Cleveland Sports Forum

Like that George Forman commercial...."Ain't my problem"

Gs did well dumping "problems" like Clevinger and Bauer

Cardinals make huge decision on top prospect

"Walker on the roster I’m gonna freak."

By Arthur Weinstein on March 25, 2023

The Jordan Walker era in St. Louis begins now.

Waker, the No. 4 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, has been widely expected to open the season as the starter in left field. But in an age when teams often leave their prospects in the minors a bit longer to affect their MLB service time and future free-agent eligibility, some St. Louis Cardinals fans wondered if that might happen to Walker.

The Cards announced on Saturday that the highly-touted outfielder has made the team out of spring training.

The 20-year-old Walker is big (6-5, 220 pounds) and talented, a five-tool player who has been drawing rave reviews since the Cardinals picked him 21st overall in the 2020 MLB Draft.

He’s had a great spring training, posting an .816 OPS with three home runs, and those homers were all monster shots, traveling 470, 450 and 430 feet.

Masyn Winn, the No. 2 Cardinals prospect who came through the farm system with Walker, is in awe of his talent.

“The way he catches a barrel, the way he fields, the way he throws and runs, he’s the complete package,” Winn told MLB.com recently. “Five tools? They’ve got to make a sixth tool for him.”

The young Walker has also earned kudos for his maturity and how he handles himself with teammates, the media and elsewhere,

Cardinals fans loved hearing the news about Walker.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1632125100974653441


[ I posted an article on this guy a few weeks ago. The kid is only 20 years old. Seems to be mature beyond his years. I can easily see this kid as a Bryce Harper clone ]





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5 MLB Players who could be moved before Opening Day ft. Shane Bieber, Bryan Reynolds

By Nishant Borooah

Modified Mar 25, 2023 18:43 GMT

As the 2023 MLB season approaches, several players could find themselves on different teams before Opening Day. Here are five players who could be traded before the start of the season.

Shane Bieber is one of the best pitchers in baseball, but with the Guardians already having plenty of firepower in that area, they could consider trading him for a package of prospects. Bieber is coming off a down year in 2021, but he was the AL Cy Young winner in 2020 and is still just 27 years old.

Bryan Reynolds - Outfielder, Pittsburgh Pirates:

Bryan Reynolds is a young outfielder who has shown flashes of potential over the past few seasons. However, the Pittsburgh Pirates could be looking to trade Reynolds for prospects. Reynolds is under team control for several more seasons, which makes him an attractive trade target for teams in need of a young outfielder.

Cedric Mullins - Outfielder, Baltimore Orioles:

Cedric Mullins will be eligible for arbitration after this season, and the Orioles may see it as an opportunity to cash in before Opening Day. The Orioles have demonstrated an asset-selling mindset, so such a move would be expected.

Ian Happ - Outfielder, Chicago Cubs:

Ian Happ had a disappointing 2021 season, hitting just .194 with 12 home runs in 109 games. The Cubs are in a rebuilding phase and could look to trade Happ for younger prospects. Happ is versatile, with the ability to play multiple positions, and he has shown flashes of being a productive player in the past.

Blake Snell - Starting Pitcher, San Diego Padres:

Blake Snell was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade prior to the 2021 season, but he struggled in his first year in San Diego, posting a 4.85 ERA in 25 starts. The Padres may decide to release Snell in order to free up salary space to pursue other players in free agency or through trade before Opening Day.

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NL Rookie of the Year: Sorting through favorites, dark horses as Jordan Walker makes Cardinals roster

Walker, Corbin Carroll and Kodai Senga are some of the names to know entering the 2023 season

By R.J. Anderson

March 26, 2023 2 hrs ago

Major League Baseball's regular season is right around the corner, making this the optimal time to focus on everyone's favorite subject: the potential Rookie of the Year Award races in both leagues. To help scratch that particular itch, we here at CBS Sports have decided to take a comprehensive look at the field, highlighting the prospective favorites and the trendy dark horses.

