Happy Wednesday,
Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson here. Just a quick note to alert you to a change in the formatting of my weekly newsletter. I'm shifting away from the weekly Tuesday online chats, so re-running the greatest hits from that chat in this newsletter is no longer an option. I still hope to answer any questions readers have for me. I'll do that here in this newsletter in mailbag style as they come in, and will also have more freedom and flexibility to bounce around to other topics and ideas. This week's question will be answered below. Thanks, and please don't be shy about sending in any questions or comments you want to see tackled. Have a great rest of your week!Â
Got a question? Email me here (bfrederickson@post-dispatch.com) or find me on X (formerly known as Twitter) at and hashtag your question with #BF5.
People are also reading…
Well, this stinks.
All Willson Contreras has done since he joined the Cardinals is play his tail off for his team. He rallied after a rough start last season and shook off being thrown under the blame bus by underperforming pitchers. He made great strides this offseason in his receiving and pitch framing and it showed in the numbers this year. Plus, he continued to hit like a very bad man (in a good way), which he has since the second half of last season.
Contreras was just about the only Cardinal hitter in this lifeless lineup that had been doing consistent damage from the season's start. This season he led the Cardinals in runs scored (20), doubles (11), home runs (six), walks (18), slugging percentage (.511), on-base plus slugging percentage (.951) and total bases (59). For an offense desperate for power production, the only cylinder that could be trusted to fire more times than not is now out for, at best, until the All-Star break. Brutal.
Please consider resisting the urge to make the Cardinals' coaching staff the boogeyman for this injury. I say this as someone who hammered the staff and organization for last year’s absurd and quickly canceled call to switch Contreras from the catcher position. That was insanity, desperation from a team circling the drain. The tweaks Contreras made to become a better receiver and pitch-framer were not. He was open to improving as a defensive catcher and has said part of the reason for coming to the Cardinals was that goal. Additionally he has worked with his brother, Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras, to implement some of the changes. It’s a trend in catching, and the numbers show going to one knee and moving as close to the plate as safely possible does help you frame the low strike better. And it was working for Contreras. His pitch framing numbers this season were the best of his career. He looked a lot better behind the plate. Everyone agreed. There are many great reasons to question Cardinals coaching and development these days. I don't think the Cardinals being part of a trend across baseball is one of them.Â
It’s hard to find a definitive image, but it sure looked like J.D. Martinez, who is known to position himself about as far back in the batter’s box as allowed by the rules, was perhaps a bit too far back on the swing that tagged Contreras. It’s hard to say for sure. Contreras’ post-game comments made it sound like he felt like that could have been the case. Still, the same replays show Contreras reaching far into the swing path. It became a painful combination against a hitter with a history of creating catcher interference and a catcher playing closer to the plate than ever before. Just as it feels like a reach (no pun intended) to pin this one on the coaches when the catcher embraced the changes and ultimately picks where he sets up behind each hitter, I can't make Martinez the villain here. The umpire and Contreras had no issue with where Martinez was before the swing. The uptick in velocity has caused hitters to move back as far as possible. Umpires do need to be more mindful of where that back foot is because the rules are clear. And there are photos of Martinez being too far back in the box in a game where he twice clipped Contreras’ brother with a swing. In the end, it's the catcher whose health is most at risk, so it's most on the catcher to be in a spot where he can't get hurt.Â
Ivan Herrera, it’s your time. The young catcher has shown some very encouraging progress this season. Now it’s his time to shine, or not. I’d say no pressure, but it’s a lot of pressure.
Now would be a really good time for Yadier Molina to show up, no? The new special assistant to the front office has been missing in action all season. The catchers trying to fill the Contreras gap – and probably Contreras himself, for that matter – could benefit from a visit from the future Hall of Famer. He’s on the payroll, after all.
Thanks to Post-Dispatch teammate Derrick Goold for the invitation to swing by his Best Podcast in Baseball. You can check that out here. Tip: Bring a lunch. You will get hungry.
In case you missed it, here’s my column on the bind Steven Matz has once again put the Cardinals in this season.
Great job by Matthew DeFranks here on the Blues news of taking the interim tag off Drew Bannister. I'm still wondering why the Blues just didn’t do it at the end of their season – if they were as convinced as they sounded now that Bannister was their guy. The Jim Montgomery and Joel Quenneville wondering will continue.
Looking forward to catching up with some Mizzou folks at Thursday evening's caravan swing by St. Charles. Here’s a good read from Eli Hoff about how former tiger Brock Olivo is helping prepare Cody Schrader for the NFL.
Got a question or comment for me? Let me know and I'll answer it here.
This week's spotlight goes to ... Andrew, via email.
Q: Which batters’ struggles have concerned you the most this year? Are there any players whose performance so far has significantly altered your estimation of their overall potential and value? Or is it one of those complete outlier situations that is so ubiquitously bad that it almost makes more sense to throw it out of the assessment pool than it does to read too much into it?
BenFred: I’m most concerned about two things: Paul Goldschmidt and the young guys. Goldschmidt looks like he’s just guessing up there at the plate, which is really rare for him. He’s taking non-competitive at-bats often. It’s hard to watch. I wasn’t expecting him to have a career-best year at this age, but I didn’t think he would fall off a production cliff. Now I wonder. More than I thought I could. More importantly to the future as Goldschmidt is in the final year of his deal, two young guys. Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman need to be blooming not regressing. One (Gorman) is struggling mightily and the other is in Class-AAA Memphis, not exactly tearing the cover off the ball as he tries to work through adjustments. The Cardinals have been having a real problem getting close-to-linear improvement from talented young hitters. These two are not low-draft guys who we overhyped by fans and media. They should be making real progress. Gorman led the team in homers last season and Walker had a very strong second half. Concerning.