Every year since 2012, we’ve spent some time after the season looking back at those that wore the Birds on the Bat. Whether it’s a bit player that got into just a couple of games or someone that played almost every day, we’ll look at their stats, their positives, their negatives, and grade them based on what we would have expected from them. The stat line is from their time in St. Louis, though splits and other numbers may include time with other teams, if applicable. Think of this as like the players packing up their locker and then seeing Mike Shildt before they head off for the winter. Once again, our great header work comes to us from cardinalsgifs, who continues to be a master.
If we’re talking about 2019, we’ve got to highlight the brand that made the most impact this season: Primos and their partnership with Jose Martinez. Throughout the span of these interviews (today through Dec. 5) you can get 10% off your order of that sweet, sweet Cafecito coffee (well, I guess you probably have to doctor it to make it sweet) or anything else at their site. My wife is a coffee snob and we’ve bought multiple bags of the medium roast. It’s a great stocking stuff or Christmas gift as well, especially when you expand your order to pick up the Jose Martinez coffee mug. So use code C70SAVE10 at checkout and show your support of their ties to the Cardinal fanbase!
Player: Joe Hudson
Season stats: 1 G, 1 PA, 1 K, .000/.000/.000, -100 OPS+, 0.0 bWAR
Statcast: N/A% barrel %, N/A exit velocity, N/A% hard hit %, .000 xwOBA
Hero/Goat: None
Overall grade: C
Positives: Given a timely (for him) injury to Matt Wieters, Hudson was called up in September as insurance….made his National League debut September 13 in a 10-0 game against the Brewers….got a month’s worth of major league salary for one at bat….had 10 homers in Memphis.
Negatives: Struck out in his only at bat….with Wieters not as hurt as expected and Yadier Molina being Yadier Molina, never really had a chance to even think about another shot….hit .223 in Memphis….struck out about a third of the time at Memphis.
Overview: Joe Hudson made the 40-man roster. I am pretty sure nobody would have bet on that when he was signed last winter for organizational depth. While it’s nice that he got the chance to tour around with the big league club, it really didn’t make any sense even at the time. Sure, Wieters might have been compromised, but he wasn’t going to be out the rest of the season. Even if he was, Molina was going to play every day when the Cards were battling for the division and, on the rare chance he needed to breath, Andrew Knizner was there to take a day. There really seemed to be no way that Hudson was going to get more than he got. Again, sometimes it is nice to recognize an organizational soldier, but he’d been in the organization less than a year. It’s not a big deal, but it really seemed unnecessary.
Outlook: Hudson was waived off the roster to free up a 40-man spot this winter. He probably will get a minor league job somewhere. He might even return to Memphis, as I don’t believe there’s a lot of options there. The odds of him getting another major league at bat, though, are really long.
