ClassicO wrote: ↑05 Apr 2025 09:28 am
Melville wrote: ↑05 Apr 2025 09:02 am
Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Apr 2025 16:29 pm
That year was massively important for the organization, the rare fire sale giving up your best players in an awful season. Trades like these are supposed to rebuild your major league team quickly on the fly, much like the Oakland A's and Tampa have done for many seasons.
The trades of Jordan Hicks, Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty have resulted to exactly zero usable assets at the major league level.
This is why the Cardinals are going nowhere fast.
They have nobody making personnel decisions that knows anything about baseball.
While others are correct in saying it is too soon to tell, your core point is spot on.
The group they acquired have not progressed as well an STL expected.
Saggesse is just 22 and could become a RH version of Burleson - a valuable multi-position roving "starter".
But he did regress a bit last year.
Roby has started just 24 games in the past 2 seasons and has averaged just 4 innings per game.
He strikes out a lot of guys - but has been neither good nor durable.
Robberse has been a bit better with 42 starts and averaged the minimum 5 inning expectation - with a respectable WHIP.
Both are small for a RH starter and STL will be lucky if either become a reliable back-end starter.
Currently, both are more likely the end up as BP pieces.
Prieto will probably bounce around MLB for a few years as a bench piece.
Showalter might be a very sold BP arm - but he is the furthest away.
Rom looks like a big miss.
Kloffenstein is long gone.
Other than Saggese, not one should be considered a top15 prospect in a good system.
Bottom line.
STL may possibly end up with one contributing position player and a backend pitcher - and anything more than that would be a real surprise at this point.
That's not very good work from Super Slo Mo - as should be expected.
You repeatedly told us all - before the trades - how worthless Flaherty, Hicks and O'Neill were. You were supremely confident that Hudson was "irreplaceable" and far better than Jack. You beat TON like a rented mule. Now, you expect us to believe they should have received a treasure trove back.
And we remember who you touted as the best of all -- Carlson! Ha ha.
And in January, you told us all that Herrera was "not even remotely close" to being the 2nd best hitter on the Cards. And I quote:
"Contreras, Winn, Donovan, Burleson, and Gorman have all been more productive. Herrera's bat could continue to develop, but he's going to need to make more damaging contact. *** The best option is to trade him."
Mo may not be very good, but you're far worse at evaluating talent.
You're a joke.
You are quite right that I did not foresee injuries ruining Hudson's career and Flaherty has had the better run.
But, Hudson has still had the best individual year of either of them by far.
Flaherty is likely to come out ahead when all is said and done.
As for Hicks, I was fully correct.
He was a short term relief pitcher for the Cardinals and broke down as a starter precisely as I said he would.
Concerning the outfield, my actual position was: Arozarena would be the best of the group (correct and the only person on the planet who saw that coming); The Paper Tyler would likely be a lesser version of Grichuk over the course of his full career (correct so far), and that Carlson would have the better career than either The Paper Tyler or The Poser.
I said many times that despite Mo's silly dreams, neither The Paper Tyler nor The Poser would ever be long term lineup staples in STL (when others foolishly thought they would help form an "elite outfield", I consistently maintained they would be part of the roster's weakness).
Given the Carlson is 5 years younger than Bader and that the production of the 2 has been very similar, I suspect my assessment will prove correct.
Now, The Paper Tyler has been better than Carlson of course and I happily acknowledge I did not foresee the freak injury which Carlson for a couple of seasons.
Let's see what happens in comparing those two when their careers are complete - I like my odds.
Finally, examine your own words concerning what I forecast for Eephus - because you have proved me 100% right yet again.
I said, according to the quote you claim to ascribe to me, "Herrera's bat could continue to develop, but he's going to need to make more damaging contact" - and that is EXACTLY what has happened in the early stages of the season.
Bottom line.
Right about Arozarena.
Right about The Paper Tyler.
Right about The Poser.
Right about Hicks.
Right about Eephus.
Right about The Paper Tyler.
Right about The Poser.
Wrong about rating Hudson above Flaherty.
Incomplete score concerning Carlson.
7 right out of 8, with one incomplete.
That is an 87.5% accuracy rate. (Note: I do expect better than that from myself.)
You won't find anyone, anywhere, anytime who is better than I am at projecting the outcomes of players who come up through the STL system than I am.
My advice?
Keep reading.
Keep learning.
And keep the list of prospects and analysis I provided above saved for future reference.
That, along with the players you were kind enough to add, will most assuredly move my success rate above 90%.
