Jayson Stark's NL Central comments

mikechamp · Post by **mikechamp** » March 9 07, 1:11 pm

From an ESPN chat:

Mandatory Linkage: http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=14933
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in YOUR opinion Jayson, what will the Rocket do?

JAYSON STARK
The latest theory in Rocketology is that he can't afford to tick off his fans in New York or Boston by picking one or the other, so he'll go back to Houston. But the truth is, it's too soon to say. It depends on dollars. It depends on who's where in the standings in mid-May. It depends on how good that Astros offense looks to him early on. Get back to me in two months!
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Nice piece on Josh Hamilton. Am I worng in thinking he'd be better of in the minors this year? The has hardly played in three years and I would think he'd love ot be playing everyday, not getting spot starts and PH appearances. But with what he has shown so far, there is no way Tampa wouldn't take him back if offered, right?

JAYSON STARK
This guy needs to play. There's no doubt about that. But the Reds know there's no way they could get him through waivers to send him out. So I think they keep him and do the best they can to find him opportunities. Playing time is their biggest challenge, unless four other outfielders crash into Ryan Freel in the same game. Which is never out of the question, by the way.
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The Pirates are desperate for some kind of power to come from their bench. Do you think Brad Eldred will (finally) fill that void or should we think about using him as bait to bring in someone more reliable?

JAYSON STARK
Brad Eldred is the talk of Florida. But where does he fit on that team if Adam LaRoche is the first baseman? The answer would have to be: Nowhere. So teams are already hovering all over that guy. He does have an option left, though. So the Pirates are a good bet to ask such a big price, he goes back to triple-A until (or is it unless?) somebody gets desperate.
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any chance the astros can make a run at the cardnials without clemens?

JAYSON STARK
Absolutely. Everyone who has seen the Cardinals this spring tells me they're as vulnerable as they've ever been. I still think they're the team to beat. But I could definitely see one crazy race, with the Astros right in the middle of it. I'd have a hard time seeing them winning the World Series if they don't bring Clemens back. But I don't see it taking 98 wins to win that division. So they're clearly good enough to win the Central if things go right.
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GatewaySnayke · Post by **GatewaySnayke** » March 9 07, 1:22 pm

Everyone who has seen the Cardinals this spring tells me they're as vulnerable as they've ever been.

Ouch!

JL21 · Post by **JL21** » March 9 07, 1:25 pm

GatewaySnayke wrote:
Everyone who has seen the Cardinals this spring tells me they're as vulnerable as they've ever been.
Ouch!

Yeah, it hurts but those glittery WS rings make for some spectacular pain relief.

Popeye_Card · Post by **Popeye_Card** » March 9 07, 1:26 pm

GatewaySnayke wrote:
Everyone who has seen the Cardinals this spring tells me they're as vulnerable as they've ever been.
Ouch!

They've also seen the Cardinals without their starting CF, RF, 2B, and SS for the most part.

--P--

skmsw · Post by **skmsw** » March 9 07, 1:33 pm

Popeye_Card wrote:
GatewaySnayke wrote:
Everyone who has seen the Cardinals this spring tells me they're as vulnerable as they've ever been.
Ouch!
They've also seen the Cardinals without their starting CF, RF, 2B, and SS for the most part.

--P--

Why is that?

Popeye_Card · Post by **Popeye_Card** » March 9 07, 1:41 pm

skmsw wrote:
Popeye_Card wrote:
GatewaySnayke wrote:
Everyone who has seen the Cardinals this spring tells me they're as vulnerable as they've ever been.
Ouch!
They've also seen the Cardinals without their starting CF, RF, 2B, and SS for the most part.

--P--
Why is that?

Because all four of them are currently injured.

I agree with their general premise--on paper, the Cards look weaker than they've been in a few years, especially in the rotation. But a.) you can't really make any better judgement this far in to spring training than you could before ST started anyway, and b.) if you ARE going to make a judgement, the Cards are currently lacking half of their projected starting 8.

--P--

Fan_In_NY · Post by **Fan_In_NY** » March 9 07, 1:44 pm

Popeye_Card wrote:
GatewaySnayke wrote:
Everyone who has seen the Cardinals this spring tells me they're as vulnerable as they've ever been.
Ouch!
They've also seen the Cardinals without their starting CF, RF, 2B, and SS for the most part.

--P--

That was similar to the injuries during the second half of last season too.

This team isnt great on paper, but they have always come to play so we will see...

skmsw · Post by **skmsw** » March 9 07, 2:08 pm

Popeye_Card wrote:
skmsw wrote:
Popeye_Card wrote:
GatewaySnayke wrote:
Everyone who has seen the Cardinals this spring tells me they're as vulnerable as they've ever been.
Ouch!
They've also seen the Cardinals without their starting CF, RF, 2B, and SS for the most part.

--P--
Why is that?
Because all four of them are currently injured.

I agree with their general premise--on paper, the Cards look weaker than they've been in a few years, especially in the rotation. But a.) you can't really make any better judgement this far in to spring training than you could before ST started anyway, and b.) if you ARE going to make a judgement, the Cards are currently lacking half of their projected starting 8.

--P--

I think you might have missed my point, that our durability issues might contribute to our vulnerability.

Popeye_Card · Post by **Popeye_Card** » March 9 07, 2:17 pm

skmsw wrote:
I think you might have missed my point, that our durability issues might contribute to our vulnerability.

I would expect that to be the case with any team though.

Of the Cards who are injured, I would only expect Edmonds and to a lesser extent Eckstein to be recurring problems.

--P--

mikechamp · Post by **mikechamp** » March 9 07, 2:26 pm

Popeye_Card wrote:Of the Cards who are injured, I would only expect Edmonds and to a lesser extent Eckstein to be recurring problems.

--P--

You don't think Kennedy's injury could come back at some point?