It would seem as though Carlos Beltran played through the WBC and most of Spring Training with a broken toe,. (Image Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports)

In early March, Carlos Beltran was forced to miss one of the St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training games after he’d been hit by a pitch earlier that week, taking a ball off his toe. Beltran was set to leave the Cardinals to join Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic and there wasn’t much said about the injury concern at the time. It didn’t appear to be anything serious.

It would seem, according to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, that Beltran has been playing with a hairline fracture in his pinkie toe ever since.

I can deal with what I feel. The doctor said it’s not going to get worse, so I just have to go day to day and see how I feel.

Beltran was in the Cardinals lineup for Opening Day and isn’t expected to miss much time, but there’s no way to tell how much things will linger into the season and if that will have any effect on Beltran’s play. Beltran will be 36 later this month and is in the final year of his current contract, meaning he’ll want to remain healthy and production this season in order to obtain one last multi year contract on the free agent market. He hit .269/.346/.495 with 32 HR and 97 RBI last season for the Cardinals, but the team already appears certain to hand their right field job to Oscar Taveras next winter rather than being the ones who end up signing Beltran.

Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinals will be taking great pains to keep Beltran healthy and rested throughout the spring and into the regular season as well. The switch-hitting outfielder will be 36 at the end of April, and has had a long history of injury setbacks over the course of a very successful career. After racking up 3.6 WAR per FanGraphs a season ago, Beltran will be looking to make good on the second year of a two-year, $26 million deal signed last offseason.

Replacing Beltran’s bat in the lineup today for St. Louis is highly regarded prospect Oscar Taveras, who is ironically slated to replace the former when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

Still offensively sound, Carlos Beltran doesn’t have the defensive ability to handle center field anymore. (Image Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)

For the first thirteen years of his MLB career Carlos Beltran was part of any discussion about the game’s top center fielders. Eventually, like many others before him, injuries and age started to catch up to him and he simply wasn’t able to handle the responsibilities of the position defensively anymore, necessitating a move over to right field during the 2011 season. Yet when the St. Louis Cardinals signed the now 35 year old prior to last season to a two year deal, they reportedly were considering Beltran an option in center field.

That option is no longer on the table, according to notes passed along from Jennifer Langosch at MLB.com. Manager Mike Matheny reportedly mentioned Sunday that the team will not consider Beltran as an option in center field this year. The move is presumably an effort to keep Beltran healthy but will likely affect the team’s remaining roster as they’ll need to have a backup available. As Langosch points out, the team could look longer at internal options Shane Robinson, Adron Chambers, and non-roster invitee Justin Christian. All three have limited experience in the Majors over parts of the past three seasons. Chambers would presumably be the front-runner of the group.

Fortunately for the Cardinals the team already has a solid center fielder in place in Jon Jay. He’s been reliable defensively, every now and then making a play reminiscent of the days that Jim Edmonds patrolled center field in St. Louis. Jay’s a .300/.359/.414 hitter over the past three seasons and won’t reach free agency until after the 2016 season. Provided he can stay healthy whomever serves as his backup shouldn’t expect to see much time in center field.

Limiting Beltran from consideration in center field is likely the best course of action for his health, but in the grand scheme of things it won’t play a vital role in the team’s season so long as they don’t have to endure the loss of Jay for an extended period of time. If such a situation does arise, the production stemming from the team’s corresponding roster moves will ultimately be telling. If those moves don’t pan out, some of the blame could deflect back on Beltran for being unable to handle the role any longer.  It’s all speculation and “what ifs”, but still something to consider.

Beltran is a career .282/.360/.496 hitter, with 334 HR and 1,243 RBI. He’s a former Rookie of the Year, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, and seven-time All Star. When healthy he’s a solid right fielder and arguably among the National League’s best, but he’s no longer a center fielder.

Through April, the defending champs looked like they hadn’t taken the same amount of time off their opponents had; they would go on to finish the month with a 14-8 record and a run differential of plus-53. Unfortunately for Cardinal fans, the rest of the season was largely a disappointment by comparison. A team that was constantly hit by injuries and a barrage of tough one-run and extra inning losses never found traction. As late as September 16, they were just six games above the .500 mark, but a strong finish against what largely consisted of weak opponents lifted their record to the final, respectable mark of 88-74.

