Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - It's Not All Doom And Gloom With The Gray Injury News, Who Is The Cardinals Top Ranked Prospects!

Starting point is 00:00:00 What did Sunny Gray have to say about his injury that has people feeling at least a little bit better about things? Plus, a look at the new MLB pipeline top five prospects for the Redbirds. This is Locked on Cardinals. You are Locked on Cardinals, your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey there, Cardinals fans. I'm J.D. Haffern and I'm a National Radio Sports anchor born and raised in the Lou and a lifetime Cardinals fan. and I'm your host for Locktown Cardinals. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network covering your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:45 You can follow me on Twitter X at JD Sports Radio. You can also follow the podcast on Twitter X as well at L0.1 underscore Cardinals. I want to thank those of you who make Locktown Cardinals your first listen. Every day we are free and available wherever you get your podcast. You can also find us on YouTube. If you want the visual aspects of this show, make sure you stop on by YouTube. Look up Locktong Cardinals. Make sure you go to the MLB one, not the NFL one.

Starting point is 00:01:10 And then like and subscribe and comment that way you're interacting with us. Hit the notification button so you know when new episodes are posted because this is a show serving Cardle Nation and giving the best fans at baseball all of the info about the birds on the bat. Today's episode being brought to you by Price Picks. The easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Got a priespix.com slash locked on MLB. Use code all lowercase, locked on MLB, L-O-C-E-D-O-N-M-L-M-L-C-E-D-O-N-M-L-B for a first deposit match, up to $100.

Starting point is 00:01:41 So the Sunny Gray injury, talk of the town, right? And for good reason, you know, prize free agent pickup this year was the new number one starter on the pitching staff, the clubhouse tone setter. You know, he's the guy that was going to kind of lead this comeback here in 2024. Not only what's happening on the field with his play there, but his attitude and work ethic in the clubhouse. No pressure, right? No pressure at all on Sunny Gray. But these were the reasons the Cardinals pursued him in the first place. And until that fateful pitch on Monday, he had checked all the boxes.

Starting point is 00:02:19 But now, like the boxes, I'm using to pack up my belongings during my move that's going on this week, he's going to be sitting on that shelf for a little bit. John Moseilock, Alba confirmed that him doing the opening day start, making the opening day start for the Cardinals this season, probably not going to happen. The word he used was challenging, but as Jeff Jones pointed out in yesterday's episode, that's Moe verbiage for saying it ain't all happen.

Starting point is 00:02:47 It's just not going to happen. Some more quotes from Mosea Locke from the article that Katie Wu put up at the athletic on the injury to Sunny Gray saying this is something that is going to slow gray down, but we don't think it's going to be something that's going to go deep into the season by any means. I'm not going to put any return to play

Starting point is 00:03:06 timeline on it. We're just going to see how he responds over the next few days. But from the MRI reading, we are definitely encouraged. Now, most of our listeners and a decent portion of Cardinals fans trust Mo about as far as they can throw him. And we finally heard from Sonny Gray. You know, Mo can say whatever he wants, but we got to hear from Sunny Gray himself about the injury and to say he was disappointed was a bit of an understatement. He went on to tell Katie Wu that let's call it for what it is. It sucks. I felt prepared. I felt confident. My stuff was really, really sharp. I think that was the most frustrating part. I just felt really crisp and really sharp and normal. But the good thing is, it's not a thing where I'm going to get completely shut down. I think we'll talk again in three to four days,

Starting point is 00:03:54 and everyone will probably have a better understanding of where we're at. I think everyone is in the same boat under the same impression that it's still early. Middleish part of spring training. and fortunately, there are three weeks until the regular season. Now, what Gray reiterated right there is something that I was catching a little bit of flack for online yesterday in our comment section and on Twitter X. I was catching a little bit of heat yesterday because as unfortunate as the injury is, at least it's in the middle of spring training. it will likely affect the whole first month of the season.

Starting point is 00:04:38 But if he's healthy the rest of the year, because they end up playing this thing cautiously, which they should, I'm good with that. You need Gray to hopefully make 25 to 28 starts now. 32 is probably out of the window. You know, it's not going to happen, likely. But if you force him back too early, which might be something you're more willing to try and do during the season,

Starting point is 00:05:04 you could really do some damage and risk him only being available around 20 starts. I'm like, great, this sucks all around. But I'd rather it be happening now than later in the year. Yes, the games in April mean something. I didn't want it to come off that I meant that the games at the beginning of the year are pointless and stupid. That's not what I was saying. I want to win them all.

