The Riot

Welcome to St. Louis, Ryan Theriot. With the arrival of the Cardinals' newest infielder it appears the days of Brendan Ryan have ended. While I certainly won't miss watching Brendan repeatedly lick his shoulder during at-bats, his glove is another story entirely...

Pitching coach Dave Duncan believes that any pitcher can have success with a solid sinking fastball that produces ground balls. This has been the Cardinal way since LaRussa and Duncan arrived on the scene in 1996. The ingredient that makes a ground ball pitching staff an elite pitching staff is, of course, defense.

Remember those dominant days of the early 00 decade when it seemed as though the Cardinals could do no wrong? Is it any surprise that 3/4 of the infield was composed of Gold Glove Award winners? The trio of Albert Pujols, Edgar Renteria, and Scott Rolen sucked up any ball in their vicinity. Toss in the steady if not spectacular defensive efforts of Mark Grudzielanek and David Eckstein and you've got what was for the most part an air-tight interior 4.

Now fast forward to the current Cardinal team. Pujols is still an elite first baseman, and Brendan Ryan is the best defensive shortstop in baseball. However, Skip Schumacker's second season as second baseman was actually a step backward, and who knows what to expect from David Freese and his two bad ankles. Now remove B Ryan's glove and insert Ryan T's at shortstop...

Theriot has mostly been compared to David Eckstein in the media. In fact, they use all the same words: "Gritty," "Hard-working," "Gutsy." The comparison is accurate as it pertains to the fielding aspects of both player's games. Both shortstops commit few errors. Both shortstops make all the routine plays. Neither shortstop has much range, however. Neither has a strong arm. Neither will consistently make that spectacular play that B Ryan makes all the time. Eckstein had the luxury of hiding behind the rangy Rolen, thus limiting his exposure on balls hit deep in the whole on the left side. Theriot will not have that luxury. Toss in Schumacker's well below average defense at second base and we have the makings of a mediocre at best infield.

Does this spell certain doom for the Cardinals in 2011? That depends. Without Brendan Ryan the Birds are certain to surrender more runs next season. But remember that B Ryan was perhaps the least productive Major League hitter of all last season. Ryan T is certainly an upgrade offensively, but is it enough to cancel the difference?

Not yet. The Cardinals have taken a first step towards addressing their offensive woes by adding a player who (when he's at his best) will get on base consistently and steal a few bases. Theriot could very well be the solution to the "no one is on base ahead of Pujols and Holliday," problem. However, that problem remains secondary to the "no one drives in Pujols and Holliday," issue. The Cardinals continue to lack a dependable hitter in the 5 spot in the order. Someone who has some power, hits in the .280 range, and does not crumble under the runners in scoring position spotlight. Colby Rasmus isn't that guy yet. Neither is David Freese. Neither is Allen Craig. Replacing Brendan Ryan with Ryan Theriot makes sense only if the Cardinals are able to find that dependable number 5 hitter (his name used to be Ryan Ludwick.)

It's still early in the offseason, and General Manager John Mozeliak's moves until now have been shrewd ones. He hasn't broken the bank yet and retains some payroll flexibility. He also has a few trading chips to shop around with. For the time being, he's headed in the right direction. Let's hope he doesn't take any detours.