The Rise of the Redbirds Pt. 1
Posted 03-24-2013 at 01:11 PM by CardsFan2006
When I took over the Cardinals, I didn't realize it would be so hard.
Ever since I was a little boy, I dreamed of running a baseball team. And I wanted that team to be my hometown Cardinals. When the lockout happened and the league just ended, I saw those dreams go to waste. Then in 2012, when it got set back up, I could realize my dreams once again. After the Cards' dismal 2014 season (62-100), they were desperate, and they hired me to steer them back in the right direction. I was only too happy to oblige. So this is the story of how I took over the St. Louis Cardinals, how I tried to steer them to a World Series, and my struggles along the way.
The first offseason was a fun one. I had about seven contracts up for extension. I gave offers to three of them. All accepted. The rest went. I made some big signings, big names like 3B Pedro Luna and SP Jimmy Hannah. The rotation was one of my biggest concerns, but I was convinced it would work when I saw how well last year's 2-starter Tony Onelas was doing. Onelas, besides being a good pitcher, also could really hit. Last year's "ace", George Leggett - I put quotes there because he went 8-12 with an ERA upwards of 4.50 - was demoted to the 2-starter. The rotation of Onelas-Leggett-Hannah, and then not very good pitchers Kelvin Brown and Denis Stafford, seemed like it would work well.
I also made some signings to help my bullpen, like LHP Derek Schneider and RHP Masayoshi Sato. But at Spring Training, my team didn't do well, as we went 10-14. I made some tough calls about who to cut, and we moved ahead to Opening Day. I began the season with a two-game set against the Brewers - a good way to test my team, considering the Brewers had won the championship all three years of the league. If we could beat their loaded lineup, we could beat anyone. We won the first game 4-3, but starting right-fielder Mauro Sandoval got hurt. We got the diagnosis later, it turned out he'd be out for five weeks. Luckily we had four starting-level outfielders. Felix Castillo, until that point backup CF to Juan Gonzalez, would start in right. I called up another outfielder for backup.
Onelas may have been able to handle the Milwaukee batters, but Leggett definitely couldn't, and I guess neither could my bullpen. We lost the second game 14-1. Even though we swept the Dodgers right after that, I wasn't happy. Onelas had pitched well so far (and had been the victim of unearned runs, though they hadn't actually caused a loss yet). He wasn't my worry. What worried me was the unmitigated awfulness of Leggett's start, the mediocrity of Hannah's (though to be fair to him he settled down after the first inning), and the badness of Brown's. The bullpen really came to the rescue for Brown, and so did the Dodger pitcher doing even worse than he did. In the bullpen, Schneider wasn't doing as well as I'd hoped (especially since he was my only LHP with any stamina), but the rest were doing fine, and Fernando Vega, my closer, especially was outdoing expectations.
As far as batting went, the story was mixed. Felix Castillo was leading the team in RBI with eight and his batting average was second-best on the team, as was his OPS. My other outfielders, Juan Gonzalez and Samuel Sardini, were not doing well. Sam was 2-20, and Juan was 4-22. Meanwhile, Dick Washington, the second baseman, was hitting just .278. But it was early in the season and I had no doubt he'd improve. Pedro Luna was also underperforming, hitting just .250. I wanted someone who could get on base more hitting third. .250 wouldn't cut it. But there were bright spots. Besides Castillo, my shortstop, Anthony McGrath, was getting on much more often than I expected. My first baseman, Tim Billings, was hitting for power - which was good, because he was hitting cleanup. And Carl Cochran, the catcher, was just doing well all-around. I knew a lineup shuffle was in order. On Monday, April 13, I called the eight starters into my office.
"Folks, it's come to my attention that the way I've arranged your batting order might not be the most suitable to your talents. Some of you aren't doing well, others are. Now, I'm not going to bench any of you - that's why you're the only ones here - but you will be rearranged substantially--"
"Just get to the point," Anthony McGrath called out.
"Anyway, your new lineups are on this sheet," I said, passing it out to them. Pedro Luna let out a sign of relief. I guess he though I'd be moving him down. Nah. I knew he'd get better. Besides, he's my most popular player. Carl Cochran was happy to see that he'd been moved to batting fifth against RHP. He was already hitting cleanup against lefties. Felix Castillo seemed happy to be hitting leadoff. Sam Sardini and Juan Gonzalez, on the other hand, were not happy. Sardini was now hitting eighth, and Gonzalez was hitting seventh against RHP and sixth against LHP. Neither argued with me though, which was good.
