Happy Wednesday,
Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson here. Just a quick note to alert you to a change in the formatting of my weekly newsletter. I'm shifting away from the weekly Tuesday online chats, so re-running the greatest hits from that chat in this newsletter is no longer an option. I still hope to answer any questions readers have for me. I'll do that here in this newsletter in mailbag style as they come in, and will also have more freedom and flexibility to bounce around to other topics and ideas. This week's question will be answered below. Thanks, and please don't be shy about sending in any questions or comments you want to see tackled. Have a great rest of your week!Â
Got a question? Email me here (bfrederickson@post-dispatch.com) or find me on X (formerly known as Twitter) at and hashtag your question with #BF5.
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Getting some rapid-fire takes off my chest from down here at Cardinals spring training . . .Â
If the Cardinals are facing right-handed pitching, expect to see a lineup that looks like this.
1. Brendan Donovan
2. Paul Goldschmidt
3. Nolan Gorman (or maybe Lars Nootbaar when healthy)
4. Nolan Arenado
5. Willson Contreras.
I'm a little nervous about breaking up the "punch in the mouth" (Mike Shildt phrase) of Goldschmidt and Arenado together but I get the reasoning between splitting up lefties and righties, and Gorman led this team in homers last season, not the vets. Donovan is the best leadoff option until Masyn Winn or Victor Scott II are polished enough offensively to churn and burn up there, and I don't think that happens this season. Donovan grinds at-bats and sets the tone for the top. Arenado isn't going anywhere but cleanup because he likes it there, feels his best there, and the manager respects that. So, before you accuse Marmol of being only about the numbers, there's an example of him hearing a vet and letting it ride. And traditionalists, of which I agree with sometimes, will be glad to hear that Marmol wants a more static lineup up top this season. Of course, injuries can mess that up in a hurry. If Lars Nootbaar and Jordan Walker are 6 and 7 in your lineup? That should be an impressive lineup.
The NCAA Tournament selection committee absolutely blew it putting Virginia in over potential national darling Indiana State. Blew it! Virginia is the kind of college basketball team that is killing college basketball. Virginia scored 42 points in its First Four flop against Colorado State. Indiana State has one of the most beautiful and efficient offenses in the nation and a player who had captured the nation's attention. And the NET ranking to make it an easy call. What a terrible and preventable mistake. If you think NCAA Tournament expansion is going to help the little guys, I have some oceanfront property in Sedalia to sell you. But hey, the selection committee's idiocy could have helped SLU as it tries to get Sycamores coach Josh Schertz. If Billikens AD Chris May can pull this off, some people are going to need to apologize to May. I wrote a while back that May did not need to be fired if Ford fizzled. If May dumped Ford and quickly hired Schertz in what would be one of the most celebrated hires I've watched go down in my time covering STL sports, it would be a great and impressive pivot. May's a nice guy. He will forgive his critics if he hits this home run.
Enough from the non-SLU peanut gallery about Schertz needing to wait for a "bigger" gig. If SLU can multiply his Indiana State salary by five or six times, come on. Also: This notion that Indiana State could be better next season is great, but the Sycamores and their coach just learned a hard lesson from how that selection committee about how their program is viewed. Answer: Unfairly. And if you are going to get Schertz, you probably want him to bring some players with him via the transfer portal, and the sooner you can get him, the more eligibility those players have left. It's a cold world, but that's how it goes. Waiting doesn't necessarily make him more in demand next season. Nothing is guaranteed. Coaches are encouraged to strike while the iron is hot during their climb.
Good job by Mizzou hoops coach Dennis Gates and his staff to quickly turn the page on the dud of a season. They are clearing out roster space by guiding some non-performers into the portal and already grabbed a perceived big portal get in UT-Martin and veteran wing Jacob Crews. Keep it coming. This freshman class and the returners who stick around need some experienced, athletic, shot-making, rebounding help. The portal just opened and Gates and his guys are getting after it. That's a good sign they realized this past season was over long before it officially ended and were working ahead. Smart.
There's no big rush on the Mizzou athletics director search. The search firm is compiling potential candidates. Curators are practicing and preaching patience. Here's P-D teammate Eli Hoff with an update.
Speaking of Mizzou, buy stock in former Tigers hooper turned Providence coach Kim English. His Providence team was mighty tough toward the end of the season and caught an NCAA Tournament snub as well, though not one as bad as Indiana State. English won 20 games in his second season at George Mason and just won 21 in his first season at Providence. He's 35. I do wonder if Mizzou will one day regret missing its chance to bring him home.
I thought Illinois was a Final Four team at the Braggin' Rights game. I bailed when I wrongly assumed the Terrence Shannon Jr., scandal would derail the team. I'm back in. I picked the Illini to win it all in my bracket.
Here's my Post-Dispatch Cardinals season preview special section column about all that talk about leadership . . . On Kyle Gibson's concerning ERA and why he's not sweating it yet . . . On Victor Scott II's continued push to break camp with the big club . . . or just check out everything, including fresh Inside Pitch editions from camp, right here.
Got a question or comment for me? Let me know and I'll answer it here.
This week's spotlight goes to . . . Andrew, via email. And it's a long, thorough one. Which is awesome. Thanks, Andrew!Â
Q: I understand that the Cardinals have a laundry list of roster concerns. Tough schedule to start the season, injuries, lack of rotational quality and depth, heavy reliance on both very young players and very old players, etc. Not to add to this litany of potential road bumps, but one thing I don’t see mentioned often is the effect that the bench makeup could have on the success of the team. I understand and agree we don’t want to create competition for starts. Continuity is a good thing. So is veteran leadership, which is why Brandon Crawford (.194/.273/.314) and Matt Carpenter (.176/.322/.319) were signed despite being well past their primes and coming off of what can only be described as below average performances. But the bench isn’t just a throwaway right? As of today we’re looking at: Ivan Herrera, Dylan Carlson (.219/.318/.333), Brandon Crawford and Matt Carpenter as our 4-man bench. We’re going to rely on these guys to start between 30-60 games each. Pinch hit, pinch run, defensive substitute. Fill in for short-term injury. These are thankless jobs for sure, but far from inconsequential ones. Ivan Herrera has shown some promise with the bat, so maybe even as a rookie he can be our go to pinch hitter. Carlson is a fine defender with decent speed. But the other two? Are we really going to rely on these guys in crucial late game situations with any confidence? How many losses will that equate to over replacement value? Am I overthinking it? Or is this another Achilles heel waiting to be exploited?
BenFred: Good points. One reason it's not a huge issue right now, though? Injuries. Tommy Edman (wrist) is going to start the season on the injured list. As of Tuesday, Lars Nootbaar (ribs) has not been cleared to swing at baseballs, not even for soft toss. The Cardinals can (and should) put Alec Burleson and Victor Scott II on this opening-day roster. We will have an answer soon enough. But part of the reason for doing it would mean getting a chance to see who performs, who doesn't, and then using that info to shape the bench as the team gets healthier. I'll take arrows for this and that's fine but Matt Carpenter has looked good both offensively and defensively at first base this spring. Alec Burleson is slimmer, more mobile and hitting. Victor Scott II has elite speed and great defense. Crawford is one who could wind up on outside looking in once team is healthy. He's also had bad luck by being beat up. He's only had six Grapefruit League at-bats.Â