Looking for a New Address

RockintheRed · 05-12-2008, 10:40 AM

Yesterday, an important story by Joe Strauss came out from the Post-Dispatch that all but assures us that Anthony Reyes will not be with the Cardinals at the end of this year. Some excerpts:

Manager Tony La Russa explained a bullpen crisis necessitated the May 4 move, which swapped Reyes for Mike Parisi. True, Reyes would not have been available to pitch behind starter Joel Pineiro if Pineiro experienced a recurrence of back spasms Monday night in Colorado. However, the larger truth is that Parisi proved more impressive to pitching coach Dave Duncan in spring training...

Reyes' availability for trade ranks as one of the game's worst-kept secrets, though Mozeliak insists he remains "hesitant" to finalize a deal given the rotation's uncertain depth as Mark Mulder and Matt Clement rehabilitate from shoulder surgeries.

Other clubs believe the point moot for now, since Mozeliak's asking price of at least one top prospect does not square with Reyes' value to the other 29 organizations.

"We have no interest in giving Anthony Reyes away," Mozeliak insisted...

The fact that Mike Parisi is thought of as a better option in the bullpen than Reyes, even though both are capable of going 3+ innings on the spot, demonstrates the lack of confidence the club has in Anthony. I don't think that will ever change, given Parisi's success in his role and the number of ready bullpen and rotation pitchers in Memphis right now - Chris Perez, Jason Motte, Ron Flores, Jaime Garcia, and P.J. Walters.

Now, all we can hope for is for Anthony to excel in Memphis, as he has always done. Friday in Las Vegas was a decent start, with Reyes going 3 innings, 4 hits, 3 K, 3 BB, and no earned runs. It becomes a game of "who matches up?" at this point. The Rockies are still looking for rotation and bullpen help, as are the Braves.

I wouldn't mind packaging him with Chris Duncan, who has proved to be the least valuable outfielder on this team so far. Not only is he a defensive liability, but he isn't producing the power at the plate that makes him valuable. His isolated power is at a career-low .145, and he has only 3 dingers on the year. Against lefthanded pitchers he's batting .083/.154/.083 (1 hit in 12 AB), and .296/.427/.465 in 71 AB against righthanders, essentially making him a righthanded pitcher specialist (meaning he needs to stay on the bench). He's on pace for only 14 home runs and 44 RBI's on the year.

Contrast that with Ryan Ludwick, who's batting .400/.438/.767 in 60 AB against righthanded pitchers and .268/.367/.683 against lefties. Ryan Ludwick, though he bats righthanded, is much more effective at doing what Duncan is supposed to do. In addition, Ludwick has actually displayed power and is a natural outfielder, capable of playing all three positions. He's on pace to hit 39 dingers and 117 RBIs over the course of the year.

There is no reason why Duncan should be starting for any reason other than to rest the outfield, especially considering that Rick Ankiel is batting .306/.375/.556 with 2 home runs in 36 AB this year against lefties and .280/.385/.462 with 4 home runs in 93 AB against righties (By the way, Rick is batting .301/.351/.563 in 103 AB against lefties in his career).

If we could only find a taker for 'lil Dunc. Until then, keep him out of the lineup.

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05-12-2008, 10:40 AM	#1 (permalink)
RockintheRed Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 108	Looking for a New Address Yesterday, an important story by Joe Strauss came out from the Post-Dispatch that all but assures us that Anthony Reyes will not be with the Cardinals at the end of this year. Some excerpts: Manager Tony La Russa explained a bullpen crisis necessitated the May 4 move, which swapped Reyes for Mike Parisi. True, Reyes would not have been available to pitch behind starter Joel Pineiro if Pineiro experienced a recurrence of back spasms Monday night in Colorado. However, the larger truth is that Parisi proved more impressive to pitching coach Dave Duncan in spring training... Reyes' availability for trade ranks as one of the game's worst-kept secrets, though Mozeliak insists he remains "hesitant" to finalize a deal given the rotation's uncertain depth as Mark Mulder and Matt Clement rehabilitate from shoulder surgeries. Other clubs believe the point moot for now, since Mozeliak's asking price of at least one top prospect does not square with Reyes' value to the other 29 organizations. "We have no interest in giving Anthony Reyes away," Mozeliak insisted... The fact that Mike Parisi is thought of as a better option in the bullpen than Reyes, even though both are capable of going 3+ innings on the spot, demonstrates the lack of confidence the club has in Anthony. I don't think that will ever change, given Parisi's success in his role and the number of ready bullpen and rotation pitchers in Memphis right now - Chris Perez, Jason Motte, Ron Flores, Jaime Garcia, and P.J. Walters. Now, all we can hope for is for Anthony to excel in Memphis, as he has always done. Friday in Las Vegas was a decent start, with Reyes going 3 innings, 4 hits, 3 K, 3 BB, and no earned runs. It becomes a game of "who matches up?" at this point. The Rockies are still looking for rotation and bullpen help, as are the Braves. I wouldn't mind packaging him with Chris Duncan, who has proved to be the least valuable outfielder on this team so far. Not only is he a defensive liability, but he isn't producing the power at the plate that makes him valuable. His isolated power is at a career-low .145, and he has only 3 dingers on the year. Against lefthanded pitchers he's batting .083/.154/.083 (1 hit in 12 AB), and .296/.427/.465 in 71 AB against righthanders, essentially making him a righthanded pitcher specialist (meaning he needs to stay on the bench). He's on pace for only 14 home runs and 44 RBI's on the year. Contrast that with Ryan Ludwick, who's batting .400/.438/.767 in 60 AB against righthanded pitchers and .268/.367/.683 against lefties. Ryan Ludwick, though he bats righthanded, is much more effective at doing what Duncan is supposed to do. In addition, Ludwick has actually displayed power and is a natural outfielder, capable of playing all three positions. He's on pace to hit 39 dingers and 117 RBIs over the course of the year. There is no reason why Duncan should be starting for any reason other than to rest the outfield, especially considering that Rick Ankiel is batting .306/.375/.556 with 2 home runs in 36 AB this year against lefties and .280/.385/.462 with 4 home runs in 93 AB against righties (By the way, Rick is batting .301/.351/.563 in 103 AB against lefties in his career). If we could only find a taker for 'lil Dunc. Until then, keep him out of the lineup. More...