Shaking out the cobwebs

Me to this Web log: “Hidely-ho, neglecterino!”

Posting here has been, to put it mildly, sporadic since the end of last October, when something cool happened.

I attribute the spotty posting to emotional letdown from the World Series and to the other, non-baseball blog I started.

But hopefully, this post amounts to a spring training of sorts for the Cardsblogging season. Gotta start getting my legs under me again.

Speaking of spring training, I’d like to take a look at this year’s non-roster invitees:

PITCHERS: Kelvin Jimenez, Mike Smith
CATCHERS: Ryan Christianson, Danilo Sanchez
INFIELDERS: Tagg Bozied, Jolbert Cabrera, Edgar V. Gonzalez
OUTFIELDERS: Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Eli Marrero, Miguel Negron

Interesting that this season, there are only two NRI pitchers when last year there were 10. Here’s who might be mildly intriguing:

• Jimenez: A former swingman having apparently been converted to a full-time relief role in 2006, the right-handed Jimenez has spent his entire career in the Rangers organization. His nice HR/9 and K/9 rates are somewhat marred by his less nice H/9 and BB/9 rates. Last year at Triple-A Oklahoma, he had a pronounced reverse platoon split. His G/F rates show he may have a future in middle relief.
• Bozied: A former up-and-comer in the San Diego system, Bozied spent 2006 in Triple A-Norfolk. He owns minor-league career OPS of .826, having gone 1.003 in 2004 in Triple-A Portland. As a corner IF/OF, his only hope is to stick as a pinch-hitter.
• Gonzalez: Keep an eye out for this guy during spring training. Another career minor-leaguer, Gonzalez has hit everywhere he’s been. Although he’s primarily a third-baseman, he does have playing time at second and owns a career line of .295/.375/.466. Me likey. Unless he’s a total butcher with the glove or pulls a Spivey, I’d give Gonzalez the backup 2B job before the crimefighting Aaron Miles, based on his 2006 major-league equivalents.
• Ankiel: I presume you’ve heard of this guy. I just don’t get the Cardinals’ obsession with this guy. To have kept him around this long, he must have pictures of Tony La Russa clubbing baby seals. That, or the brass thinks he has ball-crushing potential. He did hit 21 homers in 321 at-bats in two minor-league stops in 2005, so maybe he does. He’s also got a maddening injury history, which is where my skepticism and frustration with him comes from. His ticket is punched for Triple-A Memphis. I wish him the best, but I just don’t see a viable major-league career as a hitter happening for him. I hope I’m wrong.
• Marrero: After bouncing around five clubs in the past three seasons, Marrero comes back to where his career began. With his catching days pretty much over, his only hope is as a platoon partner with Chris Duncan. While he does sport a three-year lefty split of .313/.378/.580, that line is skewed by his 2004 with Atlanta, when he hit .415/.462/.670 against lefties. His career line against southpaws is a more modest .266/.335/.457.

The guy that intrigues me the most is Edgar Gonzalez. Playing in the Mexican Winter League, he started those playoffs very well, but soon shit the bed and lost his starting job. But it’s hard to sneeze at his minor-league body of work. If anything happens to Adam Kennedy, I’d like to see Gonzalez get the first shot.

Of last year’s NRIs, only Brian Falkenborg saw the light of major-league day.