1. Against all odds, the temporary rotation is shaping up.
Adam Wainwright appears prepared for the lead role leaving Jupiter. Free agent pick-up Kyle Lohse showed up ready to pitch, which was a pleasant surprise.
Most mid-camp additions would need a couple of extra weeks to get ready. Lohse already has impressed his new team.
Braden Looper just threw an encouraging 5 1/3 innings, relocating his sinking stuff while getting eight groundball outs. Prior to that, he got hammered.
I'll believe nothing until the season has cycled through the rotation a couple of times. As I read them we have a number 2 starter in Wainwright as our stopper, and four other guys who are all #4 or #5 starters in every other role. It is the sort of situation every team can go through because of injuries, and you certainly hope you can get by until reinforcements arrive, but try as I might I don't see Mulder coming back into his pre-St. Louis form; I worry that Pineiro will discover he has something seriously wrong with him; and I worry that Carpenter will not be at 100% until late August at the earliest.
The worst case scenario has our bullpen worn thin by the time mid-June arrives. And if that happens I'm not sure prospects from Memphis will offer much support.
2. Adam Kennedy can hit!
He was a black hole in the lineup last season, batting .219. He came to camp on a short leash, since the club re-signed reliable Aaron Miles and had slick-hitting Jarret Hoffpauir in the wings.
But Kennedy seems to have relocated the stroke he had throughout his time with the Angels. After a slow start this spring, he pushed his batting average up to .349.
Alright, this is a positive, and he has the resume to make me believe he can put last year behind him. It will help, but lets not over sell this.
3. Rick Ankiel is going crazy.
This team has many X-factors, but none is greater than this guy. Will Ankiel post solid, Ryan Ludwick-type numbers (.267, 14 homers, 52 RBIs in 303 at-bats) in his first full season as a big league outfielder?
Or will he add an impact bat to a lineup needing all the offense it can find? Chris Duncan’s spring struggle underscored this team’s need for another strong hitter.
Ankiel’s spring training performance (.397, three homers, nine RBIs) has raised expectations.
If Ankiel shows he can fill that spot between Pujols and Glaus than we may be able to score some runs. But we will only win games if the rotation holds up. Even with a productive Ankiel we will not be out-slugging many.
4. Ron Villone is viable.
This is notable, because would-be lefty specialist Tyler Johnson faces an uncertain ’08 season after developing shoulder trouble. And holdover Randy Flores didn’t dominate the lefty-lefty matchups last season.
In past springs, the Cards have seen an assortment of veteran lefties fail to impress Duncan. But Villone has posted a 1.17 ERA in six appearances, generating hope he could become a key bullpen component.
This would help. But does anyone really believe Villone will offer that much of a boost?
Really?
5. The organization finally has depth.
This is a "proof is in the pudding" sort of thing. It will be great if a lot of our young kids are ready and able to contribute at the major league level, and this would include not only those at AAA like Rasmus, McClellan and Hoffpauir, but also someone like Brian Barton who will be with the big club from day one.
Besides, the ebb and flow in the fortunes of prospects can turn what looks like a verdant field into a dry lifeless desert in no time flat.
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