It didn’t even occur to me that I had already essentially written this piece, but after all that time, fans still overreact to Spring Training… right?
These games don’t matter right? Thankfully come March 28th the record starts over and there won’t be any more excuses. Spring Training is a time for pitchers to work on their craft and for hitters to make adjustments. The numbers don’t paint the bigger picture… But they could look a little better right?
There should probably be at least some cause for concern when it comes to the anemic offense. There are 19 hitters that have more than 20 at bats this spring and only 5 of those hitters have an OPS over .800 with only 4 hitters batting .300 or better.
But remember, it’s just Spring Training. Let’s take a look at the pitching side of things. I’m sure that looks a little better. And for the most part it actually does. Unfortunately there are some warning signs mixed in there as well.
I had the opportunity to watch my first Spring Training game on Friday, March 15th at Roger Dean Stadium. The Cardinals sent out Adam Wainwright to the mound and I was pleasantly surprised by his outing. The first inning saw Waino work a little bit trying to hit the strike zone but once he hit a groove it was a great sight to see. He was lifted after 5.1 innings even though he was only at 64 pitches, and then it got… dicey.
Andrew Miller entered the game and I got really excited. I was one of the people in the off-season clamoring that the Cardinals should go after Miller (I wanted Holland last year too… so take it with a grain of salt). But it didn’t take long to see that Miller did not have it. He gave up 1 hit, walked three, and after not recording an out, Miller was charged with 4 earned runs and his Spring ERA sits at 13.50. To be fair, Miller had been pretty solid in his previous 3 outings after struggling in his Spring debut.
Aaron Mullins on Twitter
Oh no, Andrew Miller struggled in his first Spring Training game. I guess we should all start overreacting now #STLCards
But remember, it’s just Spring Training. I try not to look at the statistics when it comes to Spring Training because so many players are working out kinks. How many times has a player been an absolute stud in Spring Training only to become an average player during the regular season or vice versa. I’ll help you out… all the time. Spring Training certainly gives younger players the opportunity to show what they can do. While it’s fun to see the future of the organization, it’s just Spring Training.
So while it might be frustrating to see the Cardinals struggle recently, we shouldn’t worry about it. Not yet at least. Once the regular season begins, maybe you can start looking for your pitchforks. But I have a feeling that this team is going to go towards the right direction once the season gets underway. So let’s relax for a little bit and let things play out.
What are your thoughts? Send me a tweet @AaronArchCity
Thanks for Reading
Aaron M.
