Kuzul

The 2013 World Baseball Classic is underway and at least one new face will be working the circuit this year.

On the heels of his third world championship, Tony LaRussa left his managerial post with the St. Louis Cardinals while he was on top.

Having spent more than three decades as a major league manager, he felt it was time to hang up his cap and trade it in for a suit.

In 2012, LaRussa was named as a Special Assistant to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. While he wasn’t sure what that would entail at the time, LaRussa has learned a lot about the business end of baseball in the last year.

“I’ve really been impressed by how many different pieces Major League Baseball has working,” LaRussa told Bleacher Report from Phoenix, Ariz. on Tuesday afternoon. “They’ve got a lot of different departments and ways that they’re trying to bring the game out to people. So far it’s been very successful.”

The World Baseball Classic is a prime example. While the event is governed by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), MLB played an active role in its creation and management. When the International Olympic Committee in 2005 decided to remove baseball, those involved in the sport knew that global outreach was still going to be the future of baseball.

So they took it into their own hands.

”I think 10 years ago the commissioner really began to globalize baseball and it’s had a tremendous impact,” LaRussa said. “We’re just now beginning to see it.”

He said the way that shift is most visible is in the excitement among the teams to show off their country’s best players.

 This is the third rendition of the WBC and you can see the different countries are really excited about displaying their talent to other countries of the world. While it has taken some time to bring excitement to the event, particularly in the United States, LaRussa said he expects 2013 to be a big year for baseball’s only worldwide showcase.

“You’re playing for your country and I think we’re seeing it become more and more competitive,” LaRussa said. “The more competitive it is, the more entertaining it will be.”

The 2013 World Baseball Classic is the first for LaRussa, who was quick to remind that he was working during the spring in 2006 and 2009. The timing of the event, while awkward for American players, is something he doesn’t see changing anytime soon.

“The fact that it happened during spring training is one of the hurdles that we had to get over because a lot of the major leaguers weren’t as ready to play,” LaRussa said. “But, they got some extra work this year, so they should be here ready to play.”

This year, LaRussa’s role at the World Baseball Classic is quite simple–watch baseball. He won’t be watching it like the average fan watch a game, though.

LaRussa will be looking at how rules and other facets of the game affect play. In short, he’ll share the knowledge of a man who has spent a full half-century on or around a baseball diamond.

That experience plays a huge role in the everyday operation of his position with MLB.

“The big difference is that MLB looks at the good of the overall game,” LaRussa said. There’s a lot going on. You’re concerned about the health of the game and what’s good for baseball as opposed to just trying to win your game with your team.”

While winning may not be the primary function of his job, LaRussa acknowledged that his goal is to do his best at whatever he is doing. His 2,728 career wins as a manager tell the same story.

Tickets for the 2013 World Baseball Classic at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Salt River Fields at Talking Stick are on sale now at worldbaseballclassic.com.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The St. Louis Cardinals came into spring training this week with a number of questions about their starting rotation.

Who will win the fifth starter spot? Who will replace the injured Chris Carpenter?

Then a new guy showed up at camp—a skinny fellow with a small goatee. Well, he wasn’t a new guy, but he may as well be.

When Lance Lynn showed up almost 40 pounds lighter than when he left St. Louis in October, he probably didn’t know that his new, leaner physique would be the first big story of the spring.

Lynn, who filled in for Carpenter, couldn’t have asked for a better 2012. His 18-win season over 29 starts earned him his first All-Star berth. He also managed to rack up 180 strikeouts—not bad for a young man in his first year as a starter.

Late in the season, a few hiccups jeopardized his position and landed him a brief bullpen stint. He came back strong, but struggled again in the postseason.

Lynn appears to have returned ready to make a statement that last year was not a fluke.

What will this new physique mean for his mechanics?

Until he takes the mound, we won’t know the full effect on his velocity. While velocity can take a hit with weight loss, the increased endurance, with any luck, will more than make up for it.

He’s an intelligent pitcher, and having a catcher like Yadier Molina to help keep him on the right track has been invaluable.