The next day, we started a three game series at home against Toronto. Could I hold this team together and reach the playoffs? Only time would tell.[/QUOTE]
Ever since I was a little boy, I dreamed of running a baseball team. And I wanted that team to be my hometown Cardinals. When the lockout happened and the league just ended, I saw those dreams go to waste. Then in 2012, when it got set back up, I could realize my dreams once again. After the Cards' dismal 2014 season (62-100), they were desperate, and they hired me to steer them back in the right direction. I was only too happy to oblige. So this is the story of how I took over the St. Louis Cardinals, how I tried to steer them to a World Series, and my struggles along the way.
The first offseason was a fun one. I had about seven contracts up for extension. I gave offers to three of them. All accepted. The rest went. I made some big signings, big names like 3B Pedro Luna and SP Jimmy Hannah. The rotation was one of my biggest concerns, but I was convinced it would work when I saw how well last year's 2-starter Tony Onelas was doing. Onelas, besides being a good pitcher, also could really hit. Last year's "ace", George Leggett - I put quotes there because he went 8-12 with an ERA upwards of 4.50 - was demoted to the 2-starter. The rotation of Onelas-Leggett-Hannah, and then not very good pitchers Kelvin Brown and Denis Stafford, seemed like it would work well.
I also made some signings to help my bullpen, like LHP Derek Schneider and RHP Masayoshi Sato. But at Spring Training, my team didn't do well, as we went 10-14. I made some tough calls about who to cut, and we moved ahead to Opening Day. I began the season with a two-game set against the Brewers - a good way to test my team, considering the Brewers had won the championship all three years of the league. If we could beat their loaded lineup, we could beat anyone. We won the first game 4-3, but starting right-fielder Mauro Sandoval got hurt. We got the diagnosis later, it turned out he'd be out for five weeks. Luckily we had four starting-level outfielders. Felix Castillo, until that point backup CF to Juan Gonzalez, would start in right. I called up another outfielder for backup.
Onelas may have been able to handle the Milwaukee batters, but Leggett definitely couldn't, and I guess neither could my bullpen. We lost the second game 14-1. Even though we swept the Dodgers right after that, I wasn't happy. Onelas had pitched well so far (and had been the victim of unearned runs, though they hadn't actually caused a loss yet). He wasn't my worry. What worried me was the unmitigated awfulness of Leggett's start, the mediocrity of Hannah's (though to be fair to him he settled down after the first inning), and the badness of Brown's. The bullpen really came to the rescue for Brown, and so did the Dodger pitcher doing even worse than he did. In the bullpen, Schneider wasn't doing as well as I'd hoped (especially since he was my only LHP with any stamina), but the rest were doing fine, and Fernando Vega, my closer, especially was outdoing expectations.
As far as batting went, the story was mixed. Felix Castillo was leading the team in RBI with eight and his batting average was second-best on the team, as was his OPS. My other outfielders, Juan Gonzalez and Samuel Sardini, were not doing well. Sam was 2-20, and Juan was 4-22. Meanwhile, Dick Washington, the second baseman, was hitting just .278. But it was early in the season and I had no doubt he'd improve. Pedro Luna was also underperforming, hitting just .250. I wanted someone who could get on base more hitting third. .250 wouldn't cut it. But there were bright spots. Besides Castillo, my shortstop, Anthony McGrath, was getting on much more often than I expected. My first baseman, Tim Billings, was hitting for power - which was good, because he was hitting cleanup. And Carl Cochran, the catcher, was just doing well all-around. I knew a lineup shuffle was in order. On Monday, April 13, I called the eight starters into my office.
"Folks, it's come to my attention that the way I've arranged your batting order might not be the most suitable to your talents. Some of you aren't doing well, others are. Now, I'm not going to bench any of you - that's why you're the only ones here - but you will be rearranged substantially--"
"Just get to the point," Anthony McGrath called out.
"Anyway, your new lineups are on this sheet," I said, passing it out to them. Pedro Luna let out a sign of relief. I guess he though I'd be moving him down. Nah. I knew he'd get better. Besides, he's my most popular player. Carl Cochran was happy to see that he'd been moved to batting fifth against RHP. He was already hitting cleanup against lefties. Felix Castillo seemed happy to be hitting leadoff. Sam Sardini and Juan Gonzalez, on the other hand, were not happy. Sardini was now hitting eighth, and Gonzalez was hitting seventh against RHP and sixth against LHP. Neither argued with me though, which was good.
The next day, we started a three game series at home against Toronto. Could I hold this team together and reach the playoffs? Only time would tell.[/QUOTE]
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