Orcin's Brave New World

[Orcin]

More Trade Discussions

We are serious now. Given the lack of offense in the Dodgers series, compounded by the injury to Taveras, it is time to move on that left field upgrade. I can’t afford to wait on Deol’s potential any longer. My new scout, Deron Johnson, offers this evaluation of him. “The book on Deol is inconsistency. He still swings outside the strike zone and sometimes lacks patience, which keeps him from becoming anything more than an average hitter.” Indeed, over his nearly 2,400 career plate appearances, Deol’s OPS is .728, which translates to OPS+ of 100 – precisely average.

I will worry about having too many left-handed hitters and beating left-handed pitchers at some future date. Right now, I just need to score more runs against anybody.

I put together a comprehensive list of possibilities and then narrowed it down. I started with the career major league batting stats for active players and set a filter at 2500 plate appearances, career OPS > .750, and age under 36. I have 78 players. Next, I filtered for outfield range and error at least rated 45 or above (i.e. better than Sano), which reduced the list to 20 healthy players, not counting our own RF Oscar Taveras.

The first player, Miami RF Giancarlo Stanton, still will not waive his 10/5 rights. The second, LAN LF Joc Pederson, is “wrecked” and too expensive. The third, NYA LF Lewin Diaz, is untouchable. And so it goes. After all of the super-expensive, wrecked, slumping, and/or untouchable players are eliminated, we are left with a short list of three players for whom a trade of Deol plus something reasonable is possible:

• COL LF/1B Dominic Smith (age 27, bats L, 2 years @ $10.5M, $11M)
• KC 2B/LF Cristian Cano (28, R, $7.5M, arb. est. @ $10M)
• NYN LF Theo Alexander (27, L, 2 years @ $9M, $9.5M)

Alexander is by far the best of the three and he would be a very good fit with our team. He is also the cheapest of the three and every million counts at the moment. It appears that the Mets are willing to listen. They are looking to improve their depth without adding payroll via a couple of minor league veterans that we can easily add to the deal.

[Westheim]

Don't you dare rip off the Mets ...!

By the way... that Dominic Smith there, is that the Mets' 2013 first round pick?

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Westheim

By the way... that Dominic Smith there, is that the Mets' 2013 first round pick?

Yes, it is. He was traded to Colorado in 2014 for SP Christian Friedrich, who didn't accomplish much before retiring in 2019.

[gwalk]

that sounds like a Mets kind of trade!!

[Orcin]

MLB STANDINGS – WEEK 4




Current Power Rankings:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) New York Mets (127.4, ++)
2) Chicago White Sox (125.4, ++)
3) Washington Nationals (125.2, ++)
4) Minnesota Twins (122.7, -)
5) San Diego Padres (111.0, +)
6) Oakland Athletics (110.8, ++)
7) Cincinnati Reds (106.0, ++)
8) Atlanta Braves (105.5, ++)
9) Toronto Blue Jays (104.0, --)
10) Los Angeles Angels (103.8, ++)
11) St. Louis Cardinals (102.8, --)


MLB LEADERS – WEEK 4



Yes, that is our former utility infielder Hector Rios leading the National League in batting average. Don’t forget he is playing in Colorado.


Players of the Month for April:
TOR RF Dennis Donovan (.395-4-22) – injured 04/28 (broken kneecap), out for the year
CHN RF Etrit Halil (.347-7-15)

Pitchers of the Month for April:
LAA SP Stephen Strasburg (5-0, 1.34)
STL SP Trevor Rosenthal (4-0, 1.66)


CARDINALS STATS – WEEK 4





I sorted these lists on WHIP and total bases to emphasize the better performers.

[LondonYankee]

Orcin, I've read bits of each of your other dynasties but coming to them late they were a bit overwhelming. I've managed to get through all of this one and catch up to date.
As with the others it's a fantastic read, the presentation complementing and aiding the fantastic written words.
Your dynasties are the gold standard of these forums. Well done and keep it up!

[Orcin]

Cardinals Ship Deol to Mets

St. Louis and New York made a trade today. The Cardinals sent 29-year-old left fielder Dutch Deol and two minor league players, 28-year-old starting pitcher Lowell Scott and 27-year-old shortstop Orlando Arcia, to the New York Mets for 27-year-old left fielder Theo Alexander. Deol and Alexander are expected to report to their new clubs in time for tonight’s games.

St. Louis GM Otto Orcin told reporters, "I think this trade is beneficial to both teams. The Mets wanted to balance their lineup and add depth, and we needed another big bat in light of the recent injury to Oscar Taveras." Fans in St. Louis were ecstatic about the acquisition of Alexander, a three-time all-star with the Dodgers before a late-July trade sent him to the Mets last season.

In the current season, Deol is hitting .246 with 1 home run. He is a .234 career hitter and has been the Cardinals regular left fielder for the past four years. Deol won a Gold Glove in left field in 2019.

Alexander is batting .301 with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs this season, and has a career average of .266 in five seasons. Alexander is very durable, popular with the fans, and has a good reputation in the clubhouse. He will play left field and take over the #3 spot in the Cardinals lineup, at least until Taveras returns. Victor Sharp is expected to play right field, but the duties could end up being shared with utility outfielder Vance Knox who was just recalled from AAA.

