Post by Commissioner Erick on Sept 21, 2019 8:04:41 GMT -5
St. Louis Cardinals (0-0) at Chicago Cubs (0-0)
STL: Dallas Keuchel (0-0, 0.00)
CHC: Steven Matz (0-0, 0.00)
Players to Watch
Cardinals
1) 3B—Josh Donaldson:
Donaldson will be focal to St. Louis this season, and especially today against a top left-hander like Steve Matz. The Cardinals will need Donaldson to repeat the .277 average and 38 home runs he had last year to fulfill their playoff dreams. Donaldson has a career .979 OPS against lefties. He batted for a .969 OPS last year against them, with more walks than strikeouts. He's hammered Matz in his career, going 7-16 with two home runs lifetime.
2) C—Jeremy Martinez:
It's unlikely Martinez will feature prominently in this game, as the backup catcher has just 124 at bats lifetime in his major league career. He's very patient at the plate and has a wonderful personality, which makes his pitchers comfortable throwing to him. There's not much competition for the backup catcher spot in St. Louis, so even though Martinez is probably a sub-par backup because of his defensive limitations, he'll probably stay on the roster by default.
3) RP—Justin Wilson:
After a strong career with Toronto and Pittsburgh, Wilson really scuffled in his first season in St. Louis. Signed to a three-year contract at roughly $7 million per, Wilson was replacement level last season. The culprit was an alarming spike in his walk rate as Wilson walked 51 in 63.1 innings. Scouts don't see a reason for why Wilson's walk rate spiked, so the Cardinals are hoping it's just an aberration. The change mostly affected Wilson against righties, as he walked and many as he struck out last season, helping inflate his OPS against to over 1.000. Wilson never had a year where righties were over .700. He was still light's out against lefties though, as they've never had higher than a .626 OPS against, making him an outstanding specialist at worst.
Cubs
1) SP—Steven Matz:
Perennially one of the best pitchers in the American League, the former World Series Champion and last year's strikeout king was signed to help take Chicago over the hump. The Cubs have had one of the best collections of talent the PBA has seen since 2017, yet have one pennant and no titles to show for it. A three-pitch maestro, with a gorgeous curveball, Matz is always a threat to strike out 12 batters in 7 innings and not crack a sweat. Most of the Cardinals best hitters are lefties, and he's handled Addison Russell well in the past. If he can avoid too much trouble from Donaldson, the Cubs could start the season off on the right foot.
2) RF—Steven Souza Jr.:
The Former Rockies corner outfielder, Souza Jr. will likely spell Darryl Wilson in center field against lefties, as he's expected to do today. Souza's excelled against lefties in four of his five seasons, with an .849 career OPS. He also has an amazing 7-11 for average against expected starter Dallas Keuchel. The concern will be on defense. Souza has just 16 career starts in center field and none since 2019. Scouts don't love his ability to play out their either. The Cubs will have decent outfielders flanking Souza in Kris Bryant and Giancarlo Stanton, but his bat will need to outplay his defense. Even with his limiations, he's contribute to a lineup that will terrorize lefties.
3) RP—Jose de Leon:
Once traded for Steven Matz, de Leon has excelled in international ball, but he stagnated with the Mets, leading to him being traded to the Reds, then waived five times over the span of a year, including twice by the Mets who claimed him after trading him away. De Leon struggled with the Mets and Giants last season, but he still has the pedigree of the #22 prospect, and he still looked electric for Puerto Rico's National Team, where he has a 2.00 career ERA. Chicago will take a chance on him as a long man and a reliever and see what they have.
STL: Dallas Keuchel (0-0, 0.00)
CHC: Steven Matz (0-0, 0.00)
Players to Watch
Cardinals
1) 3B—Josh Donaldson:
Donaldson will be focal to St. Louis this season, and especially today against a top left-hander like Steve Matz. The Cardinals will need Donaldson to repeat the .277 average and 38 home runs he had last year to fulfill their playoff dreams. Donaldson has a career .979 OPS against lefties. He batted for a .969 OPS last year against them, with more walks than strikeouts. He's hammered Matz in his career, going 7-16 with two home runs lifetime.
2) C—Jeremy Martinez:
It's unlikely Martinez will feature prominently in this game, as the backup catcher has just 124 at bats lifetime in his major league career. He's very patient at the plate and has a wonderful personality, which makes his pitchers comfortable throwing to him. There's not much competition for the backup catcher spot in St. Louis, so even though Martinez is probably a sub-par backup because of his defensive limitations, he'll probably stay on the roster by default.
3) RP—Justin Wilson:
After a strong career with Toronto and Pittsburgh, Wilson really scuffled in his first season in St. Louis. Signed to a three-year contract at roughly $7 million per, Wilson was replacement level last season. The culprit was an alarming spike in his walk rate as Wilson walked 51 in 63.1 innings. Scouts don't see a reason for why Wilson's walk rate spiked, so the Cardinals are hoping it's just an aberration. The change mostly affected Wilson against righties, as he walked and many as he struck out last season, helping inflate his OPS against to over 1.000. Wilson never had a year where righties were over .700. He was still light's out against lefties though, as they've never had higher than a .626 OPS against, making him an outstanding specialist at worst.
Cubs
1) SP—Steven Matz:
Perennially one of the best pitchers in the American League, the former World Series Champion and last year's strikeout king was signed to help take Chicago over the hump. The Cubs have had one of the best collections of talent the PBA has seen since 2017, yet have one pennant and no titles to show for it. A three-pitch maestro, with a gorgeous curveball, Matz is always a threat to strike out 12 batters in 7 innings and not crack a sweat. Most of the Cardinals best hitters are lefties, and he's handled Addison Russell well in the past. If he can avoid too much trouble from Donaldson, the Cubs could start the season off on the right foot.
2) RF—Steven Souza Jr.:
The Former Rockies corner outfielder, Souza Jr. will likely spell Darryl Wilson in center field against lefties, as he's expected to do today. Souza's excelled against lefties in four of his five seasons, with an .849 career OPS. He also has an amazing 7-11 for average against expected starter Dallas Keuchel. The concern will be on defense. Souza has just 16 career starts in center field and none since 2019. Scouts don't love his ability to play out their either. The Cubs will have decent outfielders flanking Souza in Kris Bryant and Giancarlo Stanton, but his bat will need to outplay his defense. Even with his limiations, he's contribute to a lineup that will terrorize lefties.
3) RP—Jose de Leon:
Once traded for Steven Matz, de Leon has excelled in international ball, but he stagnated with the Mets, leading to him being traded to the Reds, then waived five times over the span of a year, including twice by the Mets who claimed him after trading him away. De Leon struggled with the Mets and Giants last season, but he still has the pedigree of the #22 prospect, and he still looked electric for Puerto Rico's National Team, where he has a 2.00 career ERA. Chicago will take a chance on him as a long man and a reliever and see what they have.