| Welcome to The Write Fielder – a weekly newsletter on baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals from the Post-Dispatch. Every Friday, lead baseball writer Derrick Goold delivers behind the seams stories straight to your inbox that builds upon the baseball coverage in a city celebrated for its deep roots and deepest fondness for the game. THE GOLDIE RATIOIf Major League Baseball can christen the Vedder Cup for “rivalry weekend” games between the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners then consider this weekend at Busch Stadium the bout for the Goldie Medal. For the first time since the 2018 trade that brought the Cardinals’ most recent MVP from the desert to the gateway, not one player involved in it is on either roster. Goldschmidt left the Cardinals as a
free agent and signed with the Yankees, where he’s a teammate with the Cardinals’ former first-round pick and trade chip who is the closer in the Bronx, Luke Weaver. Carson Kelly spent several years in Arizona and then, this past offseason, signed with the Cubs, his boyhood team. With a 1.004 OPS and eight homers he’s on a remarkable start for the North Side. The fourth player involved in the deal, Andrew Young, played parts of two seasons for the Diamondbacks and last played pro in 2022. In the deal, the Cardinals got a franchise cornerstone and bona fide star. They did not, however, win a pennant during Goldschmidt’s six seasons. In the deal, Arizona did not get a franchise stalwart. They did, however, win the NL pennant in 2023 – with no player from the Goldschmidt deal on the playoff roster, but his replacement, Christian Walker, as a key contributor. As Arizona visits, taking stock of the four-player deal completed on Dec. 5, 2018, shows how lopsided it ultimately was. Goldschmidt contributed a 22.6 WAR to the Cardinals. He received MVP votes in each of his first four seasons with the team and won it 2022. He won a Gold Glove Award along with four teammates in 2021 and a
Silver Slugger while a Cardinal. Goldschmidt did appear in 15 playoff games with the Cardinals while the players traded for him appeared in none for Arizona. But the Cardinals went 1-4 in those playoff series, reaching the NLCS in 2019, his first season, only to be swept by Washington. Kelly and Weaver contributed 4.3 WAR and 1.9 WAR, respectively, during their time with Arizona. Kelly already has a 1.7 WAR for the Cubs this season, and Weaver has emerged as a late-inning force for the Yankees and a World Series closer to go with a 3.7 WAR. Weaver was traded by Arizona to Kansas City for an infielder they would later send to Miami for cash. Kelly was released in 2023, a few months before
the pennant run. The Cardinals opted not to offer Goldschmidt a qualifying offer to secure a compensatory draft pick because they were in cost-cutting mode and there was a chance the 37-year-old first baseman would accept after a down year in 2024. He signed a one-year deal with the Yankees and is hitting .339 with a .395 on-base percentage and a .881 OPS, his highest since his MVP year. That means the Yankees are doing well this year with Weaver and Goldschmidt in the wake the deal, and all the Cardinals have remaining from his time are his individual honors and the memories. Arizona still has one spoil yet to play. As part of the deal, the Cardinals sent Arizona their compensation round B pick in the 2019 draft. The Diamondbacks used that pick (No. 75 overall) to select a college outfielder, Dominic Fletcher. He reached the majors with Arizona in 2023, and in February of next year they traded him to the Chicago White Sox for a 21-year-old right-hander, Cristian Mena. He made his major-league debut this season with 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief and five strikeouts. Baseball America ranks Mena as Arizona’s No. 14 prospect, projecting him to be a “back-of-the-rotation starter in the short term.” Only six years later, he’s the last of the Goldie hue on either roster.  St. Louis Cardinals batter Ivan Herrera celebrates at first base on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, after a single in the sixth inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Christian Gooden, Post-Dispatch |
IVAN THE UNDENIABLEThrough his first 18 games of this season, Cardinals designated hitter/catcher Ivan Herrera is batting .417 with 21 RBIS and five homers in just 60 at-bats. He has maintained an OPS around 1.200 despite the monthlong interruption to recover from a bone bruise. That is all that keeps him from popping up on the leaderboards, so let’s adjust the dials a little bit and illustrate just exactly what the Cardinals’ young hitter has been able to do. Since opening day 2024, here are the top four batting averages (min. 300 at-bats). - Aaron Judge, Yankees -- .342
- Bobby Witt Jr., Royals -- .325
- Ivan Herrera, Cardinals -- .325
- Vladimir Guerrero, Blue Jays - .315
The next closest player in the National League is batting champion Luis Arraez, who has a batting average of .311 in that span. And after him it’s Shohei Ohtani, at .308. ‘HOT SHEET’ HITTERCatching prospect Rainiel Rodriguez topped Baseball America’s most recent “Hot Sheet,” which ranks the best 20 prospects based on performance in the past week. Rodriguez, 18, had six home runs in his first 10 games for the Cardinals’ Florida Complex League club. His slugging percentage at the time of being ranked No. 1 for the week by BA was 1.188. Josh Norris wrote how “his six home runs are more than double the next-closest contender in the FCL and are just four away from the total that led the league last year. If he keeps going deep every day, chances are good he won’t be around long enough to challenge last year’s high-water
mark.” Signed as an international amateur from the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez overwhelmed the Dominican Summer League this past season with a .345 average and a .683 slugging percentage. The burly 5-foot-10 catcher is viewed as a hitting standout with improving skills behind the plate as he gains experience. He cooled after those first 10 games – relatively. Through 13, he’s hit .385/.528/.897 with more RBIs (11) and walks (10) than strikeouts (nine). FIRST THING’S FIRST“First base isn’t easy,” manager Oliver Marmol said this past week in his office.