Oct 15, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Carlos Beltran (3) runs to second base during game two of the 2012 NLCS against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

No player better symbolizes the Cardinals’ season as a whole than Beltran, who boasted a robust .924 OPS at the break only to slump in the season’s middle months and drop all the way down to his final season total of .842, a number that could have been worse were it not for a strong finish at the very end. Sound like a familiar theme? It was still a  solid finish for Beltran, who contributed 3.6 WAR total according to FanGraphs. The best story for the Cardinals offensively, however, belonged to catcher Yadier Molina. The 30-year-old catcher had a breakout-following-a-breakout season in 2012, posting career highs in just about every offensive category you can think of. In addition to playing his usual outstanding defense, Molina clubbed 22 home runs, drove in 76 runners, hit .315, and even stole 12 bases at an 80% success rate. There was virtually nothing he didn’t do for his team, and the WAR total confirms it (he led the team with 6.5 per FanGraphs).

Elsewhere in the lineup, Matt Holliday put together another fine season (.877 OPS), and was even generating some MVP talk for a little while before a slow finish put a stop to that. Allen Craig and David Freese also made significant contributions one season removed from their coming out parties in last year’s post-season stretch. The Cardinals had planned on using Lance Berkman at first base this season to replace Pujols, but since knee injuries ultimately limited The Big Puma to just 97 plate appearances, the bulk of that time went to Craig instead, and the 28-year-old made the most of it. Off the bench, Matt Carpenter proved himself useful in his rookie season by showcasing surprising gap power and the ability to play all four corner positions adequately.

On the pitching side of the equation, things weren’t quite as steady. The bullpen looked to be the team’s lone weakness at the onset of the season, but just as it worked out in 2011, it began to establish itself as a strength by season’s end thanks to young power arms like Trevor Rosenthal, Shelby Miller, and the trade deadline acquisition of Edward Mujica from the Marlins in exchange for former first round draft pick Zack Cox. Jason Motte was outstanding in his first full season as the team’s official closer — a title La Russa would never openly bestow upon him in 2011. All told, Motte saved 42 games with an ERA of 2.75 and struck out over five times as many batters as he walked.

As for the starting rotation, it remained a productive group all season long despite lingering issues with long-time Cardinal Chris Carpenter — who would go on to make just three regular season starts, all at the end of the season — and Jaime Garcia, who the team now suspects may need shoulder surgery. The team was able to cope with these losses thanks to a career season from Kyle Lohse (16-3, 2.86 ERA), who may be set to get a very nice free agent deal, the surprise emergence of Lance Lynn, and a successful comeback from Tommy John surgery from former 20-game winner Adam Wainwright (4.4 WAR, led all St. Louis pitchers). Rookie Joe Kelly also filled in effectively both as a starter and a reliever, and his contributions cannot be overlooked.

In a way, the way it ended for the Cardinals was perfect; the team had a 3-1 series lead in the NLCS against the Giants, expectations for a return trip to the World Series were high, and it’s at that moment the team couldn’t figure out how to get that last win. Were it not for the added Wild Card berth that was just introduced for the 2012 season, they would never have even gotten the chance to defend their championship in the playoffs at all. An excellent run differential over the course of the regular season does not fully diminish the sting of finishing just 14 games over .500 despite playing in a division with two of the very worst teams in all of baseball. That said, the the team seems poised to continue competing for the division title in the coming seasons, as the core remains strong and a number of exciting prospects are ready to make an impact in the near future. It’s not easy to find a new identity after losing a long-time manager and franchise legend, but it appears the Cardinals are prepared to give it their best shot.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

Months ago during free agency, the signing of Pujols was supposed to make the Angels into a super team. They didn’t even make the playoffs and Pujols had the weakest season of his career in some ways. The departure of Pujols (who was vilified by his former worshipping fans) was supposed to wreck the Cardinals’ hopes for 2012. It didn’t play out that way, either. (more…)

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Robinson Cano's American League Home Run Derby team is now set. (William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE)

the participants in the Derby.  Last season Prince Fielder and David Ortiz made the selections.  This year, Robinson Cano and Matt Kemp did the picking.

