Mailbag: Who has the right "stuff"?
It's been exactly a month since our last mailbag, long enough for the Cardinals -- well, long enough for them to continue playing over .600 ball and to continue holding a healthy but not invincible division lead.
The June mailbag comes to you from the road, as the Cards just wrapped up a series in Toronto and are headed south for their first regular-season visit to Florida's eastern coast. It should be a fun weekend, and hopefully this will be a fun mailbag.
As always, if you have a question, use the link below to submit it -- and please be sure to include your first name, last initial and hometown, and to use the word "mailbag" in the subject header.
What exactly is "stuff"? I hear managers, players and announcers talking about a pitcher's "stuff" all the time, but I am unsure what it is. -- Luke O., Monroe City, Mo.
It's sort of hard to explain exactly, but it's the kind of thing you know when you see it. Essentially, it's just about everything that's not control or command about a pitch. To some extent, stuff includes velocity. But mostly, it's movement -- does a pitcher's fastball have late movement, or sharp downward bite? Does his slider have a tight break? Does his cutter move late? Does his curveball just dive?
Hi Matthew. I know you like questions from overseas. I am 5,000 miles away, in Slovakia (formerly Czechoslovakia), and am celebrating my 50th year as a Cardinal fan. I have a zillion questions, but I will ask only two.
First question: There has been mention a few times in recent weeks about Larry Walker being acknowledged as one of the game's best baserunners. How do we know that? What are the criteria? Are there statistics, or do ballplayers just make comments?
Second question: Jason Marquis pinch-hit and singled yesterday [June 1] and is currently batting .310. Woody Williams was always a tough out. I grew up with Bob Gibson as a regular pinch-hitter. The Cardinals seem to put some priority on pitchers hitting well, and as a group the pitchers seem to take pride in their accomplishments. So do the Cardinals place more emphasis here than other teams, or is my evidence just anecdotal?
Thanks for the work you do. It's been a lot easier following the Cardinals over the Internet than when I was in Austria five years ago and waiting for an English newspaper. -- Fred R., Nitra, Slovak Republic
First of all, thanks for the kind words, and it's great to know people are reading from so far away. Anyone else out there overseas, I assure you I will try to get your questions in the mailbag.
As to answering your questions, Fred, here goes:
In the context of Walker, and also Scott Rolen, what makes a great baserunner is difficult to quantify. It's a judgment that comes from watching a guy. It helps to be fast, but that's a small part of it. Mostly, it's judgment and awareness. The guy who goes first-to-third on the single, the guy who takes the extra base on the fly ball, things like that. And Walker and Rolen are two of the best, along with Derek Jeter and Edgar Renteria -- there are plenty of others, but those are the first guys who come to my mind.
About pitchers hitting, I think it's something of a point of emphasis, but it's not just the team. Marquis is largely, in my opinion, a product of the Atlanta system that heavily emphasizes hitting and defense in pitchers -- plus he's a tremendous talent. Believe me, I've seen some Cardinals pitchers who aren't good hitters at all. But the friendly competition can't hurt, as these guys definitely feed off each other.
Since Matt Morris is having an excellent season and his contract ends at the end of this year, he will probably ask for a very high salary. Maybe more than the Cardinals can afford or want to pay. Do you think they will trade him at the July 31 trade deadline for an outfielder like Bobby Abreu or Pat Burrell, since it is likely the Cardinals will lose Walker and/or Reggie Sanders at the end of the year? Thank you. -- Brian D., Ridgefield, Conn.
Specifically, no, it's not likely at all, largely because Abreu is having an MVP-caliber season, and it would take more than Morris to get him. And Burrell has an albatross of a contract that I'd be shocked to see the Cardinals take on.
But more generally, I think there's some possibility you'll see a major move for an outfielder. I think it's possible that Morris or Jeff Suppan, both of whom could possibly be free agents at the end of the year, could be moved, but not at all likely. The Redbirds won't have much desire to break up a big-league roster that's playing this well.
I'd guess that more likely is a potential trade of a pitching prospect -- the Cards have three good ones in the high minors -- for a young outfielder. But we'll see.
I love the way our season is starting. Obviously those out there who didn't have faith are kicking themselves, but there is always the "what if." Like, what if we would have kept Matheny instead of letting Molina catch? Do you think this was/is a good move or do you think we should've kept Matheny? Who do you like better: Molina or Matheny? -- Aaron D., Louisville, Ky.
I think it was the right move for one reason: the contract Mike Matheny received. If they could have brought Matheny back for a year, I think it would have made sense. But from Mike's perspective, this might be his last chance to get a multi-year deal, and it only makes sense that he pursued it.
Matheny has been better than usual with the bat this season, which makes this question more difficult than I thought it would be. I expected Molina to have quite a bit better offensive season than Matheny, and he may yet by the time the season is out.
Still, the pitchers seem to enjoy working with Molina, his offense is developing very nicely, and there's absolutely no denying his rocket launcher of a right arm.