Lynn will have the entire spring to show why he deserves to be a starter again in 2013, and I have little doubt that’s where he will wind up when all is said and done.

Something that has always intrigued me about Lynn is how he gets dialed in. The key to getting past Lynn is to strike early. Through his first 15 pitches, batters hit .333 against him, but the numbers fall off dramatically from there.

Pitches 16-30: .231
Pitches 31-45: .255
Pitches 46-60: .214
Pitches 61-75: .133

Once Lynn settles in, he can dominate. Late in the 2012 season, as he grew heavier, those numbers slipped a bit.

The hope is that he will see a serious increase in stamina and endurance that will bring him back to that form that helped carry the Cardinals through the majority of the year.

He showed a ton of promise in 2012, with signs that he has what it takes to be a long-term big league starter.

Lynn’s four-seam fastball, his main pitch, clocks in the mid- to upper 90s. He also throws a nasty changeup in the upper 70s to lower 80s, which gives him a fantastic ability to keep hitters on their toes.

Throughout the 2011 World Series, then-manager Tony La Russa relied heavily on Lynn as a powerful bullpen arm. At 23, Lynn was lights-out in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series.

That’s about as tough as tests can get.

Starting now he has another test—showing the management that what they got from him in 2012 was not a fluke. He filled in for Carpenter admirably once before; now he has the opportunity to own that slot in the rotation.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Hopes are high for young St. Louis Cardinals going into spring training, but how many of them will make the big step to the major league team?

Bubble players throughout MLB have prepped all winter in an effort to be ready to put on a good showing when they arrive at spring training.

A bubble player is a player who is on the verge of either making the team or getting cut. They can be young or old, but most often people think of young players.

While everyone on this list is young, there is at least one on the list whose job could be in jeopardy.

Following are six players who have a good shot at making the squad out of spring training.

Begin Slideshow

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Today the St. Louis Cardinals consider themselves in the same place they were at the beginning of 2012—not expecting ace pitcher Chris Carpenter to throw a pitch.

In a Tuesday afternoon press conference, general manager John Mozeliak, accompanied by manager Mike Matheny, made the announcement. 

Mozeliak said Chris Carpenter has experienced renewed discomfort in regard to the condition that cost him most of 2012.

Carpenter contacted the Cardinals on Friday of last week and informed the team that after numerous attempts at throwing bullpen sessions. He was experiencing the same issues with some additional quirks.

Mozeliak reported Carpenter has experienced bruising and redness in his shoulder and hand after throwing.

Carpenter was diagnosed in 2012 with thoracic outlet syndrome. He underwent mid-season and made a rather improbable comeback in time to pitch in the playoffs.

As recently as the Winter Warm-up, Carpenter told reporters that he felt optimistic and had started prepping early.

Mozeliak said Carpenter was clearly not happy about having to make the move, but he felt there was no choice.

“He was definitely teary eyed,” he said. “[Carpenter] felt like to some degree he was letting us down.”

Despite that, Mozeliak told reporters that Carpenter believed he needed to be sure that whatever is going on is not going to prevent him from having “a normal after-career life.”

When asked to characterize Chris Carpenter, Mozeliak used one word: passion.

“He’s one of the most competitive players I’ve ever been around,” he said. “[Carpenter] truly willed himself to want to win. I’ll always admire that about him.”

Matheny touted his “intimidating presence” and added that Carpenter really has “a lot coming crashing down on him at one time.”

While the immediate reaction was disappointment from Mozeliak and Matheny, they made it clear that the team is still ready to compete in the spring.

“After you get over the pity party of not having someone, you have to move on,” Mozeliak told reporters.

Mozeliak said that while many questioned the Cardinals’ lack of big off-season moves, he felt it was the best route to take.

Having not traded off pitching prospects for an additional shortstop gives the Cardinals a better crop of pitchers help fill the Carpenter void.

“There’s going to be some opportunities for some younger pitchers to contribute,” Mozeliak said, noting that there would be lots of work to do once they arrive in Jupiter, Fla. for Spring Training.

Matheny said he expects to see Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, Joe Kelly, Jr. and Trevor Rosenthal all gunning for the new spot in the rotation.

