Great catch, Beltran.

Oh, Dodgers.

All over but the crying.

 

I'm pretty envious of the Cards and the way their whole organization is run.

The Cardinals drafted Wacha with the compensation pick they received from the Angels when they signed Pujols. Pimps.

Ha Ha No World Series for Hanley

*bat flip*

Dodgers: 234 mill payroll -- 2nd largest in history.

 

Result: Sitting on your couch watching the Cards, after being humiliated by a 22 year-old rookie, 500K pitcher.

 

I love it, even though I always want every series to go 7 games to maximize my (and everyone elses) watching of baseball played by really good teams.

The Cardinals drafted Wacha with the compensation pick they received from the Angels when they signed Pujols. Pimps.

 

 

In 2012. Plus Miller, Kelly, Carpenter, Rosenthal and Adams in 2009.

 

Got Pujols? Gosh, no, but we've got these other 6 guys who we figured were pretty good and who play for peanuts.

 

Hats off to the Cards.

 

Memo to Loria: Forget worrying about what you're going to pay Dobbs in 2015 (you already accomplished the impossible, you signed the new Wes Helms for 2014 for more money than he's worth, congratulations) and hire the guts of the STL scouting and drafting organization. They actually seem to know what they're doing.

The Cards show how an Organization should be run in everyway...20 Homegrown players on their 25 man roster

That is what I call player development!

20 Homegrown players on their 25 man roster

 

 

At first I thought maybe it was only 17 or 18 or 19, but I looked 'em all up and you're entirely correct, it's 20 of 25.

 

The home-grown talent by year drafted (and/or signed/acquired):

 

Yadier Molina - '00

Adam Wainwright - ATL '00, acquired '03, 3 years in the STL system

Shane Robinson - '06

Jon Jay - '06

David Freese - SDP '06, acquired '07, 3 years in the STL system

Tony Cruz - '07

Pete Kozma - '07

Daniel Descalso - '07

Adron Chambers - '07

Kevin Siegrist - '08

Lance Lynn - '08

Matt Carpenter - '09

Matt Adams - '09

Joe Kelly - '09

Trevor Rosenthal - '09

Shelby Miller - '09

Carlos Martinez - '10 (signed as amateur FA after BOS '09 amateur FA deal voided,) 3 years in the STL system

Kolten Wong - '11

Seth Maness - '11

Michael Wacha - '12

 

The 5 imports:

 

Matt Holliday - COL '98, acquired '10

Carlos Beltran - KCR '95, acquired '12

Randy Choate - NYY '97, signed as FA '12 (after we traded him, he was set free by the Dodgers.)

Edward Mujica - CLE '01, acquired '12

John Axford - NYY '06, acquired '13

 

Imports Choate, Mujica and Axford were almost non-existent in the NLCS. Mostly warm spots in the BP, 3 2/3 IP in 6 games, most of it in losing efforts. Beltran may be the best acquisition they have ever made.

 

Choate is the one and only (and inexpensive, 2.5 mill/yr for 3 years) veteran FA on the entire roster.

 

Of the guys who really counted, 20 of 22 were home-grown. That really is an amazing record of draft success for virtually every year from '06 to '12.

 

Not that the '12 draft should even be a factor in '13, but Wacha is their version of Fernandez, and a pretty damned good one at that.

Don't know where else to put this but the Dodgers offered Kershaw a 300 million dollar deal earlier this season.

I heard barely north of $200m, no where near $300m. Where's your source for $300m?

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/19/olney-dodgers-offered-clayton-kershaw-a-300-million-contract-concept-earlier-this-year/

Hmm. Interesting.

Scoreless tie broken.

Detroit now up 2-1!

GAME CHANGER pops out in a clutch situation.

"Instincts told Workman to club it, but if you don't catch it, don't glove it."

 

What the fuck is McCarver smoking?

Jonny Gomes came within about 8 inches of tying the game.

After tonight's performance home plate umpires should no longer call balls and strikes.

What's been bad about his strike zone?

Grand Slam for Victorino probably just clinched the pennant.

What's been bad about his strike zone?

 

 

He got the borderline 3-2 pitch to Boegarts wrong so umpires should no longer exist.

What's been bad about his strike zone?

 

 

He got the borderline 3-2 pitch to Boegarts wrong so umpires should no longer exist.

 

 

Oh, OK.

To be fair, he also got borderline strike 1 to Victor Martinez in the 6th wrong.

What's been bad about his strike zone?

 

 

He called "strikes" several Boston pitches that were balls.

 

He called "balls" several Detroit pitches that were strikes.

 

I don't like home plate umpires having such a huge impact on who wins and losses because of their incompetence (or something else). I know some people don't care about that but I do.