Nathan Church

[rockondlouie]

I don’t understand why Church hasn’t been promoted and playing centerfield. He has torn up AAA/AA and plays at least as good an outfield as Scott and Scott, as the Fox announcers said last Friday, is the second worst offensive producer in MLB. It’s past time to move on there and give Church a six week look.

If he plays at least as good of an OF as Scott then he must be the best CF in the game. Scott ranks 3rd in OAA among all MLB OFers behind PCA and Ceddanne Rafaela.

Scott’s biggest issue right now is power. His BB rate is nearly 10%, he has 31 SBs in 33 attempts, and he’s playing a stellar CF defense. If he could hit for any power (.307 SLG%), he’d be fine.

Thank you, no way Church = VSII defensively.

I highly doubt Church makes that catch VSII made last night.

And if he could just add bunting to his arsenal, maybe getting 8-10 bunt hits a year, he could steal 50 bases!

All he needs is a .330 OB% to be an asset.

LoL. That's all? Raise his OBP to 330 from 300

.344 during minor league career

Toss in those 8-10 bunt hits if ever learns to bunt and he could get there.

Yeah, how are the rest of his minor league numbers translating to the majors?

His OB% has risen 25 pts over his (SSS) 2024, it could happen.

[Cusecards]

Scott needs to work on bunting
If he could get a few bunt hits a week

That and hitting down on the ball more often (picking his moments when to muscle up) to utilize his great speed.

Yes!
It pains me every time he hits a lazy fly ball.
He should be wracking up IF hits which then turn into doubles!
I confess to having zero knowledge of Church other than his stats which are impressive.
Too bad he doesn’t hit RH.
Changes coming in the offseason. Nootbaar to me is redundant and a tease.
We are overloaded already with LH bats and more(JJ/Crooks) on the way.
If Arenado is still here(and that is becoming more and more likely) the arrival of JJ pushes Donovan to the OF. You also have Burleson who is a superior hitter to Noot.
And you also have Gorman who despite his frustrations I’d certainly keep over Noot.
Again... wish Church hit RH.

[Futuregm2]

I don’t understand why Church hasn’t been promoted and playing centerfield. He has torn up AAA/AA and plays at least as good an outfield as Scott and Scott, as the Fox announcers said last Friday, is the second worst offensive producer in MLB. It’s past time to move on there and give Church a six week look.

If he plays at least as good of an OF as Scott then he must be the best CF in the game. Scott ranks 3rd in OAA among all MLB OFers behind PCA and Ceddanne Rafaela.

Scott’s biggest issue right now is power. His BB rate is nearly 10%, he has 31 SBs in 33 attempts, and he’s playing a stellar CF defense. If he could hit for any power (.307 SLG%), he’d be fine.

Thank you, no way Church = VSII defensively.

I highly doubt Church makes that catch VSII made last night.

And if he could just add bunting to his arsenal, maybe getting 8-10 bunt hits a year, he could steal 50 bases!

All he needs is a .330 OB% to be an asset.

Well he’s at 7 right now, so unless you’re meaning 8-10 more, he’ll be in that range. He’s currently tied for 2nd in baseball in bunt hits. However, of the players in the top 10, he has the worst % of bunt hits in the group at 29.2%. His goal for that should be at least 50% next year and probably more like 70%. In the top 10, Lindor is 100%, Altuve is 87.5%, and Mullins is 70%. Those are the 3 highest percentages. Turang for Milwaukee is at 55.6%.

I did, left out the "more" so thanks for the assist.

And he absolutely needs some instruction on how to be a better bunter.

What’s crazy also is that Nolan Arenado (12) has as many infield hits as Masyn Winn (7) and VS2 (5) combined this year. Again, I go back to Turang for Milwaukee. He has 16 infield hits. That is 11 more hits than VS2. Now some of that probably has more to do with “luck” than anything. Turang has a 1.55 GB/FB while VS2 has a 1.08 GB/FB. But those 11 more hits sure help play a role in a .338 BABIP rather than a .293 BABIP. An extra 11 hits would have VS2’s average at .253 and OBP at .340+.