When asked about whether departing free agent Kyle Lohse was an option, he said he didn’t want to discuss individual free agent options.

Despite missing nearly five years due to injury, he’s made a lasting impression on the Cardinals organization. Carpenter has compiled 144 career wins and is the only Cardinal aside from Bob Gibson to win a Cy Young Award.

His 1085 career strikeouts are only 10 behind Dizzy Dean who holds the second spot among Cardinals.

He is fifth on the Cardinals all-time WHIP list with a 1.12 ahead of names like Dean and Gibson.  

He is most well-known for his bulldog mentality on the field and for his 2011 postseason run that carried the Cardinals all the way through the World Series.

Mozeliak said Carpenter, who was not at the press conference, wanted to “get all of his ducks in a row” before speaking to the media.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As the longtime debate regarding performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in Major League Baseball comes to the forefront once again, so too do the questions about the Hall of Fame.

So far, the testing process seems to have had little, if any, deterrent effect on those who use within the sport.

Drugs in sports are nothing new, and will not be going anywhere in the future. As long as there is competition, there will always be players who are looking for that extra edge.

Whether they’re hoping for a big payday, trying to recover from injuries or continue their career for a few more years, there will always be players who use drugs.

This leads to a very difficult problem. How do we ever know definitively who did or did not use?

In short, you will never know for sure who didn’t.

Some are able to outsmart the tests and some may simply never be tested at a time when the banned substance is in their system.

This is what creates a problem for players on the Hall of Fame ballot who have not been associated with PEDs.

Because of the gravity of the situation, writers are concerned to vote for anyone from the steroid era out of fear that it will one day be discovered that the player used PEDs.

It’s a legitimate concern. At the same time, we can’t simply ignore the last 25 years of baseball or the next 25 either. There will be feats and accomplishments that put worthy players in line for what should be a no doubt Hall of Fame berth.

While there will be some players we know for sure used steroids—Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro—how do we cast light on those deserving players who played by the rules and are just simply great baseball players?

The solution? MLB should begin to publish the results of all drug test tests, both positive and negative.

Currently, we are only informed when a player has failed a drug test and lost their appeal. 

What we need to focus on are the players who pass.

If we found out that Jeff Bagwell tested clean 22 times in his career, do you think he would already be in the Hall of Fame?

There is no reason for there to be a shadow over the career of innocent players who are only guilty of being bulky and playing quality baseball. Not everyone who is great is a user, and as a result, they should not all be treated as such.

Those players deserve to be vindicated publicly and recognized for their honesty.

By publishing all of the test results, it would not only punish those who are guilty, but reward those who play by the rules.

To vindicate those who are deserving is every bit as important as seeing justice served for the players who have been caught.

There is no foolproof answer nor is there a definitive way to remove all PEDs from the game.

With that said, at a certain point it is time to come to a conclusion that will allow the game to move beyond these scandals and into the future.

It’s time to get back to the era when baseball was America’s pastime and move on from the soap opera drama this game has become.

Show us the clean tests.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With spring training just around the corner, St. Louis Cardinals players old and new are putting the finishing touches on the offseason as they prepare for 2013.

Some players are sure things to make the opening day roster, but the same can’t be said for everyone. With a handful of minor question marks regarding the starting rotation, bullpen, second base and a backup shortstop, some of the Cardinals young talent will have a shot to make the team.

With one of the strongest farm systems in the MLB, the Cardinals have plenty of options, but are they ready yet?

Last year several showed that they are, but just like everyone else, they will have to show it again in spring training.

Following are the chances of several top Cardinals prospects making the opening day roster. To be eligible for the list, a player must still have rookie eligibility. That means a player must not have exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues, or accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club during the 25-player limit period.

Shelby Miller

The prospect that everyone used to be excited about (prior to the Oscar Taveras explosion) ended the 2012 season by reminding Cardinals fans what they had to look forward to.

Despite command problems early in 2012, Shelby Miller turned his season around full circle and ended the season with his first big league win in dramatic fashion.

