Kuzul

The 2012 campaign for Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright had more twists and turns than the famous Lombard Street.  One minute he was looking like the ace of 2009-2010 as he showed in August.  The next he was struggling to get to the sixth inning and giving up home runs in droves.

Wainwright dominated August with a 5-1 record and a 2.75 ERA and helped the Cardinals get their stretch run toward the postseason started.  You never would have known that his April was downright putrid when he went 0-3 in four starts and gave up five home runs in 19.1 innings.  

But one thing the Cardinals and their fans know for sure about Wainwright (besides his practical joker side) is that he is ready to get after it in 2013.  He’s a guy who has a tremendous amount of confidence and knows he is the ace of a pretty solid Cardinals staff. 

Wainwright himself sees himself a Redbirds uniform in his future for a long time to come. Since he is under contract for 2013, the Cardinals should lock him up long term before he goes out and wins 20-plus games and his value skyrockets.  Here are three reasons why the Cardinals should lock up Wainwright on a long-term deal.

Begin Slideshow

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

The St. Louis Cardinals should still be viewed as serious contenders in the second half of the 2012 MLB season despite the loss of Chris Carpenter.

While the loss of any team’s co-ace starting pitcher is a huge blow, the Cardinals have already shown this year that they have what it takes to weather the storm.

In Carpenter’s absence, the team has put together an impressive first half.

With as many as seven key players on the disabled list at once, the Cardinals pushed through a tough May and a tougher early June to find themselves only 2.5 games out of first place and six games over .500 at the All-Star break.

Given the Cardinals’ tough schedule in June and the problems they faced, they could easily be much farther down in the standings.

Following are four reasons the Cardinals will still be legitimate contenders without Carpenter.

Begin Slideshow

After another great outing from Adam Wainwright, the St. Louis Cardinals fall again after bullpen struggles and defensive miscues continue to plague the team.

Wainwright put together a big night going seven innings giving up only two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. By any stretch, that’s a great night. Not only was he pitching well, he got an early base hit and made a pair of key defensive plays.

It was clear early on that he was going to have to do it all.

The game fell apart only moments after Wainwright went to the bench.

Marc Rzepczynski came in and barely pulled one out before giving up two runs on three hits including a monster home run to Adam Dunn (21).

RHP Mitchell Boggs then came in to clean up the mess, but with no luck. Boggs got the final two outs of the eighth inning, but not before giving up a two-run home run to take the game to 6-1.

The only real glimmer of hope the bullpen showed was from Fernando Salas who faced only four batters in the ninth inning to get the final outs. Salas is beginning to get himself together and it couldn’t come at a more opportune time for this team.

The offense managed to string together hits on multiple occasions with the team batting .275 on the night, but were haunted by the double play three times.

Matt Holliday, Allen Craig, David Freese and Tyler Greene all went 2-for-4, but never managed to hold together a rally long enough to circle the bases.

Yadier Molina, who batted second for only the second time in his career, went 1-for-4 with a key double in the top of the third. It’s unclear as of yet whether Molina will spend much time that high in the lineup, but he’s hit well enough of late that he can handle the challenge.

At this point, it appears Manager Mike Matheny is doing everything in his power to get the faltering team back on track.

Wainwright (5-7) wound up taking the loss Tuesday night, but he deserved better. The frustration is clearly mounting with the team as they continue to slide further away from the top of the National League Central Division. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright will take the mound tonight in anticipation of his sixth win of 2012.

Wainwright, who is still getting back to form following Tommy John surgery in 2011, has seen more success in his last four outings than all season.

His sinker sinks again. His curve moves again. That wasn’t the case earlier in the season.

Wainwright’s road back has been a rocky one. So far in 2012 he has bounced back and forth between good starts and, well, not so good ones. We’ve seen glimmers of hope and moments of the old Wainwright, but his last few outings have shown more than a glimmer.

