The Cardinal Way- Crops, Clydesdales and Championships

[royals19]

INTRODUCTION

When prospects sign with the Cardinals following the draft, they are greeted by a FedEx package on their doorstep the following day. It has "urgent" written on it, stickers placed upon it and clear signs of a lengthy journey. It's addressed to the prospect and sent from the legendary Busch Stadium. As the player sits with his family and opens the package, he is confronted with a unique throwback jacket, issued to players who sign, and a hefty handbook titled:

"The Cardinal Way"...

The book is a collection of material from generations of the Cardinal's player development system. It discusses everything a player will encounter on his trip through the minors. The book details everything from information on every type of groundball one will encounter to the exact location where the catcher should set up behind the plate. It was conceived in an effort to put the organization on the same page, from the Dominican affiliates to the major leagues. It has certainly accomplished that goal but "The Cardinal Way" goes beyond the pages of any book.

"The Cardinal Way" preaches playing the game, together, the right way. If anything, it preaches comradery; picking your teammates up and ensuring the job gets done no matter what the cost. It's about accepting your role and fulfilling it to the best of your ability. "The Cardinal Way" asserts that a team must function as a unit and unite behind the common goal of winning in October. It isn't about the money, it isn't about the notority or fame, it's about the game of baseball and playing it "The Cardinal Way."

When you think of success, the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox and Braves usually come to mind. The Yankees and their wins, the Red Sox and their history, the Dodgers and their legacy and the Braves and their consistency. Quietly however, in the humble midwestern city of St. Louis, the Cardinals have spent decades exhibiting those qualities. They don't have the highest payroll in the league and they don't have the most rings in the league yet they remain one step ahead of the pack, one step ahead of the game.

And this folks, is the story of how...

[royals19]

Our story begins on a baseball field deep in the interior of Georgia. Armed with a bat, glove and his trusty Braves hat, freshman Willie Singleton digs in, ready to face a senior who's slated to go Division One at the end of the year. The senior quickly worked ahead with a pair of high 80's fastballs but Willie wasn't deterred. The Senior wound up again and left a tasty curveball hanging.

Belt high.

******

In high school, Willie wasn't the jock or the overwhelming nerd. He could hold his own in the batter's box just as well as he could on his math homework. Willie was a hoping to get noticed for his baseball talents but Harvard saw past that front and offered him a full ride academic scholarship after a strong essay he composed on the impact of baseball on the south.

Willie thoroughly enjoyed Harvard but without baseball in his life, something was missing. Roughly halfway through his freshman year, Willie began to make the short drive to Fenway Park to attend baseball games in hopes that one day he would be back in the game, some how, some way.

Finally during a scheduled visit with his guidance counselor, Willie was informed of an internship with the Boston Red Sox. Willie called the Red Sox that same day and scheudled an interview for the position, not knowing exactly what to expect.

Later that week, Willie found himself sitting before the legendary, Bill James and the not so legendary Ben Cherington bearing the brunt of perhaps the toughest questions he had ever faced. Throughout the interview, Willie couldn't tell if he was making a royal fool out of himself or impressing these intelligent front office executives.

Willie left that May interview with a strong feeling that he probably wasn't going to get the job. He hadn't played beyond high school and the only real thing going for him were his analytical and math skills. The following Thursday, Willie got a letter in the mail informing him of his acceptance into the program with a signed note from Theo Epstein that said "Good thing your from Harvard, kid."

Willie's first task was to write a report on which player he felt the Boston Red Sox should be taking in the draft with quantifiable evidence and traditional wisdom. His co-interns were suggesting players such as Andrew McCutchen, Ryan Zimmerman and Alex Gordon. Willie however wrote his report on Jacoby Ellsbury believing that his incredible athleticism would translate well from a mathematical standpoint into tangible results. Six days later, the Boston Red Sox would select Ellsbury. As the days and eventually the months went by, the intern class was gradually scaled down until only Willie and another fellow from Harvard were left. Both were offered full time jobs with the Red Sox as assistants to the scouting department.

As Willie continued to work with the Red Sox, he advocated the drafting of players such as Will Middlebrooks, Mike Trout and Zach Lee. Gradually, Willie began to gain notoriety around the league for utilizing math to evaluate how player's athleticism would translate to the major leagues. For nearly all of Willie's tenure the Red Sox were the only ones who had that level of understanding and knowledge.

In 2011, the Red Sox suffered their unbearable collapse as a team and organization. Willie's mentor Theo Epstein left for the Cubs and offered Willie a position with the Cubs but Willie declined hoping to eventually be General Manager of the Red Sox. When co-worker Ben Cherington was promoted to General Manager, Willie began to seek work elsewhere.. amid a dismal, Bobby Valentine-lead season.

With no job offers or openings to be found... Willie geared up for another season with the Sox in 2013.

However... A phone call would change everything.

******

There's a tribute, a small marker where that ball landed. That spot has gone down in lore as an almost improbably achievement. No one has hit a ball further than where this marker lies. Most people who remember that day have moved on but if you ask the old folks in town, they'll gladly tell you the story of the marker that reads. "576."

