January 17, 2015 by

Complete Coverage of Cardinals Winter Warm-Up 2015: Recaps of News from Each Day of the Event, Latest Reports

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Day 3 Recap:

Day three of the Cardinals 19th annual Winter Warm-Up from the Hyatt Regency downtown provided a good deal of new information on the Redbirds. Scroll down on this page for a recap of news from day one and two of the event as well as reports from the entire weekend. Here’s a look at the major highlights from the final day of the Warm-Up:

  • Marco Gonzales: The young pitcher told Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he’s ready for whatever role the Cardinals want to use him in: “I’m optimistic about an opportunity,” he said Sunday at the Cardinals Winter Warmup. “Any opportunity I get, I’ll be excited for. If that’s in the rotation or in Memphis or in the bullpen, any of those options. Or at shortstop. I don’t care. Being able to play baseball every day is a blast and I’m blessed to do it.” Read more from Gonzales in Timmermann’s article.
  • Honoring Taveras: Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch provides the details on how the Cardinals plan to honor Oscar Taveras in this article.
  • Mozeliak on trade inquiries: GM John Mozeliak discussed the major trade inquires he has received with Brian Walton of TheCardinalNation.com:
  • Xavier Scruggs: The first baseman/outfielder spoke with reporters, including Goold, on Monday. See his interview here (from Goold).
  • Martinez on Taveras and No. 18: The young Cardinal spoke with the media on his great friend Oscar Taveras and what wearing No. 18 means to him (listen to Martinez’s full interview here (from St. Louis Baseball Weekly) and read more from Cardinals.com):
  • More comments from CMart: Martinez also discussed his feelings on fellow Dominican Pedro Martinez’s induction into the Hall-of-Fame and some of the work he has done this offseason:
  • Matheny on new book, Scherzer, Piscotty: The Cardinal Manager discussed his new book, saying, “It is not about me as a manager. This is about youth sports and being the father of five.” Matheny also told reporters, including Derrick Goold, that he understood the connections between top free agent starter and St. Louis native Max Scherzer (who has agreed to a 7-year, $210M deal with the Nationals), and the Cardinals, but that he never engaged in any recruiting of Scherzer. Finally, Matheny added that outfield prospect Stephen Piscotty is now unlikely to see any work at first base following the addition of Mark Reynolds (from Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com). See Matheny’s comments on Scherzer here (from Goold).
  • Kolten Wong: Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch reports on how young second baseman Kolten Wong is eyeing a higher batting average and the leadoff spot in this article.

Day Two Recap: Here’s a look at some of the highlights from Sunday:

  • Adam Wainwright: The Cardinals’ ace spoke with KMOX on Sunday. From Wainwright: he has been given no special instructions and unless he is told otherwise he is going to do his normal offseason routine…said “every start of the second half of last season was the hardest start of my career”…believes he would have won the NL Cy Young award last year if he didn’t tweak his knee… shared that his elbow pain got so bad he couldn’t open lids to jars or even a soda can. Wainwright’s interview with the media (from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch):

  • Bill DeWitt Jr. on football, pitching market: The Cardinals’ chairman told Goold: “I think it’s important for the city to have professional football here.”…DeWitt also reiterated to Brian Walton of TheCardinalNation.com that the team is “not actively engaged” in the pursuit of the many rumored top-tier starting pitchers. DeWitt on the pitching market (from Goold)

  • Michael Wacha: Told reporters that everything feels strong and that he’s only been asked about his arm “a couple million times.”( J.J. Bailey of KMOV)…said that it “took a while to get over that pitch” in the NLCS (Alex Ferrario of KMOX)…had another MRI Sunday morning to check his shoulder and said that ‘everything looks good’ and he is set for Spring Training. (Video from Goold)

  • Matt Carpenter: The third baseman said that he will happily bat anywhere he is penciled into the lineup…shared that he intends to stick with a more aggressive/power approach headed into 2015 (Brian Stull, STL Baseball Weekly)
  • Kevin Siegrist: The left-hander told reporters that he is already on a throwing program and will likely throw off a mound next week, ahead of schedule. He said that he can tell his arm is 100 percent. (Jenifer Langosch, MLB.com) Read more: Cardinals.com
  • Cards plans to honor Taveras: In the video below, Bill DeVitt Jr. discusses the team’s plans to honor Oscar Taveras (Goold)

Day One Recap: Day one provided a lot of new information and reports. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:

  • Peter Bourjos: The Cardinals outfielder revealed that he has been cleared to swing a bat and fully expects to be ready for the start of Spring Training following October hip surgery. Bourjos also discussed his role with the team for 2015 in addition to talking about his rehab. Read more on Bourjos: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals.com. (Video Credit: Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

  • Matt Belisle: The new Cardinals reliever described it as “pouring kerosene on an already lit fire” when he found out the Cardinals were interested in signing him (Brian Stull on Twitter). Belisle also told Stull: “I’ve always looked across and watched La Russa and now Matheny just beat up on us and say that’s how you play the game.” Read more of Belisle’s comments and hear his interview with the media from St. Louis Baseball Weekly.
  • Mark Reynolds: Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com spoke with the new Cardinals’ infielder as while as new reliever Matt Belisle. Here are some of Reynolds’ comments: “(Manager) Mike (Matheny) called me and told me he wanted me as a part of this,” Reynolds said. “I was ready. I wanted to be here. I wanted a chance to play for a contender, and I wanted a place to win.” Read more: Cardinals.com
  • 2015 Cards HOF Class: The candidates for the 2015 Cardinals Hall of Fame class were revealed on Saturday. Ted Simmons, Bob Forsch, Mark McGwire, Joe Torre, Matt Morris and Keith Hernandez are returning to the ballet for a second year, while Steve Carlton and Edgar Renteria are eligible for the first time this year. Read more: Cardinals.com, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  • Stephen Piscotty: The young outfielder told reporters, including KSDK’s Frank Cusumano, that he “felt a need to drive the ball better. It’s a small adjustment that could have a big impact,” Piscotty added. Piscotty believes his adjustments will help his power. He also said that he is happy anywhere in the outfield and that he has worked some at first base…. Piscotty revealed that after being not selected as a September call-up by the big-league club, he finished his degree from Stanford in Atmosphere and Energy Engineering. (Video Credit: Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

 

  • Jason Heyward: The new Cardinal right fielder said he is willing to listen to potential contract extension offers from the Cardinals. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “At this point, I don’t,” Heyward said when asked if he would have a reason to stop talking about his contract when the season started. “They asked me to be here and I was traded into this situation, and it’s a good situation. For me, I just feel like I need to show up and do my job, kind of follow their lead with certain things. Me, I’m going to show up every day and look to play the game the right way and have fun doing it. After that, we’ll see what happens. It’s kind of a unique situation because this is my last year before free agency.” Read more: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals.com …Heyward also said that veteran left-fielder Matt Holliday was one of the first people to contact him and offer help on finding a place to live and workout (Frank Cusuamo on Twitter)…After the festivities Saturday Heyward took to Twitter to thank the fans for his warm welcome.
  • Pete Kozma: The 26-year-old, who is out of options, told reporters he will play anywhere he’s asked in 2015. From the Post-Dispatch: “If (manager Mike Matheny) names a position, I’m going to say, ‘Yes,”’ said Kozma. “I’m not going to say, ‘No.'” Read more: St. Louis Post Dispatch
  • Randal Grichuk, Ty Kelly: You can see interviews with outfielder Randal Grichuk and infielder Ty Kelly by clicking on the links (from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
  • Carlos Martinez: Pitcher Nick Greenwood recently returned from the Dominican Republic with Carlos Martinez, and he told Brian Walton of TheCardinalNation.com that Martinez “overmatched” batters and that he looks ready to compete.
  • Oscar Taveras: Also from Walton, Cardinals players will wear an arm patch on their sleeves with “OT” on it in 2015 in remembrance of young outfielder Oscar Taveras. Carlos Martinez will be wearing Taveras’ number 18 to remember his friend…first baseman Xavier Scruggs told Stan McNeal of Fox Sports Midwest that there was a moment of silence before every game in the Dominican Republic following Taveras’ death…Bill DeWitt Jr. announced that Cardinals Care will fund the development of a youth ball field in Sosua, Dominican Republic, Taveras’ hometown. Read more: theScore, Hardball Talk
  • Finally, Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak told reporters and fans (during a Q&A session) that the club is not “actively shopping” for a starting pitcher:

Mozeliak discussed the rumors on the team adding a starting pitcher among other topics in this video (from Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch):

Read more on the team’s rotation plans from Cardinals.com.

 

Latest Reports from the Cardinals Winter Warm-Up: Here’s a look at some of the news, reports, and rumors from Cardinals reporters on the 19th annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up from the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch from throughout the entire event:

 

Feature image used under Creative Commons from Ron Cogswell. No changes made. Image License.

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