It has been the culmination of 15 months of rehab and hard work to re-discover himself as a pitcher.

Tonight, he will face off against Jose Quintana, the rookie pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. Quintana is 1-1 on the season and has posted a 2.05 ERA in his first five big-league starts. He has given up only 15 hits to date which could be a problem for the Cardinals stymied offense.

In his last four starts, Wainwright is 3-1 and has pitched 27 innings. He’s given up a total of 11 runs, but seven of those came against the New York Mets. He’s also posted 25 strikeouts and surrendered only five walks. Over the last 10 games, he has an ERA of 4.08.

His season numbers are somewhat inflated at the moment, mainly due to his April struggles. Assuming he continues to go the direction he has been headed of late, they will correct themselves.

While it’s likely he won’t look great in every outing, a few simple successes are exactly what he needed. He and the world have been reminded of just how dangerous he can be when he is in the zone.

One thing is for sure, a pitcher with his drive and that amount of natural-born talent won’t go down without a fight. It will likely be July before the dominant pitcher who won 19 games in 2009 and 20 in 2010 is here to stay.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Adam Wainwright has gotten off to a pretty rough start this season, posting an ERA of 5.77 prior to Tuesday’s action.

After Tuesday night’s contest against the Padres though, it’s safe to say that his ERA will see a nice drop.

Wainwright pitched a shutout against the Padres, throwing just 111 pitches over nine innings while allowing just five baserunners—four hits and one walk. He also struck out nine.

Yonder Alonso, Edinson Volquez, Andy Parrino and pinch-hitter Blake Tekotte recorded the only hits off Wainwright. Parrino’s and Volquez’s hits went for doubles.

The St. Louis Cardinals won the game 4-0.

This is just his third career shutout, with the other two coming back in 2010—the year he finished second in the NL Cy Young voting.

Any doubts that people had regarding Wainwright’s recovery from Tommy John surgery should now be silenced, as it’s clear that he is back to his dominant ways.

He remained the only real question mark in the starting rotation until Tuesday’s game. The Cardinals have been lucky enough to experience strong starts from Jake Westbrook, Kyle Lohse, Jaime Garcia and Lance Lynn.

With Wainwright pitching like the ace everyone expects him to be, the Cardinals have arguably the most formidable rotation in the National League.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Chris Carpenter is ready to return, but for now, let’s celebrate the strong performance by Wainwright.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Baseball is a great sport for fantasy owners because everything can be quantified. Every at bat is an individual event and can be meticulously scrutinized to the point where we can use sabermetric statistics to predict future success or failures.

Using some of these principles, we’re going to look at two players that are good “buy low” candidates and two pitchers that are good “sell high” candidates.

Begin Slideshow

The “Fabulous Foursome” is a new column here at Rotoprofessor that we are going to run once a week focusing on four players fantasy owners should be looking to acquire for various reasons (for example, a new closer, prospect on the verge of a recall, buy-low candidates, etc.). 

Let’s take a look at who you should be targeting this week:

1) Eric Hosmer—Kansas City Royals—First Baseman
He was impressive in his rookie season (.293, 19 HR, 78 RBI, 66 R, 11 SB in 523 AB).  That’s what makes his early season struggles so surprising.  Would anyone have expected him to open the year hitting a measly .174 over his first 144 AB?

Yes, he’s added 5 HR, 18 RBI and 16 R, but it’s not hard to imagine owners in your league not being willing to overlook the pathetic average that is staring them in the face.  You know some people will equate this to a sophomore slump, which could provide you with an opportunity to cash in.

Granted, Hosmer is not hitting the ball with as much authority as he did in 2011 (15.2 percent vs. 18.7 percent), which is a little bit concerning.  However, that drop-off should not equate to a complete collapse in production.  He has the ability to hit for a much higher average and, sooner or later, things would indicate that he’s going to get there:

• He is continuing to make great contact, with an 11.5 percent strikeout rate
• When he puts the ball in play, he has had awful luck with a .165 BABIP (the worst number among players with at least 100 plate appearances)

Does anyone really think that he’s going to continue to be this bad?  It’s hard to imagine.  The Royals have begun moving him around the lineup a little bit in order to get him going, but you know once he starts to hit he’ll settle right back into the middle.