[3dender]

I don’t understand why Church hasn’t been promoted and playing centerfield. He has torn up AAA/AA and plays at least as good an outfield as Scott and Scott, as the Fox announcers said last Friday, is the second worst offensive producer in MLB. It’s past time to move on there and give Church a six week look.

If he plays at least as good of an OF as Scott then he must be the best CF in the game. Scott ranks 3rd in OAA among all MLB OFers behind PCA and Ceddanne Rafaela.

Scott’s biggest issue right now is power. His BB rate is nearly 10%, he has 31 SBs in 33 attempts, and he’s playing a stellar CF defense. If he could hit for any power (.307 SLG%), he’d be fine.

Thank you, no way Church = VSII defensively.

I highly doubt Church makes that catch VSII made last night.

And if he could just add bunting to his arsenal, maybe getting 8-10 bunt hits a year, he could steal 50 bases!

All he needs is a .330 OB% to be an asset.

Well he’s at 7 right now, so unless you’re meaning 8-10 more, he’ll be in that range. He’s currently tied for 2nd in baseball in bunt hits. However, of the players in the top 10, he has the worst % of bunt hits in the group at 29.2%. His goal for that should be at least 50% next year and probably more like 70%. In the top 10, Lindor is 100%, Altuve is 87.5%, and Mullins is 70%. Those are the 3 highest percentages. Turang for Milwaukee is at 55.6%.

I did, left out the "more" so thanks for the assist.

And he absolutely needs some instruction on how to be a better bunter.

What’s crazy also is that Nolan Arenado (12) has as many infield hits as Masyn Winn (7) and VS2 (5) combined this year. Again, I go back to Turang for Milwaukee. He has 16 infield hits. That is 11 more hits than VS2. Now some of that probably has more to do with “luck” than anything. Turang has a 1.55 GB/FB while VS2 has a 1.08 GB/FB. But those 11 more hits sure help play a role in a .338 BABIP rather than a .293 BABIP. An extra 11 hits would have VS2’s average at .253 and OBP at .340+.

Yup, he's gotta 1) hit the ball on the ground more and 2) stop pulling it as much... save his current swing for runners on and sac fly or force out in play

[rockondlouie]

Scott needs to work on bunting
If he could get a few bunt hits a week

That and hitting down on the ball more often (picking his moments when to muscle up) to utilize his great speed.

Yes!
It pains me every time he hits a lazy fly ball.
He should be wracking up IF hits which then turn into doubles!
I confess to having zero knowledge of Church other than his stats which are impressive.
Too bad he doesn’t hit RH.
Changes coming in the offseason. Nootbaar to me is redundant and a tease.
We are overloaded already with LH bats and more(JJ/Crooks) on the way.
If Arenado is still here(and that is becoming more and more likely) the arrival of JJ pushes Donovan to the OF. You also have Burleson who is a superior hitter to Noot.
And you also have Gorman who despite his frustrations I’d certainly keep over Noot.
Again... wish Church hit RH.

Remember the bet Whitey had w/Ozzie?

Hopefully they have someone work w/him on both is bunting and hitting down on the ball more often this spring, keeping the ball on the ground more while pressuring infielders into rushed errors or infield hits!

[rockondlouie]

I don’t understand why Church hasn’t been promoted and playing centerfield. He has torn up AAA/AA and plays at least as good an outfield as Scott and Scott, as the Fox announcers said last Friday, is the second worst offensive producer in MLB. It’s past time to move on there and give Church a six week look.

If he plays at least as good of an OF as Scott then he must be the best CF in the game. Scott ranks 3rd in OAA among all MLB OFers behind PCA and Ceddanne Rafaela.

Scott’s biggest issue right now is power. His BB rate is nearly 10%, he has 31 SBs in 33 attempts, and he’s playing a stellar CF defense. If he could hit for any power (.307 SLG%), he’d be fine.

Thank you, no way Church = VSII defensively.

I highly doubt Church makes that catch VSII made last night.

And if he could just add bunting to his arsenal, maybe getting 8-10 bunt hits a year, he could steal 50 bases!

