Riddlewire said:
It really ticks me off because I start Ludwick on one of my fantasy teams and there's no reason he should be benched once or twice a week as has been happening. He homered in the first inning of tonight's game.
Congrats to Rick Ankiel
- Thread starter Riddlewire
- Start date
It really ticks me off because I start Ludwick on one of my fantasy teams and there's no reason he should be benched once or twice a week as has been happening. He homered in the first inning of tonight's game.
Bear Backer
Mentor
Riddlewire said:
Really though I guess you have to say, where would the Cardinals be without Duncan? Dave Duncan that is not his son Chris? He really is one of the best pitching coaches in MLB. In my lifetime, I can't ever remember a pitching coach doing so much with so little.
He took Chris Carpenter and brought his career back from the dead and helped him become a bonafied ace. He has also done a good job with Adam Wainwright. Likewise he has taken borderline guys like Lohse, Suppan, Woody Williams and Braden Looper and has helped them to reach a higher level while they are with him. Maybe even more valuable than that is how he seems to be able to take guys like Todd Wellemeyer and Jeff Weaver who were cast off's and find a way to get them to contribute when his pitching staff is short. Edited by: Bear Backer
Riddlewire
Master
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Dave has ruined as many pitchers as he's helped. But nobody remembers them.
Dave has a system, and if you don't follow the system, you're put on 'probation'. If you continue to fight with him, you're either demoted or traded. That is what happened to Anthony Reyes and also to Jason Marquis (and many other promising young pitchers over the years). Dave Duncan's system relies on EVERY single pitcher throwing EXACTLY the same pitch - the sinker. He believes that as long as you're throwing sinkers and you have a good defensive infield, the contact will average out in your favor over the course of a game. I'm sure he has plenty of statistics that support his philosophy, otherwise he wouldn't be so devoted to it. Now here's the tricky part. I admit that it is a fairly good long term strategy. That's how the Cards have been able to sit at or near the top of the division for a decade. But some pitchers have their own natural 'stuff' and would be better served by throwing their strengths. If they try to do that, though, they get pulled from the rotation or sent down to Memphis. After toiling away in these lesser roles for extended periods of time, they eventually capitulate (if they ever want to pitch for the Cardinals again) and abandon their own stuff in favor of the sinker. But not everyone can throw a good sinker, not to mention it chews up the arm if thrown all the time (hence, all of the injuries to St. Louis pitchers). So, the ones who can't master it end up as damaged goods. Their reputations are tarnished (both their pitching reps as well as their personal reps after Duncan gets finished with them - again, Reyes and Marquis) and they never get a chance to succeed. Duncan's system works wonders with reclamation projects (aging veterans and guys coming back from surgeries), but if you're a rookie pitcher with a blazing 4-seamer and a back-breaking forkball, the last place you want to be is with the St. Louis Cardinals.
^The above was written mostly in reference to starting pitchers. It also applies to some of the relief staff, though.
*Furthermore, the 'all sinkers, all the time' philosophy also can be exploited by specific teams when they have the right hitters. Patient low ball hitters (the Troy Glaus type) can sit on sinkers and drive them out of the park just like a leisurely day of golf. When a team has several of these hitters, the Cardinals are in trouble.
Dave has a system, and if you don't follow the system, you're put on 'probation'. If you continue to fight with him, you're either demoted or traded. That is what happened to Anthony Reyes and also to Jason Marquis (and many other promising young pitchers over the years). Dave Duncan's system relies on EVERY single pitcher throwing EXACTLY the same pitch - the sinker. He believes that as long as you're throwing sinkers and you have a good defensive infield, the contact will average out in your favor over the course of a game. I'm sure he has plenty of statistics that support his philosophy, otherwise he wouldn't be so devoted to it. Now here's the tricky part. I admit that it is a fairly good long term strategy. That's how the Cards have been able to sit at or near the top of the division for a decade. But some pitchers have their own natural 'stuff' and would be better served by throwing their strengths. If they try to do that, though, they get pulled from the rotation or sent down to Memphis. After toiling away in these lesser roles for extended periods of time, they eventually capitulate (if they ever want to pitch for the Cardinals again) and abandon their own stuff in favor of the sinker. But not everyone can throw a good sinker, not to mention it chews up the arm if thrown all the time (hence, all of the injuries to St. Louis pitchers). So, the ones who can't master it end up as damaged goods. Their reputations are tarnished (both their pitching reps as well as their personal reps after Duncan gets finished with them - again, Reyes and Marquis) and they never get a chance to succeed. Duncan's system works wonders with reclamation projects (aging veterans and guys coming back from surgeries), but if you're a rookie pitcher with a blazing 4-seamer and a back-breaking forkball, the last place you want to be is with the St. Louis Cardinals.
^The above was written mostly in reference to starting pitchers. It also applies to some of the relief staff, though.
*Furthermore, the 'all sinkers, all the time' philosophy also can be exploited by specific teams when they have the right hitters. Patient low ball hitters (the Troy Glaus type) can sit on sinkers and drive them out of the park just like a leisurely day of golf. When a team has several of these hitters, the Cardinals are in trouble.
mrjohnnynofear
Guru
Riddlewire you are absolutely correct (I wonder if you are in the clubhouse myself
). Duncan is a hell of a pitching coach but it is his way or the highway (Wish we could have kept Haren). In terms of La Russa, he gives position players days off with no good reason (especially when they are hot). With the way Skip played yesterday I wouldn't be suprised to see La Russa sit him
. And for the life of me, I still can't get why the pitcher is batting 8th. The Brew crew came in and moved into 2nd place (with C.C. Sabathia pitching no less), The Mets are in 1st place, the Angels are running away in the AL West, and the Yankees and Tigers are coming back from the dead to stay on the edge of contention. I'm not liking the way things are shaping up teamwise.
Edited by: mrjohnnynofear
Van_Slyke_CF
Mentor
Rick Ankiel`s season finished prematurely due to injury-something that happens to him all too often-but he put together a very solid .264 avg. with 25 HRs and 71 RBIs in only 120 games.
Jimmy Chitwood
Hall of Famer
Ankiel's legend continues to grow. wow!
Ankiel throw earns a standing ovation from Naturals fans.
on a related note, check out the awesome highlight video below which is appropriately titled "don't run on rick ankiel." :hand: :thumb:
[video=youtube;AzMAYnJ0_NU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzMAYnJ0_NU[/video]
Ankiel throw earns a standing ovation from Naturals fans.
on a related note, check out the awesome highlight video below which is appropriately titled "don't run on rick ankiel." :hand: :thumb:
[video=youtube;AzMAYnJ0_NU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzMAYnJ0_NU[/video]