Juan E. "prepared to miss opening day"

[GOOCH]

I don't understand why J-Rod doesn't get any love. His OBP alone should guarantee him a spot. As much as I like having a "Gooch" on the Cardinals...how So can make this team in front of J-Rod is baffling to me. And I'd rather have J-Rod than Juan. D.GOOCH

[G. Keenan]

I don't understand why J-Rod doesn't get any love. His OBP alone should guarantee him a spot. As much as I like having a "Gooch" on the Cardinals...how So can make this team in front of J-Rod is baffling to me. And I'd rather have J-Rod than Juan. D.GOOCH

I think they value Gooch for his defensive ability and his situational hitting. He can always get a bunt down perfectly and makes good contact.

[jim]

I don't understand why J-Rod doesn't get any love. His OBP alone should guarantee him a spot. As much as I like having a "Gooch" on the Cardinals...how So can make this team in front of J-Rod is baffling to me. And I'd rather have J-Rod than Juan. D.GOOCH

I think they value Gooch for his defensive ability and his situational hitting. He can always get a bunt down perfectly and makes good contact.

That is all true, but I'd rather have that LH bat off the bench. Right now, we have 1 LH bat off the bench (Miles) against RH starters. Not exactly what I want to look down the bench and see when I really really gotta have a LH up at the plate.

[GOOCH]

Not to mention that the 37 year old So hasn't exactly looked like a spring chicken in the OF. D.GOOCH

[jagtrader]

You need one defensive replacement on the bench if you're going to start Duncan in LF.

[jagtrader]

The lineup on April 1:

SS - Aaron Miles
LF - Chris Duncan
1B - Albert Pujols
3B - Scott Rolen
2B - Scott Spiezio
RF - Rick Ankiel
C - Yadier Molina
CF - So Taguchi

Looks like a lineup that you would usually use in March...

Or April Fools' Day.

Maybe we can ask Major League Baseball if they would let Albert hit and when he's on base substitute the hitter with albert and let the hitter run for Albert.

Just use ghost runners. They could probably run the bases better than Rodriguez.

[MaskedMan]

You need one defensive replacement on the bench if you're going to start Duncan in LF.

I thought that was Wilson...why do you need 2 offensive holes

[jagtrader]

You need one defensive replacement on the bench if you're going to start Duncan in LF.

I thought that was Wilson...why do you need 2 offensive holes

If you use Wilson as a defensive replacement, you don't have him as a pinch hitter. And you have no righthanded bat on the bench other than Bennett and Spiezio, who hits lousy righthanded.

If you carry Rodriguez, you have two left-handed hitting DHs on a roster that includes five bench players. That doesn't make sense to me.

[MaskedMan]

You need one defensive replacement on the bench if you're going to start Duncan in LF.

I thought that was Wilson...why do you need 2 offensive holes

If you use Wilson as a defensive replacement, you don't have him as a pinch hitter. And you have no righthanded bat on the bench other than Bennett and Spiezio, who hits lousy-er righthanded.

If you carry Rodriguez, you have two left-handed hitting DHs on a roster that includes five bench players. That doesn't make sense to me.

You would really rather have PW AND So, both righty bats, decent fielders
Seems redundant to me, I think you need (if you can't get both) 1 each of PH or D.

With
OF/Inf-Speezer...S
Inf-Miles...S
C-Bennett...R
LF-RF-CF...Wilson OR Tag...R
OF/DH-JROD

We've got plenty of RH bats with no power or no OB%

[GOOCH]

You need one defensive replacement on the bench if you're going to start Duncan in LF.

Skip is a better choice there. D.GOOCH