Walker hints at retirement
TORONTO -- On Monday, Larry Walker gave the strongest hints yet that the 2005 season may be his last in the Major Leagues. Making only his second visit to the venue currently known as Rogers Centre (and more famous as SkyDome), he acknowledged that retirement is very much on the horizon for him.
"More than likely, this will be my last trip here," Walker told a throng of reporters. "Unless we happen to meet in the playoffs this year or there are some new things that happen in the offseason where my wife and I decide we'll go one more year. But right now there's a good chance this will be my last year. It's not for sure, but this could be my last chance to play here."
The Cardinals hold a hefty contract option on Walker for 2006, an option they are unlikely to pick up. So the man widely regarded as the greatest ballplayer ever to come from Canada would be a free agent. And though it's possible he could go to the American League as a designated hitter, don't bet against him simply hanging it up when the Cards' season comes to a close.
So he's enjoying this trip to Toronto. Walker, who hails from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, enjoyed a lengthy tenure with the Expos, but he left Montreal before Interleague Play created an annual Toronto-Montreal derby. His only previous experience playing big league ball in Toronto came as a member of the Colorado Rockies.
"Now I'm coming back on a team [that was] National League champs," he said. "I got a taste of the World Series. So I think this time is more special just because of the fact of the team I'm on, the players that surround me, the manager, the organization and the history behind this organization."
Carp's memories: Before the A's had their Big Three starting pitchers, the Blue Jays hoped they had assembled a threesome to anchor their rotation for years to come. Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay and Kelvim Escobar were to be the foundation of a bright future in Toronto.
Only Halladay, the 2003 American League Cy Young winner, remains in Toronto. Escobar signed as a free agent with the Angels before the 2004 season, and Carpenter has been a member of the Cardinals since 2003. Monday marked Carpenter's first trip back to Toronto as a visitor.
"You're talking about three or four years ago, when I was 26 and Doc [Halladay] was 24, or 23," said Carpenter. "That's a lot of stuff to put on two young kids that don't have a whole lot of experience.
"You've seen where Doc's gone and come back to, and it all comes with maturing. It comes with believing in yourself, having confidence in yourself, and believing that you can go out and do the job. And the same thing has happened with me. I've had consistency because of believing in what I do."
Draft signings: The Cardinals announced on Monday that they have signed 20 more of their 2005 draft selections. A total of 25 of the Cards' 50 picks from this year's First-Year Player Draft have now signed contracts. All the signees have either already reported to mini-camp in Jupiter, Fla., or are expected to report soon.
Heading the list of players signing on Monday was sixth-round pick Wilfrido Pujols, the cousin of St. Louis superstar Albert Pujols. A.J. Van Slyke, whose father is All-Star outfielder Andy Van Slyke, also signed on Monday. Van Slyke was taken in the 23rd round.
Cedeno heads out: Outfielder Roger Cedeno, who is on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, has headed to Triple-A Memphis to begin a rehab assignment. Cedeno has only been on the DL since June 6, so his 15 days aren't even up yet. He will attempt to regain his swing and get sharp again after struggling through a rough start to the season.
What happened? Right-hander Jeff Suppan was puzzled when he was issued a warning after hitting Toronto's Shea Hillenbrand with a pitch in the third inning of Monday's game. Hillenbrand had hit a solo home run off Suppan in the first, and was hit in the back with two outs and the bases empty his next time up.
"I wasn't throwing at him," said Suppan, "but I guess that's how the umpire felt. I said, 'Look, man, I just got two quick outs. I gave up a home run to him, but it was because it was out over [the plate]. He went out to get to the pitch that he got for a home run, and I'm just trying to throw a sinker in, and it happened to hit him.' "
There were no further hit batsmen in the game, and no one was ejected.
Minor stars: Class A Quad Cities will have six representatives in this year's Midwest League All-Star game. Shortstop Matt Shepherd, catcher Brady Toops, and pitchers Mike Sillman, Kevin Ool, Jaymie Torres and Eric Haberer were named from the Swing. Haberer will not pitch in the game because he has already been promoted to high Class A Palm Beach. Shepherd, Toops, Sillman and Haberer were all Cardinals draft picks in 2004.
Baby 'Birds: Kevin Jarvis allowed one run and struck out six over six innings in Triple-A Memphis' 4-3 win over Omaha. Raul Gonzalez had two hits. ... Aaron Herr and Kevin Estrada each homered, and combined for seven RBIs, in Double-A Springfield's 13-7 win over Arkansas. Chris Lambert was roughed up again, allowing seven runs (six earned) in 3 2/3 innings. ... Class A Palm Beach dropped a doubleheader against Daytona, 3-1 and 4-0. Mike McCoy had a hit and a walk in each game. ... Jarrett Hoffpauir singled, doubled, walked and drove in two runs in Quad Cities' 10-4 win over South Bend. Kyle McClellan pitched four shutout innings for the save.
Herr, the son of former Cardinal Tom Herr, was the player of the day. The second baseman did a little bit of everything. In addition to his home run and four RBIs, he singled, walked twice and scored three runs.