Before we dive in, we should note that this exercise is more of an art than a science based on the information we have on hand. The universe is vast and infinite in its possibilities. Should a player not listed below end up winning the award, take that not as a sign of our incompetence (though that may also play a role), but as a testament to the sweet, unexpected joy of life itself.

Let's get to it.

The favorites

We have to begin with Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll. He ranked second overall on CBS Sports' top 50 prospect list after debuting last season and batting .260/.330/.500 in 32 big-league contests, and there's no question he'll be on the Opening Day roster after agreeing to an eight-year extension worth $111 million.

Carroll is an elite speedster with surprising power given his diminutive frame. He's also a true center fielder playing left out of deference to Alek Thomas. There's a real chance Carroll posts some silly defensive metrics as a result, boosting his Wins Above Replacement total. Not every voter looks at those numbers, but enough do to make him the favorite.

If not Carroll, how about New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga? He signed a five-year pact worth $75 million after posting a 1.89 ERA and 3.18 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 23 appearances for Nippon Professional Baseball's Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.

It feels silly, bordering on downright insulting to refer to him as a rookie given that he's a 30-year-old with more than a decade of professional experience. MLB's classifications regard him as a rookie, however, so we feel obligated to include him. (Ditto for Masataka Yoshida in the American League.) Senga can run his fastball into the upper 90s, and he complements it with a devastating forkball. The latter generated a whiff on more than 50 percent of the swings taken against it last season, and boasts the fittingly cool nickname of "Ghost Fork." He's dealt with a minor injury this spring, but all indications are that he should be ready to go on Opening Day.

We'll wrap up this section with St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, CBS Sports' No. 6 ranked prospect. He hasn't appeared in a Triple-A game and he won't be allowed to legally drink alcohol until late May, yet the Cardinals announced he made the Opening Day roster over the weekend.

Walker moves well and possesses elite raw power, though he'll need to continue to learn to lift the ball to maximize his slugging output. That's not a huge red flag at this point; Vladimir Guerrero Jr., of the 70 home runs over the past two years, faced a similar predicament earlier in his career. Guerrero was able to stay afloat in the majors until things clicked. We'll see if Walker fares equally well.

The dark horses

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Andrew Painter would have been listed among the favorites had he not sprained his ulnar collateral ligament. The Phillies remain optimistic that he'll pitch for them this season, but it's anyone's guess as to whether or not that belief will bear fruit. Furthermore, awards are all about counting stats.

If Painter is limited to a half-season of big-league appearances, that will hamper his chances of winning the hardware. There's too much uncertainty here to list him above.

Both the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers have a collection of players who could garner consideration. In addition to Senga, the Mets have catcher Francisco Álvarez and third baseman Brett Baty. Each could play a large role this season, depending on how things break and what New York does with Omar Narváez and Eduardo Escobar. The Dodgers seem likely to have second baseman Miguel Vargas and outfielder James Outman on their Opening Day roster, and perhaps even in their starting nine. They also have a small army of pitchers on the way, including Ryan Pepiot, Bobby Miller, and Gavin Stone.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is as dynamic a talent as anyone else in this piece. He's a 6-foot-5 switch-hitter with big-time power and speed. He needs to improve his approach at the plate before evaluators feel comfortable with his game porting to the highest level. Still, he fared well in 47 games at the Double-A level last season, and there's an enormous ceiling here if he continues to show he can hang and adjust against advanced arms.

Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has a good glove and some offensive promise. He's playing in a great ballpark for posting inflated statistics. Alas, voters are aware of the Coors Field effect and have shied away from Rockies hitters for non-Silver Slugger Awards.

Let's wrap this up by addressing a few other dark horse candidates in one-liner fashion. The Milwaukee Brewers have several outfielders who could place themselves in the running, including Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Joey Wiemer. (Jackson Chourio, just 19, probably won't be a fact until later in the year, if at all in 2023.) Diamondbacks righty Brandon Pfaadt should make his debut early in the year. Atlanta Braves southpaw Jared Shuster doesn't have a high ceiling, though he has commanded his decent three-pitch mix this spring and his candidacy may benefit from a full season on a good team.