Could the Royals opt to send the 22-year old back to Triple-A to try and snap out of this struggle?  It’s possible, but don’t let that deter you.  If other people are talking about that, his value is only going to fall a little bit more.  And, the fact is, a stop in the minors could easily help him get things back on track.

Now is the perfect time to try and get him at a discount from another owner.  The luck is going to turn around and you may not get a better opportunity to acquire him.  Remember, he is the same player who hit .293 in 2011 and .312 for his minor league career.  Stay patient.

2) Jerry Sands—Los Angeles Dodgers—Outfielder/First Baseman

Even before the Dodgers lost Matt Kemp to the 15-day disabled list, one could argue that they needed offensive help at first base (in place of James Loney) or in the outfield (in place of Bobby Abreu/Tony Gwynn Jr. who are seeing time due to Juan Rivera being on the DL). 

So, the fact that they are giving Sands an opportunity should not surprise anyone.  Also, if he hits during this current audition, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he sticks around in the everyday lineup.

Over Sands’ minor league career (1,421 AB) he’s hit .284 with 100 HR and 300 RBI.  The power has really been burgeoning in recent years:

• 35 HR in 2010 (between Single & Double-A)
• 33 HR in 2011 (between Triple-A & the Majors)

The fact that he’s shown power at every level helps to stop the complaint that he’s a product of the Pacific Coast League (he has 36 HR in 506 AB at Triple-A).  The fact is, Sands showed his power potential when he got a shot to play with the Dodgers in 2011.  Yes, he had just 4 HR, but he also added 15 doubles in 198 AB.

He may strikeout a decent amount (20.5 percent over his minor league career), but it shouldn’t be a crippling number.  Just assume that he’s going to hit in the .260ish range and you shouldn’t be disappointed.

Even with that concern, how often can you find a player with his type of power potential on the waiver wire in the middle of May?  The Dodgers certainly didn’t call him up to sit on the bench, so look for him to be in the lineup regularly until Kemp returns.  If he hits, he’s going to be there much longer than that.  Now is the perfect time to try and cash in.

3) Adam Wainwright—St. Louis Cardinals—Starting Pitcher

Wainwright has struggled after missing the entire 2011 season.  To an extent it’s not surprising, though I think we all were willing to stomach a few bumps.  Is anyone willing to deal with a 5.77 ERA and 1.53 WHIP?  Probably not, though you should because there are plenty of reasons to do so.

First off, most pitchers struggle with control in their first year back.  For Wainwright his “struggles” have been a 3.30 BB/9 (and the first time he walked more than two in a game was in his start on 5/12).  Nothing not to like there.

Next, you have to love the fact that he’s still generating groundballs.  In fact, his current 55.6% groundball rate is a career high.

He’s also striking batters out at a career best rate, with an 8.24 K/9.  That’s right where he was prior to the injury.

So, with these factors working in his favor, how are his numbers so bad?  It’s just bad luck.  Look at these three key numbers:

• .341 BABIP
• 63.6% strand rate
• 21.9% HR/FB

It’s a near lock that he improves on all three and, with the other numbers working in his favor, there should be plenty of optimism.  He was awful in his last few outings and now may be the best chance you have to capitalize on your league mates frustrations.  See if you can get him now, as there should be significantly better days ahead.

4) Frank Francisco—New York Mets—Relief Pitcher

Really?  Considering his struggles and the instability at the position, is he really a player you want to try and acquire?

Actually, the answer is yes.

Mets manager Terry Collins has come out and said that he wants to keep Francisco in the closer’s role, because he doesn’t want to disrupt the rest of the bullpen.  Obviously, if he blows his next save in spectacular fashion that could change, but for now his job is safe.

