No one is singing Cardinals Nation praises louder than newcomer Belisle
ST. LOUIS -- Baseball does not have a rule requiring players acquired by the Cardinals to call Cardinals fans the best in baseball and pledge there's no team they'd rather work for than the one at Busch Stadium.
But it often seems that way.
Heck, even Bud Selig joined the chorus the other night when he called St. Louis "the best baseball town in America" at the St. Louis Baseball Writers' Association of America dinner. Since Selig was being honored in town, you figured some sort of compliment was in order. But the retiring commissioner did not have to bring out the "best" word. He knew how quickly his assertion would spread across the country.
Based on what the latest crop of new Cardinals said at the Cardinals Winter Warm-Up over the weekend, they're no different. All talked up the organization and its devoted fan base with appropriate reverence.
Except for new right-handed reliever Matt Belisle.
He might have taken this "thrilled to be with the Cardinals" attitude to a new level. He was not merely excited to be wanted by St. Louis, he "was extremely humbled and honored" when the Cardinals called early in the free-agent process.
"I've always looked across and watched (Tony) La Russa and now (Mike) Matheny beat up on us and say that's how you play the game," said Belisle, signed to a one-year, $3.5 million free-agent deal. "I'm ready to be Matheny's soldier, the team's soldier. I want to be in the last game of the year holding that trophy."
Belisle said when he learned the Cardinals were pursuing his services, it was like "throwing kerosene on a fire" on his interest in St. Louis. Then Matheny called with his recruiting pitch, which included how much the manager values Belisle's reputation as a clubhouse good guy, and the reliever barely could hold his excitement.
"It's humbling when a man who commands so much respect and honor in the game as Matheny is telling you that," Belisle said. "A very proud moment but a humbling moment, too. I'm very honored."
This is not just someone saying what he's supposed to say. From all accounts, Belisle truly is a clubhouse stalwart.
"His makeup is off the charts," a scout told me after Belisle agreed to terms before the Winter Meetings. General manager John Mozeliak said that Belisle's "character was critical" in the club's interest. Matheny added that Belisle's manager with the Rockies, Walt Weiss, told him: "This guy will do anything you want him to do. He's going to show up, he's going to be ready and he's going to make people around him better."
His enthusiasm did not go unnoticed by his new team at the Winter Warm-Up, either.
"We need to bottle up how he did that," Matheny said. "It's the answer you're supposed to give when you go someplace but this guy ... when you go to a new team, that's how you present it."
The Cardinals sought a veteran reliever because the brain trust believes the bullpen could use some leadership after the departures of Jason Motte and Pat Neshek. Belisle brings more than a strong presence, though. He comes with a reputation for durability and flexibility. Only the Nationals' Tyler Clippard, with 371 appearances, has pitched in more games than Belisle (368) over the past five seasons. He pitches in any and all situations, too, though he is not likely to see much of the eighth or ninth innings when the Cardinals are leading.
Belisle's durability, however, could start to work against him, according to a scout. "He has pitched a lot of innings over a lot of time and his stuff has leveled off some," the scout said.
After spending six seasons with the Rockies, which followed five with the Reds, it's easy to see why Belisle is so fired up to join the Cardinals. In his 11 big-league seasons, he has been on two winning teams and made the postseason once, when he pitched two innings in the Rockies' National League Division Series loss to the Phillies in 2009. His teams have gone 142 games under .500; the Cardinals are 215 games over .500 since Belisle's first season.
Not having to pitch home games at Coors Field would please any pitcher, too, though Belisle was not one to use the thin air and hitter-friendly park as an excuse when he scuffled. He said, in fact, that playing at Coors has made him a better pitcher.
"There are challenges there. There were challenges at the Great American Ball Park when I was coming up," he said. "But I don't look at it as what a relief it is to get out of Colorado. I did have to be very cognizant when I came back home from the road, but that allowed me to become more acute and adept with my stuff and to become more creative on how I attacked hitters."
Watch Cardinals Hot Stove from the Winter Warm-Up this week on FOX Sports Midwest. Click here for local listings.
Belisle's numbers at Coors, in fact, were not nearly as disparate as many. In his time with the Rockies, he posted a 4.07 ERA in 212 1/3 innings at home and a 3.68 in 200 1/3 innings on the road. Wherever he pitches, Belisle is known for throwing strikes. He owns a walk ratio of 2.18 per nine innings for his career, with a strikeout rate of 6.86 per nine. He relies on an easy delivery that creates deception and makes his fastball seem faster than the 91.4 mph it averaged last year, according to fangraphs.com. He also relies on a slider that a scout says acts more like a cutter.
Whatever he'll be throwing with his new team, you can be sure he'll be throwing with gusto.
"I'm just looking forward to being at Busch, being with those fans, having Yadi (Molina) behind the plate and Matheny steering the ship," Belisle said. "It's a great era to be a Cardinal."
And based on his introduction, no one could be any happier to be one.
You can follow Stan McNeal on Twitter at @StanMcNeal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.