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AL Rookie of the Year: Ranking favorites and dark horses, including Anthony Volpe, Gunnar Henderson

Two potential stars from the Orioles and two from the Yankees appear to be the early top dogs

By R.J. Anderson

March 26, 2023 3 hrs ago

Major League Baseball's regular season is right around the corner, making this the optimal time to focus on everyone's favorite subject: the potential Rookie of the Year Award races in both leagues. To help scratch that particular itch, we here at CBS Sports have decided to take a comprehensive look at the field, highlighting the prospective favorites and the trendy dark horses.

Before we dive in, we should note that this exercise is more of an art than a science based on the information we have on hand. The universe is vast and infinite in its possibilities. Should a player not listed below end up winning the award, take that not as a sign of our incompetence (though that may also play a role), but as a testament to the sweet, unexpected joy of life itself.

Let's get to it.

The favorites

We'll begin with two Baltimore Orioles who cracked CBS Sports' top 10 prospect list: infielder Gunnar Henderson and right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. Henderson ranked No. 1 overall thanks to his above-average athleticism, raw strength, and disciplined eye. He's had some issues with left-handed pitchers, but he posted a 123 OPS+ in 34 games last season and he should start most of the time at a premium defensive position, presumably shortstop. Rodriguez, No. 7 on the list, would've made his big-league debut last summer had he not injured his lat. He could break camp with the Orioles thanks to an arsenal that includes three well-above-average pitches. He struck out 37 percent of the minor-league batters he faced last season. No other team had two players in the top 10 (the Orioles had three), and certainly none of them had two prospects of his quality ready to join the big-league club.

As with New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga, it feels silly and almost insulting to include Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida in a piece about rookies. Yoshida is 29 years old and he spent the last seven years battering Nippon Professional Baseball league pitchers to the tune of a .326/.419/.538 slash line. He's a rookie by MLB's definition, so it would be foolish of us to not mention him. The evaluators we've spoken to about Yoshida have praised his contact and on-base chops, but have doubts about how much of his power will transfer to the MLB environment. We'll find out.

We'll wrap up the favorites section with a pair of shortstops employed by the New York Yankees. Oswald Peraza figures to get the first crack at the job. He showed off last season, hitting for a 139 OPS+ in 18 big-league games. Peraza won't keep up that production at the plate, but he is a good defender and his candidacy can't be harmed by playing for the Yankees. At some point this season, Anthony Volpe figures to join New York's lineup. He's a better hitter than Peraza, even if he ends up shifting down the defensive spectrum. Both Volpe (No. 12) and Peraza (No. 41) made CBS Sports' top 50 list.

The dark horses

Lance McCullers Jr.'s injury meant that Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown will begin the season in the majors instead of the minors. You may know him as the pitcher whose delivery mimics Justin Verlander's. He has good stuff -- last year he struck out more than 30 percent of the batters he faced between the majors and minors -- but his location could be better. McCullers has recently begun throwing again, though he'll need to go through what amounts to his own personal spring training before he's ready to roll. Brown will have plenty of time, then, to prove he's ready for showtime.

Elsewhere in the AL West, the Texas Rangers have Josh Jung slotted in at the hot corner. He's a former No. 8 pick whose ascent has been slowed by injury and the pandemic. He performed miserably in 26 games last season, hitting for an 83 OPS+ and compiling 35 more strikeouts than walks. This is Jung's age-25 season, so it's time to fly or flop. The Los Angeles Angels also have a pair of intriguing rookies either arriving or coming soon: Catcher Logan O'Hoppe was a good, well-rounded get from the Philadelphia Phillies last deadline as part of the Brandon Marsh trade, while recent first-round pick Zach Neto could take the six as his own by summertime, albeit perhaps too late to factor into voting.

In a way, the Chicago White Sox's decision to let Jose Abreu leave in free agency helped create an opening for Oscar Colás, formerly a two-way player who was nicknamed the Cuban Ohtani. (Abreu's departure allowed Andrew Vaughn to slide to first.) Colás is just a hitter these days, and he batted .314/.371/.524 with 23 home runs across three levels in 2022. He has good power, but he seldom walks and he'll need to keep his strikeouts in check. The Cleveland Guardians, for their part, could call upon various starting pitching prospects, be it Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, or Logan Allen (not to be confused with the former San Diego Padres and, amusingly, Guardians pitcher of the same name).