Starting point is 00:05:33 I want to win them all. But knowing how teams get high, in the second half and then can make a run. I'd rather have him fully healthy for the back half of the season for that stretch run rather than the first two weeks of the season. If I'm going to sacrifice games, it's going to be now. It's going to be in the first couple of weeks rather than later on down the road. That's all I was trying to convey and trying to say.

Starting point is 00:05:57 And I feel like that's kind of what Sonny is saying here, where at least it's early on. We're talking spring training here. We've still got some few weeks. They're not shutting the door completely on him being available in the first couple weeks of April. That hasn't been said yet by any means. But like I said, they're going to be cautious with what they do with him. So to expect that is probably asking a bit much. I just feel like they're going to let's just take it easy because we're going to need him for the other five months of the season.

Starting point is 00:06:30 And April, we'll see if we can just take care of April without. But we'll find out more as time goes on. Now, Sunny did have some more encouraging things to say about the injury itself coming off of, you know, having dealt with something like this before. So I'll share you share with you those, those quotes next, including how it compares to those past hammy injuries in 2022. That's coming up on Locked on Cardinals. Football season may be over, but the action on the floor, it's heating up, whether it's tournament season or the fight for playoff home court. There's no shortage of high stakes, stakes, fast. basketball moments this time of year. Get in on the excitement with prize picks. America's number one fantasy sports app where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Price picks offers weekly promotions. They can lead to big payouts.

Starting point is 00:07:20 Price picks discount select player projections up to 25% to provide even more value. They did the Taco Tuesday thing yesterday, which was, you know, that's fun. Price Fix now offers Apple Pay for quick and easy deposits into your account during the basketball season. and it's the largest daily fantasy sports platform in North America. And they're the easiest and most exciting way to play DFS. It's just you against the numbers instead of battling thousands of players who, some of these people do this for a living, you know? You might be one of those guys who's just trying to have a little fun with it.

Starting point is 00:07:54 This is the place to be. You pick more than or less than on two to six player stamp projections and you watch your winnings roll in. One of my favorite things about prize picks is just how simple it is to play. make your picks, submit your entries, and you can do it all in less than 60 seconds. I mean, it just usually is boom, boom, in, out, moving on with your life. And whether it's dinner, whether it's helping the wife or the girlfriend, whatever, your kids, whatever you got to get to, it won't stand in the way of that.

Starting point is 00:08:23 Quick withdrawals, easy gameplay, and an enormous selection of players and stat types are what makes price picks the number one daily fantasy sports app. So download the app today. Use that code locked on MLB that I talked about early on for a first deposit. match up to $100. Download the app today. Use code. Locked on MLB, first deposit match up to $100. pick more, pick less. It's that easy with price picks. Locked on us launch the first ever national sports 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube. And now it's also available on Amazon Fire TV and the free fire TV channels app. Locked on Sports today is here for you 24-7 covering the top sports

Starting point is 00:09:05 stories of the day with the local experts of locked on plus our national shows, which cover every League. You can find Locked on Sports Today available on the free Fire TV channels app. So more from Sunny Gray in Katie Wu's article at The Athletic, which I have linked in the description and in the show notes for the audio listeners who are doing it that way. Gray seems to be more optimistic about his injury compared to previous ones that he's dealt with saying he felt better than he probably expected when he got up on Tuesday morning and was able to hop on a stationary bike, do some basic strengthening and, stretching activities. So that's all good. He also agreed that the next few days are going to be

Starting point is 00:09:44 crucial in determining a potential timeline on when he can get back on the mound. Here was the exact quote from Gray. Really within the next two to three to five days, it's just about making as much of an improvement on an individual day as I can. Today, it's a good day, a good feeling. Now it's making as drastic improvements at the beginning of this thing as possible. Now, If you remember I was talking about in the last couple episodes when the whole injury came to fruition, we talked about Sunny dealing with multiple hamstring injuries previously. So this is nothing new. It's been in the right hamstring.

Starting point is 00:10:22 And it was in 2022 with the Minnesota Twins. And they asked them about like, you know, how does this injury? How did it feel compared to things that you dealt with that season in 2022 where it was an issue throughout the year? And when comparing those injuries to this one, Grace said, quote, I remember doing this in 2022 when I was making a start in Boston. Same thing. I threw one pitch and felt a little grab in a very similar spot. In that one, I threw a couple more pitches and made it through and I was like,

Starting point is 00:10:53 I can't do this anymore. I think maybe the 2020s injury. I think I said too many numbers there. I think maybe that the 2022 injury was the initial reason he stopped on Monday. I was like, crap, I felt this before, and I probably should stop now. I think I was back in a big league game in 21 days. Not to say, I'll be back in 21 days, but it is somewhat of a similar feeling. Physically, I feel like I'm in a much better spot now than I was in 2022, which is a good thing.