Short of a horrible performance in spring training, I can’t envision a scenario where he doesn’t make the opening day roster in one form or another.

Chance: 95 percent

Trevor Rosenthal

While everyone was talking about Miller and Taveras, Trevor Rosenthal snuck up and put on a show in 2012.

A young pitcher with tremendous heat and a good handle on pressure situations, Rosenthal has an extremely high ceiling. Considering that he was one of the best arms in the bullpen down the stretch, there is little reason to not expect him to begin 2013 in St. Louis.

The question is whether it will be in the rotation or the bullpen. My hunch is that the Cardinals will be reluctant to throw off Miller’s mojo by a move to the bullpen, so I expect to see Rosenthal in the bullpen awaiting an injury.

Chance: 95 percent

Kolten Wong

Kolten Wong is viewed by the Cardinals as the future at second base.

At this point, however, he is just that: the future. It’s entirely possible he could see a call up at some point in 2013, but given that he finished the season at Double A Springfield I expect to see some time in Memphis to begin the year.

His day will come soon enough and there is no reason to rush his continued development. Don’t look for him on the opening day roster.

Chance: 40 percent

Carlos Martinez

Many view Martinez as one of the best pitchers to come up through the Cardinals farm system in years, but he still has a bit of refining to do.

After spending some time at Double A Springfield in 2012, he made some progress and has shown that he has the stuff to make it in the big leagues.

In all likelihood, he will begin 2013 back in Springfield with a Memphis promotion in his near future. Martinez is another example of one not to rush since it would create a serious rotation logjam in St. Louis. With presumably Miller, Rosenthal and Lance Lynn all in the running for the fifth starter slot, there is really no reason to promote him at this point.

Chance: 15 percent

Matt Adams

Matt Adams is an interesting situation. With Allen Craig at first base, there is likely no way to get him regular playing time in St. Louis at the beginning of the season.

It’s entirely possible this is a situation that will work itself out once the season begins, but short of a spring training injury, he probably won’t see St. Louis to start the season.

He could be a formidable bench bat given his ability to hit for average and power. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak showed reluctance in 2012 to use him in that role feeling that he needed to be playing every day regardless of whether it was in St. Louis or Memphis.

Chance: 50 percent

Oscar Taveras

The man everyone is dying to see in St. Louis, Oscar Taveras, has a legitimate shot at starting the season in St. Louis if the pieces fall into place for him.

If he comes in and dazzles the Cardinals brass and for some reason Jon Jay doesn’t, it’s possible he could make the roster. Until everyone is in Florida, it will be hard to tell because many factors play into the Taveras equation.

Carlos Beltran ended the season with knee issues. How is he moving around and feeling? Is Jay ready to prove himself as an everyday center fielder once again?

If everyone else looks good, my assumption is that Taveras will start the season in Memphis and at the first sign of trouble make the short trip to St. Louis.

As mentioned previously, he needs to be ready to go when Beltran’s contract ends at the end of the coming season. There is no better way to do that then by giving him a short stay at Memphis and then having him spend some time with Beltran who would make a fantastic mentor for the young, slugging outfielder.

Regardless of how it comes, one thing is certain. His debut will be made soon.

Chance: 45 percent

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

If the San Francisco Giants formula for success is as strong as it appears to be, they could have a run for their money coming from the St. Louis Cardinals over the next decade.

The cornerstone of the Giants success hasn’t come from blockbuster trades and massive free-agent splashes. It has come from two things, smart player acquisitions and some serious homegrown pitching.

The Giants approach to player development has put them in a position to win not just now, but for years to come. The biggest names on their staff have all come from within including Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong (who left for a stint in Pittsburgh) and Sergio Romo.

The Cardinals, under the direction of then-director of player procurement Jeff Luhnow, have taken a similar approach in recent years. As you will soon understand, he may have been one of the most painful long-term losses of 2011-12.

With a focus on young, high-upside pitching talent, Luhnow managed to grab up a number of exciting arms. With the arrival of Shelby Miller and Trevor Rosenthal to the majors, his work is beginning to come to fruition and puts the Cardinals in a good position.

