LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. • While Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. awaits updates from top executives John Mozeliak and Michael Girsch on how they feel to best improve his club, he has an open mind on some of his current players. One is Jose Martinez, who became the Cardinals’ cleanup hitter and regular first baseman down the stretch. And the team prospered as he prospered.
Asked whether he thought Martinez could be a regular in 2018, DeWitt said Wednesday, “I certainly wouldn’t count him out, the way he can hit. He’s come into his own. When he was hurt, it really hurt us.”
Martinez, a 29-year-old rookie who hit .353 in September-October with four homers and 18 runs batted in, finished at .309 with 14 homers and 46 RBIs in just 272 at-bats. But he suffered a sprained left thumb in a game at Pittsburgh on Sept. 23, and the Cardinals lost not only that game but the next two as Martinez couldn’t play and they drifted out of wild-card contention.
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“He’s always hit,” said DeWitt, who was on site for some owners’ meetings. “Now that’s he had that opportunity, he’s shown what he can do at the major league level. Based on what he said, he added a little more loft (to his swing) and it sure paid off.”
Defensively, the 6-foot-7 Martinez was a work in progress, but DeWitt said, “I thought he really improved at first base.”
MATHENY’S NEW COACHES
While third-base coach Jose Oquendo is a returning new coach on Mike Matheny’s staff and bullpen coach Bryan Eversgerd has completed his coaching rise through the system, Willie McGee and pitching coach Mike Maddux are fresh faces as Cardinals coaches.
Matheny, in Florida as a member of Major League Baseball’s competition committee, said, “I was hopeful (McGee) would be interested. When he was, that made it easy for me and I just wanted to make sure Mo was on board, and he was equally excited.
“He’s going to be another great resource offensively, working hand in hand with Billy and John,” Matheny said, referring to hitting coaches Billy Mueller and John Mabry.
“Obviously, the outfield (work) is going to be huge, having that relationship with the guys all the way through the system. And, in the same breath, baserunning, base stealing.”
Matheny said he had little contact with Maddux until recently. “It was exciting to hear he had mutual interest,” said Matheny. “He had pretty good rotations and he was excited about our rotation as well.
“He’s a guy who’s had success. He’s had superstar-caliber pitchers (Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg).”
President of baseball operations Mozeliak said, “We talked a little about modernizing that position. It’s also about communication and creating a different voice. We ended up in a good spot with the ability to add someone like a Mike Maddux.”
DOMBROWSKI, LA RUSSA REVERSE ROLES
Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who was an underling in the Chicago White Sox system when Tony La Russa managed there from 1979-86, now has hired the 73-year-old Hall of Fame manager, who just left Arizona’s front office, to be an assistant to him in the front office.
“He can do a lot,” said Dombrowski. “When you’re talking about somebody who’s got his knowledge and background ... in any occupation ... any time you can hire one of the top people in that industry and bring him on board while he can still contribute and work and have a passion for it, there rarely comes a time when you’re able to do that.
“I think Tony can provide an edge for us in a lot of different ways — whether it’s the little nuances of the game he’s learned throughout the years or the fundamental aspect of it or teaching and evaluation methods. He provides a sounding board for Alex Cora. It’s something for a first-time manager to be able to talk to a Tony La Russa about baseball.
“He doesn’t want to be the manager. He doesn’t want to be the general manager. He doesn’t want to be the director of player development. But ... he can be invaluable for us. We have a very young organization in the front office and I really think they’ll benefit being around Tony.”
Dombrowski has known La Russa for nearly 40 years, or since Dombrowski was hired as a White Sox administrative assistant in 1978 in player development and scouting. “I was a glorified go-fer,” said Dombrowski, laughing.
PITCHING COACH CHANGES
It used to be that a team’s pitching coach was merely a friend of the manager and did the skipper’s bidding rather than someone who had his own sphere of influence. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said, “I remember Art Fowler was (Yankees manager) Billy Martin’s best buddy. One of the pitchers then, once told me, ‘Fowler came out to me and said, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing right now, but you’re (ticking) Billy off. So ... you just need to stop it.’”
HOLLIDAY WANTS TO PLAY
Former Cardinals star Matt Holliday, who was plagued by injury (quadriceps strain, back and illness with Epstein-Barr virus), contributing to a .231 season, albeit with 18 homers and 63 runs batted in for the Yankees, wants to play at age 38 next year, said agent Scott Boras.
Former Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal, who was not offered a contract by the Cardinals, has drawn interest from several clubs despite the fact he won’t be able to pitch until late next season, if at all, after having Tommy John elbow surgery in August.