Kuzul

With the MLB First-Year Player Draft set to kick off Thursday evening, the St. Louis Cardinals are no doubt busy with their own mock drafts. Touted for several years now as having one of the best farm systems in the MLB, the Cardinals' front office takes its drafts quite seriously. The Cardinals have already seen a glimpse of what their top pick from 2012 can do at the major league level. Now it’s on to the future. Will the Cardinals continue their tradition of chasing pitching in early rounds or will they find themselves in search of a position player? Either way, the Cardinals could see the need to address multiple issues including pitching, middle infield depth and even replenishing outfield prospects with Oscar Taveras expected to be on the big league roster before season’s end. Following are two picks the Cardinals could find themselves chasing on draft day and ...

As I awaited the beginning of St. Louis Cardinals' pitching prospect Michael Wacha’s MLB debut Thursday afternoon, the Kansas City Royals announced that they had hired Hall of Famer George Brett as assistant hitting coach to help aid their faltering offense. I went down to gather some quotes from the press conference where they announced the move and was pleasantly surprised to listen to Brett field questions from a combination of St. Louis and Kansas City media. Brett pulled no punches on the field, and he is treating his new job just the same. So, why is a man who loves his golf, spending time with his family and is making the most of retirement coming back to work? “Out of frustration,” he said. That simple sentence fragment likely echoes the sentiments of every Royals fan right now. Brett said that just like everyone else, he was frustrated watching a ...

The St. Louis Cardinals entered the quarter-season mark of 2013 with the best record in baseball. To say that exceeds the expectations of some is quite the understatement. Many, arguably most, baseball writers had the Cincinnati Reds picked as clear favorites to win the National League Central Division. With the Cardinals estimated to end the season in the 85-win range, the fact that the team has amassed 25 wins by May 15 puts them well above expectations. While it is extremely early to be thinking about the end of the season, the Cardinals are currently on pace to win 100 games. Will they keep up this pace? That remains to be seen. Every team has its slumps and streaks—the 2013 Cardinals will be no exception. Remember, even a team with an amazing 102-win record still loses 60 games a year. With that said, the Cardinals have a lot of things ...

A broken-bat bloop from Colorado Rockies right fielder Eric Young Jr. is the only thing that separated Shelby Miller from a perfect game Friday night. The St. Louis Cardinals No. 5 starter got his fifth win, but that statement doesn’t even touch the gravity of his performance. Miller dominated from the moment he took the mound. He owned the entire strike zone with ridiculous control and maintained his velocity through all 113 pitches, topping out with a four-seam fastball clocked at 97 mph. He didn’t look like a 22-year-old rookie who was still a little rough around the edges. He looked like a seasoned veteran, well-poised and on a mission. As Miller stepped back onto the field for the final three outs of a game many big league pitchers will never experience, you could sense the energy. His team wanted it for him as much as he wanted it for himself. ...

Friday night's game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers was destined to be an interesting game. Not because of a division rivalry, but because of the story behind the two men taking the mound.The battle of veteran pitcher vs. rookie stud in many ways went as it should. The veteran looked solid, kept his count low and pitched deep into the game. The rookie showed his flash, but at the same time made it clear that he belongs with the big league club. Former St. Louis pitcher Kyle Lohse received a warm welcome from the Cardinals fans, and Yadier Molina even stepped out from behind the plate to give him a moment to acknowledge the applause. It was a classy move by both the fans as well as Molina. That was where the hospitality ended for the Brewers. If Cardinals rookie pitcher Shelby Miller was intimidated by ...

With Shelby Miller preparing to make an impact at the major league level to start the season, the focus on prospects within the St. Louis Cardinals farm system will continue to shift toward the next generation. Two of the hottest commodities within reach of the major league club, outfielder Oscar Taveras and RHP Michael Wacha, might be closer than you think. Taveras is the gem of the organization. The 21-year-old outfielder has been named the No. 3 prospect in all of MLB, and with good reason. He’s a consistent .300-plus hitter whose patience at the plate is far beyond his years. There has been little concern about Taveras with a bat—the majority of his continued development has to do with defense. He’s a solid defender and has shown multiple times during spring training that his arm is no joke.   The question is, when will he arrive in St. Louis? ...

The 2013 World Baseball Classic is underway and at least one new face will be working the circuit this year. On the heels of his third world championship, Tony LaRussa left his managerial post with the St. Louis Cardinals while he was on top. Having spent more than three decades as a major league manager, he felt it was time to hang up his cap and trade it in for a suit. In 2012, LaRussa was named as a Special Assistant to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. While he wasn’t sure what that would entail at the time, LaRussa has learned a lot about the business end of baseball in the last year. “I’ve really been impressed by how many different pieces Major League Baseball has working,” LaRussa told Bleacher Report from Phoenix, Ariz. on Tuesday afternoon. “They’ve got a lot of different departments and ways that they’re trying to bring ...

The St. Louis Cardinals came into spring training this week with a number of questions about their starting rotation.Who will win the fifth starter spot? Who will replace the injured Chris Carpenter?Then a new guy showed up at camp—a skinny fellow with a small goatee. Well, he wasn’t a new guy, but he may as well be.When Lance Lynn showed up almost 40 pounds lighter than when he left St. Louis in October, he probably didn’t know that his new, leaner physique would be the first big story of the spring.Lynn, who filled in for Carpenter, couldn’t have asked for a better 2012. His 18-win season over 29 starts earned him his first All-Star berth. He also managed to rack up 180 strikeouts—not bad for a young man in his first year as a starter.Late in the season, a few hiccups jeopardized ...

Hopes are high for young St. Louis Cardinals going into spring training, but how many of them will make the big step to the major league team? Bubble players throughout MLB have prepped all winter in an effort to be ready to put on a good showing when they arrive at spring training. A bubble player is a player who is on the verge of either making the team or getting cut. They can be young or old, but most often people think of young players. While everyone on this list is young, there is at least one on the list whose job could be in jeopardy. Following are six players who have a good shot at making the squad out of spring training.Begin Slideshow

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Today the St. Louis Cardinals consider themselves in the same place they were at the beginning of 2012—not expecting ace pitcher Chris Carpenter to throw a pitch. In a Tuesday afternoon press conference, general manager John Mozeliak, accompanied by manager Mike Matheny, made the announcement.  Mozeliak said Chris Carpenter has experienced renewed discomfort in regard to the condition that cost him most of 2012. Carpenter contacted the Cardinals on Friday of last week and informed the team that after numerous attempts at throwing bullpen sessions. He was experiencing the same issues with some additional quirks. Mozeliak reported Carpenter has experienced bruising and redness in his shoulder and hand after throwing. Carpenter was diagnosed in 2012 with thoracic outlet syndrome. He underwent mid-season and made a rather improbable comeback in time to pitch in the playoffs. As recently as the Winter Warm-up, Carpenter told reporters that he ...