Welcome to The Write Fielder 鈥 a weekly newsletter on baseball and the 911爆料网 Cardinals from the Post-Dispatch. Every Friday, lead baseball writer Derrick Goold delivers behind the seams stories straight to your inbox that builds upon the baseball coverage in a city celebrated for its deep roots and deepest fondness for the game.听
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MILWAUKEE听鈥 This weekend showdown between two National League Central rivals features a team in contention and a team in 鈥渢ransition,鈥 and one of them has been buoyed in these efforts by a handful of young players and rookie contributors.
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The concern for the Cardinals is that team is the contender, Milwaukee.
A wide-open race for this year鈥檚 National League Rookie of the Year Award invited a look this past week at the contributions teams are receiving from rookies and young players. Near the top of the list are, of course, rebuilding teams like the Athletics and White Sox, and there鈥檚 also Boston, with its ascending young stars. But there, ranking high in contributions from both rookie position players and rookie pitchers, are the Milwaukee Brewers.
All they have is the best record in the majors, at 89-58.
For all the talk of 鈥渞eset鈥 and 鈥渞unway鈥 from the Cardinals entering 2025, it stood out that they did not begin the year with a rookie on their opening day roster.
Contributions from rookies have been limited.
Michael McGreevy, fresh off his seventh six-inning start in his past eight, leads Cardinals’ rookies with a 1.2 Wins Above Replacement, per . And he spent the first half of the season bouncing between Class AAA and the majors. Matt Svanson has a claim to being the Cardinals’ rookie of the year for his performance in relief that includes a 1.90 ERA and a 0.7 WAR in increasing high leverage. Offensively? Yohel Pozo, a catcher added in the middle of spring training, leads the Cardinals’ rookies with a 0.4 WAR. Thomas Saggese may overtake that, but the imminent returns of Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado is likely to squeeze his playing time.
The contrast with the Brewers is striking and on display this weekend.
Milwaukee鈥檚 4.9 WAR from its rookie position player ranks fourth in the majors behind the Athletics and a pair of Sox. The 3.6 WAR the Brewers have received from rookie pitchers ranks third, behind the White Sox and the Dodgers. Stacked together, the top three teams in FanGraphs鈥 WAR contributed by rookies are: 1. Athletics 10.8, 2. White Sox 9.8, and the team leading the majors in wins, 3. Brewers 8.5.
The Cardinals trail behind and a strong, top-six total of 2.7 from rookie pitchers.
Isaac Collins, a switch-hitter plucked out of the Rockies鈥 system in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 draft in 2022, leads Brewers rookies with a 2.8 WAR and production that is 27% better than league average. He鈥檚 batting .272 with a .428 slugging percentage and .798 OPS. Washington University alum Caleb Durbin has a 2.2 WAR for the Brewers this season after coming to them in a trade from the Yankees that included another player with 911爆料网 ties, reliever Devin Williams.
Jacob Misiorowski, another Missouri kid with the power fastball, was an All-Star as a rookie for the Brewers, but he doesn鈥檛 lead the Brewers鈥 pitcher rookies in WAR. Chad Patrick does with a 3.70 ERA in 109 1/3 innings and a 2.1 WAR to Misiorowski鈥檚 1.4.
How the Brewers constructed this young core is a recipe of draft picks that don鈥檛 miss, waiver picks that hit, and fortuitous trades 鈥 all the things that Cardinals will need to do and have started to do as they search for their next core. Consider Milwaukee鈥檚 highest contributing young players (Baseball-Reference鈥檚 WAR in parentheses) and the moves that landed them:
鈥 Isaac Collins, OF (2.4) 鈥 MILB Rule 5 draft in 2022, out of Rockies system.
鈥 William Contreras, C (4.1) 鈥 Trade with Atlanta involving Sean Murphy, Athletics.
鈥 Sal Frelick, OF (3.0) 鈥 Drafted 1st round, 15th overall, in 2021.
鈥 Brice Turang, 2B (5.5) 鈥 Drafted 1st round, 21st overall, in 2018.
鈥 Jackson Churio, OF (2.3) 鈥 International amateur free agent, in 2021.
