Maroth Released by Cardinals

Maroth Released by Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals began their off-season roster re-tooling by saying goodbye to left-handed pitcher Mike Maroth. The 30-year-old was released by the club on Tuesday.
Maroth was acquired from the Detroit Tigers in late June for a player to be named later in return compensation. That turned out to be former first-round pick, pitcher Chris Lambert.

Like Lambert, Maroth proved to be a major disappointment to the Cardinals. Overall, Maroth was 0-5 with a 10.66 ERA over 38 innings pitched with St. Louis. In seven starts, he posted an 0-4 record with a 9.29 ERA. Banished to the bullpen, he struggled even worse. In seven innings over seven games, Maroth allowed 13 runs for a 16.71 ERA in relief.

On his blog earlier this summer, Maroth summarized his difficulties on the mound. “Mentally, I have battled a lot. Baseball is as tough a mental game as it is physical. Often, you have to train yourself to be stronger mentally than physically to persevere through the tough stretches. My struggles in July were not anything I had ever been through before.”

Before joining St. Louis, Maroth was 5-2 with a 5.06 ERA in 13 starts for the Tigers this year as he tried to work his way back from arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips in his left elbow last June that limited his 2006 season to 13 appearances. With the Cardinals, Maroth missed almost three weeks in August due to what he called “a mild case of elbow tendinitis”.

Maroth is most known for his major league-leading 21 losses in 2003, his second season in the major leagues. That made him the first major league pitcher since 1980 to lose 20 or more games. Maroth was originally the third-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in the 1988 draft before being traded to Detroit in 1999.

Maroth has appeared in 161 career games (150 starts) over his six-year Major League career and owns a 50-67 record and lifetime 5.05 ERA. He was one of only 13 southpaw hurlers in Tigers history to record 50 wins, but left his second MLB club winless.

The Florida native was paid $2.95 million this past season in the second year of a two-year contract signed with the Tigers. Due to his service time accrued, Maroth is arbitration-eligible, but his rights could have been controlled by the Cardinals next season if they so chose.

Instead, they cut him loose.

Aww poor Mike.

Someone might pick him up...

Wow, that really sucks I always liked him boooooo! Tigers should pick him up.

I agree with Soul!! I always liked Mike. I like all of our Mikes...well not Mike Hessman.

mrsrabelo wrote:

I agree with Soul!! I always liked Mike. I like all of our Mikes...well not Mike Hessman.

What have you got against Mike Hessman?

bobrob2004 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

I agree with Soul!! I always liked Mike. I like all of our Mikes...well not Mike Hessman.

What have you got against Mike Hessman?

He reminds me of a serial killer... I know its a dumb reason. I dont hate him I think he is a good player he just isn't one of my favorites.

mrsrabelo wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

I agree with Soul!! I always liked Mike. I like all of our Mikes...well not Mike Hessman.

What have you got against Mike Hessman?

He reminds me of a serial killer... I know its a dumb reason. I dont hate him I think he is a good player he just isn't one of my favorites.

That's what my dad says about Jonathan Papelbon!

catbox_9 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

I agree with Soul!! I always liked Mike. I like all of our Mikes...well not Mike Hessman.

What have you got against Mike Hessman?

He reminds me of a serial killer... I know its a dumb reason. I dont hate him I think he is a good player he just isn't one of my favorites.

That's what my dad says about Jonathan Papelbon!

why?

SoulRat wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

I agree with Soul!! I always liked Mike. I like all of our Mikes...well not Mike Hessman.

What have you got against Mike Hessman?

He reminds me of a serial killer... I know its a dumb reason. I dont hate him I think he is a good player he just isn't one of my favorites.

That's what my dad says about Jonathan Papelbon!

why?

Well look at him!

Jonathan Papelbon is adorable!

Serial Killer




Adorable



(he kinda got a little messed up when I made the pict smaller but you get the idea!)

Yeah I agree!!

Of course, just check out my J Pap thead, and you might see that....

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

I agree with Soul!! I always liked Mike. I like all of our Mikes...well not Mike Hessman.

What have you got against Mike Hessman?

He reminds me of a serial killer... I know its a dumb reason. I dont hate him I think he is a good player he just isn't one of my favorites.

That's what my dad says about Jonathan Papelbon!

why?

Well look at him!

Hey! That's insulting, and not nice! haha. What's wrong with <----that's not the least bit scary!!

Ok in that pict he looks scary but in the other ones he is uhdorable!!

Yeah, I couldn't find one that I wanted to post, so I just posted that one really quick.

:'(
Well, I'm sort of out of words, I miss Mike. I wonder who might pick him up. That's going to be sort of interesting I guess....

ooooo poor Maroth..... :'(

detigersfan06 wrote:

ooooo poor Maroth..... :'(

I don't know about poor. He's got plenty of money....

I did not mean it that way.LOL!!!

detigersfan06 wrote:

I did not mean it that way.LOL!!!

Oh, well in that case...poor Maroth!

catbox_9 wrote:

detigersfan06 wrote:

I did not mean it that way.LOL!!!

Oh, well in that case...poor Maroth!

Ok guys I just came up with a perfect idea!!! We can get Mike back and put him in the bullpen in Ugly Tim...I mean Tim Byrdaks spot!

mrsrabelo wrote:

Ok guys I just came up with a perfect idea!!! We can get Mike back and put him in the bullpen in Ugly Tim...I mean Tim Byrdaks spot!

</SPAN>

Byrdak is not a bad pitcher though... well from what I say this year atleast.

No he isnt a bad pitcher but he isn't excellent either. I don't like his attitude he is very grumpy.

mrsrabelo wrote:

No he isnt a bad pitcher but he isn't excellent either. I don't like his attitude he is very grumpy.

Tell us more!

catbox_9 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

No he isnt a bad pitcher but he isn't excellent either. I don't like his attitude he is very grumpy.

Tell us more!

What do you mean? Talk bad about Ugly Tim??

mrsrabelo wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

No he isnt a bad pitcher but he isn't excellent either. I don't like his attitude he is very grumpy.

Tell us more!

What do you mean? Talk bad about Ugly Tim??

Yeah!

Ugly Tim is an old grumpy grandpa. We drove behind him all the way to Comerica one day and I think we freaked him out bcuz since then he wont wave at us or sign stuff by us anymore. :'( So thats why I don't like him. He had been a Tiger for too long!

mrsrabelo wrote:

No he isnt a bad pitcher but he isn't excellent either. I don't like his attitude he is very grumpy.

He's a grumpy old man? He seems like it... always scowling booo!