Sources within the Cardinals organization are reporting that the team is over its payroll budget after the deal. The source expects additional moves to be made before the trade deadline to bring the dollars back in line. Players “on the block” reportedly include Knox, catcher Steve Bean, and reliever Mark Montgomery.

[Orcin]

Washington Nationals (16-9, 1 GB, 2nd) @ St. Louis Cardinals (15-11, - GB, T-1st)
The home stand continues with another tough matchup. The Nationals feature two former Cardinals in prominent roles: third baseman Ryder Jones (.289-3-15) bats cleanup and Ryan Rodebaugh (2.25 ERA, 4 SV) is the closer. Veteran star 1B Chris Parmelee (.336-7-19) is having another great season at age 34. Ex-St. Louis pitcher Kohl Stewart (0-1, 13.20 ERA) will pitch for Washington in the first game of the series.




05/02/2022 (G027): STL 4, WAS 1
WP: Walker (1-2), LP: Stewart (0-2), SV: Solis (1)
HR: STL – Sano (2)

Taijuan Walker held Washington to a run on four hits while striking out six and picking up his first win of the season. Pedro Solis bailed out a tired bullpen by pitching a perfect 9th inning for the save. J.P. Crawford had a double, a triple, scored a run, drove in a run, and made several sparkling plays in the field. Theo Alexander also drove in a run in his first game for the Redbirds.

Elsewhere, Colorado’s Bryan White (1-2, 2.90) threw a no-hitter against the Mets at Citi Field. Also, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Buster Posey will miss the rest of the season with a broken bone in his elbow.




05/03/2022 (G028): STL 6, WAS 2
WP: Flores (3-1), LP: Davenport (1-1)
HR: none

Jose Flores made short work of the Nationals today – two hours and twenty minutes to be exact. Flores struck out six and allowed only six base runners in going the distance. Theo Alexander had three hits and drove in two runs, including the GWRBI.

After the game, the Cardinals announced that SP Cody Buckel has been signed to a minor league contract and will report to Memphis. The 29-year-old right-hander has a mark of 72-97 with a 5.10 ERA in his eight-year career with the Rangers and Mets. Buckel replaces Lowell Scott, who was recently traded to the Mets, in the AAA rotation.




05/04/2022 (G029): STL 6, WAS 1
WP: Thompson (3-2), LP: Roberts (2-3)
HR: STL – Sharp (1), Cooper (5), Alexander (5)

Gerald Thompson pitched around four walks and held Washington to one run in 6 2/3 innings while picking up his 3rd win of the season. B.A. Vollmuth doubled twice and scored two runs, and three different Redbirds homered in the game. The Cardinals scored six runs for the second straight game and finished off the home stand with a sweep of the Nationals.

[Orcin]

St. Louis Cardinals (18-11, - GB, 1st) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (15-13, 1 GB, 2nd)
The Dodgers just finished a sweep of Philadelphia in a rematch of last year’s NLCS. Having won 3 of 4 against us in their previous series, they qualify as hot. It would be nice to even the ledger by winning the series in their home park.


May 5, 2021: OFF




05/06/2022 (G030): LAN 5, STL 2
WP: Fernandez (2-2), LP: Rosenthal (4-1), SV: Street (3)
HR: LAN – Sweet (7), Thompson (5), Richmond (3)

The heart of the Dodgers order, Bill Richmond (2-4, HR, 2 RBI) and Ron Thompson (3-4, solo HR), provided the firepower to propel Los Angeles to a 5-2 victory over St. Louis. Jose Fernandez held the Cardinals to two runs over eight innings, scattering ten hits while striking out nine. Theo Alexander continued his hot streak with three hits for the Redbirds.


Draft Pool
The prospect pool for next month’s draft was released. The Cardinals will have our own first round pick (#26) and a compensation pick for Kolten Wong (#34).




05/07/2022 (G031): LAN 9, STL 4
WP: Turner (3-3), LP: Wacha (0-1), SV: Jeffress (3)
HR: LAN – Sweet (8), Thompson (6), Pederson (3)

The Dodgers pounded St. Louis pitchers for nine runs on 14 hits, blowing open a close game late against the Cardinals bullpen. Salvador Silva and Ricardo Gonzalez each had three hits for Los Angeles. Albert Almora had three hits, including two doubles, for St. Louis.

After the game, the Cardinals announced that left-handed reliever Wayne Conley has been optioned to Memphis. Reliever Merlin Mackey, a 24-year-old right-hander, was called up to replace Conley in the bullpen for St. Louis. Conley allowed three runs in the loss to the Dodgers, and was ineffective for most of the season with a 9.95 ERA in 10 appearances (primarily against left-handed hitters).




05/08/2022 (G032): STL 5, LAN 3
WP: D. Chambers (3-1), LP: Street (0-3), SV: Brothers (7)
HR: STL – Navarro (1); LAN – Pederson (4)

Pinch-hitter J.P. Crawford doubled down the line off closer Huston Street with men on second and third to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th. Victor Sharp followed with a single to score Crawford as the Cardinals came from behind to defeat the Dodgers and salvage the finale of the series.