Coming up: Carpenter makes his return to Toronto in the second game of this Interleague series. The one-time Blue Jays Opening Day starter takes the mound for birds of a different color for a 6:07 p.m. CT game, opposed by Chad Gaudin.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
"More than likely, this will be my last trip here," Walker told a throng of reporters. "Unless we happen to meet in the playoffs this year or there are some new things that happen in the offseason where my wife and I decide we'll go one more year. But right now there's a good chance this will be my last year. It's not for sure, but this could be my last chance to play here."
The Cardinals hold a hefty contract option on Walker for 2006, an option they are unlikely to pick up. So the man widely regarded as the greatest ballplayer ever to come from Canada would be a free agent. And though it's possible he could go to the American League as a designated hitter, don't bet against him simply hanging it up when the Cards' season comes to a close.
So he's enjoying this trip to Toronto. Walker, who hails from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, enjoyed a lengthy tenure with the Expos, but he left Montreal before Interleague Play created an annual Toronto-Montreal derby. His only previous experience playing big league ball in Toronto came as a member of the Colorado Rockies.
"Now I'm coming back on a team [that was] National League champs," he said. "I got a taste of the World Series. So I think this time is more special just because of the fact of the team I'm on, the players that surround me, the manager, the organization and the history behind this organization."
Carp's memories: Before the A's had their Big Three starting pitchers, the Blue Jays hoped they had assembled a threesome to anchor their rotation for years to come. Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay and Kelvim Escobar were to be the foundation of a bright future in Toronto.
Only Halladay, the 2003 American League Cy Young winner, remains in Toronto. Escobar signed as a free agent with the Angels before the 2004 season, and Carpenter has been a member of the Cardinals since 2003. Monday marked Carpenter's first trip back to Toronto as a visitor.
"You're talking about three or four years ago, when I was 26 and Doc [Halladay] was 24, or 23," said Carpenter. "That's a lot of stuff to put on two young kids that don't have a whole lot of experience.
"You've seen where Doc's gone and come back to, and it all comes with maturing. It comes with believing in yourself, having confidence in yourself, and believing that you can go out and do the job. And the same thing has happened with me. I've had consistency because of believing in what I do."
Draft signings: The Cardinals announced on Monday that they have signed 20 more of their 2005 draft selections. A total of 25 of the Cards' 50 picks from this year's First-Year Player Draft have now signed contracts. All the signees have either already reported to mini-camp in Jupiter, Fla., or are expected to report soon.
Heading the list of players signing on Monday was sixth-round pick Wilfrido Pujols, the cousin of St. Louis superstar Albert Pujols. A.J. Van Slyke, whose father is All-Star outfielder Andy Van Slyke, also signed on Monday. Van Slyke was taken in the 23rd round.
Cedeno heads out: Outfielder Roger Cedeno, who is on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, has headed to Triple-A Memphis to begin a rehab assignment. Cedeno has only been on the DL since June 6, so his 15 days aren't even up yet. He will attempt to regain his swing and get sharp again after struggling through a rough start to the season.
What happened? Right-hander Jeff Suppan was puzzled when he was issued a warning after hitting Toronto's Shea Hillenbrand with a pitch in the third inning of Monday's game. Hillenbrand had hit a solo home run off Suppan in the first, and was hit in the back with two outs and the bases empty his next time up.
"I wasn't throwing at him," said Suppan, "but I guess that's how the umpire felt. I said, 'Look, man, I just got two quick outs. I gave up a home run to him, but it was because it was out over [the plate]. He went out to get to the pitch that he got for a home run, and I'm just trying to throw a sinker in, and it happened to hit him.' "
There were no further hit batsmen in the game, and no one was ejected.
Minor stars: Class A Quad Cities will have six representatives in this year's Midwest League All-Star game. Shortstop Matt Shepherd, catcher Brady Toops, and pitchers Mike Sillman, Kevin Ool, Jaymie Torres and Eric Haberer were named from the Swing. Haberer will not pitch in the game because he has already been promoted to high Class A Palm Beach. Shepherd, Toops, Sillman and Haberer were all Cardinals draft picks in 2004.
Baby 'Birds: Kevin Jarvis allowed one run and struck out six over six innings in Triple-A Memphis' 4-3 win over Omaha. Raul Gonzalez had two hits. ... Aaron Herr and Kevin Estrada each homered, and combined for seven RBIs, in Double-A Springfield's 13-7 win over Arkansas. Chris Lambert was roughed up again, allowing seven runs (six earned) in 3 2/3 innings. ... Class A Palm Beach dropped a doubleheader against Daytona, 3-1 and 4-0. Mike McCoy had a hit and a walk in each game. ... Jarrett Hoffpauir singled, doubled, walked and drove in two runs in Quad Cities' 10-4 win over South Bend. Kyle McClellan pitched four shutout innings for the save.
Herr, the son of former Cardinal Tom Herr, was the player of the day. The second baseman did a little bit of everything. In addition to his home run and four RBIs, he singled, walked twice and scored three runs.
Coming up: Carpenter makes his return to Toronto in the second game of this Interleague series. The one-time Blue Jays Opening Day starter takes the mound for birds of a different color for a 6:07 p.m. CT game, opposed by Chad Gaudin.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
