Jocketty and Mo Best/Worst – B/W # 4

Last one for today.

Best # 4: Cards trade for Scott Rolen

This guy was good in STL. Real good.

Scott Rolen was traded to St. Louis in 2002 from Philadelphia for Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin and Bud Smith. At the time he was dealt to the Redbirds, he had an accomplished career. When he left St. Louis in 2008, he became more of a legendary figure.

Rolen had some offensive power, but he was mostly known for his arm. He’s still the best 3rd baseman I’ve ever seen defensively. Scotty Ro rarely made a bad throw. His accuracy is great, especially for how strong his arm is. Like Jim Edmonds, Rolen had his career year in 2004. In 142 games that season, he batted .314, had 34 home runs and knocked in 124 runners. I found that it was really unfortunate to see his relationship with manager Tony LaRussa deteriorate in 2006, and led to his being traded in the 2008 offseason. I still miss seeing Rolen’s # 27 out in the field.

Worst # 4: Cards sign Ron Villone

Ron Villone... a good guy, but not a good pitcher.

The most recent to don # 27 for St. Lou was left-handed reliever Ron Villone. Let’s just say, in short, that he did not have the best of years in 2008. This guy could not throw a strike, and from what I saw, frequently walked players. In 75 appearances, Villone was 1-2 with a 4.68 ERA, striking out 50 and walking 37. Whenever Ron came into a game, trouble would soon show up, even if no one was on base. He’s a nice guy (he tossed several balls to kids at a Tigers game I was at), but he’s not a great pitcher. (Oddly enough, I happened to find the picture above with Comerica Park in the background. This was not the game I was at, but I found it funny that there’s a coincidence)

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