Captain Patience Is At It Again…

Throughout the course of the season, I’m going to monitor some of my favorite players, as you’ve already seen with Yadier Molina.

Before we get into that though, I’d like to mention a new feature I’m adding: A Quick Hits section at the end of some of my posts. Just a few quick notes about things going on in baseball, sometimes stuff not Cards related. I used to blog about stuff like that in the past, and I figured adding something like that would allow me to return to doing so while maintaining my focus on the Cards. We’ll see how it goes.

Anyways, if you read my blog regularly (I’m sure somebody does…I think…) you’d know that Matt Carpenter is one of my favorite Cardinals, if not one of my favorite players overall.

I admire Carp’s ability to adapt to what the team needs. He played 2nd base passably well, then slid over to 3rd with the emergence of Kolten Wong. Will he ever win a Gold Glove there? Doubtful (especially with Nolan Arenado hanging out there for the Rockies) but he’s not going to make you cringe either.

As for what he does on offense… I’ve called the man a chameleon before, and it really applies. He was a leadoff hitter, and did a good job. He was a power source last year, and did a much better job than anyone expected.

And this year, he’s hitting .227…with a .370 OBP. Yes, it’s early, but having an OBP 143 points higher than your batting average kind of ridiculous. That’s Joey Votto territory.

I suppose after whacking 28 homers last year, pitchers are being more careful with him this year. COmbine that with his keen batting eye, and this may be what you get. I’m curious to see what happens when he starts boosting his average a bit. Will he have a .400 OBP year? will his walks fade if he doesn’t thump like he did last year? After all, his previous career high in homers was 11. All of this will be interesting to watch. Personally, I want to see him reach .400 OBP. He’s come close, with a .392 2013, so I certainly think it’s possible.

Quick Hits:

Jedd Gyorko is hitting .289 with 4 homers and a .658 slugging percentage, while Jon Jay is hitting .263 with a .303 slugging percentage. It’s early, but the trade is looking good for us so far.

Shelby Miller: Left Fielder?

Should The Red Sox Worry About Craig Kimbrel? Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel is struggling. I personally think will rebound, but closers can be a volatile species, so maybe time has caught up with Kimbrel. If I were a betting man though, I’d bet against it.

 

As always, thanks for reading.

 

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