Battery banter

The pitcher-catcher tandem is the most dynamic duo in all of sports. No two players feed off of each other quite like the pitcher and catcher. I couldn't argue you against you if you made a case for a quarterback and his receivers or a point gaurd and his center, but I still am taking what baseball refers to as the "battery".

Recently, we had a full battery pop up on the transactions column, although these two guys are not on the same team. A battery nonetheless, so we will work with it. The St. Louis Cardinals signed catcher Yadier Molina to a four-year deal worth a guaranteed $15.5 million. The contract will take the youngest Molina brother through the 2011 season, and the Cardinals have a club option for 2012 worth $7 million with a $750,000 buyout.

The Cardinals appear to be in a partial-rebuild mode as they are working to piece together a winner like they had in 2006. The team is not too far off, but they are not close to what they were in the 2006 postseason. the Cardinals have plenty of questions to answer, regarding both the offense and the pitching staff.

With Jim Edmonds gone, there isn't much to go along with Albert Pujols unless a few key pieces step up and assumer big time roles. Primarily Troy Glaus. The third baseman, who was acquired from Toronto in a trade for Scott Rolen, needs to be the threat that he is capable of being if this offense wants to put any runs on the board. Centerfield is being held down by anyone at this point, at least until top prospect Colby Rasmus is ready to come up and grab the job.

If Chris Duncan can take on a power role and Rick Ankiel can progress as a major league hitter, things may not look so gloom in St. Louis this summer. That would be a formidable offense to go along with a pitching staff that has the makings to be decent. Of course, the pitchign staff will rely on how Chris Carpenter can return, if the Cardinals will get any production out of Mark Mulder, and if Adam Wainwright can continue to emerge as a front-of-the-rotation starter.

That seems like a lot to ask of a ballclub depleted by injuries, and quite frankly, it is. But that is where Molina's presence will especially be felt. Not only is Molina one of the top catchers in the National League, as proven by his league-best throwing percentage, but he is becoming a master at game calling and handling an entire staff. Molina has learned to work to the strengths of each pitcher, and many in the organization have said this is the area where he has really excelled in the last few years. With all of the questions that are still left to answer for the Cardinals, at least they can relax knowing that the leader of the field is in place for another four years.

Also happening in baseball is the Brett Tomko signing. Many cynical fans are going to immediately respond, "Who the hell cares about Brett Tomko?" Well when you are itching for the arrival of Spring Training and you see the possible makings of a great feel-good story, you tend to get a little excited about a guy who you really wouldn't think of bringing up to a friend or family member in an effort to break some news. As in, "Hey Dad, did you hear about the Tomko signing?" Yeah, that probably wouldn't happen. But it is worth mention in this space.

The Kansas City Royals and Tomko agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal that will bring an experienced big league arm to Spring Training. Tomko will have a shot to break camp in the rotation, or he can be a key piece in the bullpen as he is capable of bringing electric stuff. I remember watching a few outings he had with the Dodgers last year in relief and thinking about how nasty his stuff had looked in a 1-2 inning role. He pumped his fastball up to 96 mph and countered it with a sharp slider and solid changeup.

I would think that Tomko will make a strong enough push to earn the #4 starter spot, given the fact that the Royals don't have a whole lot else behind Gil Meche, Briann Bannister, and Zack Greinke. It didn't dawn on me until I had read a press release that Tomko has been in the big leagues for eleven years.

At first I was thinking that he has been around for about six years and has shown some good stuff but will more than likely end his career as one of those guys who had potential but not everything clicked. But once I sat back and remebered that this guy has been around for a while, not only was I more encouraged about the chances of him having success in Kansas City, but I began to pull for him more.

This is a guy who came into baseball as a promising young pitcher and has already etched out a pretty solid career for himself, based on the standards of the average baseball player. I mean, seriously, 11 years? Ain't so bad. But the fact that Tomko is only 34 years old and still feels like he has something to prove, which he does I guess, depending on who he is looking to prove it to, makes me want to be happy for this guy and hope that he can have a few good years in Kansas City before he leaves the game for years. I think it would be unfair to plug him into a rotation like the Mets, in a division as strong as the National League East, and expect him to win 15+ games. Granted, the AL Central is among one of the best divisions in baseball, but at least he will be on a smaller stage in Kansas City where the media will not crucify the general manager by June for signing the guy. To me, this is exactly the type of story that Spring Training is about.