All he needs is a .330 OB% to be an asset.

Well he’s at 7 right now, so unless you’re meaning 8-10 more, he’ll be in that range. He’s currently tied for 2nd in baseball in bunt hits. However, of the players in the top 10, he has the worst % of bunt hits in the group at 29.2%. His goal for that should be at least 50% next year and probably more like 70%. In the top 10, Lindor is 100%, Altuve is 87.5%, and Mullins is 70%. Those are the 3 highest percentages. Turang for Milwaukee is at 55.6%.

I did, left out the "more" so thanks for the assist.

And he absolutely needs some instruction on how to be a better bunter.

What’s crazy also is that Nolan Arenado (12) has as many infield hits as Masyn Winn (7) and VS2 (5) combined this year. Again, I go back to Turang for Milwaukee. He has 16 infield hits. That is 11 more hits than VS2. Now some of that probably has more to do with “luck” than anything. Turang has a 1.55 GB/FB while VS2 has a 1.08 GB/FB. But those 11 more hits sure help play a role in a .338 BABIP rather than a .293 BABIP. An extra 11 hits would have VS2’s average at .253 and OBP at .340+.

Yikes!

That should never be given NADO's snail-like 25.5 sprint speed vs VSII's blazing 30.2 and Winn's 28.4!

And hopefully scouty see's those numbers you did on Turang.

VSII can easily get that .330 OB% which could lead to 50 SB's!

Coupled w/his GG caliber defense in CF, he could become an asset from the #9 hole........possibly jetting to the lead-off spot!

[Wattage]

Church is 25 years old. Approaching Koperniak in prospect age. This happened last year with Koperniak.

Also The Cardinals have Rule V draft protection issues this off season. They have to manage the 40-man. Not sure where Church falls in the Rule V time frame. Buts this is one reason why we likely won't see a Mathews called up In September, health aside.

Rosters only expand by 1 position player and 1 pitcher. Wetherholt is the position player to get called up.

I'd like to see Church in the bigs. But his time looks like spring training.

Church has to be added this offseason and will be if hes not added in september and called up already.

[Wattage]

i realize he isn't on the 40 man roster but why are Hampson and Siani on it still?? this one is baffling as to why he hasn't gotten some run.

Cuz all hampson is askednto do is ride the bench and be defensive sub or pinch runner. You want to bring up a rookie to ride the bench and just be a defensive sub and pinch runner?

If Church were up, it would be to get him a look. Thus, he wouldn't be riding the bench like Hampson.

Yes but then that means someone else has to ride the bench. Granted scott has had insane amount of playing time compared to others so he could use a few more days off but i dont think they want to bench him completely in a runway season. Burleson and herrera arent gonna sit in one corner of/dh spit. I wouldnt mind noot sitting more in the other of spot but donny may play there alot already ifnthey want to give both gorman and saggese looks.

I wouldnt be surprised if hurch were the september position player callup if its not wetherholt

[StlMike1969]

I am excited to see an OF'er rising through the ranks. I was excited about Koperniak also but then he fell off a cliff this year. I am thoroughly convinced the Cards are doing nothing with this roster this season. There has to be a clearing of the log jam on this team and tough decisions need to be made. The time for potential is gone and the average players need gone. Either the guy hits for power or he hits for average. One of the tow needs to happen on all players taking up spots. a .250 average is not cutting it when the guy also has less than 20HR's. If players have been given a 1,000 AB's or more the team should have a pretty good idea of what kind of hitter they are going to evolve into. I am happy some on here are so happy with Scott's defense but he is not providing a bat from night to night. He needs to at the least understand his position is not guaranteed next year and he will need to show something more in ST and early season 2026. This applies to all these guys also. They need gone in the off season or understand nothing is guaranteed.

Nootbar
Walker
Gorman
Pages
Arenado
Contreras

Not including Donovan or Burleson at this time as they have at least produced to some degree while being yanked around the diamond. Herrera is flashing production while learning a new position. Pozo does not appear to be part of the long term plan. The other guys are what they are fill in's until they produce to earn a spot.

Church should at least be given a look in 2026 and Koperniak for that matter or move on like Baker.