However, does your league mate believe Francisco is on the verge of coughing up the job?  That could lead to him giving him up at a discount, just so he gets something for him before his value becomes nil.  If his trade value is down and you are in need of saves, now is the perfect time to strike.

I am not about to say that Francisco is going to stay in the job all year long.  At this point, that would actually surprise me.  However, he is a closer now and the indication is that he is going to remain there.  That gives him value, especially if you can get him at a discount.

Make sure to check out some of Rotoprofessor‘s recent rankings:

• Catchers (as of 5/10/12)
• Second Basemen (as of 5/19/12)
• Third Basemen (as of 5/11/12)
• Closers (as of 5/16/12)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Continuing in Dugout Central’s annual pre-season ritual, I am going to present my predictions for the National League Heartland – er – Central Division in 2012. Last year saw an early-season surge by the generally hapless Pittsburgh Pirates, only to see them fall right back in the race where they’ve been for the better part of 20 seasons. July 17 saw Milwaukee Brewers pick-up Zack Greinke out-duel then-Cub Carlos Zambrano 2-0 to put the Brewers up half a game on the St. Louis Cardinals and 1.5 on Pittsburgh. The Brewers didn’t look back, going 41-17 from that game to win their first division title in 29 years. However, the last laugh was had by the Cardinals, who snuck into the wild card spot and defeated the Brewers in the NLCS en route to their NL-best 11^th World Championship.

There were some major shake-ups both in the front office and on the field, ensuring that 2012 would be an exciting new year for the division.

Chicago Cubs

2011: 71-91, 5th Place, 25 GB, Scored 4.04 R/G (8^th in NL), Allowed 4.67 R/G (14^th in NL)

Key Losses: Aramis Ramirez (3B), Carlos Pena (1B), Carlos Zambrano (SP)

Key Additions: David Dejesus (OF), Ian Stewart (3B), Paul Maholm (SP)

Why they could win it all: The bright spot on the Chicago Cubs last year was the left side of the infield. While Aramis Ramirez packed his bags and moved up north, the Cubs feature one of the bright young stars in the game in Starlin Castro. Just 21 years old, Castro led the National League in hits last year with 207. A little more patience on both sides of the ball (he had almost as many errors as walks) will result in him being one of the players that the Cubs can build around moving forward.

Why they could fail: The Cubs completely revamped their front office by bringing in Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, both of whom have been successful executives at the big league level. However, the damage from the Hendry regime has been done. Alfonso Soriano is eating a tremendous amount of payroll to play poorly (just 2.0 WAR total since 2009), as is Carlos Zambrano (to play for Miami). A 1-year turn-around just won’t be possible with the mess left-over. However, a big payroll and smart people to manage it may mean good things for the Cubs in the future as it did for the Red Sox.

What to watch: Alfonso Soriano needs to go, as he is deadweight in most aspects of his game. His .289 OBP and lackluster outfield defense have made his 136 million dollar contract one of the worst in history. Look for the Cubs to exploit a possible fast start by Soriano and turn it into a trade to an AL team, where he could potentially serve as a platoon DH. The key won’t be the player acquired, but rather the amount of salary his new team will be willing to eat.

2012 Prediction: 66-96, 5^th place

Cincinnati Reds

2011: 79-83, 3^rd Place, Scored 4.54 R/G (2nd in NL), Allowed 4.44 R/G (12^th in NL)

Key Losses: Francisco Cordero (RP)Edgar Renteria (SS), Edinson Volquez (SP), Travis Wood (SP), Yonder Alonso (1B/OF)

Key Additions: Mat Latos (SP), Sean Marshall (RP), Ryan Madson (RP)

Why they could win it all: Remember that the Reds did win the division in 2010, posting over 90 wins before falling to Roy Halladay and the Phillies in the NLDS. The Reds did out-score their opponents on the year, and made a couple of nice pick-ups in Ryan Madson and Mat Latos. The offense is as potent as ever, with Joey Votto leading the charge as the best 1B in the division with Fielder and Pujols gone (though some may argue he had already reached that plateau).