I read under the Baby 'Birds report dated May 17, 2005, that there is a Minor Leaguer named Aaron Herr playing for Double-A Springfield. Is he any relation to Cardinals favorite and great Tommy Herr? Being a lifelong and third-generation Redbirds fan, I fondly remember the great teams of the '80s with Ozzie and Tommy anchoring the middle infield. -- James N., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Yes, Aaron Herr is Tom's son, and he's an interesting player. When Cal Eldred came back from his rehabilitation assignments in Springfield, one of the first players he mentioned was Herr. Eldred was impressed with the young player's knowledge of the game and on-field smarts.
Abraham Nunez has been a nice surprise off the bench so far this season. Can you tell me a little more about him and what plans the club may have for him in the future? -- Bryant K., Dubuque, Iowa
Have a question about the Cardinals?
E-mail your query to MLB.com Cardinals beat writer Matthew Leach for possible inclusion in a future mailbag column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content.
First Name, Last Initial:
Hometown:
Email Address:
Question:
Nunez has been quite a find for a lot of reasons: from his surprising year at the plate to his solid defense at three positions to his attitude. If you ask his teammates or his manager, it's probably the latter that stands out most. Nunez goes about it the right way, never complains, is always prepared and has basically the exact approach that Tony La Russa wants from his bench players.
It seemed that Nunez grew frustrated with the situation in Pittsburgh, where the team never turned the corner. In addition, his playing time there dwindled significantly last year. That combination made him happy to come to St. Louis, where he expected he'd have a chance to win games and he knew that as a bench player for La Russa he'd get plenty of playing time.
I wouldn't expect him to continue pushing a .350 on-base percentage and topping a .400 slugging percentage for the rest of the year, but as long as he plays almost exclusively against right-handed pitching, he can be a useful offensive player. And defensively, he's very sound.
As for the future, it remains to be seen -- it may be a question of dollars. The Cardinals love to keep their bench players around, but they're rarely willing to overpay for one.
The picture of the Cardinals' faithful beat writer appears to be a mug shot from his latest trip to the slammer. I always thought that our trusty writer was on the straight-and-narrow, but now I'm not so sure. So, faithful beat writer, what gives? What have you been arrested for and why are they punishing you by putting your mug shot on the site? Haven't you suffered enough? -- Erin R., St. Louis
I can assure you there is no latest trip to the slammer for yours truly, but that photo was not taken on my best day. These are the hazards of covering ball -- you're not always bright and shiny and at your best; you just try to make do. But if it puts the readership at ease, we at StLCardinals.com will work on finding a slightly less grizzly photo to include in the mailbags.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
The June mailbag comes to you from the road, as the Cards just wrapped up a series in Toronto and are headed south for their first regular-season visit to Florida's eastern coast. It should be a fun weekend, and hopefully this will be a fun mailbag.
As always, if you have a question, use the link below to submit it -- and please be sure to include your first name, last initial and hometown, and to use the word "mailbag" in the subject header.
What exactly is "stuff"? I hear managers, players and announcers talking about a pitcher's "stuff" all the time, but I am unsure what it is. -- Luke O., Monroe City, Mo.
It's sort of hard to explain exactly, but it's the kind of thing you know when you see it. Essentially, it's just about everything that's not control or command about a pitch. To some extent, stuff includes velocity. But mostly, it's movement -- does a pitcher's fastball have late movement, or sharp downward bite? Does his slider have a tight break? Does his cutter move late? Does his curveball just dive?
Hi Matthew. I know you like questions from overseas. I am 5,000 miles away, in Slovakia (formerly Czechoslovakia), and am celebrating my 50th year as a Cardinal fan. I have a zillion questions, but I will ask only two.
First question: There has been mention a few times in recent weeks about Larry Walker being acknowledged as one of the game's best baserunners. How do we know that? What are the criteria? Are there statistics, or do ballplayers just make comments?
Second question: Jason Marquis pinch-hit and singled yesterday [June 1] and is currently batting .310. Woody Williams was always a tough out. I grew up with Bob Gibson as a regular pinch-hitter. The Cardinals seem to put some priority on pitchers hitting well, and as a group the pitchers seem to take pride in their accomplishments. So do the Cardinals place more emphasis here than other teams, or is my evidence just anecdotal?
Thanks for the work you do. It's been a lot easier following the Cardinals over the Internet than when I was in Austria five years ago and waiting for an English newspaper. -- Fred R., Nitra, Slovak Republic
First of all, thanks for the kind words, and it's great to know people are reading from so far away. Anyone else out there overseas, I assure you I will try to get your questions in the mailbag.
As to answering your questions, Fred, here goes:
In the context of Walker, and also Scott Rolen, what makes a great baserunner is difficult to quantify. It's a judgment that comes from watching a guy. It helps to be fast, but that's a small part of it. Mostly, it's judgment and awareness. The guy who goes first-to-third on the single, the guy who takes the extra base on the fly ball, things like that. And Walker and Rolen are two of the best, along with Derek Jeter and Edgar Renteria -- there are plenty of others, but those are the first guys who come to my mind.
