The Cardinals are banking on youth.
Yankees fan and Michael Pineda enthusiast AJ of The Lost Collector blog sent some cards along recently amidst some turmoil in the Cardinals fanbase. There's a guy, a talented guy, who was traded to St. Louis a year ago and showed off all of his skills over the course of a season and really seemed like a good long term fit with the franchise. His name isn't important. Unfortunately, he opted for less money but more flexibility with a rival team and is currently dead to this blog. His card was the only one representing the Cardinals in the recent retail-only 2015 Topps Chrome Update set and thanks to AJ, I do not have to track down this necessary evil.
While the Cardinals have made some less noteworthy additions to the ledger with names like Gyorko and Leake (Gyorko & Leake: best law firm ever or best crime solving duo ever?) it will likely be the contributions of the younger players in the system that will shape the franchise for the near future. Tim Cooney has an opportunity, as a potential left-handed starting pitcher, to offer something that no one short of a theoretically healthy Jaime Garcia has been able to provide in the the last decade after the ill-fated Mark Mulder trade.
Rowan Wick, shown here in purple Chrome Prospect form, is trying to be a pitcher now after failing to develop as a slugger. Hey, it worked for Jason Motte! This card is numbered 094/250 and if anything will go down as a noteworthy entry in my Weird Cardinal Name Journal, if there were such a thing.
Upward and onward, to the future! Kolten Wong is due for a breakout, is he not? Let's hope so.
I have to officially root for one Cardinal now that you guys have Gyorko. He was born and raised in Morgantown and went to WVU like myself.
ReplyDeleteMan, I hope Wong has a breakout season. He's my guy and I fear that if he doesn't heat up the first half of the season, then he'll be gone shortly after the All-Star break. Tune into Cardinal Sauce on the 10th. We're going to see how he stacks up against other notable Cardinals second baggers in their first three years.
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