[lastlastlast]

Glad to see you back man! The Cards are my favorite team so you better do this one right!

[royals19]

Willie Singleton had just completed perhaps the most grueling season of any in his young career. It was a season marred by shenanigans, fried chicken and cry babies. This offseason was sure to be a doozy. people were calling for heads to roll; Boston's reputation was destroyed and it was a sure thing that the Sox were going to have to head into rebuild mode.

Just thinking about it made Willie's head spin. But never mind that, the Patriots were on! As Willie refocused, Tom Brady took the snap and surveyed the field before throwing a pick

*Damn*

Suddenly the phone began to ring. Willie walked into the kitchen and answered the phone.

Willie Singleton- Hello?



John Mozeliak- Is this Willie Singleton?

Willie- Who wants to know?

John- Willie, this is John Mozeliak from the St. Louis Cardinals. I'm calling about a potential job opportunity.

Willie- What do you have chief?

John- Umm... Nevermind. We have an opening at Scouting Director and I'm wondering if you would like to come in and interview. We've already talked with the Red Sox and Ben specifically encouraged you to interview for it.



Willie- Yeah John, I'm interested. When do you want to talk?

John- Does October 18th sound good? We can watch the game and talk about the opportunity.

Willie- Sure that's be fine. See you then.

Willie hung up the phone and went to pack his bags and get a plane ticket. He wasn't about to let this opportunity to escape him.

[royals19]

Quote: Originally Posted by lastlastlast

Glad to see you back man! The Cards are my favorite team so you better do this one right!

Feels good to be back! It's been too long.

I think I've finally learned my lesson about trades and free agency and it only took me 10 seasons. With the Cards I plan on keeping the team the same for the most part with perhaps the occasional supplement from Free Agency and trade here or there if necessary. The George McGovern era is over... we have a smarter character running the show who has a good idea of what he's doing.

[lastlastlast]

Sounds good man! The Cards are one of the best teams for that philosophy because we have a good future lined out, especially with the pitching staff. Hope it turns out well for you, I was planning on starting my own Cards chise on PS4, not sure if I will be reporting it here though

[royals19]

Quote: Originally Posted by lastlastlast

Sounds good man! The Cards are one of the best teams for that philosophy because we have a good future lined out, especially with the pitching staff. Hope it turns out well for you, I was planning on starting my own Cards chise on PS4, not sure if I will be reporting it here though

Thanks man, I appreciate it! This ought to be a fun ride!



October 18th, 2012
Giants @ Cardinals

The 18th had finally come and Willie was sitting with Cardinals GM John Mozeliak in the General Manager's suite. The Cardinal's fans cheered again as Adam Wainwright made Hunter Pence look silly with one of his trademark curveballs.

John- Willie let me start off by saying that we were extremely impressed with your resume. Your success in the draft has been remarkable, your use of metrics is huge and you've played the game which is another plus.

Willie, how do you feel about leaving Boston?

Willie- Well when Theo left, the whole place fell apart. A lot of people's jobs are riding on this season and the culture had built prior to 2012 had disappeared. As for leaving Boston, I think now's the time to move on.

John- So is safe to say that their fall from grace is your fault? After all, you were their head of player development and scouting.

Willie- Well John, it ultimately falls on the players to produce but I take full responsibility for their lack of preparedness. It was my responsibility to make sure we had players who could counter this type of situation and I failed.

John- OK, that pretty much raps it up... Hey, what do you think about metrics?

Willie- It's the only sure fire way to tell if a player's skills will translate. You still have to scout them traditionally of course but the game is changing. We can no longer rely on the scout's eye to find talent. We have to use all possible avenues to compete with the other 29 clubs.

John- Alright, later Willie.

Willie took this as his cue to leave. It was by far the most awkward job interview he had ever been a part of. Mozeliak had shown little emotion so Willie wasn't sure if he got the job or not.

Walking out of the ballpark, however, Willie couldn't shake the strange feeling that he would somehow be back.

[royals19]

Sorry for pumping out the updates but once we get this story set and start getting into the games, things will slow down into a nice smooth rhythm. We don't have to blow through a whole season in a matter of weeks right? Let's take the time to do this one the right way.

December 20th
Busch Stadium

Willie had waited two months and was certain he wasn't going to get the job. Willie had even quit his job with the Red Sox and was selling his house in preperation for an opportunity he wasn't even sure he was going to get a crack at. Out of the blue however, (during another Patriots game) John Mozeliak called and informed him that he did indeed get the job and that he was to catch the quickest flight to St. Louis.

Later that evening, Willie arrived and was ushered to his office. It was filled with Cardinals memoribillia, a new Apple laptop and a massive fruit basket with all sorts of exotic fruits.

Willie sat in his ofice chair and looked over the memorabilia: And autographed Stan Musial Jersey, a ball signed by all members of the 2011 team that won it all, various paintings, pennants and much more.

He went to move his fruit basket and found a massive spiral book titled, "The Cardinal Way." with a sticky note that said, "Read it. The whole thing."

So willie kicked back in his new office and started reading his new organization's manuscript. He was now the new Scouting Director for the St. Louis Cardinals Organization.