Cano’s American League Home Run Derby team is:

Jose Bautista (27 HR)
Prince Fielder (12 HR)
Mark Trumbo (20 HR)
Robinson Cano (20 HR)

Kemp’s National League Home Run Derby team is:

Giancarlo Stanton (19 HR)
Carlos Beltran (20 HR)
Carlos Gonzalez (17 HR)
Matt Kemp (12 HR)

Just from the perspective of the number of home runs already hit in the regular season, it would seem the American League would have the advantage.  However, the beauty of the Home Run Derby is simply not knowing how a player will perform when they step in to essentially take batting practice in front of 40,000 fans.

Prince Fielder won last year for the National League and will be trying to be the first player to repeat in both leagues.  This will be the first Derby appearance for Trumbo, Gonzalez, Stanton, Cano, and Kemp.

The Home Run Derby will be broadcast July 9th on ESPN at 8 ET.

For continued coverage of the 2012 All-Star Game, be sure to check out our dedicated ASG Page. 

And that’s because the umpire says so. It’s official. It’s in the books. Controversial play or not, a foul ball is a foul ball when the umpire says it is regardless of whether or not your eyes tell you differently. That’s the rule of the game. That’s the law of the game. It happens every day, too, even if we don’t care as much because in the cosmic big picture there isn’t much difference between a six-hitter and a seven-hitter, and there isn’t much difference between a ball and a strike.

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Apr 9, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis (20) bats against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

Youkilis has been the subject of trade rumors, especially with Will Middlebrooks impressing at the hot corner in his absence. A National League special assignment scout told Cafardo, “The Giants are one of a few teams who are actively looking. They would love a guy with some power. The Phillies are looking, and even though the Rays say they aren’t, don’t be surprised if they try to pick someone up.’’

It is interesting that the Tampa Bay Rays would be interested, and it would seem like they would DH him if he is acquired. It would be interesting to see how the Rays would fit him into their line-up with Evan Longoria at third and Carlos Pena slotted comfortably in at first base.

The Giants need all the offense they can get, but the most interesting trade scenario of the three is the Philadelphia Phillies. They desperately need to add a big bat, and Youk is that guy for them. Placido Polanco is a below-average hitter, even if he is a slightly above-average player.

Adding Youkilis and becoming buyers would dispel the notion that the Phillies are sellers. If he can show that he is healthy and the nagging injuries won’t hold him back, then Youk will be the run-producer that this team craves and needs. The Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino rumors would be put on the shelf, and Youkilis provides a big, 125 wRC+ offensive upgrade for this team.

Last season, the Red Sox slugger was worth 3.7 WAR, but it was the worst year of his career since 2006. While Youkilis is on the decline, he is better than his 3 WAR ZiPS projection, but that’s only if he’s healthy enough.

The drop-off between Youkilis and Polanco offensively is spacious, but the difference between them in terms of overall value is about 1.5-2 wins. That’s still substantial enough, and the offensive upgrade alone makes it worth it. This team needs some solid pop and, especially, his high OBP and great patience at third.

Youkilis isn’t a great player anymore, but he’s an upper-echelon hitter at his position and is a 3-4 win player. The rumors will pick up as the Red Sox shop Youk, and don’t be surprised if they get an offer they can’t resist from one of those three teams; especially the Giants.

The former World Series champs did not make it to the playoffs last season due to a severe lack of offense, but they parted with a significant pitching prospect in order to add Carlos Beltran, a rental, to help boost their offense. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them get desperate for a bat like Youk’s at third and give up a little too much for the declining veteran. He’s still a good player, and overpaying for him could be worth it for the Giants, as long as he produces at a .360 wOBA rate and is healthy for them.

Be sure to check out all of Call to the Pen’s transaction breakdowns for the 2011-12 offseason. You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.

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