RedVerbs

Even when Zambrano was good, he wasn't nearly as good as Carpenter has been as a Cardinal. He walked waaaaaaaaaaaay too many batters. Not saying he wasn't a very good pitcher, but when you're walking anywhere from 80-120 batters a season, you can only be but so dependable. As a Cardinals From 2004-2009 Carpenter has a 3.03 ERA, adjusted ERA of 144, and a WHIP of 1.0 Zambrano has an 3.50 ERA, adjusted ERA 126 with a WHIP of 1.3 Not really all that close. Not that, that even matters, considering he said RIGHT NOW, and Zambrano RIGHT NOW, is not even close to 2006 Carpenter. [expletive], Zambrano right now isn't as good as 2001 Carpenter.

This is so flawed an argument everyone is having. Only the Cardinals can win 83 games and win a World Series. We aren't, nor have we ever been that kind of lucky. It has very little to do with luck, and much more to do with the playoffs being a crap shoot. You also don't have Carpenter or Pujols or Wainwright or Rolen. Part of the reason playoffs are a crapshoot is because of luck. Also, we have guys comparable or better than every person you listed but Pujols. While we dont have a Pujols, we have better 1-8 than that Cards team did when completely healthy, and hitting like they have throughout their career. You don't have a pitcher as good as Carpenter. No, Harden is not. And Zambrano isn't close (right now). And your 1-8 is barely better, if they are at all.

The discussion is concerning the most likely way to win a World Series. One group is saying that putting together a team that wins 90+ games in the regular season should be the goal because it gives you the best shot in the postseason. Another group is saying there's a different route and regular season success is meaningless. Ahh, gotcha. If that's the case then it depends. In most cases, obviously the team with 100 wins are usually well put together. However, there are cases were 100 win teams are more offense orientated then pitching orientated. If the 83 win team had a weaker offense but some front of the line rotation pitchers, than I might favor them over a 100 win team that doesn't have as good a pitching staff.

This is so flawed an argument everyone is having. Only the Cardinals can win 83 games and win a World Series. We aren't, nor have we ever been that kind of lucky. It has very little to do with luck, and much more to do with the playoffs being a crap shoot. You also don't have Carpenter or Pujols or Wainwright or Rolen.

As a Cardinal fan I can tell you Winning 83 and a World series in 2006 Easily trumps winning 100 games in 2004, and a 105 in 2005 and getting exited out of the playoffs with nothing to show for it. When you win 100 games, usually by early August, your team has won enough games you see the writing on the wall that they're winning the division, so regular season wins stop becoming fun around then. By then, it's just watching and hoping nobody gets hurt before October.

i think this is the question of the year and the moment his head, and others, really should be on the block and prepared to roll down the stairs when ownership changes The point is when or if this team can get healthy and play to their abilities its superior to every other team in the NL Central. I don't think you can blame him for all the injuries. Keep telling yourself that...

Because that was what he said. I'm pretty sure he was simply commenting on the fact that Rasmus hadn't done much against lefties since he got to the bigs. And the fact remains that the 2 pitches he's hit hard this series were both hanging curveballs, which ML hitters should hit hard. He used the Baseball America ranking as a crutch for one guy. I showed it meant crap for another. Rasmus has a MiLB OPS of .826 against lefties FWIW. He's a good player. But, to use the number 3 prospect thing is dumb. Although I have my Delmon Young, Alex Gordon, and Brandon Wood votes cast for the All Star game. SInce they were all top 3 at one point. No, it was a quick reference to how he is regarded. Other top prospects failing has absolutely NOTHING to do with Rasmus hitting 2 lefties on the Cubs this week. Rasmus is not them, and they are not Rasmus. If you have an argument against why Rasmus should be bad against lefties, even though most of his career he has hit them well, and is a big prospect, then please explain. But don't bring up Corey [expletive] Patterson as a reason why he shouldn't hit Sean Marshall. Nor does it have to do with some corny Magic Pixie Dust or whatever cornball phrase you lames use to describe Cardinal players hitting well, because god forbid players out play their written in (PECOTA) Stone projections. :roll:

What the world does Corey Patterson have to do with Rasmus. Corey not panning out is completely irrelevant to everything. Rasmus is a highly regarded player with elite level talent. Him hitting some left handers on the Cubs shouldn't really be shocking. Its sean marshall and lilly not exactly Randy Johnson and Tom Glavine circa 1995. I know you hate the Cards but trying to play Rasmus off as some Brian Barden type career reject is ridiculous and dumb

I love how the third rated prospect in baseball is suppose to go his whole career without being able to hit left handed pitching because you hate the Cardinals.