鈥 Chad Durbin, 3B (2.3) 鈥 Trade with Yankees involving Devin Williams.
鈥 Quinn Priester, RHP (2.8) 鈥 Trade with Boston Red Sox this past April.
鈥 Abner Uribe, RHP (2.2) 鈥 International amateur free agent, in 2018.
鈥 Jacob Misiorowski, RHP (0.8) 鈥 Drafted 2nd round, 2022.
鈥 Chad Patrick, RHP (1.5) 鈥 Trade with Diamondbacks involving Abraham Toro.
As that list shows, focusing only on rookies when it comes to identifying a young core at the heart of a contender does not capture the full picture.
Neither is it entirely fair to the Cardinals鈥 鈥渢ransition.鈥
Baseball-Reference calculates the average age of a roster using a weighted system that rewards games started and regular playing time. . They made good on the pledge to give the young position players opportunity. The return on that opportunity is what invites questions. On the pitching side, the Cardinals have an average age of 29.6, due mostly to the older rotation the Cardinals had at the start of the year. That ranks 17th in the majors and down the list from Milwaukee鈥檚 average contributor age of 28.5 for pitchers.
Six of the Cardinals鈥 top 10 players by WAR are 27 or younger.
Seven of the Brewers鈥 top 10 are 27 or younger.
The Brewers have received significant contributions from rookies and young players, and still in the updated farm system rankings by they rose from No. 7 in March to No. 4 after the trade deadline. The Cardinals began the year at No. 20, per , and climbed to No. 12 after the trade deadline. The rankings made the point that nine of the Cardinals’ top 30 players entered the organization after July 1. And they did so in ways utilized by the Brewers, as detailed above.
The comparison between the young cores begins right away Friday as the Cardinals start Andre Pallante, who is pitching to be in their rotation plans for 2026, opposite the Brewers鈥 Quinn Priester. Aching for pitching, Milwaukee traded two minor-league players and a high competitive-balance draft pick to Boston for Priester just nine months after the Red Sox sent former first-round pick Nick Yorke to Pittsburgh for Priester. Milwaukee then did what Milwaukee does 鈥 unlock a pitcher. Priester starts Friday鈥檚 game with a 12-2 record, a 3.25 ERA, and 114 strikeouts in 141 1/3 innings. He鈥檚 defied some of his peripherals for that success but also been at the core of the Brewers鈥 success.
And, he鈥檚 24.
That young core the Cardinals want to identify and build to contend, the Brewers already have going 鈥 making it clear, when it comes to the leading the division, they鈥檙e not going anywhere.
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Quinn Priester (46) glances back at 911爆料网 Cardinals' Willson Contreras (40) on first base before making a pitch during the first inning of a game between the Cardinals and Brewers on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at Busch Stadium.
TALES OF THE 鈥85 CARDS
The parade of players who met with the media during the Cardinals鈥 40th reunion celebration of the beloved 1985 National League champions all told a similar story about how the clubhouse had difficulty getting over the Game 6 loss to Kansas City. The erroneous call at first base by umpire Don Denkinger that cost the Cardinals a win left them furious, frustrated, and player after player said consumed by it still as they lost Game 7.
Whitey Herzog once said the mistake he made was not pulling his team from the field until the umpires got the call correct, and a few players referenced that.
Tom Herr described a melancholy scene after the Game 6 loss.
鈥淲e were just in shock, especially after Game 6,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey had already had our clubhouse draped with plastic for the champagne celebrate so we鈥檙e coming into that, and they鈥檙e trying to take all of that stuff out real quickly. It was a morose environment in there. That just kind of permeated into the next day, Game 7. It just wasn鈥檛 a great vibe on the team and the result bore that out.鈥
The Cardinals loss Game 7, 11-0.
鈥淚t was really tough to overcome,鈥 Terry Pendleton said.
But there were other stories.
