It was presumed that Matt Pagnozzi, a good defensive catcher, would be summoned from Class AAA Memphis if veteran Cardinals backup catcher Jason LaRue had to go on the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain. The second part of that equation did take place today but, instead of Pagnozzi, lefthanded-hitting Bryan Anderson was summoned to the big leagues for the first time. Anderson, who received just a couple of at-bats this spring as manager Tony La Russa caught Pagnozzi far more than Anderson, was hittting .333 with a home run at Memphis in the first week while Pagnozzi was hitless in six at-bats. More significantly was that Memphis manager Chris Maloney and Cardinals catching instructor Mike Matheny have been impressed by Anderson’s defense, which had been in question previously. “It was a tough call,” said La Russa, “because all spring we had Pags ready to do this. But, when you earn it, you earn it. (Anderson) has been getting the playing time down there.” Anderson, 23, has been in the Cardinals’ system since he was a fourth-round pick in the 2005 draft. But he was chosen out of high school, not college, and La Russa said that perhaps had not been taken into account in explaining Anderson’s slow rise recently. “He was signed as a baby, right?” said La Russa. “For years, years and years, baseball people have had a tendency to de-value too quickly. You’ve got to factor in after about three years where he should be when you first see a (player) out of college. So, he’s probably right on time. “It’s a tough position.” Anderson missed the last 71 games of the 2009 season with a separated left shoulder suffered in a home-plate collision. He hit .281 for Memphis in 2008 after batting .388 that year at Class AA Springfield. Anderson’s most productive season came at Springfield when he hit .298 with six homers and 53 runs batted in. Matheny, a three-time Gold Glover for the Cardinals, said Anderson had improved in receiving the ball more softly than he had before and in lowering his catching stance. “There were some pretty critical people noticing that he had made some adjustments,” said Matheny. “He was taught a different way to catch. He was real aggressive. It’s kind of a tough call, to have that football mentality back there, as well as to soften yourself.” LaRue won’t be able to do any baseball activities, said La Russa, for the next five or six days but La Russa does expect the 36-year-old LaRue back when he is scheduled to come off the disabled list on April 27. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 因為LaRue受傷，所以Anderson被叫上來，體驗一下大聯盟處女秀 不知道防守真的到底有沒有進步...... 明年他跟Matt Pagnozzi應該會爭替補捕手吧.... --

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