Why they could fail: The Reds continue to employ Dusty Baker as their manager, so it’s hard to be shocked when they underperform their expected win-loss (not that a manager is necessarily responsible for that, but he can be). The rotation is a mess; Bronson Arroyo’s over the hill, and yet, he was the only Reds starter to make 30 starts last season, besides Mat Latos, recently acquired from the Padres. Latos has had good numbers in his first couple seasons, but he’s going from pitching half his games at the most pitcher-friendly park in the game to starting those games at one of the most hitter-friendly.

What to watch: Drew Stubbs was the leadoff hitter for most of the year. His league-worst 205 strikeouts wouldn’t be so alarming if he followed them up with actual on-base ability…which he does not (just a .321 OBP last year). Here’s a guy with some good tools, but he’s depriving Votto and Bruce of RBI opportunities by reaching so sparingly. Not saying he should be replaced on the team – his center field defense alone makes him worthwhile – but he shouldn’t lead-off.

2012 Prediction: 86-76, 3^rd place

Houston Astros

2011: 56-106, 6^th place, 40 GB, Scored 3.80 R/G (13^th in NL), Allowed 4.91 R/G (16^th in NL)

Key Losses: Jeff Keppinger (IF) Michael Bourn (OF), Hunter Pence (OF) [all mid-season last year]

Key Additions: Like, 100 prospects (including Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart).

 Why they could win it all: Wandy Rodriguez was solid yet again last year; over the past three years, he has a very nice 118 ERA+ and 1.279 WHIP. Unfortunately, he’s no Old Hoss Radbourn, and as such, can’t start every game for the Astros next year. Also, he has about as much chance of being an Astro come the trading deadline as I do.

Why they could fail: They were 56-106, added nothing at the big league level, and will now be without Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn for the entire 2012 season, as opposed to just half of it. The team that once owned this division like nobody’s business in the Killer-B years is now poised to leave it for the American League West, where, on a brighter note, they will have the luxury of facing the Mariners 18 or so times a year. I’ll be nice and give them 55 wins…and I’m thinking that’s probably optimistic.  

What to watch: Carlos Lee is in the final year of a 6-year, 100 million dollar deal that I still don’t understand. Let’s see if he plays well enough to eek out another deal before hanging up his spikes or if El Caballo is happy being a rich guy with 350 career home runs.

2012 Prediction: 55-107, Last Place.

Milwaukee Brewers

2011: 96-66, 1^st Place,  Scored 4.45 R/G (5^th in NL), Allowed 3.94 R/G (6^th in NL)

Key Losses: Prince Fielder (1B), Casey McGehee (3B), Yuniesky Betancourt (SS), Takashi Saito (RP), LaTroy Hawkins (RP)

Key Additions: Aramis Ramirez (3B), Alex Gonzalez (SS), Jose Veras (RP), Norichika Aoki (OF)

Why they could win: The Brewers won the NL Central last season, and while they lost their superstar first baseman Prince Fielder, they patched up their two biggest holes – the left side of the infield. Despite winning 96 games last year, the Brewers featured the absolute worst third baseman and shortstop in the game. Aramis Ramirez has been a fixture in the division for the last decade with both the Pirates and Cubs, making two all-star teams. He won his first silver slugger last season, after hitting .306/.361/.510 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI for the hapless Cubs in 2011. Meanwhile Alex Gonzalez will take over at shortstop; he has roughly the same plate presence as Yuni Betancourt (horrific), but is a well-regarded fielder at the position and will certainly represent an upgrade. Finally, the Brewers have just received a major shot in the arm as their team leader and reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun has been cleared of all charges regarding a failed drug test last October.

