Jupiter, Fla. – As the Cardinals are nearly a month into spring training, one thing is apparent. They will need more time to figure some things out.
Coming off of a season that saw them one win from returning to the World Series, the Redbirds have somewhat of a different look and several questions that will need to be answered. Gone is their leading pitcher in wins in Kyle Loshe and veteran Chris Carpenter. The leadership of Skip Schumaker and Lance Berkman will now be assumed by others on the ball club. It is still up in the air on who will start the season at second base and shortstop.
One name that has not been mentioned is that of shortstop Rafael Furcal. Furcal was a big part of the success that led to the championship of 2011 and was integral in 2012. An elbow injury in September sidelined the best shortstop in a Cardinal uniform since the departure of Ozzie Smith.
Since Furcal was shut down, it was thought by many medical evaluators that rest and rehab would be the cure and he would be ready by spring. That prescription has not worked, as Furcal has not more than a dozen throws that counted with respect to testing his elbow. The Cardinals have seen enough and have shut him down until all can arrive on what would be a solution. Furcal’s chances of starting the season playing for the Cardinals have been diminished greatly. The options in camp now will get a closer look.
As for those options, Pete Kozma appears to be the incumbent. Kozma during his brief stay last season hit .333. He came up big in the Washington series offensively. The down side was his bat cooled off like everyone else in the San Francisco series. Good pitching can do that. His glove was a bit shaky at times, which led to the speculation of can he handle the job on an everyday basis. The former first-round pick out of high school has been mediocre in the minors. He could be a late bloomer – or flash in the pan.
Another competitor is veteran Ronny Cedeno, who has had stints in Pittsburgh and New York. A slick fielder, Cedeno has been erratic with his throws and has only hit .125 so far. He will need time. The other two candidates are minor leaguers Greg Garcia and Ryan Jackson. Neither has seen a great deal of playing time, but Garcia has seen more action late in games than Jackson.
The Cardinals might want to play this thing out a bit before looking outside the organization. There is a risk though. The longer you expose to the world that you are in need at short, the more the price could go up unless you are looking at a team that may be trying to dump a salary or feel they may not want to extend the contract of a player after this season. Either way, there will be a cost involved.
As for second base, it is a two-man race between last year’s starter Daniel Descalso and converted second baseman Matt Carpenter. Descalso is a solid glove man with a tremendous throwing arm and a solid baseball IQ. His bat needs to be better though. Carpenter is playing second for the first time. So far so good defensively, and he can swing the bat. Both will make the team and contribute.
In the outfield, there are three guys competing for one spot. Shane Robinson is a holdover from last season. He has started off extremely well this spring with the bat. Adron Chambers is starting to warm up a bit offensively and is perhaps the fastest player on the team. As a left-handed hitter he has great value late in games and may be ready to make the permanent leap to the big leagues. The third person is Justin Christian, who has been in the Yankee and Giants organization and is considered a real pro in how he handles himself on and off the field. A solid player who needs to be more consistent offensively, he is a real contender for the job.
While many ask about the Cardinal phenom Oscar Taveras, I can only say one thing: believe everything you hear. This young man at 20 has a bundle of talent. He has caught the attention of everyone here. He can play and should play every day. The problem is, barring injury he will be playing every day in the minors for a bit. He still needs experience and he needs to work on the basics. Taveras can swing the bat. He has been good at every level in the minors. Seasoning will not hurt in this case. When he does come to St. Louis, it will be for good.
