Gabe Kapler: Banning Home-Plate Collisions Is A Mistake

You can grow old without growing up. So, it only figured that like in my adolescence, I would still be fantasizing after I got to second base.

Fox Sports

Ryan Freel Was Suffering From Brain Disease CTE

Former baseball star and Jacksonville native Ryan Freel was suffering from a degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he committed suicide last year, his family announced Sunday at a mass remembering the Englewood graduate.

Florida Times Union

MLB Draft Is A Well-Researched Crapshoot

The St. Louis Cardinals recently completed the 2013 first-year player draft and by all accounts, secured considerable talent for its already well-stocked farm system.

KMOV

Yadier Molina's Pickoff: The Recap

Much has already been written about St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina’s overall excellence, and rightfully so. He has won Gold Gloves in the most recent back-to-back seasons, has been the National League All-Star starter behind the plate the last two years and of course, the 28-year-old has a World Series ring.

The Cardinal Nation Blog

Cardinals Beat Braves 4-3: Colby Rasmus 2 Hits & Solo HR; Albert Pujols 3 Hits, Double, & 1 RBI; Yadier Molina Doubles & 1 RBI

Individual Highlights:
Skip Schumaker 0-for-2 with one run, two walks (one intentional), and assisted in one double play.
Albert Pujols 3-for-4 with one double, one RBI, one run, and assisted in two double plays.
Colby Rasmus 2-for-3 with one home run, one RBI, one run, one intentional walk, and one strikeout.
Yadier Molina 1-for-2 with one double, one RBI, one run, two walks, and one stolen base.
Bryan Anderson 1-for-1 with one double and one two-out RBI.
Kyle McClellan entered in the seventh and pitched one inning. He allowed no hits or runs, and struck one out. (p-s:12-8)(g/f:2-0)
Dennys Reyes entered in the eighth and pitched one inning. He allowed no hits or runs, and two walks for the winning decision (2-0). (p-s:24-12)(g/f:2-0)
Ryan Franklin entered in the ninth and pitched one inning. He allowed two hits and no runs for the save (7). (p-s:16-11)(g/f:3-0)

Rough Outing:
David Freese 0-for-4 with one strikeout and assisted in two double plays.
Brendan Ryan 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
Jon Jay 0-for-1 with one strikeout.
Kyle Lohse started and pitched six innings. He allowed seven hits, three earned runs, two walks, and struck out two. 0-for-1 at the plate. (p-s:108-67)(g/f:4-10)

Boxscore
Cardinals Official Site Post Game
Cardinal Beat: Albert Pujols Almost Homers, Instead Gets Thrown Out At Second
Cardinal Beat: Welcome Back, Troy Glaus
Cardinal Beat: Braves Take Lead In Third
Cardinal Beat: David Freese Gets Kyle Lohse Out Of Jam
Cardinal Beat: Welcome To The Big Leagues, Jon Jay
Cardinal Beat: Colby Rasmus Goes Yard
Cardinal Beat: Idle Thought
Cardinal Beat: And It's All Tied Up
Cardinal Beat: Yadier Molina Puts Cardinals Ahead
Cardinal Beat: Down 3-0, Cardinals Rally To Win 4-3
STL Globe-Democrat Game Report

Round Two: What Is Cardinals Biggest Concern Coming Out Of Spring Training?

THE WATERCOOLER:

What is the Cardinals biggest concern coming out of spring training? Bullpen? Depth? Health? Other?

STL Today

Quick Glance: 2010 Free Agent Outfielders

The other day, I ran some numbers to get a high-level overview of the quality of the 2010 free agent starting pitching class. I decided to do the same for impending free agent outfielders, using OPS+, Weighted On-Base Average, UZR/150, Three-Year UZR/150, Wins Above Replacement and Three-Year Wins Above Replacement to get a feel for the best outfielders that are set to hit the open market.

Around The Majors/MVN

Red Light, Green Light: Hack Or Hold Up?

Conventional wisdom dictates that a hitter take a pitch on a 3-0 count. The pitcher has thrown three straight balls, so why not make him throw a few strikes in a row? On the other hand, the 3-0 pitch is probably the easiest to hit, as the pitcher has no margin for error and can’t afford to try anything fancy. Which is the more compelling argument?

Baseball Prospectus

Reds 2009 Season Preview

The second installment of our NL Central season previews moves eastward to look at the Cincinnati Reds.

Viva El Birdos

Orioles Put Shortstop In Cesar Izturis' Sure Hands

When the Baltimore Orioles signed Cesar Izturis as a free agent this winter, they had one thing in mind: solidifying their infield defense at a troublesome position. Any offense the sure-handed shortstop provides will be a bonus.

Palm Beach Post

Chris Carpenter Cruises, First To Complete 6 Innings

St. Louis Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter extended his Grapefruit League scoreless inning streak to 14 consecutive and became the first Cardinals pitcher to throw a pitch in the sixth inning. More than just flaunting his health in Wednesday’s start against Baltimore, Carpenter showed a relentless ability to ground and grind an opponent’s lineup.

Cardinal Beat

MLB Crystal Ball: NL Central

1. Cubs
2. Brewers
3. Cardinals
4. Reds
5. Astros
6. Pirates

The Cub Reporter

No Adam Eaton In St. Louis, Signs With Orioles

The Orioles have signed pitcher Adam Eaton to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

MASN Sports

Orioles Comfortable With Cesar Izturis At Shortstop

It was during another monotonous fielding drill last week when first baseman Aubrey Huff's attention was diverted to the left side of the infield. There, Cesar Izturis stood with his back to home plate, effortlessly fielding balls from third base coach Juan Samuel.

Baltimore Sun

Orioles Have Serious Interest In Braden Looper

And while I still expect Braden Looper to sign elsewhere, the Orioles retain serious interest in him.

MASN Sports

Colorado Rockies Sign Mike McCoy

Mike McCoy, who the St. Louis Cardinals selected in the 34th round of the 2002 MLB draft, played in 53 games for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides last season. The 27-year-old utility player hit .276 with two home runs and 16 RBIs for the Tides. He had six stolen bases and 25 runs scored.

Baltimore Sun

On The Beat: Thumbs Up Or Thumbs Down

The exchange of salary arbitration figures on Tuesday between players and management contained at least one lesson: It's good to be a power-hitting first baseman.

Baseball Prospectus

Cardinals & Rays Talking

There's also some chatter that the Rays and Cardinals are talking, which makes sense since the Cardinals also have some outfield depth including Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick.

Tampa Bay

Orioles & Cesar Izturis Back To Talking Again

The Orioles have picked up contract negotiations on free agent Cesar Izturis, as the slick fielder remains their top shortstop target.

Baltimore Sun

Trade For Ryan Freel

The talk of the Cincinnati press is that the Reds may be looking to deal super utility man Ryan Freel. I'm not sure if the Cardinals could convince a division rival to send a player their way. But Freel would be a great fit for St. Louis in several ways.

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