Royalties & Cardinalate

Latest ESPN dispatch has been posted. This time, I look at some of the positional battles entering spring training.

The from D-Kaegel this morning:

OK, so who's the DH? Best guess: Sweeney, most of the time. Harvey is a better fielder and Sweeney's previous back problems could prompt the Royals to limit his twists and turns with less time in the field. Which brings us back to what Baird calls the "major competition" between Harvey and Pickering. "Defensively, Pickering is not as good as Harvey and it just depends on how much Sweeney's going to play first. Then you're looking at a battle between bats, really," Baird said.

If this is true, then there shouldn't be any competition at all. The job should clearly go to Pickering. It's not even close. It would be nice if they could keep both as they may want to use Harvey against the occasional lefty.

Unfortunately, I still believe Harvey will be the first baseman. I don't understand it. D-Kaegel, one of the most anti-saber writers there is, doesn't give Pickering any shot at all. It's funny how these fossilized types dislike Pickering because he's: a. overweight, b. slow, c. a lousy fielder, d. strikes out a lot.

OK, fine, let's ignore all the .950 OPS projections for just a moment. What is it that Harvey does that scouting fiends find so intriguing? Is it the corkscrew action of groundballs as they come off his bat, generated by one of the more bizarre swings I've ever seen? Come on. Harvey can probably beat Pickering in a foot race but who cares? The only thing he is really adept at is taking out players who dare enter his personal space. I ask again: for you scouting advocates, what exactly does Harvey do that is so appealing? Name one thing.

It just gets so frusturating. I realize that Pickering is no sure thing. He may be a AAAA hitter in the mold of Joe Vitiello. But he collected over half as many extra-base hits as Harvey in about one-quarter of the at-bats. While Harvey hit 41 points higher, the two had identical on-base percentages. And this is the low end of what Pickering projects to do.

Perhaps Pickering really is a AAAA hitter. Lets find out. I hope Baird is telling the truth - that it really is a competition of bats. If so, then either Harvey will turn into trade fodder or, and this is always a possibility, he'll be a whole lot better.

But if Harvey gets the job because he is faster or a better fielding first baseman then this organization really does have no hope.

Spring is rapidly closing in

I purchased my home-opener tickets. And trouble is brewing. My wife and I sprung to be part of a 23-person group in the sectioned off area by the bleachers that features a constant all-you-can-eat-and-drink setup throughout the game. Have to do everything once in life. I think I’ll arrive very early for this.

Mine was vote No. 871 in the Royals’ downtown stadium poll. I viewed the results and it was pretty close, with “It's wrong: A new stadium would bolster downtown redevelopment” in a slight lead. I expected more skewed results, but resistance to change must be the problem as Brad indicated.

Cardinals news has been slow. But it is notable that there are no pending battles for starting positions, something unusual. Besides the health of the starting rotation, the attention over the next six weeks will involve the batting order. I am hoping for Larry Walker to bat second, with Reggie Sanders, M-Grud and Yadier Molina handling the 6-7-8 spots. It seems to be a weak lower part of the order, but is, at least, potentially league average. Molina is an X-factor, but I agree with the consensus that he will be a slight offensive improvement over Mike Matheny.

I’m still skeptical over David Eckstein, but I only hope that he is half the surprise that Tony Womack was in 2004. Really, the middle infield is scary primarily because we have not seen them. The Cardinals’ pitching staff is severely ground ball-oriented, so this issue may eventually decide the fate of the 2005 season. But with the 3-4-5 of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds still intact, each game is a potential thrill.

Concerns over Izzy’s hip remain valid, but this quote makes lucid his 2004 experiences:

“I was throwing with all arm last year. I couldn't use my lower half at all, because when I landed I couldn't straighten my leg out. It just hurt too much. My front side would collapse, then that started messing with my shoulder.”

He feels better and hopefully will revert to his 2002 form. But a repeat of 2004 would not be that bad.

What I most look forward to is seeing how Matt Morris and Rick Ankiel contribute during the season’s first six weeks. Morris may need to hold off until mid-May before returning/starting, which means Ankiel may get a shot in the rotation. That is all I ask for: a chance, because it could be very special. Oh, and, if all else fails with a stable rotation, if Adam Wainwright can serve as the 2005 version of Dan Haren, then that would also rock.

Thanks to Len from Dark Bilious Vapors for mentioning this. These smiliez are trippin' hot fo' pimpin up yo' messages.