[Wattage]

I don’t understand why Church hasn’t been promoted and playing centerfield. He has torn up AAA/AA and plays at least as good an outfield as Scott and Scott, as the Fox announcers said last Friday, is the second worst offensive producer in MLB. It’s past time to move on there and give Church a six week look.

If he plays at least as good of an OF as Scott then he must be the best CF in the game. Scott ranks 3rd in OAA among all MLB OFers behind PCA and Ceddanne Rafaela.

Scott’s biggest issue right now is power. His BB rate is nearly 10%, he has 31 SBs in 33 attempts, and he’s playing a stellar CF defense. If he could hit for any power (.307 SLG%), he’d be fine.

Thank you, no way Church = VSII defensively.

I highly doubt Church makes that catch VSII made last night.

And if he could just add bunting to his arsenal, maybe getting 8-10 bunt hits a year, he could steal 50 bases!

All he needs is a .330 OB% to be an asset.

Well he’s at 7 right now, so unless you’re meaning 8-10 more, he’ll be in that range. He’s currently tied for 2nd in baseball in bunt hits. However, of the players in the top 10, he has the worst % of bunt hits in the group at 29.2%. His goal for that should be at least 50% next year and probably more like 70%. In the top 10, Lindor is 100%, Altuve is 87.5%, and Mullins is 70%. Those are the 3 highest percentages. Turang for Milwaukee is at 55.6%.

I did, left out the "more" so thanks for the assist.

And he absolutely needs some instruction on how to be a better bunter.

What’s crazy also is that Nolan Arenado (12) has as many infield hits as Masyn Winn (7) and VS2 (5) combined this year. Again, I go back to Turang for Milwaukee. He has 16 infield hits. That is 11 more hits than VS2. Now some of that probably has more to do with “luck” than anything. Turang has a 1.55 GB/FB while VS2 has a 1.08 GB/FB. But those 11 more hits sure help play a role in a .338 BABIP rather than a .293 BABIP. An extra 11 hits would have VS2’s average at .253 and OBP at .340+.

Yikes!

That should never be given NADO's snail-like 25.5 sprint speed vs VSII's blazing 30.2 and Winn's 28.4!

And hopefully scouty see's those numbers you did on Turang.

VSII can easily get that .330 OB% which could lead to 50 SB's!

Coupled w/his GG caliber defense in CF, he could become an asset from the #9 hole........possibly jetting to the lead-off spot!

A lot ofnthoseninfield hits are where fielder makes an okay play to knock it down but cant field it cleanly to make a throw and with scoring being very conservative in charging errors, none will be charged errors even if a couple but not all should be

[Cusecards]

Scott needs to work on bunting
If he could get a few bunt hits a week

That and hitting down on the ball more often (picking his moments when to muscle up) to utilize his great speed.

Yes!
It pains me every time he hits a lazy fly ball.
He should be wracking up IF hits which then turn into doubles!
I confess to having zero knowledge of Church other than his stats which are impressive.
Too bad he doesn’t hit RH.
Changes coming in the offseason. Nootbaar to me is redundant and a tease.
We are overloaded already with LH bats and more(JJ/Crooks) on the way.
If Arenado is still here(and that is becoming more and more likely) the arrival of JJ pushes Donovan to the OF. You also have Burleson who is a superior hitter to Noot.
And you also have Gorman who despite his frustrations I’d certainly keep over Noot.
Again... wish Church hit RH.

Remember the bet Whitey had w/Ozzie?

Hopefully they have someone work w/him on both is bunting and hitting down on the ball more often this spring, keeping the ball on the ground more while pressuring infielders into rushed errors or infield hits!

No....I don’t remember the bet with Ozzie.
Maybe we need the Lou Brown Treatment used with Willie Mays Hayes?

[LCA1951]

Remember the whining and angst for Koperniak?

[PadsFS07]

Churchs hitting this year- quite frankly- came out of absolutely nowhere.

He had a.724 ops and .705 ops at A+ and AA the last 2 years. To go from barely hitting at AA last year to hitting at the majors would be quite the jump.