Miller has been the highlight of the organization’s farm system for several years and has the potential to be the face of the pitching staff in the future if he can keep everything in place. He’s a strikeout pitcher who had gotten by in the minor leagues on his fastball, but in 2012 he learned that it will take more than a fastball to get by in the big show.

Once he harnesses his off-speed pitches, and he showed good signs of that late in the season, he will be fun to watch. Pitching to Yadier Molina will also be a positive move for his continued development.

Trevor Rosenthal, who there were high hopes for, gained serious attention in 2012 when he posted a 1.29 ERA over five appearances totaling seven innings. He surrendered only one run.

Rosenthal has a four-seam fastball that rests around 98 mph and touches 100 when he wants it to. The advantage to Rosenthal is that he also has a nasty curveball that he uses about 13 percent of the time according to Brooks Baseball.

The two big names that have already seen St. Louis are only the beginning of why the Cardinals have a successful decade ahead of them. There are numerous pitchers in the system with similar ceilings who make the future bright in St. Louis.

Michael Wacha, drafted as the Cardinals top pick in 2012 from Texas A&M, will likely have a short stint in the minor leagues. In only the second half of 2012, he made his way from rookie ball to Double-A Springfield and he did so with a vengeance.

During his three months of professional baseball, Wacha piled up 21 relief innings with a 0.86 ERA. He surrendered only two runs on eight hits with 40 strikeouts. He’s an intense strikeout/groundball pitcher and held hitters to a .118 average.

Carlos Martinez, a 21-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic, is another one to be on the lookout for as he gets closer to making the trip to St. Louis. Much like Miller, he is a pitcher trying to harness an off-speed pitch to complement a powerful fastball.

His ceiling may not be as high as Miller’s or Rosenthal’s, but he is not one to discount. In only 15 games at Springfield in 2012, he put together a respectable 4-3 season with a solid 2.90 ERA over his 71 IP.

Most likely, he will spend some more time in Double-A to start the season before he steps up to Memphis.

Tyrell Jenkins is another name to keep an eye on. Only 20 years old, this fastball-thrower has a lot of developing left to do.

He had a rough season at Quad Cities going 4-4 with a 5.14 ERA. He is still quite raw in his development, but he’s progressing and with all of the other arms in the system there is no reason to rush him.

The chance of all of these pitchers realizing their potential is slim. If even half of them do, then the Cardinals will still have more high-end home grown talent than anyone in their division, possibly the league.

One thing is for sure, the Cardinals have the arms to become a feared foe in the National League over the next few years. This isn’t even taking into account pitchers like Joe Kelly, Lance Lynn and Jaime Garcia. All of them, don’t forget, also came up through the Cardinals farm system.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is bringing home another chunk of hardware.

In a televised announcement Tuesday evening, Molina was awarded his fifth consecutive Gold Glove for his stellar defensive performance behind the plate.

Last week, he was honored with the Fielding Bible Award in a unanimous vote and more recognition this week only further illustrates his prowess as a defender.

For years, Molina has been pegged by most as the best defensive catcher in baseball and for the most part that is reflective in the Cardinals team defensive statistics.

A total of 56 bases were stolen against the Cardinals in 2012. That ranks the team 29th of 30.

In terms of runners caught stealing, a total of 43 base stealers were busted in 2012. That puts the Cardinals in a tie for seventh  in all of MLB.

There’s a reason there aren’t many stolen bases – they simply don’t run on Molina anymore.

The fact that only 43 base runners were caught is a testament to the same.

The Cardinals stolen base percentage in 2012 also came in at 29th with .566 – one 1/100th of a percentage point from being the best in baseball.

No one argues about Molina’s defensive ability. After 2012, no one will be arguing about his offensive output either.

Molina had career highs in home runs (22), RBI (76), batting average (.315), runs scored (65), hits (159), stolen bases (12), OBP (.373), slugging (.501) and OPS (.874).

He has officially transitioned into an elite five-tool player.

Molina hits well for average, for power, he’s not the fastest but he is a smart base runner, he has one of the best arms in the league and his fielding ability is second to none.

