at 5:34 AM
- -- Posted by Brandon Higgins on Sun, Jun 14, 2009, at 2:46 PM
- -- Posted by Baseballfan88 on Mon, Jun 22, 2009, at 6:40 PM
- -- Posted by Brandon Higgins on Mon, Jun 22, 2009, at 11:10 PM
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