JDW wrote: ↑02 May 2025 11:51 am
Burleson in 2022 with a 0.535 and a -0.1 bWAR
Burleson in 2023 with a 0.691 OPS and a -0.7 bWAR
Burleson in 2024 with a 0.735 OPS and a +1.2 bWAR
Burleson in 2025 with a .595 OPS and a -0.3 bWAR so far.
So a net +0.1 bWAR in his 4th MLB season. What are they waiting for, as he had a decent trade value est. this last offseason? Looks to be a mid .600's type OPS guy, sneaking into the .700's some years. That works if you're a really good CF or a catcher. Doesn't work at all for a bad defensive corner OF'er or a 1B. He needs to be a +800 OPS guy to bring any kind of consistent value to a team, and with his lack of plate discipline, it's currently hard to imagine him being able to do that.
Herrera in 2023 with a 0.760 OPS and a +0.3 bWAR
Herrera in 2024 with a .800 OPS and a +1.7 bWAR
Herrera in 2025 with a 1.506 OPS and a +0.5 bWAR so far.
So a net +2.5 bWAR in his 3rd MLB season with limited action. Looks to have a +0.800's type bat. That works regardless of position.
I'd like to see Herrera and Gorman get about 80% of the current DH opportunities, with Herrera also Catching about 30% of the time to try and keep him healthy and also be able to see how his C metrics trend.
Who do I like better between Pozo and Burleson? Easily Pozo for me, but when Herrera gets back sending Baker down makes the most sense, with Burly dealt before the deadline possibly attached with Arenado, or Fedde, or Matz, or Helsley.
All of the 3 Catchers individually bring more value to the team than Burleson imo.
The "elephant in the room" is how much the Cardinals have liked Burleson as a hitter and teammate. It will interesting to see how long Burleson's leash remains if he doesn't produce.
JDW wrote: ↑02 May 2025 11:51 am
Burleson in 2022 with a 0.535 and a -0.1 bWAR
Burleson in 2023 with a 0.691 OPS and a -0.7 bWAR
Burleson in 2024 with a 0.735 OPS and a +1.2 bWAR
Burleson in 2025 with a .595 OPS and a -0.3 bWAR so far.
So a net +0.1 bWAR in his 4th MLB season. What are they waiting for, as he had a decent trade value est. this last offseason? Looks to be a mid .600's type OPS guy, sneaking into the .700's some years. That works if you're a really good CF or a catcher. Doesn't work at all for a bad defensive corner OF'er or a 1B. He needs to be a +800 OPS guy to bring any kind of consistent value to a team, and with his lack of plate discipline, it's currently hard to imagine him being able to do that.
Herrera in 2023 with a 0.760 OPS and a +0.3 bWAR
Herrera in 2024 with a .800 OPS and a +1.7 bWAR
Herrera in 2025 with a 1.506 OPS and a +0.5 bWAR so far.
So a net +2.5 bWAR in his 3rd MLB season with limited action. Looks to have a +0.800's type bat. That works regardless of position.
I'd like to see Herrera and Gorman get about 80% of the current DH opportunities, with Herrera also Catching about 30% of the time to try and keep him healthy and also be able to see how his C metrics trend.
Who do I like better between Pozo and Burleson? Easily Pozo for me, but when Herrera gets back sending Baker down makes the most sense, with Burly dealt before the deadline possibly attached with Arenado, or Fedde, or Matz, or Helsley.
All of the 3 Catchers individually bring more value to the team than Burleson imo.
The "elephant in the room" is how much the Cardinals have liked Burleson as a hitter and teammate. It will interesting to see how long Burleson's leash remains if he doesn't produce.
The leash should be getting REALLY short because Burleson has sucked for a long long time, and is showing no signs of having the ability to get better. I think he needs significant time in AAA to work on his swing and approach in a less stressful setting
In light of the bone bruise , it would probably be better to let Herrera DH as much as possible, thus saving his knee. Besides, Pages & Pozo have been hitting so well, that leaving them in place probably makes the lineup better.
DwaininAztec wrote: ↑02 May 2025 14:02 pm
In light of the bone bruise , it would probably be better to let Herrera DH as much as possible, thus saving his knee. Besides, Pages & Pozo have been hitting so well, that leaving them in place probably makes the lineup better.
JDW wrote: ↑02 May 2025 14:43 pmKeeping him healthy nets him more plate appearances. Having the DH in his mix could help with that.
I've always said that the days of ironman catchers are over. I was thinking a 60-40 split before the season started, with Herrera getting the most starts. If they wanna do 50-50 or 40-60 or whatever they feel they need to do with his knee, then that's cool with me, as long as he's getting time at DH.
I know that not being able to trade Arenado threw a wrench into getting playing time for everyone, but with Walker playing as bad as he has, the time may come where you have to send him down, let Donovan move to LF, Gorman to 2B, then throw Herrera at DH as much as you need him there.