“A lot of people just think you put your big dude (there) who can’t run, bops it around the yard, and that’s not the case. It’s a tough position. You can quickly make the other infielders around you better or make them a lot worse.” The Cardinals don’t have to look far for an example of this. In 2018, the Cardinals had the fourth-most errors in baseball with 61 and 12 of them came at first base, where Jose Martinez was stashed for his bat. In Goldschmidt’s first season with the Cardinals, he had three errors at first and the Cardinals soared to the seventh-fewest errors in the majors with 44. From 2017-2018, the Cardinals had 22 errors at first base in 324 games. Goldschmidt
had 16 total in his 775 games there for the Cardinals. Marmol concluded his comment by referencing current first baseman Willson Contreras: “He’s made them a lot better.” Thus far, Contreras is even with Defensive Runs Saved. His 3 Outs Above Average (OAA) rank second in the majors, per Statcast.  Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros jokes with St. Louis Cardinals’ Willson Contreras while on first base in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium on Monday, April 14, 2025. Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch |
FROM THE ‘PEN Among the galaxy of statistics housed and tracked at Baseball Savant is a leaderboard for
“running splits” for 90 feet, carved up into 5-foot segments. Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, who visits Busch Stadium this weekend, and Victor Scott II are virtually tied among the swiftest runners at 3.72 seconds. But it’s Scott’s closing speed that catches up Carroll. In the first 65 feet, Carroll has the edge at 0.05-seconds faster. But in those final 20 feet, Scott catches up to pull even. … With eight games remaining in May, the Cardinals will have to sweep them all to match the franchise record for wins in the month. The Cardinals have 13 this May, and the club record of 21 was set 1934, matched in 1936, and repeated again in 1941. In ’34, Ripper Collins hit six homers and had 24 RBIs in May but he didn’t lead the Cardinals in hitting. Joe Medwick did: .395/.420/.640 for a 1.061 OPS that same May. In May 1936, Dizzy Dean went 7-1 with a 2.66 ERA, one shutout, one save, and
35 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings. In ’41, Johnny Mize hit .364 in May with a .557 slugging despite only hitting one homer. … Detroit outfielder Javy Baez sent over a handful of baseball cards to the Cardinals’ clubhouse to be signed by former teammate Willson Contreras and other players, including Nolan Arenado. This season has seen an increase in players asking for signed baseball cards over the usual souvenirs of baseballs, bats, and of course jerseys. … Although, not Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero. He recently ordered a stack of jerseys to try and get signed by peers this season. The players he’s trying to collect aren’t All-Stars but all players he has some connection to through playing together, playing for the same college, or playing alongside his brother. … Scott’s 13 runs scored from the No. 9 spot in the order tie Jacob Young and Johan
Rojas for the most in the National League. … Brendan Donovan collected two assists in the rundowns Wednesday. The most recent Cardinals outfielder to have as many as two in the same game was Lars Nootbaar in August 2022. … Meanwhile in Memphis, Andre Granillo has surfaced as an intriguing arm to watch as the big-league bullpen shifts and settles and adjusts through the season. Granillo, who turned 25 this month, is -40 with a 1.31 ERA in 13 relief appearances. He has 31 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings – and he’s allowed only 21 batters. A 6-foot-4 right-hander, Granillo is not on the 40-player roster, but the Cardinals do have an opening. And the bullpen’s makeup is under constant review. … The Cardinals began the season 6-1 against AL Central teams – their best start through seven games against the mirror division in franchise history. Granted interleague play has only been around for the franchise’s
recent history. … Hall of Famer Ted Simmons is the featured player in Friday night’s Cardinals Conversations, a series of events at the ballpark that does a require a ticket and invites fans to attend an interview with an all-time great. Tickets to Simmons’ conversation includes a photo with the Hall of Famer and a pre-signed autograph. More info is available at the team’s web site. … Oh, and speaking of Jose Martinez. He will be the guest Friday night with Mike Claiborne and Ricky Horton on KMOX/104.1 FM’s Friday Night Live! after that evening’s game. PAPERCLIPS• Cardinals spent the past month proving their relevance, but are they a revelation as a contender? I asked several players about what a month without losing a series revealed about themselves. • Memphis native Ben Johnson became the all-time leader in wins by a manager for the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals' top