He also brings a lot of intangibles to the team as well in his work with the pitching staff. He knows the competition well and knows his competition better. Both have a mutual respect for him.

Prior to his start in Game 5 of the 2012 National League Championship Series, Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn spoke about what Molina means to him as a starter.

“You see Yadi doing his work day in and day out,” Lynn said. “The guy never wants to take a day off.  We have to force him to take a day off here and there during the season.  So you know that he wants to be the best.  In my opinion he is the best.”

With that kind of work ethic comes a deep level of trust. 

“He has a great feel for what they’re trying to do and he knows how we can be successful with doing what we do the best as that pitcher that’s on the mound at that time,” he said. “You have the most faith that you can have with someone when every time he puts down a finger you know that there’s a good thought behind it.  He’s not just down there putting fingers down for the heck of it.”

Molina’s performance this past season makes his contract extension look like a bargain at $14.5 million AAV over five years through 2017 with a $15 million mutual option for 2018. Had the Cardinals not gotten a deal worked out prior to the season, he would have brought big bucks on the free agent market.

It’s not his first Gold Glove, but with a minimum of five more years in his contract and after watching him grow in 2012, there is no reason to expect this to be Yadier Molina’s last either.

 Corey Noles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The St. Louis Cardinals will soon face quite the conundrum at first base. A team that only 12 months ago let Albert Pujols walk in free agency, now has a pair of sluggers who could fill the vacancy long-term.

Assuming the Cardinals stick with what worked this year, what would that mean for Matt Adams, the Cardinals’ minor league slugging first baseman?

Allen Craig and Adams have both been a hot button topic among Cardinals fans for the past year regarding which of the two, if either, will be the team’s replacement for Pujols in the long run.

Craig, 28, despite being injured for a portion of 2012, put together an impressive season. In 119 games this year, Craig pieced together a .307 average, 22 home runs, 92 RBI and 76 runs scored.

Imagine how that could have looked with 43 more games tacked on.

When the regular season came to a close and the Cardinals advanced to the postseason, Craig’s bat fell flat.

In 13 postseason games in 2012, Craig went 11-for-47 and hit .234 with a home run and six RBI. His OPS during the LCS dropped to .352.

Despite that, his offense played a huge role in getting the Cardinals to October. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told 101 ESPN of St. Louis this week that he wants to keep Craig’s bat in the lineup.

With the outfield slots filled already, that leaves only first base.

Adams has been a huge presence in the minor leagues. In 2011 for Double-A Springfield, he hit 32 home runs with 101 RBI in 115 games.

He was on pace to match those numbers during his first year at Triple-A Memphis (18 HR, 50 RBI, .329 in 67 games) before he was called up to St. Louis to fill in for an injured Lance Berkman.

He didn’t see the same success at St. Louis that he did in the minor leagues (.244, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 6 doubles, 27 games), but it was later discovered he had been injured.

Bone spurs in his right elbow sidelined him. The subsequent surgery in August made him unavailable as a September call-up.

Adams is expected to be ready to play again by spring training, but where?

Unlike Craig, Adams is believed to be less defensively flexible. At this point, his best use is as either a bench bat or an insurance policy for Craig.

Mozeliak has long shown a desire to keep him somewhere he could be playing as opposed to just sitting on the bench in St. Louis.

With little left for Adams to accomplish in the minor leagues, where will he be next year? The Cardinals have several options.

First, they could leave him in Memphis in case someone gets injured during the season. While it would get him more playing time, he is at a point in his career where he needs to be facing major league pitching.

The option might be the best for the Cardinals, but it may not be the best option for Adams.

Second, they could bring Adams to St. Louis as a bench bat. During the 2012 postseason, a serious lack of bench depth hurt the Cardinals offensively.

While they would prefer to have him playing every day, this option would give Adams the ability to test himself in the major leagues and give the team some added depth.

Third, the team could trade Adams. Most believe Adams to be a skilled hitter with explosive power—two characteristics many teams would find attractive.

