Cardinal spin

Edmonds, Perez, Tomko among those impressing in camp

Throughout spring training, SI.com will feature regular dispatches from Sports Illustrated staffers assigned to scout camps in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues.

By Jeff Pearlman, Sports Illustrated

Team: St. Louis Cardinals

Site: Jupiter, Fla.

Weather: Warm, gray, slight breeze, mid 70s

Player I Saw Whom I Really Liked: So Taguchi. Taguchi is a scrappy little spray hitter in the Tim Flannery mold, and he sprints around the bases harder than anyone else in camp. That wins him big points in the Pearlman Ratings. Unfortunately, he's not especially good.

In Tampa, 60 Japanese reporters and photographers dream up a headline every time Hideki Matsui picks his nose. In Peoria, Ariz., 50 do the same for Ichiro Suzuki. In New York, it's 15 for Tsuyoshi Shinjo. In Los Angeles, it's 10 for Hideo Nomo.

Here in Jupiter, however, there is one -- one! -- Japanese reporter tracking the life and times of Taguchi, the Far East's answer to Jason Tyner. Taguchi spent nearly all of last year in Class AAA, and he'll certainly be there again this season. Oh well.

Around the Horn: Eduardo Perez is 33 years old, but during BP his bat looked incredibly fast. Don't be surprised if he exceeds his 96 at-bats of one year ago. ... Maybe Jim Edmonds is -- at age 32 -- beginning to show a little wear and tear, but give the Cards' center fielder credit. He has drastically changed his diet, avoiding all fast foods (save for the monthly cheeseburger) in favor of fish, fruit and vegetables. Although it's early, he looks to be in tremendous shape. ... A forgotten man after missing all of last season due to injury, non-roster invitee Cal Eldred was tossing serious cheese in BP. While never a hard thrower, his pitches were cutting in, out, up and down. The veteran right-hander is in the hunt for the team's open fifth starter gig. ... New backup catcher Joe Girardi is making friends fast. A sure-shot future manager, Girardi is taking several of the Cards' young pitchers under his wing, including 23-year-old stud-turned-project Rick Ankiel. ... Underwhelming in his BP performance was 24-year-old righty Chance Caple, a heat-slinging 6-foot-6 Texan whose first pitch headed straight for Todd Dunwoody's right leg. Caple was wild throughout the session. ... Edmonds spent much of the winter building his new Southern California pad. The complex is nearly complete, except for the movie room Edmonds plans to add. ... Egads! Lost among the spring training hubbub was an ant problem that plagued some of the Cards' practice fields. On field No. 3, groundskeepers were called in to squash red ants crawling around home plate. ... Joey Hamilton, late of the Reds, Blue Jays and Padres, is fighting to make the St. Louis rotation. Hamilton's 5.27 ERA with Cincy last season doesn't bode too well for him. ... Walt Jocketty, the Cards GM, says this is the most pitching depth he's seen in years. St. Louis has five men battling for the final two spots in the rotation. ... Is it just me, or is reliever Steve Kline (2-1, 3.39 ERA) the most underrated pitcher on the Cardinals? ... San Diego castoff Brett Tomko, reborn as a Padre in 2002, will be the Cardinals' No. 3 starter, and at age 30 he's finally putting things together. "I've been through a lot of growth," he says. "I'm ready to live up to the billing." ... Laughing hysterically, Edmonds was shocked to find that oft-injured right-hander Woody Williams still has a pair of shoes the center fielder loaned him last year. "That's what happens," said Edmonds, "when you pitch in five games." Williams didn't laugh. ... Matt Morris spent part of his offseason getting married. He and longtime girlfriend Heather Reider, a former Cubs beat writer for MLB.com, tied the knot this past winter.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jeff Pearlman will check in periodically with reports from his tour of spring camps. Click here to send a question to his Spring Training Mailbag.

 

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