I agree that the Cards are just positioning Reyes for a trip to Memphis. There's no way he and the club are just now realizing he's missing an important tool for success. I just don't buy that. There are several possible scenarios here, including the fact that they may carry 11 pitchers into the start of the season so they can take a longer look at 2nd base and decide on a player or develop a trade. BTW, I see Spiezio as a lock to make the club as a supersub ala John Mabry even with the horrible year he had in Seattle. TLR loves versatility and veteran leadership and Spiez will provide both.

Here's my projected lineup for the 2006 season opener:

SP

Carpenter
Marquis
Mulder
Suppan
Ponson

RP

Izzy
Flores
Thompson
Reyes
Benes
Looper
Rincon

Positions

Molina (c)
Bennett (c)
Eckstein (ss)
Pujols (1B)
Spivey (2B)
Rolen (3B)
Spiezio (bench)
Taguchi (LF)
Edmonds (CF)
Encarnacian (RF)
Duncan (bench)
Rodriquez (bench/)
Luna (bench)

Say ba-bye to John Gall, Adam Miles and Deivi Cruz (possible trade for a 2B?). Sorry dreamers, but Rick Ankiel has reached the end of the line with the Cardinals. Adam Wainwright might go to Memphis but I see him being traded, frankly.
Duncan and Rodriquez make the last 2 spots on the roster given the fact they hit left-handed with some power, something the Cards may have given up during the off-season. And they might relieve some pressure on Rolen to press at the plate in the late innings.

I can't see Benes making it and I don't know what they're doing with Luna anymore.

Duncan really needs at-bats at AAA.

Well, Benes is my one flyer I'm taking. I agree with you about Luna. I just don't see his upside like TLR does. He makes a lot of errors and I don't see him ever being an impact player. There are better utility options out there (Spiezio, Miles). But Luna plays multiple positions and you know how Tony loves that. Duncan probably can use more AB's at Memphis but I think they need his power and they'll use him off the bench.

I think Bigbie will find a spot on the 25 man roster. I'd love to see Duncan make the team, but the Cards will probably have another pitcher in the pen (Nelson).

By the way check out the new NL Central Blog at www.michaeljansen.net

I agree that Bigbie should make the team. Duncan has said he'll carry 5 starters and 7 relievers, so you're saying he'll keep Nelson instead of Benes? I can see that. I also see Hancock potentially in the mix because he can pull long-relief and spot starting duties. My line-up only features Thompson in that role.

Spiezio, Duncan, and Luna are not all going to make the team. Luna's more versatile as a backup (can play middle IF, 3B, corner OF adequately), so I'm thinking he will be the guy, if he performs as he should. If Luna does in fact make the cut, then it's a toss-up between Duncan and Spiezio for the backup 1B job I guess. Isn't Brian Daubach in camp as well?

Alan Benes hasn't been an effective major-league pitcher in nine years. It's only been five for Nelson. I give him the edge, despite his advanced age.

I don't see Benes making the final cut to begin the season, though it would be a feel good story. I think that we'll see him this year in St. Louis just not from the outset.

I think that Gall sticks around and TLR carries only 6 P's in the pen to make it happen. TLR loves Gall as a pinch-hitter and I think he brings a lot to the team in that aspect, though he could get buried (as could many) by the ultra-versatile, switch-hitting Scott Spiezio if he can find his stroke...

You could be right about carrying just 6 relievers but that would be temporary. Duncan and TLR have a long history of carrying 12 pitchers. They only time they didn't do that was early last year when Morris wasn't quite ready for the beginning of the season. As soon as he was game-ready, they sent Luna down to Memphis. So even if TLR is in love with Gall's game and conditioning, he's smart enough to know he needs pitching more than that last bat off the bench. Now if they keep Gall instead of Luna, I've got no problems with that at all. I'm no fan of "All Thumbs" Hector.

So would you rather see Miles or Cruz as a backup middle IF? I think not.

With Duncan punishing the ball this spring,
I can't see how he can be left off the roster. Spiezio should be the backup for both Eck and Spivey but that does leave the Cards thin in the middle. We could see a trade involving Rodriquez and perhaps Miles for another middle infielder. Miles is too small and has range issues, especially with Eck at SS and Cruz, forget it.

Is anyone else just a little bit nervous about 2B? My confidence in Spivey is non-existent and Luna and Miles don't make me feel any better. I think there's a chance Spiezio may get the start on opening day. And if so, it will be interesting to see how Spivey handles that. Walt Jocketty, I think this was one roll of the dice that is coming up snake-eyes. BTW, with an emphasis on groundball pitching, why WOULD a team go this cheap at the middle infielder positions? I'd have rather traded Marquis, given the ball to Reyes and re-signed Grudz. But that's just my own dice rolling...

Is anyone else just a little bit nervous about 2B? My confidence in Spivey is non-existent and Luna and Miles don't make me feel any better. I think there's a chance Spiezio may get the start on opening day. And if so, it will be interesting to see how Spivey handles that. Walt Jocketty, I think this was one roll of the dice that is coming up snake-eyes. BTW, with an emphasis on groundball pitching, why WOULD a team go this cheap at the middle infielder positions? I'd have rather traded Marquis, given the ball to Reyes and re-signed Grudz. But that's just my own dice rolling...

Spiezio's played less than 12 innings at 2B since '99. And has never played SS in the majors. Not a guy I want to be my opening day starter at 2B or only backup SS, although I wouldn't have a problem with him in there as a backup corner infielder a la Mabry. Luna should to be on the roster, if anything because La Russa loves a guy who can play 6-7 positions. Spivey'll be fine as the starter - similar to Grudzielanek last year, he'll probably be at or slightly above league average in most categories. If he's not the opening-day starter, I'll be shocked.

Well, after watching yesterday's game against the Yankees, I'm convinced Luna will make the team and serve as the principle backup to Eckstein and Spivey, as well as pulling some OF duties. I'm not sold on his defensive skills but he's versatile and TLR needs that versatility if he's going to keep his team healthy and exploit matchups. To me, this means Gall, Miles and Cruz won't travel north for the opener. And even though he's flashed brilliance at the plate, I agree Duncan needs more AB's and work in the OF. The man on the roster now that is most at risk when Duncan gets the call to STL is John Rodriguez. I like his game but it's one-dimensional and it's well-established that TLR doesn't keep guys like that unless they can change. So Bigbie makes the team and at least platoons with Taguchi. I'm still not sold on Larry Bigbie, though.

I think the key information in the Walton article (which he credits to Derrick Gould) is that Duncan asked Reyes to learn the sinking two-seamer a year ago.

Dunc has a proven track record of success with pitchers, but most of them are older and willing to accept coaching. Apparently (and if you guys have evidence to the contrary, correct me, please), Marquis has not shown himself to be 100% on board with Dunc's philosophy and tutelage, and he has found himself out of the playoff rotation two years in a row. If Reyes was instructed to learn the two-seamer and hasn't done it, it's no great surprise that he's not going to make the roster, because Dunc won't put up with that shtuff.

Somebody's got to win this apparent battle of wills. Either the stud pitcher learns the pitch that completes his repertoire, or he stews at AAA (until we give up and trade him). I'm not saying I like it, but if I'm reading this correctly, we may never see the Anthony Reyes arrival in St. Louis that we've been anticipating.

Oh and yes, David, I'm just as nervous as you (posting it twice :-) ) about 2B this year. The last time we were this nervous, Walt plucked Tony Womack off the scrap heap just before the season began. I wouldn't be surprised by a similar move this year, if there's somebody out there better than Spivey to pluck.

TSF