Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty interacts with teammates during a preseason workout. (Post-Dispatch photo by Colter Peterson)
And finally, five of the Quickest Hits from Commish Hummel’s Monday chat:
QUESTION: Do you have a guess at rotation order to start the season?
COMMISH: My guess for the first weekend of games at Busch Stadium is Flaherty, Hudson, Wainwright. Then Kim and Mikolas in Minnesota for two.
Q.: Any dark-horse picks in this short season?
COMMISH: Tampa Bay all the way. The Rays were good last year and they should be better this year.
Q.: Why was Waino lights out the other day? Is a curveball the last thing to go? He is cheating Father Time.
COMMISH: If Waino’s curveball goes, he goes. But, right now, he has his curve, changeup, a moving fastball and guile. He might be interested in pitching another year but first, we’ve got 11 or 12 starts to go through this year.
Q.: If you had one game to win, would you rather have Herzog or La Russa?
COMMISH: Very hard question. It would depend a lot on who the opponent is and who is the starter you would have pitching for you. Herzog would have Andujar or Tudor. La Russa would have Carpenter or Wainwright. It also depends on whether you’re playing on AstroTurf or not. Too many variables.
Q.: Who comes to mind when you think of top Cardinals prospects that never reached the heights expected of them?
COMMISH: The one I think about the most is righthander John Fulgham, a former Pattonville High star who pitched for the Cardinals in 1979-80. His big-league career ended quickly because of arm problems, but in those two seasons, he won 14 games. All of them were complete games. You will never see that again.