What Should Be Done With Colby?

One of the big decisions in camp is what should be done with Colby Rasmus? The prospect is worth playing in the majors right now, but is there room to get regular at bats?

If it's decided that he'll stay with the major league team, will he get regular at bats. My guess is no. LaRussa has a man crush on Chris Duncan and will play him against every righty pitcher. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it; he's had a great spring. But does he really give the team the best option to win? I don't think so. He's got great power, but is a butcher in the outfield. He's also very streaky.

The other factor in the decision is Skip Schumaker. If he makes it as the second baseman, there may not be an issue at first. If he can't make the transition, there's another outfielder that will push Rasmus aside. Skip is the only true leadoff hitter on the roster, so his importance to the team is greater than Duncan's. Is he better than Rasmus? No, but LaRussa won't bat Colby first.

The final factor into the Colby roster decision is Troy Glaus. When Glaus returns to the line up, Mather will be back to a utility man, meaning he'll get more time in the outfield. That's another person that pushes Colby out. Is Joey Bombs better than Rasmus? No, but he's more versatile, so LaRussa will value him more.

I think if Colby says up, he'll get playing time like Brian Barton last year.

Does Colby deserve to start the season in the minors? He's struggled this spring and didn't have great final numbers at Memphis last year. A few Triple A at bats to get going doesn't seem like it would hurt. It would also delay starting his service clock, pushing back arbitration and free agency.

This doesn't mean I don't want to see him in St. Louis; I really do, but not if he's not playing everyday. It's possible it could happen, but not with Tony LaRussa running the team. He's got his guys and he'll play them, even if they don't deserve to play.

Cardinal Impacts on Fantasy Baseball

I think there will be quite a few Cardinals that will have an impact on fantasy baseball this year. There are the obvious ones, like Pujols, Wainwright, and Glaus. I'm going to look at some of the other ones.

Chris Carpenter - Most fantasy baseball followers may pass over Carp since he hasn't been effective/healthy in 2 seasons. Because of this, he could be a late round sleeper.

Chris Perez - I think he's valuable in deep leagues, even if he isn't the closer. He'll pick up saves for sure, and, if your league has holds, he'll pick them up as well. He'll have a good strike out rate, which will help K/9 and K categories. Same will go with Jason Motte.

Joe Mather - He'll be a nice pick up and insurance for people who draft Glaus. He'll play full time for at least the first month. If he hits well, LaRussa will have to keep his name in the lineup.

Khalil Greene - There are 2 reasons - he's in a contract year and he's not playing in Petco any more. He's see an increase in power numbers and should also get on base better.

Here are a few that I'd avoid:
Yadier Molina - He had a pretty good year with the bat last year, but I don't think he's worth owning even if he duplicates that production. He was middle of the pack for catchers, so there are a lot of better options.

Kyle Lohse - I think last year was a fluke, since he pitched much better than his career line. He's also starting to pitch under his multi-year contract, so the urgency for a great season isn't there.

Colby Rasmus - I want to preface this one by saying he's worth getting in keeper league - I took him with my first minor pick in my keeper league. In non-keeper ones, this is probably the year to avoid him. He's a slow starter, so he's definitely not worth having until May to June. He's also not guaranteed a roster spot yet. You'll find that one prospect guy that will draft him earlier than he should in most drafts. There is also a good chance he could be plucked off the waiver wires when he's either called up, or some one give up on him too early.

David Freese - This is probably a non-issue now since he's back in minor league camp, but I don't see the upside that others do. He had a great year in Memphis, but I don't see him sticking in the majors. I hope he proves me wrong, but I'm playing my feeling here.

Guys for Minor League Drafts:
Colby - Enough said.

Brett Wallace - I probably took him early (11th overall), but I had 2 first round picks and he was the first pick of the second round, where I had another 2 picks. He can rake. The position is a question, but his bat will work in the outfield and first base as well.

Bryan Anderson - If/When he gets his shot, he could be a sleeper. Even with the lack of power, his numbers so far would make him a solid catcher in most leagues. He's get you BA and OBP, and possibly some R and RBIs.

Allen Craig - The guy is proving this spring that he can hit. His position is a question mark; he's a third baseman that's block (Wallace, Freese), but is seeing time at first (blocked again) and the outfield (it's crowded before he's added to the mix). I think he'll be trade bait, but could be a minor league sleeper.

Is Allen Craig that bad?

I've been watching Allen Craig's name everyday in the box score, and can't figure out why he isn't getting a shot at third base. Is his defense that bad?

So far this spring he's hitting .500 and playing almost everyday. He's typically the guy that replaces Pujols at first base. He could be seeing time at third? His learning curve would be much less than Mather's at this point.

One reason I can see him being held back is the fact that's he's not on the 40-man roster. One easy remedy is dropping Royce Ring - with Dennys Reyes on the team, the neccesity to keep him isn't there.

Another reason is Craig played last season at Double A Springfield. While he didn't have an awful season, some considered it disappointing. The jump from Double A to the Majors isn't that uncommon, but normally the player lit up Double A.

My guess is Craig will be trade fodder. He's down the depth charts at third, and first base is spoken for. He spent some time in the outfield, but we all know that's pretty crowded too.