St. Louis Cardinals fans need to stop ripping on Dylan Carlson
It’s really disappointing to hear some St. Louis Cardinals fans already nay saying about top prospect Dylan Carlson.
Statistics have their place in sports. But it’s absolutely ridiculous to see some alleged fans gripe about the batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage of a kid who has been in the major leagues for all of one week.
Not only are Carlson’s stats not enough to determine the kid is a bust or that he wasn’t ready for the big leagues. They’re such a small sample size that they are not enough to determine anything about his future. I got into a debate about this fact with a supposed Cardinals fan this week who reminded me that Bill Parcels once said “You are who your record says you are.” I pointed out to him that the hall of fame coach won three of his first sixteen games in the NFL, so I’m glad that his bosses didn’t take the remark as far out of context as the alleged fan.
Anyway, anyone who has actually watched Carlson play ought to realize that his numbers are a fluke. He has made consistent contact and hits the ball hard when he does. Unfortunately, he’s just hit several balls right at people in the early going. A deeper peek into the statistics indicates that Carlson has hit the ball hard 35 percent of the time, better than the major league average of 34.7 percent of the time. Major league pitchers obviously take the kid seriously. Often, big leaguers treat kids to a generous dose of fastballs until the rookies prove they can hit the heat, then they turn to breaking pitches. Carlson is getting the junk right away, showing that opposing hurlers are already confident he’s more than capable of hitting fastballs.
Carlson doesn’t appear to be over-matched in any way, nor does he seem to have lost his confidence. He takes smart at bats and battles hard every trip to the plate. What else can people ask for?
I don’t get the idea that he was brought up too early. Brought up from what? In case casual observers haven’t been paying attention, minor league baseball was canceled this year. There is no place else for him to go other than to report back to Springfield, Mo., to hang out taking glorified batting practice from minor league pitchers. If nothing else, it’s good to get him into big league games during this goofy, short season to allow the kid to have some experience under his belt when the 2021 season (hopefully) starts on schedule.
Apparently, some people weren’t going to be happy unless Carlson came out of the gate like former St. Louis Cardinals great Albert Pujols. I hate to tell them, Pujols was a once-in-a-lifetime player. And we have already seen him in our lifetime. So let the kid be himself. He doesn’t have to be an MVP to be an excellent player. In fact, he is an important piece to allowing the Cardinals to add a premium player in 2021 and beyond because he’s talented and in the cheap portion of his MLB salary arc. He’s going to be the bargain that lets the team invest other places. I feel pretty good about the future when you have Carlson, Paul DeJong, Tommy Edman, Lane Thomas, Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson, Austin Gomber and several others all in their early to mid twenties.
St. Louis Cardinals should trade for Albert Pujols
Speaking of Pujols and all the players the Cardinals have in their twenties,would it be a smart move for St. Louis to offer a deal to Los Angeles Angels that would bring Albert back to St. Louis to finish his career?
Look, I know he’s not a difference maker anymore. Pujols isn’t going to be a starter, except maybe part time as a designated hitter. But it would be nice for him to be able to retire as a Cardinal and then transition into a role as an ambassador to the team. The Cardinals would have to acquire the personal services contract the Angels gave Albert or face the fact that he won’t be able to be a part of St. Louis for at least 10 more years.
To make thing work, it would have to be salary neutral. Ideally, it would be great to see Dexter Fowler and Matt Carpenter sent to Anaheim. They both have no-trade contracts. But I’d think they’d rather go someplace they could play than sit on the bench next year in St. Louis. Anaheim would save $10 million on a personal services contract for a player who probably isn’t that great of a draw for them and get two somewhat useful players. The Cardinals would buy Pujols’ legacy back and would make it exciting for fans to come to the ballpark in 2021 to see their returning hero.
It’s not a game changing deal. But it’s a swap that would offer some benefits to each side.
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Scott Wuerz is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. The Cheap Seats blog is written from his perspective as a fan and is designed to spark discussion among fans of the Cardinals and other MLB teams. Sources supporting his views and opinions are linked. If you’re looking for Cardinals news and features, check out the BND’s Cardinals section.