Starting point is 00:11:25 Now, when manager Ali Marmal spoke with the media about the injury to Sunny Gray, he said that this is our first test. It's unfortunate, but the guys here, they're going to respond the way they need to respond. Gray is a guy who is a leader, a vocal leader, and he's going to continue to do those things as he prepares to pitch again. Thankfully, it's mild, and it's not something that's going to sideline him for a couple of months, which is good news. Now, fans have been chirping online since the injury came out about, well, this means Mo's got to go out and spend some money and go get some guys, right? Well, your dreams of bringing back Jordan Montgomery or signing Blake Snell, they were snuffed rather quickly by John Mosellack himself,

Starting point is 00:12:13 saying I definitely feel that adding pitching depth is not something that is required at this point. If something changes, we'd have to look at it differently, but we're not thinking we'll have to do that at this point. And I know that the easy thing for us guys here on our couches thinking about this at home, because we're so used to, you know, fantasy football and baseball and whatever, we're playing video games and how easy it is. Just go out and spend some money and go get the guy. I know it seems like the easy thing to do and the right thing to do. Hey, you lost a big guy.

Starting point is 00:12:49 Go fill that hole with another big guy. And maybe if Gray's injury diagnosis was worse, they'd be more apt to kind of look in that direction. But they're not. They are going to roll with who they got for now. That's just the way it's going to be. I warned you that when the injury first came out, we didn't even know how long he was going to be out yet or how severe was that spending more money on the pitching staff

Starting point is 00:13:15 was not something that was probably going to happen and they're not going to. I will say this. I feel a hell of a lot more confident in what Zach Thompson brings to the table as the next man up this year than I did last year with Dakota Hudson and Jake Woodford being those guys that were going to come in when Stephen Matt's goes down or Adam Wainwright went down or Jack Flaherty wasn't feeling good or whoever was having an issue that day. I'll take Zach Thompson over Hudson and Woodford. I will. So far this

Starting point is 00:13:45 spring, Zach Thompson, he's made two appearances. He's thrown five innings, struck out four, walked one, a lot of four hits. Two earned runs. Both of those runs came against the Astros in his last appearance. Now, Matthew Libertor would be the next possibility as a guy that would step up into the rotation, in my opinion. And so far, this spring, he's also made two appearances, but he hasn't looked quite as good at Zach Thompson. He's thrown five innings just like him, but he's only struck out one. He's walked two. He's allowed three runs on four hits. One of those were a home run. Just hasn't been all that great so far this spring. And talking about Jeff Jones yesterday from the Vellville News, he agreed with me that he thinks Thompson would be in the lead right now.

Starting point is 00:14:26 He said by a nose, that it's not like, you know, a drastic lead that Zach Thompson has, but that he'd be in the lead right now to take a spot in that rotation if they wanted him to do that and that they kind of like the idea of Matthew Levertoe being in the bullpen where he showed like he was pretty good at it last year. And if that ends up being where he needs to be, to be productive, do it, do it. Got no problems with that. Now, as far as what happens on opening day, because everybody's very curious now that Sunny Gray is probably not going to make that start.

Starting point is 00:15:01 Again, we talked with Jeff Jones about this yesterday. He doesn't necessarily think that it's guaranteed that Miles Michaelis will be that guy. I thought that was like the easy pick, that Michaelis would slide right in. He made the start last year on opening day. Why not again this year? But both of us discussed how it would be kind of fun to have Lance Lynn and start against the Dodgers on opening day. A little revenge game for Lance. Here's what Ali had to say about when it comes to making the opening day start.

Starting point is 00:15:30 He said, when you think of opening day, it's a matter of somebody who's not going to scare. There's a lot going on on opening day. It's different than any other start. And we've got guys who will handle that just fine. And I don't think he's got an issue with any of the guys remaining that were supposed to be a part of the staff, being that first guy up, whether it's Michaelis, Lynn, Matt, or Gibson. It could be any of them. It kind of depends on how things play out during spring training, how the rotation looks, depending on rainouts and stuff. You know the Cardinals had a rain out recently off day today,

Starting point is 00:16:04 so things are pushed back a little bit. So it depends on how things line up there. Yeah, it sucks. It sucks that you're not going to have your number one ready to go on opening day. but you can sit there and align about it or you can have the next man up mentality. All of these guys are veterans. You know, they've all likely pitched on opening day at some point in their lives. And I would have no issues with any of them starting on that first night. And, you know, when Ali sits here and talks about how that night or opening day, I should say, is a little bit different than any other start.