The Tampa Bay Rays have their share of potential rookie contributors. Infielder Curtis Mead (No. 29) and right-hander Taj Bradley (No. 32) get most of the print. First baseman Kyle Manzardo also deserves a mention. He's hit at every stop so far in his minor-league career, resulting in a .330/.427/.616 slash line with nearly as many walks as strikeouts. He saw only 30 games in Double-A last year, so the Rays may take a more conservative approach with him.

Let's keep the AL East theme going a bit longer to close out the piece. Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas has power, patience, and a clear pathway to the most-days job provided his pinkie finger doesn't get in the way. Over in Baltimore, the Orioles have yet another intriguing position player prospect in Colton Cowser. The fifth pick in the 2021 draft hit .278/.406/.469 across three minor-league levels last season and should debut relatively early this spring. The Toronto Blue Jays presumably won't push lefty Ricky Tiedemann hard enough for him to factor into this year's race. Infielder Addison Barger could be a sneaky candidate if he gets a greater opportunity than expected and finds a way to keep his strikeouts in check.

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Cards top prospect Walker makes Opening Day roster

March 25th, 2023

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Jordan Walker, the 20-year-old, elite-level outfield prospect who became the talk of the Grapefruit League with an early power surge and invoked memories of a young Albert Pujols from 22 years earlier, is headed to St. Louis and Major League Baseball.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Walker was informed on Saturday afternoon that he had made the Cardinals' Opening Day roster and would be added to the team’s 40-man roster. Later Saturday, the club announced its expected 26-man Opening Day roster, including Walker, who will be a fixture on a Cardinals team that has designs on winning a 12th World Series crown this season.

"As of right now, Jordan Walker will make our club," president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. "We were always very high on him coming into camp and he did a lot of things to impress a lot of people. He’s obviously a very mature player and has a great understanding of the game. He opened up a lot of eyes here in this camp, and he is someone who benefited from other people not being here [due to the World Baseball Classic].

"It created a lot of at-bats and innings for him, and he made the most of it."

Walker, ranked by MLB Pipeline as MLB's No. 4 prospect and No. 1 in the Cardinals' system, will make the jump to the big leagues without ever playing Triple-A baseball for the organization -- a feat similar to what Pujols did in 2001, when he was just 21 years old and slugged his way onto the roster. Similarly, Walker came to camp with all eyes on him and high expectations, and he still managed to outperform them.

In 19 Spring Training games, Walker went 18-for-63 (.286) with five doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs. His OPS was at a robust .816 following Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 loss to the Marlins. Walker’s strikeouts (14) soared late in camp, but he did draw his second walk of the spring on Saturday.

"Before I told him, I asked him what his best tool was and what was the greatest thing he brings to the table," manager Oliver Marmol said. "I was curious if he would say something along the lines of, 'My bat' or something like that, and he said, 'I don’t think about things very long; good or bad, I just kind of move on to the next thing.'

"That affirmed why he’s ready," Marmol said. "That’s the separator. To get to the big leagues, yes, you've got to be able to hit, but when things get tough and you face adversity and people start to question your ability, can you cancel out the noise and keep doing your job? I think he has that ability."

Now, Walker, a first-round pick (21st overall) from the 2020 MLB Draft, is expected to be in the starting lineup on Thursday afternoon when the Cardinals host the Blue Jays at Busch Stadium. Marmol and Mozeliak have said repeatedly throughout Spring Training that if Walker made the roster, it would be as a starter. A third baseman early last season when he starred at Double-A Springfield, Walker made a successful conversion to the outfield, and he can play either corner-outfield spot. Designated hitter is also a possibility for Walker, who smashed home runs of 470, 450 and 430 feet during Spring Training.