About pitchers hitting, I think it's something of a point of emphasis, but it's not just the team. Marquis is largely, in my opinion, a product of the Atlanta system that heavily emphasizes hitting and defense in pitchers -- plus he's a tremendous talent. Believe me, I've seen some Cardinals pitchers who aren't good hitters at all. But the friendly competition can't hurt, as these guys definitely feed off each other.
Since Matt Morris is having an excellent season and his contract ends at the end of this year, he will probably ask for a very high salary. Maybe more than the Cardinals can afford or want to pay. Do you think they will trade him at the July 31 trade deadline for an outfielder like Bobby Abreu or Pat Burrell, since it is likely the Cardinals will lose Walker and/or Reggie Sanders at the end of the year? Thank you. -- Brian D., Ridgefield, Conn.
Specifically, no, it's not likely at all, largely because Abreu is having an MVP-caliber season, and it would take more than Morris to get him. And Burrell has an albatross of a contract that I'd be shocked to see the Cardinals take on.
But more generally, I think there's some possibility you'll see a major move for an outfielder. I think it's possible that Morris or Jeff Suppan, both of whom could possibly be free agents at the end of the year, could be moved, but not at all likely. The Redbirds won't have much desire to break up a big-league roster that's playing this well.
I'd guess that more likely is a potential trade of a pitching prospect -- the Cards have three good ones in the high minors -- for a young outfielder. But we'll see.
I love the way our season is starting. Obviously those out there who didn't have faith are kicking themselves, but there is always the "what if." Like, what if we would have kept Matheny instead of letting Molina catch? Do you think this was/is a good move or do you think we should've kept Matheny? Who do you like better: Molina or Matheny? -- Aaron D., Louisville, Ky.
I think it was the right move for one reason: the contract Mike Matheny received. If they could have brought Matheny back for a year, I think it would have made sense. But from Mike's perspective, this might be his last chance to get a multi-year deal, and it only makes sense that he pursued it.
Matheny has been better than usual with the bat this season, which makes this question more difficult than I thought it would be. I expected Molina to have quite a bit better offensive season than Matheny, and he may yet by the time the season is out.
Still, the pitchers seem to enjoy working with Molina, his offense is developing very nicely, and there's absolutely no denying his rocket launcher of a right arm.
I read under the Baby 'Birds report dated May 17, 2005, that there is a Minor Leaguer named Aaron Herr playing for Double-A Springfield. Is he any relation to Cardinals favorite and great Tommy Herr? Being a lifelong and third-generation Redbirds fan, I fondly remember the great teams of the '80s with Ozzie and Tommy anchoring the middle infield. -- James N., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Yes, Aaron Herr is Tom's son, and he's an interesting player. When Cal Eldred came back from his rehabilitation assignments in Springfield, one of the first players he mentioned was Herr. Eldred was impressed with the young player's knowledge of the game and on-field smarts.
Abraham Nunez has been a nice surprise off the bench so far this season. Can you tell me a little more about him and what plans the club may have for him in the future? -- Bryant K., Dubuque, Iowa
Have a question about the Cardinals?
E-mail your query to MLB.com Cardinals beat writer Matthew Leach for possible inclusion in a future mailbag column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content.
First Name, Last Initial:
Hometown:
Email Address:
Question:
Nunez has been quite a find for a lot of reasons: from his surprising year at the plate to his solid defense at three positions to his attitude. If you ask his teammates or his manager, it's probably the latter that stands out most. Nunez goes about it the right way, never complains, is always prepared and has basically the exact approach that Tony La Russa wants from his bench players.
It seemed that Nunez grew frustrated with the situation in Pittsburgh, where the team never turned the corner. In addition, his playing time there dwindled significantly last year. That combination made him happy to come to St. Louis, where he expected he'd have a chance to win games and he knew that as a bench player for La Russa he'd get plenty of playing time.
I wouldn't expect him to continue pushing a .350 on-base percentage and topping a .400 slugging percentage for the rest of the year, but as long as he plays almost exclusively against right-handed pitching, he can be a useful offensive player. And defensively, he's very sound.
As for the future, it remains to be seen -- it may be a question of dollars. The Cardinals love to keep their bench players around, but they're rarely willing to overpay for one.
The picture of the Cardinals' faithful beat writer appears to be a mug shot from his latest trip to the slammer. I always thought that our trusty writer was on the straight-and-narrow, but now I'm not so sure. So, faithful beat writer, what gives? What have you been arrested for and why are they punishing you by putting your mug shot on the site? Haven't you suffered enough? -- Erin R., St. Louis
I can assure you there is no latest trip to the slammer for yours truly, but that photo was not taken on my best day. These are the hazards of covering ball -- you're not always bright and shiny and at your best; you just try to make do. But if it puts the readership at ease, we at StLCardinals.com will work on finding a slightly less grizzly photo to include in the mailbags.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