Starting point is 00:16:42 It's going to be a little different in L.A. on that day. There might be a few extra cameras around, considering that they'll be opening up the season against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, who I don't know if you guys heard about this, but made a couple moves this offseason, guys like that Shohei Otomi guy, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who, by the way, got rocked today in his second start for the Dodgers. Tyler Glass now, who's looked really, really good so far this spring. James Paxton came over for the Red Sox. So you had those four additions to the staff. They got to Oscar Hernandez added to the offense.

Starting point is 00:17:17 So they're going to be good. People are going to be paying attention to what they do on their first home game of the season. And it's going to be busy. It's going to be busy. Not an easy thing to do. Take that start. So we'll see what ends up shaking out there. Now, who would you guys like to see start on opening day now that Gray is out?

Starting point is 00:17:37 And do me a solid. Only pick guys who are on the roster. Don't start saying Snell, Monty, Bauer. don't say these daves. They're not on this roster. Whomever else you wish they'd sign, they're not going to be there. So give me someone currently in the Cardinals organization, please, if you're going to leave me a comment on this in the comment section down below or on Twitter axed. Up next, we're going to look at the MLB pipeline, top five prospects in the organization on Locked on Cardinals. Passion driving patience. What brings home the winning trophy is also what

Starting point is 00:18:13 keeps your rider die alive. eBay Motors says everything you need to maintain. your vehicle and level it up to peak performance from superchargers, roof racks, exhaust kits, LED headlights, and a whole lot more. Everything you can possibly imagine, whether you're into speed, power, style, whatever it is. Maybe it's all three. eBay Motors has got you covered. They've got over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die. You're always going to find exactly what you're looking for.

Starting point is 00:18:41 And added bonus with the eBay guaranteed fit, your part is guaranteed. to fit your ride every time or you get your money back. So even if something just for some reason doesn't work out, eBay guaranteed fit means you're not going to get stuck paying the tab on that. They're going to get your money back because with eBay motors, you're burning rubber, not cash. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it's easy to turn your car into the MVP, like the shirt I'm wearing,

Starting point is 00:19:11 Albert Poo holes, got a few MVP's under his belt. it's easy to keep your ride or die live at eBay motors.com. Eligible items only, exclusions apply. eBay guaranteed fit, only available to U.S. customers. Locked on is launched the first ever national sports 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube. And now it's also available on Amazon Fire TV and the Free Fire TV channels app. Locked on Sports Today is here for you 24-7 covering the top sports stories of the day with the local experts of Locked On.

Starting point is 00:19:45 Plus, our national shows covering every league. You can find Locked on Sports Today right now. available on the free Fire TV channels app. So MLB Pipeline has released their top 30 prospects for each team. They've got their top 100 list up there right now available to you. But we're going to focus on our Cardinals here today and coming in at the number one spot because technically, technically he's still a rookie shortstop Mason Wend, who is going to be your opening day starter at shortstop, barring anything horrible happening. jinks don't nothing please nothing bad happen to mason when uh mason win overall number 43 ranked prospect in all the major league baseball got the best arm in the organization with that 80 grade which is

Starting point is 00:20:32 the top by the way if you're not familiar with the grades that they use uh for m lb pipeline 20 lowest 80 is the highest okay so at 80 grade on the arm for mason win he's got one of the best arms in baseball right now and he's also tied for the top hit grade at 55 in the Cardinals organization, along with Thomas U.JC. and Victor Scott II. In it number two, but considering Mason win is going to be on the team and starting at shortstop, really, this guy's kind of the number one prospect for the Cardinals this year is going to be pitcher Tink Kent's.

Starting point is 00:21:07 Teen Kents, I got a picture of him. There we go. Throw them up there for you. Tink is number 64 overall in baseball in the top 100. He's got the highest rated changeup in the organization with a 60 grade. And he's also tied for the top fastball grade at 60 in the organization, along with Edwin Nunez, Tocoa Robe, and Zach Showalter. So a couple of those guys, the Cardinals picked up at the trade deadline last year.

