Meet Me At Musial: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

It's an extra-long version of Meet Me At Musial!  The guys first look back at the end of the Dodgers series, the beginning of the Marlins series, and the Mets series in between.  Will the rally against Famila inspire this team to get on a run?  Was it just a bad day at the office for Mike Mayers?  And what is Mike Matheny thinking by starting Jaime Garcia on short rest this coming Saturday?

Then Daniel and John go through the roster, sorting out the strengths and weaknesses.  Are there weaknesses besides the bullpen that can be addressed at the trade deadline?  Are there more strengths here than many think?

 

The Futures Report focuses mainly on the international signings by the Cardinals and why they've splashed so heavily in this pool this signing period.  Also, John talks about his Top 20 prospects, which he recently released at KangarooCourtSTL.com.

 

The show wraps with some great Twitter questions from our great listeners.  If you enjoy the show, please rate us over at iTunes and you can always tweet questions or comments to @C70 or @CardinalsFarm!

After a couple of weeks, Daniel and John get right back into the business at hand, talking about the Cardinals and everything related to them.  They recap the excitement since the All-Star Break, recognize that said excitement should probably be tempered by the fact that the Padres provided a lot of it, and wonder if the division might not be still in reach after all.

In the main segment, they discuss the trading deadline, most notably the idea of going after Chris Sale.  (John's Twitter poll ran about 2/3rds against, something that didn't get updated in the show proper.)  While neither believe it is going to happen, a deal such as outlined in a CBS Sports article didn't seem completely unreasonable.  The guys talk about what's much more likely to happen and what kind of trades are in John Mozeliak's wheelhouse.

John talks about Edmundo Sosa and his recent promotion while some of the other prospects get checked in on as well.  They wrap it with some Twitter questions from the listeners, which leads to a discussion of ballpark food, always a good way to end a show!

While it's been a bit since John and Daniel have gotten together, the issues plaguing the Cardinals haven't changed much.  Lose a series, sweep a series, then back to the losses.  Just enough hope to not completely write off the season, just enough frustration to keep any sort of positive thoughts in mind for any length of time.

After reviewing the results of the past couple of weeks, the guys sort through the myriad of issues around this team.  The bullpen, that supposed bedrock of the squad, has shown more cracks than solvency over the past few weeks.  Should Trevor Rosenthal be working his issues out in the bigs?  What's up with Seung-hwan Oh scuffling after taking Rosie's spot?  How can John Mozeliak fix this, if he can.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the injury bug has hit.  How do you survive losing Matt Carpenter for any length of time?  What was the thinking behind the catching carousel that the club had this week?  Will Brandon Moss's injury affect the trading deadline possibilities?

Daniel also throws out the hypothetical question: What would it take for Mike Matheny to lose his job?  Is that even a realistic possibility?

John goes over some quality minor league news, including the fact that the Cards had four players in Baseball America's mid-season Top 100 Prospects.  Some folks have been moving up the ladder this week as well and the guys chat about that as well.

No show for a couple of weeks as Daniel goes on vacation.  While you are waiting for another episode, be sure to let us know how we are doing on Twitter (@C70, @CardinalsFarm, @MeetMeAtMusial) and rate and review us over at iTunes!

There's been a lot of broomwork lately with the Cardinals and Daniel and John are here to talk about it.  They first recap the last couple of weeks of games, starting with the end of a Pirates sweep, then sweeps by the Astros and Rangers, before St. Louis finally sweeps the Cubs.  The latter series gets a lot of the attention, though the guys discuss some of the issues from that disastrous homestand and the ability to now believe the Redbirds can play with the best teams in the league.

In the Up The Middle segment, the recent Memphis exchanges were discussed, most notably the return of Kolten Wong to play centerfield.  Was he rushed back?  Was there enough data to really make a decision?  What does this mean for Tommy Pham, who also got a promotion to the big leagues?

John goes through some of the draft signings before diving into the short-season rosters while Daniel deals with issues around the house.  There are a lot of good players to be keeping an eye on during the next couple of months and John has you a solid list.  The latest start for Alex Reyes and the season-ending injury to Nick Plummer also get some discussion.

In the last segment, the guys answer Twitter questions and John unveils his latest Top 5 Prospects List, so be sure to stick around until the end!

Rate us on iTunes, give us feedback on Twitter (@C70 for Daniel, @CardinalsFarm for John) and we appreciate you listening!

