Quick Hits

Here is an assortment of baseball thoughts: 

Troy Glaus Out for 3 Months: Who Takes Over?
The news of Troy Glaus’ right shoulder surgery caught Cardinals Nation off guard. It appears the third baseman will miss Opening Day as rehab could take up to 12 weeks.


Questions remain why Glaus and the organization waited until one month prior to spring training before having the surgery. However, it appears St. Louisian David Freese will have a golden opportunity to earn the starting job before Glaus returns to the lineup. Freese, who was acquired last winter from San Diego in exchange for Jim Edmonds, put up solid numbers at Triple-A Memphis last season. In 131 games, he hit .306 with 26 homers and 91 RBIs (plus .361 OBP and .550 SLG). Defensively, he committed just 10 errors with a solid .967 fielding percentage. Freese has clearly caught the attention of the organization and he could be the third basemen of the future. 


Other players who will receive a long look at third base this spring include prospect Brett Wallace (more on him below), Joe Mather, Brendan Ryan, Brian Barden and minor-league free agent Joe Thurston. Assuming Glaus recovers from the surgery and is back in the lineup by mid-to-late April, the Cardinals should be able to manage this situation without major incident. Plus, we might get a glimpse at the potential starting third baseman in 2010. The question is: Who will it be? 



Keith Law Likes the Cardinals’ Farm System
The Cardinals’ farm system continues to receive praise from national publications and experts. The latest endorsement of the organization’s improved collection of minor league talent comes from ESPN’s Keith Law of Scouts Inc. The veteran scout ranks the St. Louis system the sixth best out of all 30 MLB teams. Law writes:


“St. Louis' system features three potential star prospects followed by a stack of average or slightly above-average prospects, giving the Cardinals both impact and good depth. Their efforts in the Dominican Republic are just starting to bear fruit.” 


Law also just released his top 100 prospects list, and here are his thoughts on the four Cardinals prospects who cracked this list:

Colby Rasmus (12th overall): “Don't hurt yourselves jumping off the Colby Rasmus bandwagon, OK? Rasmus played his entire injury-plagued 2008 season in Triple-A at age 21, and by the time he made a few adjustments and started hitting, he hit the disabled list twice and played just five more games before the season ended. (After an 0-for-22 stretch in mid-May, Rasmus hit .336/.444/.517 over 171 plate appearances until he hurt his groin on July 1.) The scouting report on Rasmus hasn't changed: He still has quick hands and gets the bat to the ball quickly, projects to have plus power, is an above-average runner, plays a solid center field, has the arm to play right, and shows a generally advanced feel for the game given his age. He also has a history of good plate discipline and solid contact rates. So, please, before you send him off in endless trade proposals, remind me again what's not to like here?”

Brett Wallace (19th): “Wallace was the best pure hitter in this year's draft, but fell to the Cardinals due to questions about his ultimate position. He's playing third base right now, and the Cardinals intend to keep him there until he plays himself off it; he has plenty of arm and is fine on balls in front of him, but lacks lateral range … severely. Still, his bat is so special that if he can improve to just a win below average at third, he'll be a star. He makes hitting look easy -- he hits lefties (.387/.479/.484 in 62 at bats last year) and righties, all pitches, all areas of the zone, whatever's thrown at him -- and has pull power to right and doubles power the other way. Sure, his body type is unusual for a pro baseball player -- he has enormous thighs, but it's muscle, not fat, and emphasizing that only detracts attention from what really matters: Brett Wallace will hit.”

Daryl Jones (50th): “Jones is an incredible athlete who has developed rather quickly into a very good, if not outstanding, prospect. He was -- to be kind -- atrocious in 2007, hitting just .217/.304/.296 in the Midwest League, then had offseason LASIK surgery and started to see the ball better, making more contact and showing better pitch recognition. He even carried his success forward to Double-A after a late-season promotion. Jones' only below-average tool is his arm; he's a plus runner, covers a lot of ground in center, has a good swing and shows line-drive power now with the promise of more to come. He still has some mechanical kinks to work out in his swing -- in particular, he tends to glide and often leaves his hands far enough back that he starts to bar his front arm. His youth, his athleticism and his relative lack of baseball experience give him more chance to improve than most Double-A prospects have.” 

Chris Perez (80th): “Perez has been tabbed as the Cardinals' closer of the future since he was drafted in 2006, but trouble throwing strikes has held him back, and it doesn't look as if he'll ever have plus control (although stranger things have happened with relievers before). Perez works with two pitches, a mid-90s fastball that will touch 96-97 and a hard slider with good depth in the mid-80s that will flatten out a little and become more cutter-like around 87-88. He tends to lead with his elbow, leaving him under his fastball and hurting his ability to repeat his delivery. His command is fringe-average and his control is below-average, and neither is likely to be better than average in the future, but his stuff is good and he is able to pitch to both sides of the plate with his fastball. That ability to miss bats and control the inner half of the plate should allow him to be a capable setup man or second-tier closer in the future.”


Law ranks the team’s top 10 prospects as follows:
1. Colby Rasmus, CF
2. Brett Wallace, 3B
3. Daryl Jones, CF
4. Chris Perez, RHP
5. Jon Jay, OF
6. Niko Vasquez, SS
7. Jason Motte, RHP
8. Lance Lynn, RHP
9. Bryan Anderson, C
10. Francisco Samuel, RHP


It’s also worth noting that Law ranks Rasmus as the top center fielder and Wallace as the second-best third baseman in all of the minor leagues. The club is criticized in some corners for holding on to its minor league talent, but it's clear the organization is making strides in this area. Rasmus and Wallace should be cornerstone players for many years to come.  



ESPN Article Stirs Fans' Angst 
As if the contingent of Cardinals fans who are upset with the front office/ownership need more ammo, check out this article by ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.


Jay McGwire Rats Out His Brother
Well, it was a matter of time before someone else spilled the guts on Mark McGwire’s alleged steroid use. Who knew it would be his estranged brother? 


It’s only 3 weeks until spring training.


Thanks for reading.

Gabriel Kiley is a freelance sports writer based in St. Louis. Send your comments to WillTheThrill22@gmail.com or post them below.