Starting point is 00:21:33 So not bad, not bad at all. Coming in at number three, it is another pitcher. His name is Ticoa Robi. Just mentioned him right there. Just cracked the top 100 prospect list in all of the league. coming in at number 99. Roby also got the top ready curveball in the organization with the 60 grade and then tied with the top control grade of 55 along with McGreevy and Pete Hanson.

Starting point is 00:22:01 And then as I mentioned, you got that fastball grade right there with the 60 as well. So Tocoa Robi, they've got, I mean, 60, 260s and a 55. I mean, they're expecting some big things out of Toco and Roby. And I hope it works out. I hope it works out. That would be nice. Coming in at number four, arguably the most exciting player at camp right now, at least so far this spring, Victor Scott the second. Friend of the show, Victor Scott the second. He makes the biggest jump from the 2023 preseason list. He was number 23 last year all the way up to number four this year. He's got the 80 grade speed, highest you can get.

Starting point is 00:22:41 The dude is a blur out there. Tied for hitting at 55. And he's tops in the the defensive grade for the organization at 70. He just won the gold glove, the minor league gold glove in the outfield for AA Springfield last year. So he's going to start at AAA Memphis this year. Pretty much guaranteed that unless there's some kind of injury to the outfield. But I'm still very curious. I wonder how long it takes Victor Scott to get up to the major leagues this year.

Starting point is 00:23:10 I mean, you just cannot deny how exciting he is when he is. when he is on base and at the plate and how big of a difference his speed makes just to the way the flow of the game goes. I mean, as soon as he gets on base, like pitchers and catchers are freaking out, and they should. He's, you know, he stole 94 bases last year in the minor leagues. I can't wait to see him in the show. It's kind of a bummer that we got to wait, but man, he's just a whole lot of fun to watch. And he, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, also kind of curious, like, so he gets the 80 grade speed, defensive grade at 70, he's a 55 hit grade. How the hell is he not in the top 100 of all prospects? How did he not

Starting point is 00:23:58 crack that list? I have no idea. It's got to be up there. He's going to be up there before this season's over. But you guys can keep underestimating. That's fine. That's fine. It's been underestimated his whole life. Why not continue that? And then coming in at number five, you've got infielder Thomas and Jacey, another one of those guys that was brought into the trade deadline last year, tied at the top with the 55 hit grade. We know he had the MVP winner of that at AA last year. He'll be up at AAA Memphis this year. Another exciting prospect that the Cardinals have coming up. The dude can just swing it.

Starting point is 00:24:35 The guy can club it. And where is he going to play? That's kind of the issue because you've got a Mason and win it short. You've got Donovan. You've got Gorman. you've got a Crawford. I mean, all these guys are played middle infield already. So the path to get to the major leagues this year for CJC,

Starting point is 00:24:55 not an easy one. And it's going to take something bad happening up at the major league level for him to get there. But if and when he does, that bat's something that's ready to play at the major league level already. So those are your top five. Again, the top 30 have been released. We can talk more about this list coming up in tomorrow. tomorrow's episode, but you got your top five right there. Which one of those top five are you most excited about? Is it Victor Scott? Are you more apt to choose one of the pitchers, Team Ken's, Toccoa Robe? What do you guys think?

Starting point is 00:25:28 Let me know in the comments section down below and on Twitter X at JD Sports Radio and at L.O. underscore Cardinals on Twitter X there. All right, wrapping it up. Thanks for making lockdown cardinals. First listen every day. The boys had the day off today. Back on the field tomorrow. So we'll have a follow-up to that game. Let me see. I didn't actually even look up who they are starting tomorrow. Bear with me for just a second. We'll get it set up.

Starting point is 00:25:56 So it'll be Kyle Gibson tomorrow. They're playing in Houston, 12.05 start, St. Louis time. So Kyle Gibson got hit around pretty good, two home runs. The first two hitters he faced last time he was out on the mound. So hopefully he has a better start than that this time around. So we'll get a chance to talk. about it tomorrow. If you haven't already, give me a follow on Twitter at L.O. underscore Cardinals and a J.D. Sports Radio. Like and subscribe on YouTube again.

Starting point is 00:26:22 We're pushing for 10,000 subscribers before we get to opening day. Clock is ticking on that. So if you are somebody who enjoys the content and enjoys watching and listening about the Cardinals each and every day, give me a like and subscribe on YouTube, help our channel and love for the Cardinals grow because you guys are the best fans of baseball for a reason. And I will see you next time on Locked on Cardinals. Thanks.

Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - It's Not All Doom And Gloom With The Gray Injury News, Who Is The Cardinals Top Ranked Prospects!

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.