Bloom/Oli suspect MLB Roster Choices

[Horseradish]

IH is not a good catcher. He can’t throw and his pitch-catching skills are weak. Maybe with ABS system his glove skills won’t matter as much, but he can’t block balls very well…

I just don’t get it, defense at the catcher position is generally something someone can either do, or not, especially at the ML level. Do they really think something will click and he will suddenly become better at catching? It’s not like pitchers are gushing over his pitch calling either. Just seems like a waste of time and risking injury to one of your best hitters.

[JuanAgosto]

1. Herrera Catching

2. Walker starting in RF

3. Pallante SP

4. With Herrera Catching no formidable bat at DH. Who is the DH?

To my knowledge, Oli has never indicated that Herrera will be the primary catcher for 2026. Most think Pages will catch more games than any player on the roster.
Herrera will get starts behind the plate as it allows his bat to play while having a ‘bat’ in the DH spot rather than always having Ivan at DH which means Pages hittin 4 times at catcher, a much weaker bat.

The concern however is if Hererra sustains yet another injury in one of those starts then you lose perhaps your best bat for an extended period.

I understand the theory but you risk losing your best weapon so a lesser bat can sometimes play.

If the idea is a rebuild instead of trying to be competitive now then what is the point.

We have plenty of more expendable and better defensive players who can play the position and one of them will nail it down soon enough without risking injury to a potential MOB and cornerstone player.

It makes no sense.

Well, if the point is to rebuild, then it makes complete sense to give IH one more shot at C.

So “rebuild” is just a cover or excuse to continue with stupid baseball decisions? IH as extensive history of leg injuries that keep him out of the lineup for long periods, he’s not very good at catching, and he was OUT a week ago with knee inflammation. Have you ever squatted for a couple hours requiring sudden burst of lateral movement? Some has the genetic gift(Yadi) to do this….others don’t. So what’s the upside? Having a C who can’t throw with the great probability that his taken out of lineup??

Yes, I used to catch.

But the ones who know more about it than us are IH and the Cards coaching staff.

Let IH try out catching again. He can always me moved off…

This experiment has run before……we’ve seen it

As we have seen the Walker and Gorman experiments. Runway season part 2 (or 3).

[JuanAgosto]

Oli has very little impact on roster construction. Again, Oli is a decision IMPLEMENTER. Decision on rosters, lineups, pitching rotations, in-game strategy, are made by a cooperative management committee. Oli has a voice on that committee, but THE voice belongs to the committee. Oli’s role is to implement those decisions and face the media.

Is that the norm across the league or just in STL.

Bernie shot this down a couple months ago, he said Oli has told him personally that Oli and Oli alone makes out the lineup card, he and Dusty the pitching rotation.

The "committee" may provide the stats but Oli makes out the lineup card.

Given Oli's stupid lineup constructions we've seen since his hire I wish the "committee" was making out the lineup.

Oli is a dipshiit. Why StL (a crown jewel in MLB), has this pud in the dugout is beyond me. DeWitt really let things go off a cliff. That's why he will experience a half empty stadium this summer.

[Dicktar2023]

Oli has very little impact on roster construction. Again, Oli is a decision IMPLEMENTER. Decision on rosters, lineups, pitching rotations, in-game strategy, are made by a cooperative management committee. Oli has a voice on that committee, but THE voice belongs to the committee. Oli’s role is to implement those decisions and face the media.

So, it's the committee that is obsessed with the "R/L/R/L" lineup? Because that seems very much like the neurotic fixation of a lone maniac.

[Hoosier59]

It was most likely Oli’s decision to not even give Jimmy Crooks any kind of a chance of making the team this Spring. He wasn’t going to allow Pages to be benched/traded because of Crooks. With Herrera only catching a couple games a week, he essentially is the backup catcher. That makes Pages, Oli’s favorite, to be the primary catcher. Crooks is just as good as Pages defensively, maybe even better, and he’s for sure a much better hitter. Don’t say the pitchers like throwing to him either, because before this year a lot of them hadn’t done so. McGreevy stated he liked throwing to Crooks.
Once again it just shows that the organization isn’t concerned about putting the best team on the field, or seeing what they have in certain young players. The signing of Urias probably sends Saggese to Memphis too, another dumb move.
I thought Bloom would put his imprints on the roster, but it sure seems like Oli has more say, or at least getting his way in a lot of these decisions. He wants Walker on the team, so he will be. He had issues with Granillo, and he’s traded.

[LCA1951]

Most of us simply wish that the season starts soon whereby we all will know. Although not a singular game has been played, much of the talk is negative as if 150 games have already been lost. We should be use to losing by now since most of the area teams are bad by record. Best to OM who gets hanged in effigy daily and the best to all those who feel that they know best despite the Cardinals hiring an enormous number of real coaches, teachers, and experts. I wonder how many of these whinners applied? Go Cards!

[Hoosier59]

Most of us simply wish that the season starts soon whereby we all will no. Although not a singular game has been played, much of the talk is negative as if 150 games have already been lost. Finally, we should be use to losing by now since most of the teams are bad by record. Go Cards!

Most of the negative talk I see is pertaining toward Oli, not the team in general. I actually think, if handled correctly, they have a very good chance of making the post season. That’s where Oli comes in, and because of his dumb choices and decisions he’s reducing those odds of the team making it there. Maybe Bloom is allowing him to hang himself? I hope so, because if Bloom is of the same mind as Oli, the Cardinals are in DEEP ………!

[LCA1951]

Most of us simply wish that the season starts soon whereby we all will no. Although not a singular game has been played, much of the talk is negative as if 150 games have already been lost. Finally, we should be use to losing by now since most of the teams are bad by record. Go Cards!

Most of the negative talk I see is pertaining toward Oli, not the team in general. I actually think, if handled correctly, they have a very good chance of making the post season. That’s where Oli comes in, and because of his dumb choices and decisions he’s reducing those odds of the team making it there. Maybe Bloom is allowing him to hang himself? I hope so, because if Bloom is of the same mind as Oli, the Cardinals are in DEEP ………!

Go back and read this thread from the beginning