Cardinals' announcement of Ryan Vilade in the roster goes against their declared objective
Head's up Cardinals fans! The loss of Jordan Walker to injury wasn't the only blow for the team. The St. Louis Cardinals decided to call up Ryan Vilade, a right-handed hitter with a shaky bat, to replace Walker. And guess who's been starting for the team in the last three games? Yep, you guessed it - Ryan Vilade, against left-handed starters no less!
This decision is a puzzling deviation from the Cardinals' initial plan. Their so-called "runway" for young players was aimed at evaluating players' long-term potential within the organization. But starting Vilade over Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson feels like a head-scratcher. In fact, Gorman and Burleson have demonstrated better results and higher offensive ceilings than Vilade, especially in terms of power.
Our man, Oli Marmol, has a history of sticking to player splits. So, it's possible that he's opting for Vilade due to his potential advantage over left-handed pitchers. However, Vilade's career average against left-handers (.147) is actually lower than Gorman's (.219) and Burleson's (.201).
Looks like Marmol is convinced that Gorman and Burleson are strictly platoon bats and should only face right-handed pitchers. In a season focused on giving young players a fair shot, it's disappointing to see Marmol denying Gorman and Burleson the chance to face southpaws and improve against them.
Gorman, a former first-round pick, seems to have fallen off the Cardinals' radar. He's seen very little playing time this year, with Marmol admitting early on that Gorman might be on the outside looking in when it comes to lineup shuffles. But just a few weeks ago, Marmol said Gorman would continue to receive playing time and wouldn't go back on his comments about the "runway."
Now, it appears that's changed. Gorman has made some adjustments to his batting style, slowing down his bat speed to focus more on contact. It's unclear if the Cardinals asked for this adjustment or if it was Gorman's decision. But, Marmol isn't giving Gorman the opportunity to see if it will produce results.
Marmol has shown impressive growth as a manager this year, and if the Cardinals continue their winning streak, he could be in the running for Manager of the Year. However, his decision to bench Gorman and Burleson over Vilade is baffling and contradicts everything he preached at the start of the season.
Despite Gorman's and Burleson's better performance and higher potential in MLB sports, particularly in baseball, Oli Marmol has chosen to start Ryan Vilade instead, raising questions about his strategy. In contrast, Gorman, a former first-round pick, has been sidelined, despite receiving promises of playing time earlier in the season.