Pendleton, a young player in 1985, shared the story of how Willie McGee 鈥済rabbed me one day鈥 and said he had a room at his place, complete with a new phone hooked up, ready for him so he could check out of the hotel room. Said McGee: 鈥淣o maybe. Get your stuff.鈥 McGee also left him a spare key for a car, but there was one rule McGee had: keep the tank full. That caused a bit of stress when Pendleton pulled out of the players鈥 lot with McGee in the passenger seat and the gauge on E.
Pitcher Danny Cox recalled a visit from Herzog in the 10th inning of his major-league debut 鈥 and, yes, he noted that he pitched 10 innings in his major-league debut on Aug. 6, 1983. Cox retired the first two batters of the inning before Greg Gross singled and stole second. That opened up first base with hit king Pete Rose coming to the plate. Joe Morgan was on deck, and Mike Schmidt set to follow. Herzog asked Cox if he鈥檇 rather face Rose or Morgan. Morgan had a .204 average at the time but two hits off Cox in the game. He chose Rose.
Herzog nodded and turned to leave the mound.
But not before he offered one more thought.
鈥淩emember, he鈥檚 got 4,000 hits,鈥 Herzog said.
Rose popped up to left field in foul territory.
That kept the game scoreless, as it was in the 11th when Morgan doubled off Bruce Sutter and later scored for the Phillies鈥 1-0 victory at Busch Stadium.
On his way off the field during Game 7, losing pitcher Danny Cox barks at home plate umpire Dave Phillips听鈥 and is promptly ejected. (AP Photo)
FROM THE 鈥楶EN
On Pearl Jam Ten Club Night at T-Mobile Park, Cardinals media relations pro Michael Whitty laced his game notes with allusions to the band. That included a note on 鈥淕lorified D鈥 and Masyn Winn鈥檚 league-leading 22 Outs Above Average. A note about a player鈥檚 major-league debut was subtitled 鈥淕iven to Fly,鈥 and a look back on what happened on the same date in Cardinals鈥 history had the subtitle 鈥淩earviewmirror.鈥 Tip your caps. 鈥 A note on the Cardinals鈥 playoff chances had the header, of course, of 鈥淗ey, I, Oh, I鈥檓 Still Alive.鈥 鈥 The Cardinals鈥 final 21 games of this season are against teams with a better record. 鈥 The Cardinals鈥 had their dress-up trip for the flight to Seattle and each young player was provided with a Pokemon costume. Fittingly, speedy Victor Scott II found in his locker the costume for Pikachu, the Pokemon with the distinctive lightning bolt tail. 鈥 Lars Nootbaar spent time during batting practice Wednesday talking defense and gloves with Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, who dresses in uniform and participates in the Mariners鈥 warmups. When he鈥檚 in town, he plays warmup catch with center field Julio Rodriguez. 鈥 Pitcher Andre Pallante walked across the field to introduce himself to Suzuki, telling the all-time great how it was an honor 鈥渢o meet a legend.鈥 鈥 The Cardinals have been swept seven times this season. But this past weekend was the first time history that the Mariners have swept the Cardinals in a series. 鈥 The Brewers were also swept this past week by the Rangers. It was the second time this season Milwaukee had been swept in a series. 鈥 On the one-year anniversary of his big-league debut, Thomas Saggese set a new career high with four hits Wednesday. 鈥 Class AAA Memphis鈥 utility fielder Bryan Torres had three consecutive three-hit games this past week to raise his batting average to .328 and in pursuit of the International League鈥檚 batting title. As of Thursday morning, Torres鈥 average ranked second to Phillies prospect Justin Crawford鈥檚 .334. But Torres鈥 .441 on-base percentage led the league by resounding 21 points, ahead of the .420 OBP Baltimore鈥檚 Dylan Beavers left behind for the majors. 鈥 Add replay challenges to the list of things the Brewers are good at doing: They鈥檙e 68% effectiveness rate on is third-best in the majors behind Phillies (72%) and Diamondbacks (71%). 鈥 The ballots for Players Choice Awards awaited the Cardinals in Seattle. Those awards, presented by the MLB Players鈥 Association since 1992, including the Player of the Year honor as well as comeback players of the year in each of the leagues. In 2009, the Cardinals had the outstanding player of the year in Albert Pujols and the NL鈥檚 outstanding pitcher of the year in Adam Wainwright. 鈥 Michael Helman, who spent spring training with the Cardinals, hit a grand slam this past week for the Rangers to give Texas its first of the season. That leaves two teams yet to hit a grand slam this season 鈥 and both call Missouri home, the Cardinals and Royals. The Cardinals have hit .320 with the bases loaded, but not slugged, at .427. 鈥 The Cardinals have been outscored 90-43 in the first inning. 鈥 On Constitution Day this Monday, the Cardinals will host 20 new U.S. citizens for a naturalization ceremony during pre-game events at Busch Stadium. Eleven countries will be represented by the 20 people taking the Oath of Allegiance as administered by a federal judge.