What's this?  A week of more wins than losses?  Of positive news on the field?  It doesn't sound possible for the 2016 Cardinals but Daniel and John are going to enjoy it anyway.  Wins against the Giants, Reds, and Pirates are discussed, as well as Adam Wainwright's hitting, Jaime Garcia's struggles, and the increase in first base production.  The guys also talk about the demotion of Kolten Wong and the activation of Jhonny Peralta, with all the issues and intrigue that comes from those moves.

The main topic of conversation, though, is the 2016 MLB Draft.  The Cardinals' first pick stirred things up, what with Delvin Perez dropping due to a PED test result.  Are they held to a higher standard than other clubs?  Should they have avoided Perez due to this news?  Perez wasn't the only one that was taken, of course, and John gives his opinions on Randy Flores's first draft.

From just drafted to prior draftees, The Futures Report showcases Jack Flaherty and Rowan Wick, while the guys swing away and talk about Tommy Pham while answering some Twitter questions.

Want to have a question answered next time?  Hit up the show @MeetMeAtMusial, John @CardinalsFarm, and Daniel @C70.  Please rate us on iTunes or leave some comments here at Podbean!

Even with plenty of things to talk about, it's another succinct and streamlined Meet Me At Musial for your pleasure.  Daniel and John review the last week of the Cardinals, which wasn't much different than most any other week, though there were some hopeful signs.  John Mozeliak had some comments today regarding the return of Jhonny Peralta.  What does that mean for Kolten Wong?  Should he be on a bus to Memphis or does he still have value on the major league roster?

Then John previews next week's MLB Draft, focusing on the number of picks the Cardinals have and what their philosophy with them may be.  The draft is always an interesting proposition, especially with the Cards always picking low, and this year's pick stockpile makes it even more intriguing.  Arms or bats?  High school or college?

Finally, there's some discussion about Tommy Pham and Jeremy Hazelbaker, plus the answering of Twitter questions.  We always like your feedback, so leave us comments, rate us on iTunes, or Tweet at us (@CardinalsFarm or @C70)!

A short turnaround between episodes but there are still topics to cover.  Daniel and John run through the Cubs series and the beginning of the Nationals, bemoaning close losses and celebrating a nice win on Friday.  That transitions into talk about Michael Wacha, trying to figure out what's the issue and what can be done about it.  (Hope, a lot of hope comes to mind.)  John talks about Carson Kelly and whether he's the catcher of the future and the guys answer some twitter questions.

Let us know what you think!  Rate us on iTunes and tweet John (@CardinalsFarm) or Daniel (@C70) your thoughts!

It's been another maddeningly inconsistent stretch by the Cardinals, who went 4-5 during the nine game stretch between episodes.  (Unless you count the walk-off win against the Cubs that happened while the show was recording.)  The starting pitching is a different mess than it was earlier in the year, the offense has seen its shakeup, but what will get this team out of their general malaise? If Daniel and John knew, they'd probably be making a lot of money in St. Louis.

After a review of the past games, the guys discuss the upcoming roster moves.  What do you do when Jhonny Peralta is ready?  Where should Tommy Pham be playing?  What kind of merry-go-round can Mike Matheny manage to keep everyone fresh?  Questions everyone is asking, questions everyone probably has different answers for.

John then breaks down Alex Reyes, who made his first start for Memphis, and what that means for the big league club.  The guys answer Twitter questions in their final segment, including how big leaguers can get better defensively mid-season.

Daniel and John are back again, tackling yet another week of Cardinal baseball.  In Redbird Rewind, they look at the losing series against the Pirates versus the sweep of the Angels and conclude that, well, the Angels may not be all that good.  Seth Maness got demoted on Thursday, with Dean Kiekhefer getting his first taste of the bigs.  The guys break down both sides of that transaction and ponder what this means for Maness's career.

In their Up The Middle segment, our intrepid hosts discuss whether this team is doomed to stick in the .500 zone or can start clicking and pull out of that gravitational well.  John discusses Paul DeJung in The Futures Report as well as a quick rundown of how the minor league teams look at the moment.  Finally, the guys answer Twitter questions and talk about Trevor Rosenthal in the Swinging Away final section.

If you enjoy the show, let us know @MeetMeAtMusial or give us a rating and review on iTunes!

We've done a number of modifications around the place and, like C-3PO with a red arm, you may not recognize us!  Best Dans in Baseball is now Meet Me At Musial, with John Nagel (@CardinalsFarm) sitting in with Daniel Shoptaw (@C70).  This week, they look over the week that was, go in depth about the offense and the lineup, discuss Harrison Bader and Alex Reyes, and generally settle into our new abode.  We hope you enjoy it!  Be sure to let us know on Twitter (@MeetMeAtMusial) or on iTunes!