Earlier this week, Walker said through a wide grin that an MLB nod would likely send his emotions soaring. A former Gatorade Player of the Year while in high school in Georgia, Walker rose quickly through the Minor Leagues and now is about to accomplish a childhood dream. He informed his father, mother and older brother simultaneously of the news on Saturday via a family FaceTime -- even though his dad, Derek, was sitting next to him in his apartment.

"We were all ecstatic," said Derek Walker, who noted that the family will have at least 15 supporters at Busch Stadium on Thursday. "We had been holding our breaths in the last week because the results have been less than stellar. We didn't know if that would affect anything, but we're happy that the Cardinals felt he showed enough early on in camp when he excelled."

Seven times in their history, the Cardinals have rostered a player 20 years old or younger on Opening Day, including Hall of Famers Steve Carlton (20 years, 11 days) and Rogers Hornsby (19 years, 351 days and 20 years, 349 days). The most recent Cardinal to debut at the MLB level before turning 21 was Rick Ankiel in 1999. Coonie Blank was the youngest player to wear a Cardinals uniform, doing so in 1909 when he was just 16 years and 301 days old.

Walker's closest friend on the Cardinals, fellow 2020 draftee Masyn Winn, said he let out a loud roar on the team bus to Port St. Lucie when Walker texted him that he had made the Opening Day roster.

"He texted me, and I think the whole bus knew the second I knew because I jumped up and down, cussing and punching the seat," said Winn, who had two hits, a walk and a spectacular diving-stop double play in the Cardinals' 4-4 tie versus the Mets on Saturday. "I'm just so happy for him. I almost shed a tear for him. He’s 20 years old and about to go and do this thing. He's going to go and ball out this year, for sure."

Walker rose above expectations not long after he showed up at Spring Training as a non-roster invitee who was promised every opportunity to show off his five-tool arsenal. By March 10, he was leading the Grapefruit League in batting average (.452), slugging (.839), OPS (1.291), total bases (26) and hits (14), and he was tied for first in extra-base hits (six).

As is often the case for young players in baseball, Walker was unable to maintain his torrid start to Spring Training and cooled off later in camp. After injuring his shoulder in West Palm Beach on March 11, Walker had four hits in his next 30 at-bats with nine strikeouts and just two extra-base hits.

Still, Marmol said on Saturday that Walker greatly impressed the club with his maturity, baseball IQ and willingness to learn from those around him.

"We can talk about tools all day, but those don't play if you can't handle some pressure," Marmol said. "This is not the degree of the pressure that he'll experience at the big league level, but it's still an example of the most [pressure] he's had to [deal with] around the big league club. So, you're just keeping an eye on that and seeing how he responds, and I feel like he did that well."

TWO SPRING TRAINING HOMERS AGAINST THE METS
https://youtu.be/NumOxKD1tLo

WALKER HOME RUNS IN 2022
https://youtu.be/nkMBYHuERcw

[ THIS GUY JUST DOESN'T HIT HOME RUNS - HE CRUSHES THEM ]

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For all I know

Nishant Borooah

is a real name, but it's clear he has no sources for his guess that Bieber could be traded.

I'd like to see Will Benson do well.
Was glad to see him make the Reds opening day roster
and the opening day lineup
But he went 4 Ks in 4 ABs in his debut.

Opening Day games

5 shutouts

Giants/ Skanks game 32 Ks
16ks from Giants in 8 innings

slow start for Will Benson, 0-8 6 strikeouts

Air Jordan! Walker makes father's day with first MLB homer

April 5, 2023 5:11 PM CDT

LOOKS LIKE THIS KID IS FOR REAL - SO FAR !

AB 24 R 1 H 8 HR 1 RBI 5 SB 1 AVG .333 OBP .360 OPS .902

JORDAN WALKER'S FIRST MLB HOMER

https://youtu.be/L9ddLWSpcPk

ST. LOUIS --

Bummed a bit that the first home run of his MLB career came in a Cardinals loss, 20-year-old rookie Jordan Walker got the perfect pick-me-up late Wednesday afternoon when he returned to the clubhouse and saw the baseball he smashed over the left-field wall was perched on the top shelf of his locker.