affiliate since 1998, the year before they drafted Johnson out of a Memphis-area high school. • Sports columnist Lynn Worthy looks at Pallante nearly a year after the move into the rotation and how it did more than just reinvent his career. • Cardinals are on pace to surpass the 2021 team that won five Rawlings Gold Glove Awards in a defensive metric and could reach for the MLB high since 2016. • Baseball writer Daniel Guerrero has a significant move in the Cardinals' lineup covered. • Sports columnist Jeff Gordon runs down some thoughts from national pundits about the Cardinals' unexpected spot in the standings. • A new BPIB dropped with author and baseball writer Scott Miller. We talk about his new book, "SKIPPER: Why Baseball Managers Matter (and Always Will). • Noted Cardinals fan and MLB Network and MLB.com contributor Will Leitch has a new novel out (and it's rights have already been picked up for a movie). SING-ALONG SUGGESTIONSReceived several emails from Write Fielder readers suggesting walk-up songs or victory songs that would animate the crowd at Busch Stadium this season, similar to what happens in Philadelphia or, say, Busch Stadium of the 1980s (“Celebration,” anyone?). One newsletter reader wrote to recommend Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite,” noting that Billboard ranked it No. 82 on the
“100 greatest choruses” and that it “perfectly captures the explosive energy of a carefree night out.” The lyrics include the hand-waving “sayin’ aaaaaay-oh, gotta let it go” and the climax of “we gonna light it up like it’s dynamite.” Another reader suggested David Allen Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me by My Name” with its’ chorus that invites a “let me, let me, let me” rejoinder. My suggestion? Thanks for asking. When the Cardinals win at Busch, blast “Surfin’ Bird” by The Trashmen. A whole crowd shouting "bird is the word" ... See if that takes off.  An inflatable Fredbird keeps watch from the balcony of an apartment at One Cardinal Way as the St.
Louis Cardinals workout on the field at Busch Stadium on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. The Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays both did their final workout of spring training at Busch Stadium on Wednesday before opening day of the regular season on Thursday. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com David Carson, Post-Dispatch |
ON DECKThe Cardinals conclude their homestand with the aforementioned visit from the Arizona Diamondbacks before jetting to Baltimore for a reunion of the two big-league clubs that once St. Louis home at the same time. The Orioles are convulsing through quite a disappointing start to the season. They’ve fired the manager who
piloted them through a deep, prolonged rebuild and then three days later the front office explained why. The Orioles reach the weekend at 16-32, already 13 games behind first place in the American League East. In the span of about a month, they signed and released former Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson. Andrew Kittredge (knee) is out for the year. Corbin Burnes (free agency) is with Arizona. And the Orioles’
5.47 ERA is the highest for any team at sea level. COVERING HOME, 1875-STYLEIf you want a break from all of the glovework at the big-league ballpark this season, there’s a chance to go retro Saturday. Really retro. The St. Louis Brown Stockings will host the Boston Red Stockings in an 1875-style base ball game at 1 p.m. local time on Lindell Field near the Missouri History Museum. Festivities begin at noon. The old-tyme game is sponsored by the Bob Broeg Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and it is billed as a celebration of 150 years of
baseball in St. Louis. The rules will be a throwback to the time just before the American Association. I caught a vintage ball game last year in Forest Park and my father used to play in a vintage ball league in Minnesota. They are a great experience for the atmosphere as much as the vaguely familiar game. For example: Foul balls aren’t strikes but they can be caught on one bounce for an out. The pitcher must release the ball from below the waist. If a runner is the final out of the inning on the bases, the next batter up is not who was ever on deck but the hitter immediately after the runner, even if they had just hit in the previous inning. One ball is used for the entire nine innings,
if possible. The winner gets to keep it as a trophy – or to use next time. Write back to you next week. — Derrick Goold, Post-Dispatch lead baseball writer The St. Louis Brown Stockings' Tony "Lightning" Wicker looks to see where he hit the ball against the Lafayette Square Cyclone Club as the two teams met Saturday, June 4, 2022. in Lafayette Square Park for a game of old style 1860 rules baseball. It was the annual Sheppard Barclay Festival. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com Hillary Levin |
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