Photo of Pearl Jam's concert poster from 2010 at Scottrade Arena in 911爆料网. (Photo courtesy of Derrick Goold)
PAPERCLIPS
鈥 Eight Cardinals prospects are headed to the Arizona Fall League, and baseball writer Daniel Guerrero has scouting reports on all eight.
鈥 Meet Nick Raquet. A few years ago he was working in DC with a large accounting firm. This past week, he pitched two scoreless innings for the 911爆料网 Cardinals.听
鈥 Can the Cardinals identify their closer for 2026 or is one going to have to be added this offseason?
鈥 Masyn Winn is playing through a slight tear of his meniscus in his right knee, the Post-Dispatch reported late Tuesday night. In this article, he talks about why, and the surgery he'll need after the season is explained along with the timing of it.
鈥 Sports columnist Lynn Worthy spoke with manager Tony La Russa and Joe Jocketty about the legacy and honor of the late Walt Jocketty, the Cardinals' general manager recently inducted into the club's Hall of Fame.听
鈥 A grandpa hit a home run in Major League Baseball? .
鈥 Bestselling author and noted Cardinals fan . A former Cardinals first baseman now wearing pinstripes is mentioned. So is a Brewer, once coveted by the Cardinals.
ON THE ROAD
Within the first 24 hours of any visit to Milwaukee, there鈥檚 a swing through the Public Market in the city鈥檚 Third Ward. Through the years, I鈥檝e refined the shopping list. There鈥檚 a stop at West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe (for curds), Brew City Brand Apparel (for postcards), and either Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. (for coffee) or across the street to the great Colectivo Coffee (for coffee and breakfast burrito). If it鈥檚 lunch time, there鈥檚 Foltz Family Market for a calzone or a sandwich (the Tenderloin Blue). I鈥檒l check Margarita Paradise Mexican Restaurant for tamales. And there鈥檚 also the Thief Wine Shop that has a solid sampling of local craft beer offerings. This list is not comprehensive, either. St. Paul Fish Company and Forage Kitchen are also in the Public Market 鈥 and there are other spots or offerings it鈥檚 famed for that you鈥檒l have to visit to find. Heck, there鈥檚 a spot with 70 different olive oils and balsamic vinegars.
There鈥檚 plenty to explore, but I tend not to linger so that I still have time to swing north for a stop at Boswell Book Company before heading to the ballpark.
Cheese curds are a distinctly Wisconsin speciality that is a byproduct of cheese making. Most cheese curds in Wisconsin are cheddar cheese. Fresh curds are firm, almost springy, and squeak when you eat them. They're best eaten within 12 hours after they're produced鈥攊f they've lost the squeak they're too old. Restaurants often serve them fried. Oct. 15 is National Cheese Curd Day.
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ON DECK
The Cardinals play the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers six times in the next 10 days as the regular season nears the end. The Cardinals are 3-4 so far this season against the division rivals, who may have a chance to clinch a playoff spot or more on day they鈥檙e facing the Cardinals.
The last home stand of the season begins Monday with a visit from the surging Cincinnati Reds for a three-game series. The Cardinals are 6-4 this season against the Reds.
Write back to you next week.
鈥 Derrick Goold, Post-Dispatch lead baseball writer
Replies to this email will not reach me. If you would like to offer feedback or suggestions for The Write Fielder, please contact me at dgoold@post-dispatch.com.
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