[Orcin]

MLB STANDINGS – WEEK 5



Current Power Rankings:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Toronto Blue Jays (125.1, ++)
2) Chicago White Sox (116.1, o)
3) Oakland Athletics (115.9, ++)
4) Cincinnati Reds (115.3, ++)
5) St. Louis Cardinals (107.9, ++)
6) San Diego Padres (107.9, -)
7) New York Mets (103.9, --)
8) Los Angeles Dodgers (103.7, ++)
9) Cleveland Indians (100.6, ++)
10) Minnesota Twins (100.3, --)


MLB LEADERS – WEEK 5




CARDINALS STATS – WEEK 5






Theo Alexander had an outstanding first week. (Stats shown on this report are only those accumulated with St. Louis.)

Second baseman Andre Hicks was just named PCL Player of the Week. How long can I stay with Barreto? It’s not like Hicks could be much worse. If you believe in the potential of these prospects, you have to let them play at some point. We also have veteran infielder Will Hurt at AAA, but Hurt is not hitting much down there.

[Westheim]

So, you say playing Will Hurt will hurt the Cardinals?

Yes, I always go for the most pathetic ones.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Westheim

So, you say playing Will Hurt will hurt the Cardinals?

Ta-dum! He's here all week, folks!

[Orcin]

San Diego Padres (19-13, - GB, 1st) @ St. Louis Cardinals (19-13, 1/2 GB, 2nd)
The Padres has ridden their offense and a strong bullpen to a hot start. The starting rotation has been shaky since an injury to Bob Caldwell, a 13-game winner last year. Slugging 3B Travis Brien leads the National League with 27 RBI.




05/09/2022 (G033): STL 6, SD 0
WP: Flores (4-1), LP: Sandfort (3-2)
HR: STL – Alfaro (7), Michalczewski (2)

Jose Flores was in command all day before tiring in the 9th as the Cardinals shut out the Padres 6-0. Flores allowed 3 hits, recorded 8 strikeouts, and did not walk anyone. Merlin Mackey made his major league debut and got the final two outs. J.P. Crawford drove in two runs to key a third-inning rally that gave Flores plenty of breathing room.




05/10/2022 (G034): STL 4, SD 0
WP: Thompson (4-2), LP: Martinez (1-1)
HR: STL – Alfaro (8), Sano (3)

The Cardinals shut out the Padres for the second straight day. Gerald Thompson went eight innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out eight. The strong performance by the two young Cardinals starters, Flores and Thompson, is even more impressive when you consider that the Padres are second in the N.L. in runs scored.




05/11/2022 (G035): SD 5, STL 4
WP: Weickel (3-2), LP: Rosenthal (4-2), SV: Gray (9)
HR: SD – Brien (8); STL – Sano (4)

Travis Brien’s three-run homer in the fourth inning provided the margin of victory as the Padres salvaged a win in the finale of the series.


05/12/2022: OFF
It rained all day here in St. Louis, but it didn’t matter to me. I spent the day at my desk, going over draft reports and swigging espresso. When it got dark, I switched to tequila. Did I eat today? I miss Jennifer. She would never let me forget to eat.

[Orcin]

May 12, 2022 10:56 PM

It wouldn’t be the first time that I passed out, err… fell asleep at my desk. I must be dreaming, but it seems so real.

I am running on a highway. It feels like I have been running forever. I have grown a beard and I am wearing a red hat that says something about shrimp. There is a big crowd of people following me.

Suddenly, I stop running and so do they. I turn to face the crowd and then I speak these words…

“I’m pretty tired. Think I’ll go home now.”

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Orcin

“I’m pretty tired. Think I’ll go home now.”

Are you feeling well, Mr. Orcin?

Everybody, find and hide his box of chocolates, now!

[DonBraswell]

Maybe you need to find a place for Jennifer.
Don

[Orcin]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Friday, May 13, 2022

CARDINALS GM FOUND DEAD

St. Louis Cardinals General Manager Otto Orcin is dead of an apparent heart attack. The 47-year-old team executive was discovered in his office by the cleaning crew sometime after midnight. Police are still investigating at the scene, but preliminary reports indicate no signs of foul play.

A coroner’s report on the exact cause of death is pending an autopsy. The Cardinals have not issued any statement. A person with knowledge of the situation told us that Orcin had been under the care of a team physician for a heart condition.

Former employer and owner of the CBA Louisville Colonels, Gordon Cooper, issued this statement. “Otto Orcin always pushed himself to be the best at his chosen profession. He worked hard and played hard. Otto burnt the candle at both ends, and left us far too early as a result. He will be missed by all that knew him.”

Funeral arrangements are pending. The Cardinals have asked that donations be made to the American Heart Association in lieu of flowers.

[Westheim]

(gulp)

[LondonYankee]

Nooooooooooooo!

[pgjocki]

This has to be a mistake, or a horrible ill timed April Fools Day joke.