Though the day was mostly a forgettable one for the Cardinals, who lost 5-2 to the surging Braves in a 3-0 series sweep, the story of how the home run ball got back to Walker and what the rookie sensation planned to do with it had the feel-good vibes of a scene out of a Hollywood tearjerker.

Minutes after Walker’s 104.2 mph line drive left the park, Cardinals director of security Phil Melchner scurried to that section of fans to try and retrieve the ball. Melchner has made a practice of doing just that through the years, sometimes encountering difficult negotiations, but usually finding St. Louis fans amenable to a trade.

Fully aware of Walker’s status as one of baseball’s best prospects, Melchner had been anxiously awaiting the 6-foot-6, 245-pound rookie’s first long ball. When Walker’s solo smash came on a 2-2 pitch from Atlanta’s Michael Tonkin, Melchner sprang into action. What he encountered was a pleasant surprise.

“I had already been thinking about being on the lookout for Jordan’s first home run ball, because that’s something I do for a lot of our young players and some of the momentous home runs,” said Melchner, who negotiated for Paul Goldschmidt’s 300th home run ball last season and got pitcher Jack Flaherty’s home run ball from years earlier. “The gentleman who got Jordan’s home run ball was very nice. He was a city councilman from Washington, Mo., and he couldn’t have been more gracious.

“At first, he had given the ball to an usher when they told him it was Jordan’s first home run ball. But I went down and told him that he didn’t have to give it away for nothing. I came back and gave him a Jordan Walker autographed ball. He was very happy, and was like, ‘This is really autographed by [Walker]?’ I told him that he could trust me, and he was so happy.”

Walker, whose home run and double on Wednesday extended his hit streak to six through his first six MLB games, said he couldn’t fully enjoy the first homer because the Cardinals were losing and in the midst of a one-sided series against the Braves, the team Walker grew up rooting for as a child in suburban Atlanta.

“It was pretty good feeling, but we were kind of down, so I was trying to still lock in toward the game,” said Walker, who emerged from the first homestand of his career hitting .333 (8-for-24) with three extra-base hits and five RBIs. “So, maybe later I can enjoy the moment, but during the game, I was trying to focus and trying to come back against that team.”

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Here's a kid from our farm system traded a couple years ago when he was just in Rookie ball. Forget who we got, someone who didn't last long Worse than that: Tobias Myers who didn't make it through spring training in 2022.

Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays: Caminero led all minor league hitters on Thursday with eight total bases. He homered against Asheville while going 5-for-6. The Rays promoted en masse to High-A Bowling Green the group who played together at Charleston last year, where they won Baseball America's 2022 Minor League of the Year. They picked up right where they left off. Bowling Green rolled to a 10-0 win over Asheville in their 2023 opener.

Maybe we did keep Myers after dumping him off the 40 man roster since I see he starting 14 games for the Clippers last summer with a fine ERA of 7.05

Was even worse with the WhiteSox and Giants AAA teams, totalling 16 innings 18 walks 29 hits and 26 earned runs. WOW! Pretty hard to top those stats

every dog has his day


Tobias Myers, RHP, Brewers: Myers has bounced around between pitching savvy organizations in recent years. The Rays prospect was traded to the Guardians in November 2021, but the Guardians eventually designated him for assignment and shipped him to the Giants. The Giants then designated him for assignment and the White Sox claimed him. He signed with the Brewers as a minor league free agent this offseason. In his organizational debut, Myers struck out 11 of the 21 batters he faced in 5.2 hitless innings for Double-A Biloxi on Friday. He walked three and hit one batter.

He's still only 24 but not too impressive to be back in AA.

We all suspected that they might have gave up on Jones pretty quickly, in order to get another on-base expert middle infielder

Nolan Jones, OF/3B, Rockies: Much like Adell, Jones is looking for a bounceback season and so far it’s going well. The former Guardians’ prospect has settled in nicely at Triple-A Albuquerque. He hit his sixth home run in nine games on Sunday, and sits second in the minors in home runs.