A Whole New Outfield

An era has most certainly come to an end. Center fielder Jim Edmonds, who has been a Cardinal staple since being traded to St. Louis in 2000, was shipped to the San Diego Padres Friday for minor league third baseman David Freese. While some sort of move was inevitable given Edmonds' decline, fragility, and contract, it is important to remember just how good he really was in a Cardinal uniform, no matter what you may think of his personality (you've never met him, asshole).

Traded to the Cardinals from the Angels in 2000 for Kent Bottenfield (once accidentally won some games) and Adam Kennedy (please go back to California again), Edmonds immediately made his presence felt in St. Louis. Edmonds hit 42 homers, posted a .994 OPS and played stellar defense in his Cardinal debut. JimEd would continue to be a joy to watch. Edmonds hit at least 25 homers, posted a .385 or better OBP, slugged at least .530, and won a gold glove in each of his first six Cardinal seasons. He truly was the sort of player you can't forget: a terrfic power hitter with patience to spare who consistently made jaw-dropping plays in center field. Add to this a goosebump-inducing home run in the 2004 NLCS, and you have a Cardinal legend, a player who may have been Hall quality if his career had begun slightly earlier and/or injuries hadn't played as big a role. While a lot has been made of his recent struggles, Edmonds was still more than useful in 2006 (.821 OPS), and he should be remembered fondly by anyone who truly thinks they are a Cardinal fan. Additonally, he should be the pope.

Edmonds basking in California sunlight also means a vacancy in the outfield for 2008. While Colby Rasmus is obviously ideally the long-term answer, what will the Cards do to begin 2008? Between Edmonds being traded, Juan Encarnacion's career-ending eye injury, and Rasmus likely beginning the season in the minor leagues, the entire St. Louis outfield is something of a giant question mark. Let's take a look at the candidates to grace Busch's outfield in 2008.

Chris Duncan: Despite a slow finish, Duncan wound up posting an OPS of .834 and hitting 21 homers in his 375 2007 at-bats. Duncan will certainly have playing time in 2008, even though he struggles against lefties, strikes out a ton, and can't actually play the outfield. Duncan's bat (the only bat in the Cardinal lineup not possessed by Albert Pujols that is capable of doing anything), however, is enough to justify a starting spot. Somewhere Tony LaRussa is crying underneath his creepy tinted glasses. Also, he's drunk.

Rick Ankiel: Ankiel showed plenty of pop in his brief tenure with the big club in '07, hitting 11 homers and slugging .535 in 172 at-bats. That said, he looked very, very confused at times and thinks that the BB column in the box score stands for the number of buttons buttoned on a player's jersey. Ankiel is likely to be overmatched much of the time in 2008, and will be prone to very disgusting slumps. He looked competent in the outfield, though, and his arm is strong and deadly accurate. You'd think he could be a pitcher with all of that power and precision, maybe even strike out like 194 batters in a season.

Ryan Ludwick: Ludwick has never proven to be good, but he did at least slug .479 last season as a Cardinal. He can play all three outfield positions, and he gives Al Hrabosky a hard-on with all his effort. Ludwick randomly crushed right handers last season (.298/.362/.547), and this slight anomaly may have been responsible for his semi-decency over the course a small sample size. Unfortunately, he may be the best option the team has as a third outfielder. I guess there are worse options, though...

Skip Schumaker: ...such as Skip Schumaker. He has a stupid name, no real power, no on-base abilities, and a track record of abject failure. Schumaker will be 28 at the start of the 2008 season, and every year the Cardinals bring him back to shithustle his way to a spot on the roster which he annually uses to prove that he is not a major league baseball player. But Tony LaRussa absolutely loves this guy, and no one is sure why. Last season, when Double S was sent down to make room for reliever Tyler Johnson, LaRussa openly freaked out, questioning the decision. LaRussa later burst into tears and stormed off to his room, where he lied down on his bed and wept quietly, all the while clutching his pillow and staring at the photo collages of he and Skip that littered his walls. Unfortunately, Schumaker is the same sort of player that Cardinal management and fans have been falling in love with for years. He has no discernable skills, he works hard, and he runs around all the time, whether it's really necessary or not (see: Joe McEwing, Bo Hart, David Eckstein, Albert Pujols). Hopefully, he'll be resigned to a bench spot.

Brian Barton: Barton is a Rule 5 draft pick actually worth discussing. Barton is able to play center field, and his minor league track record suggests he has a good eye (he posted OBPs over .400 for Cleveland's A and AA affiliates). He also has shown a little bit of power and speed, and at 25 is still younger than all of the other non-Rasmus options. All I'm saying, Cardinal management, is think about it. Please.

It's just December, and I'm starting to get nervous about the 2008 Cardinals.