GhostofQuantrill

Yeah seems like a nice kid and hard worker, probably only because he was raised properly by the Brewers and not the low life Cards organization. Always nice when guys get a surprise and the dream comes true making it out of AA. Remember the last guy that made it right from AA, maybe he'll be as good... I kid.

Erik Komatsu, who was hitting .294 for the Brewers AA team when he was traded to Nationals last season, made the 25 man roster for the Cards. He's a Rule 5 player... book on him is he had foot problems all of 2011 which is why his average dropped from the mid .300's. He had a good spring, 6 for 7 stealing bases with some impact triples and doubles. It looks like Shane Robinson will definitely be the one going down when Craig is ready April 10th, so he has a chance to stick out the year if he does well. http://redbirdrants.com/hub/erik-komatsus-triple/

Hey Sorry if I'm doubling up a topic here... but I'm new. What does the Brewer fan base think of the new Wild Card rule? I'll say the consensus down here is its lame. The play in game is a last resort type of thing that is less than ideal, now we are implementing a permanent one every season. 2 cases where I don't like it. 1. If the true wild card winner is something like 5-6 games up on the next best team... then that team gets a play in game, thats not really fair. The 162 game grind is the test, not one game. 2. In the case of '11 with the Cards and Braves. It was just a 1 game difference. But... the beauty in it is the pressure and intensity down the stretch. On Sept 15th had the Braves known they would at least get a play in game if they finish in the top 2 of the wild card maybe they don't press all month and collapse. I think baseball is so unique in the fact that one day doesn't mean anything its all about the collective. I just don't like the new rule. What do you guys think?

I'm surprised a little by this idea that the Cardinals are going to take a step back. How much of the roster do you guys know? The Cardinals had no shortstop for most of the year in '11. Wainwright, Holliday, Berkman, Lynn, Pujols, Freese all spent time on the DL. They blew something like 10 games with 2 outs in the 9th. Just converting half of those saves early in the year when Franklin was blowing them everyday would have put us right there for the division title. The bullpen is going to be solidified from the start of '12. The lefty Rzep that we picked up at the deadline is a big plus, and we just sent down Sanchez who has the best swing and miss stuff in the organization. He'll be back up at some point. Westbrook lost 20 lbs, he went almost 20 innings this spring without giving up a run. He'll be improved in '12. Allen Craig would have ranked in the top 10 in MLB outfielders in a lot of categories if he qualified with enough at bats. He'll be starting a lot giving Beltran and Berkman days off, or when Beltran shifts to CF against lefties. Tyler Greene is going to explode in '12. Thats a bold prediction, but a lot of ppl think it will happen. He was a 1st round pick years ago, he hit .320 in AAA last year. And was 16 for 16 stealing bases when he was called up. He never really has been given an everyday opportunity under LaRussa, he will this year. Fastest white guy in MLB with pop in his bat. Very interesting player. I don't know how more of you don't think higher of the Cardinals.

Hes going to be almost as good as Vlad Guerrero.

He did not say that. He said that if Frucal and Beltran both play 140 games they should win 95-100 games, and no one else in the division was capable of winning 85. He did not say the Cards would win 85. Here's a link to the interview. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/that-s-a-winner-says-whitey/article_d7061520-7733-11e1-bfc8-001a4bcf6878.html

And to people that say the Cardinals are old... they don't know the team very well. Allen Craig is a starter on every MLB team. He will go back and forth playing RF and 1st base giving Beltran and Berkman very regular days off. He will also play RF with Beltran in CF against left handed pitching. They'll have somewhat of a rotation in the middle infield too with Greene, Furcal, and Descalso. Greene and Descalso can both play SS and 2nd base. Furcal will get plenty of days off as well.

Keep in mind Braun was intentionally walked just 2 times in '11. That number will definitely go up. He will also be pitched to differently than he has ever been, teams won't be as afraid to walk him. That kind of stuff is hard to account for in WAR. Aromas may be a solid mlb hitter, but he is the opposite of a Prince. He adds no energy to a team, Prince creates energy and that creates wins. This team really could use a Brett Lawrie type to youthful power bat to keep the magic going in Milwaukee, that will go down as a gargantuan mistake by Melvin. Marcum is a grinder, you don't trade a phenom power bat for a grinder. He died out late last year, and I'd expect him to decline in '12 or do well and fade out again. Until Madson went down I think the Reds and Cardinals would undoubtably be better than the Brewers on paper, and thats what the experts are going off for pre season picks. Brewers 3rd is about right, now they're looking like it could be more like 2nd. And I don't think Whitey said that.. I may be wrong. I read that he said the Cardinals will win the division running away if they get 140 games from Beltran and Furcal. I also read that La Russa said they would have it won by Sept 1 if they stay relatively healthy (pre Carpenter diagnosis).