Behind the scenes of Pujol's injury

Jeff Passan of Yahoo sports reports Pujols is more injured than he lets on. Even though he won’t admit it publicly, Pujols is spending a lot more time with trainer Brian Weinberg. LaRussa credits Pujols for playing through it, compared to some who will let any injury sideline them (referring to Scott Rolen?) Decent article about what is really going on behind the scene with Pujol’s injury….

The Purple Iguana

Rolen sounds off against LaRussa

Scott Rolen says that he misses St. Louis, but he knows that he had to be traded. Rolen takes another snipe at LaRussa by saying,

“I think Cardinal fans deserve better than two guys airing their laundry out publicly in a private, personal matter.”

He also says that the rift between him and LaRussa was a personal rift, as well as saying that he fully expected to finish his career in STL when he signed his contract. He also says the situation was not at all like what happened in Philadelphia.

The Blue Jays could be pretty tough this year if Rolen can stay healthy. Their lineup obviously isn’t as good as the top 2 teams, but their pitching is very solid. The Blue Jays and Rays could make it so only one team gets out of the AL East this year……

The Purple Iguana

Edmonds, not Pujols, anchor of the lineup?

Jim Edmonds talks about how much he matured while in St. Louis in this article by Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, he also says he’s looking forward to the new adventures he hopes to meet compared to what happens year in and year out when you’re on the same team since 2000. He also talks about how he was only going to waive his no trade clause to the Padres, and that he wanted a chance to play every day. Michael Barrett also said in the article that Edmonds was the anchor to the lineup, and not Pujols or Rolen. Another Edmonds article worth checking out……

The Purple Iguana

Izzy's new hip

Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks about what went into Izzy’s surgery in September of ’06 here. Izzy talks about how he took less money to stay with the Cards, and how he hopes to stay in St. Louis, but that he realizes it’s a business. He also likes what the new GM John Mozeliak did in the off season, saying he would rather not overspend this year, but rather wait for a better free agent class at the end of this season. He also talks about the Rolen and Edmonds trade, and how it’s going to be fun to watch the OF this year. It’s a pretty good article…..

The Purple Iguana

Rolen happy with time in STL, Eckstein mad

Link

The article goes into what went down in STL from Rolen's view and how he percieved it. It also goes on to talk about how Eckstein was mad at the way managment lied to the fans in the paper, which obviously is not right.....

The Purple Iguana

Rolen Happy?

Link

It looks like Rolen is finally going to turn the corner and actually like a manager. The trade to Toronto can only help his defense by playing on field turf. And for the record, I was on Rolen’s side with the whole Rolen-LaRussa debate; I’ve never seen Rolen NOT play hard.

The Purple Iguana

Rolen, Eckstein Tributes

Link

Great article on what Molina, Duncan, Carpenter, and others thought about Scott Rolen and David Eckstein. They talk about the best plays they ever made, or the biggest hit, or how each them played their asses off. Worth a look.

The Purple Iguana

Comparison of Lineup

I'm going to assume that Rasmus starts for the sake of argument here. Now for the comparison:

Rasmus vs. Eckstein

Rasmus has a lot more speed and power, and will basically be a better lead off hitter. Eckstein had an OPS of .738 last year, with 10 SBs. Rasmus has yet to go under .830 in his pro career, and was at .932 in AAA last year. Big difference there. Rasmus' lowest SB total was 13, so there is another spot where he'll help this lineup out. It's been awhile since we had any type of base stealing threat in the lead off spot.

Ankiel vs. Duncan
This will be virtually the same person: decent amount of HRs, a lot of Ks, and a lot of ups and downs. I'm a little bit scared, however, about Ankiel's nature- obviously everybody knows about how he blew up in those playoff games I believe in 2001. He also went into a tailspin after the steroid allegations came out last year. If he can get his head on straight, he'll put up very good stats, but that might be a stretch.

Pujols vs. Pujols
Last year Albert had a down year, but I'm not sold that his elbow is back to normal. I remember reading an article awhile ago about how he couldn't extend his arm, and that if he had the same type of pain as last year, that he wouldn't play. That would be major trouble.

Glaus vs. Edmonds
Edmond's OPS dropped to .728 last year, and it'd been dropping since '04. Glaus on the other hand has been pretty consistent since '01, and if he can stay healthy, you can count on at least 30 HRs, something Edmonds hasn't done since '04.

Duncan vs. Rolen
Duncan was injured most of last year, like Rolen. If Duncan stays healthy and LaRussa plays him everyday, look for him to bop at least 35 HRs, and an OPS over .900, something Rolen hasn't done since '04 (sounds like Edmonds, doesn't it).

Molina vs. Encarnacion
Molina has been improving offensively, but he won't be able to put up the stats Encarnacion did. Look for more improvement by Molina, but he's still nothing special.

Kennedy vs. Molina
Last year was by far Kennedy's worst year, and I honestly think that Brendan Ryan would be a better option here. However, I expect him to get back to where he was before last year. Molina was solid last year, and was most likely better than Kennedy will be this year.

Izturis vs. Miles
Both suck(ed), and I know Ryan would be a better pick for this spot.


Overall, the top of the lineup is a lot better this year, especially in the power department. The bottom of the order drops off a bit, but if Rasmus can meet expectations and starts, this will be a decent lineup, and a lot better than you'd expect with Rolen and Edmonds being traded in the off season. I'll be getting a defensive comparison later......

The Purple Iguana