There may be a misperception forming around Iván Herrera and his value as the #STLCards DH. The eye test says one thing, but some of the underlying numbers say something else. Herrera’s slash line of .244/.370/.378 with a .748 OPS tells a pretty clear story. He is still getting on base at an excellent rate. His .370 on-base percentage is well above the Major League average, and that is not a small thing. That reflects patience, strike-zone judgment and an ability to avoid giv

By Ray Mileur There are times in baseball when patience looks like stubbornness. There are also times when patience looks like wisdom. The St. Louis Cardinals may be living through the second one with Jordan Walker. Not long ago, Walker was a complicated young player in the Cardinals’ system. The tools—frame, bat speed, raw power, athleticism—all pointed toward a middle-of-the-order force. But production does not always arrive on schedule. In St. Louis, where the ghosts of gr

Mantle’s Strikeouts Tell a Different Story in Today’s Game | By Ray Mileur Mickey Mantle carried a reputation in his time as a player who struck out too much. That was the way the game was talked about then. A strikeout was viewed almost as a personal failure, the worst kind of out, a sign that a hitter had been beaten completely. In the old baseball language, putting the ball in play mattered. Moving a runner mattered. Making contact mattered. But when Mantle’s career is car

By Ray Mileur Editor's note - The Tale of Two GMs is the first installment of a two-part series taking an honest look at the transition from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom, examining both the legacy left behind and the direction ahead. In Part I, we reflect on Mozeliak’s nearly two-decade run guiding the Cardinals through sustained success and the eventual need for change. Next Sunday, in Part II, we turn the focus forward, exploring the challenges and expectations now facing B