The idea that the Cardinals could package Adams with a young pitching prospect for a top notch middle-infielder like Elvis Andrus does present some immediate issues.

The Cardinals’ current shortstop, Rafael Furcal, is signed through 2013. However, if Furcal is unable to play or requires offseason surgery, the Cardinals may not have an option but to make a move.

There’s no guess whether it would be a player as high-caliber as Andrus, but they do have the pieces to make such a deal for a similar player happen.

With both Adams and Craig in the system, the Cardinals have a problem most teams would kill for—more power first basemen than they can get in the lineup.

Follow @coreynoles

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

ST. LOUIS–The St. Louis Cardinals are back at it again—defying all the odds to keep driving deeper into October. They met a hiccup in their plans on Friday night when they lost Game 5 of the NLCS to the San Francisco Giants.

When your team has a pair of Mr. Octobers, the chance to keep a game or series alive is always present.

The Cardinals have been quick to credit their success so far in 2012 to rookie manager Mike Matheny for his methods and positive attitude.

“I was thinking about Mike Matheny and he’s a man of very few words, compared to a lot of people,” David Freese said prior to Game 5 of the NLCS. “But, when he speaks, it’s meaningful.”

Freese, like most members of the team, has an immense respect for Matheny both as a manager and a man.

“He’s got our back, from day one,” he said. “That’s cool to see.  He’s out here having a good time and he’s just loving this, I know that.”

While the players have an immense amount of respect for their “new” manager, Freese said he knows that feeling is mutual.

“He trusts his players,” he said. “He’s a guy that, he’s very prepared, just like Tony.  He throws his team out there and puts them in situations that they can succeed in.”

If anyone on the team is equipped to speak about Matheny’s trust in his players, it’s Jon Jay.

The decision to make Jay the everyday outfielder meant everything to the young man now crowned as the Cardinals lead-off hitter as well.

“We had Carlos Beltran here, and he’s done everything that you can do in center field,” Jay said. “And he was a great center fielder. For him to come up to me and say that to me, that was big to me.”

When a new manager takes over, young players particularly get concerned because they don’t know if their role will remain the same.  

“The past two seasons for me I was battling to try to get in the lineup,” Jay said. “I knew that was my role. I knew that was what it was going to take for me to be in the roster.”

One of the things players have regularly touted about Matheny, is that he focuses on a player’s skills, not their faults.

That can be huge for team morale.

“As far as motivation for Mike, he’s always positive,” Jay said. “That’s the No. 1 thing. That’s something that definitely rubs off on us. He’s never negative about anything.”

That’s saying something considering the Cardinals struggles throughout portions of the season. Having a manager trying to keep the team focused and telling them he believes in them is vital during a slump, and it appears Matheny has worked hard at that.

“When we went through our stretches where things weren’t so hot, he was always positive,” Jay said. “He kept believing in us and kept telling us how much talent we had on this team and how much we all cared about each other. And I think that’s been the big thing this year—just staying positive.”

Adam Wainwright also touted Matheny’s leadership abilities and acknowledged.

“Well, I think he’s a man of immense character,” Wainwright said of his rookie manager. “I think he’s a role model, a leader that we look to, leads by example, a guy who never gets flustered, always is in smooth control of his mind and his body. But, I don’t know, he kind of brings that leadership, maybe like a Tony Dungy or somebody like that, that quiet strength you just kind of feed off of.”

With the Cardinals headed back to San Francisco with hopes of wrapping this series up, focusing on the positive is crucial.

The key to wrapping up the NLCS on the way to the team’s fourth World Series berth in nine years is going to be for Matheny to keep his team focused.

He pointed out Friday that distractions are nothing new to the Cardinals. Between the pressure to win the series at home and the media circus that arrives with the playoffs, the team has played through its share of distractions.

Matheny said he works hard to keep them prepared for those distractions.

“We’ve had discussions, they’ve talked amongst themselves,” he said. “We go out and we play the game and the team that can take the distractions and put them aside and just go out and do your job is the team that’s going to have a higher likelihood of winning.”

This team has the ability to get the job done. They have two more opportunities to make that happen.

 Corey Noles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com