'Thursty Bardo' a dynamic duo at third
Well-traveled rookies making most of opportunities
By Lisa Winston / MLB.com
05/03/09 11:00 AM ET
ST. LOUIS -- 41. 49. 21. 23. 3. 22. Sound like a lottery ticket? Guess again, though it might not be a bad strategy to pick those numbers. They're the uniform numbers that Joe Thurston has worn in his six Major League stints. But this year, No. 22 on your scorecard with St. Louis may have finally hit the jackpot.
Now in his 11th pro season, the 29-year-old Thurston is one of the most unlikely rookies in the big leagues. He's got more than a year of service time in the Majors but, since almost all of that time was over a series of September call ups -- which don't count against rookie eligibility -- he still qualifies in the rookie category.
This marked the first time that Thurston, originally a fourth-round selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft, broke camp with a big league club.
Before this, he'd logged time with the Dodgers over three seasons, as well as with the Phillies and Boston. But despite a career Minor League batting average bubbling around .300, he never got more than 18 games -- or for that matter 18 at-bats -- in a big league stint to make his mark.
Signed by the Cards as a Minor League free agent this past offseason, and invited to camp as a non-roster player, he parlayed his versatility (he has played third base, shortstop, second base and outfield), his knack with a bat, and a passion and enthusiasm for the game that earned him the nickname "Joey Ballgame" to win a share of what was, on Opening Day, a triumvirate of third basemen sharing the job in the absence of veteran Troy Glaus, out indefinitely with a shoulder injury.
The trio, which included fellow rookies Brian Barden and David Freese, became a duo in mid-April, when the club dealt for reliever Blaine Boyer to bolster the bullpen and optioned Freese to the Minors.
That left Thurston and Barden, 28, a seven-year vet with 32 big league games to his credit, to share the job. Call them, Barden suggested, "Thursty Bardo."
When asked how he decides who starts a given game, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa mimicked a coin flip.
"You want to make sure they're both active," he said. "Maybe there's a pitcher who's a little tougher against right-handed hitters and you'll go to your left-hander, but they're both going to be playing a lot."
In 23 games, Barden is hitting .349 with three home runs and seven RBIs, seeing time at second, shortstop and third. Thurston, meanwhile, is hitting .279 in 22 games and has moved from third to second in a given game to allow for late-game flexibility nine times. He hit his first big league home run Friday night against Washington.
Together, the pair has hit a combined .308, and their versatility has been ideal for the Cards, as their 13-man pitching staff has forced them into a four-player bench scenario.
'Thursty Bardo' a dynamic duo at third | stlcardinals.com: News