From Rotoworld

Buster Olney and ESPN are reporting it, and the above is from Fox News...

Will they be this good all year? No Will they be a playoff team? Possibly Good offense, decent pitching, good pitching when Carpenter pitches.

Oh.

Apparently, 23 games is too early to consider the Cardinals a threat, but 13 games is enough to consider a 22 year old prospect a bust, because he doesn't have a home run. Or, more accurately, he's full of [expletive].

Khalil Greene is the best SS in the NL according to Meph (P.S. Rasmus slugging through 60 at bats is about the same as Felix Pie's OBP for his career)

I dont know where some of us are getting the idea that this is just a team thats over pefroming. Its a very solid lineup, especially when Troy Glaus comes back. Pujols, Ludwick, Duncan, Molina, Thurston, Barden will all end with a lower OPS than they currently have. Obviously they can't keep up this level of production, but they are still a very good offensive team. Now the starting pitching isn't that great with Carpenter hurt, but if/when he comes back, they are a playoff caliber team.

??? How is Chris Duncan a trash player? Plus he has exceptional power. He's hit like 50 home runs in 900 career at bats. You're probably best off not trying to start rational debate about these things in a game thread. That said, Duncan is a career .203/.260/.350/.611 hitter against LHP with just 5 HR before today. Good point. *exists*

No.

??? How is Chris Duncan a trash player? Plus he has exceptional power. He's hit like 50 home runs in 900 career at bats.

Benches clear in Red Sox/Angels game Abreu called for time, Beckett didn't see it, next pitch flies over Abreu's head. Beckett is a bitch. Tori Hunter and Scioscia got ejected...

Zambrano or Fielder?

And if they aren't bust, it's not even close. And how can you say this core isn't signifcant better without Wallace and Rasmus, when we have Pujols. You don't have a player young or old on the entire roster that beng in the same stratosphere. That is a huge difference in core young talent right there. The Cubs are significantly better right now, especially pitching (If Carpenter never returns to form), so what I'm saying shouldn't matter. The Cubs CAN win the WS in the next 2-3 years. But to act like their prospects/young talent on the team are comparable is laughable at best. The Cardinals have been ranked as a top 8 system by Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus has it as one of the best systems in all of baseball, the Cubs have at best, the 20th best system in baseball, with really no good young talent on the current roster aside from Soto and none on the way except the first baseman.

Half those guys will amount to nothing. Brett Wallace's 200 professional ABs really has you writing him in the lineup for the next 10 years? Daryl Jones? Jesse Todd? If you're only going to worry about what a guy did last season, what's Rasmus doing on there when he sucked out loud last year? LOL half of them wont amount to much. Yes, Pujols, Wainwright, Molina, Ankiel, Ludwick have done nothing yet. I cannot see them lasting. Yes, I'm confident that Wallace and Rasmus will be great. Jones, Todd, Garcia, I need to see more, I will give you that. However a core of Pujols, Wainwright, Wallace, Rasmus, Molina, Ankiel, Ludwick, Perez is very strong whether you want to admit it or not. I'll take the words of scouts who have Rasmus a top 10 prospect in the game, and Wallace a top 20-40 depending on who you ask (And a top 5 prospect on the hitting side) over a Cub fan hoping against hope that they fail. Reds youth core is very strong. The Cubs...not so much. But good luck with Soto. lol. You better hope Peavy gets you a title in the next 3 years, cause it's looking bad for the future.

With Pujols, Wainwright, Ankiel, Ludwick, Molina, there's also Rasmus, Wallace, Perez, Daryl Jones, Jaime Garcia, Jesse Todd, who will be on the team in the next season or two. That is a strong nucleus of "young" talent.

I'd say arguably the 2nd best. It's a big stretch to say Tampa' rotation is better.