Id be fine with calling him up since he has to be added to 40 in the offseason anyways, but would be fine ifnthey didnt too if they are happy with his progression this year and dont want to overwhelm him by bringing him to majors. Weve rushed too many players like walker and scott last year.

Besides- this year was supposed to be about giving guys like scott runway. Im not concerned with trying to desperately squeeze out a 3rd wildcard for a 1st round exit.

Likewise, he played RF exclusively in college and mostly played there and LF until this year. Sticking at CF is probably his biggest hurdle.

[imyourhuckleberry]

I don’t understand why Church hasn’t been promoted and playing centerfield. He has torn up AAA/AA and plays at least as good an outfield as Scott and Scott, as the Fox announcers said last Friday, is the second worst offensive producer in MLB. It’s past time to move on there and give Church a six week look.

If he plays at least as good of an OF as Scott then he must be the best CF in the game. Scott ranks 3rd in OAA among all MLB OFers behind PCA and Ceddanne Rafaela.

Scott’s biggest issue right now is power. His BB rate is nearly 10%, he has 31 SBs in 33 attempts, and he’s playing a stellar CF defense. If he could hit for any power (.307 SLG%), he’d be fine.

Thank you, no way Church = VSII defensively.

I highly doubt Church makes that catch VSII made last night.

And if he could just add bunting to his arsenal, maybe getting 8-10 bunt hits a year, he could steal 50 bases!

All he needs is a .330 OB% to be an asset.

Maybe, maybe not. It most likely depends on if Church breaks back off the bat like Scott did. Great catch, no doubt, but a much easier catch if he would have gotten the right read.

[rockondlouie]

Scott needs to work on bunting
If he could get a few bunt hits a week

That and hitting down on the ball more often (picking his moments when to muscle up) to utilize his great speed.

Yes!
It pains me every time he hits a lazy fly ball.
He should be wracking up IF hits which then turn into doubles!
I confess to having zero knowledge of Church other than his stats which are impressive.
Too bad he doesn’t hit RH.
Changes coming in the offseason. Nootbaar to me is redundant and a tease.
We are overloaded already with LH bats and more(JJ/Crooks) on the way.
If Arenado is still here(and that is becoming more and more likely) the arrival of JJ pushes Donovan to the OF. You also have Burleson who is a superior hitter to Noot.
And you also have Gorman who despite his frustrations I’d certainly keep over Noot.
Again... wish Church hit RH.

Remember the bet Whitey had w/Ozzie?

Hopefully they have someone work w/him on both is bunting and hitting down on the ball more often this spring, keeping the ball on the ground more while pressuring infielders into rushed errors or infield hits!

No....I don’t remember the bet with Ozzie.
Maybe we need the Lou Brown Treatment used with Willie Mays Hayes?

$1 for Whitey each ball Ozzie hit in the air............$1 for Ozzie for each ball he kept on the ground or was a hit.

Ozzie always said he "cleaned up"!

[rockondlouie]

I don’t understand why Church hasn’t been promoted and playing centerfield. He has torn up AAA/AA and plays at least as good an outfield as Scott and Scott, as the Fox announcers said last Friday, is the second worst offensive producer in MLB. It’s past time to move on there and give Church a six week look.

If he plays at least as good of an OF as Scott then he must be the best CF in the game. Scott ranks 3rd in OAA among all MLB OFers behind PCA and Ceddanne Rafaela.

Scott’s biggest issue right now is power. His BB rate is nearly 10%, he has 31 SBs in 33 attempts, and he’s playing a stellar CF defense. If he could hit for any power (.307 SLG%), he’d be fine.

Thank you, no way Church = VSII defensively.

I highly doubt Church makes that catch VSII made last night.

And if he could just add bunting to his arsenal, maybe getting 8-10 bunt hits a year, he could steal 50 bases!

All he needs is a .330 OB% to be an asset.

Maybe, maybe not. It most likely depends on if Church breaks back off the bat like Scott did. Great catch, no doubt, but a much easier catch if he would have gotten the right read.

I was at the game, didn't see the any replay so I'll take your word for it huck', thx.