Why they could fail: Losing Prince changes the landscape of this offense – Aramis Ramirez just isn’t going to be able to spell the same level of protection for Braun. Furthermore, there are just too many question marks. Will Mat Gamel be the hitter he was always projected to be, or will he be the hitter he has been in parts of 4 big league seasons? Will Randy Wolf continue to defy his peripherals? Will Greinke ever perform even close to the level he did in 2009? And what’s with this Aoki guy? He’s won 3 batting titles in Japan, but can we expect that to even remotely resemble what he does in the Majors? Lastly – does anyone think the Brewers will go 30-18 in 1-run games next season?

What to watch: Corey Hart is obviously going to be playing every day. That leaves two positions – either CF and RF or 1B and CF up for grabs. I say that because Hart can play 1^st and it isn’t clear that Mat Gamel can perform at the big league level. The Brewers have a solid center field platoon lined up with Nyjer Morgan (who hit over .300 last year) and Carlos Gomez (one of the best defenders in the game). But what about the Japanese batting champion, Aoki? Will Morgan show he can replicate his 2011 performance? All we know for sure is that Hart is playing every day and Gomez is only starting against southpaws and finding his ways into other games as a pinch runner and late-inning defensive replacement. All told, this makes for an incredible log-jam – and that’s before you start including all of Morgan’s alter-ego’s.

2012 Prediction: 87-75, 2^nd place

Pittsburgh Pirates

2011: 72-90, 4th place, 24 GB, Scored 3.77 R/G (14^th in NL), Allowed 4.40 R/G (11^th in NL)

Key Losses: Paul Maholm (SP), Ryan Ludwick (OF), Derrek Lee (1B), Jose Veras (RP)

Key Gains: AJ Burnett (SP), Erik Bedard (SP), Casey McGehee (3B), Rod Barajas (C), Clint Barmes (SS)

Why they could win: Gotta hand it to the Pirates – they made quite the turn-around last year. After winning just 57 games in 2010 (while placing last in both runs scored and runs allowed), the Pirates jumped out as contenders early-on and were in first place as late as July 25^th. They went just 19-43 from that point on, however, all while tacking on a pair of has-been veterans in an effort to put them over the top. There exists a fine young group of talented players on this team, however, led by Andrew McCutchen – who had a break-out first half and is one of the best players in the National League.

Why they might fail: Their first half made for a great story but it can be chalked up to flukiness. A lot of players came back down to Earth in a hurry, most of which were to be expected. All-star Kevin Correia struggled mightily in the 2^nd half, failing to qualify for the ERA title, not that his 4.79 mark would have gotten the job done. No Pittsburgh starter made it to 175 innings, and it’s highly unlikely that AJ Burnett will turn that around. No regular hit over .275 or OPS’d over .830 and only McCutchen was a measurable force of any kind. They’ve got a major talent on their hands in center field, but given the Pirates’ history, he’ll be fulfilling that potential in some place besides Pittsburgh.  

Things to watch: Joel Hanrahan emerged out of nowhere last season to be one of the National League’s premier relievers. However, like most closers, he was criminally mis-managed, as Clint Hurdle saved him only for save situations – including an 18-inning affair against the Braves that ended on a blown call. Has Hurdle learned his lesson? The fans at PNC better hope so.

2012 Prediction: 73-89, 4^th Place

St. Louis Cardinals

2011: World Series Champs, 90-72, 2^nd place, 6 GB, Scored 4.70 R/G (1^st in NL), Allowed 4.27  R/G (9^th in NL)

Key Losses: Albert Pujols (1B), Edwin Jackson (SP), Octavio Dotel (RP)

Key Gains: Carlos Beltran (OF), Adam Wainwright (SP)

Why they could win: The departure of one of the greatest players to ever play the game certainly could spell doom, but GM John Mozeliak did a fantastic job of overcoming that loss by signing future hall-of-famer Carlos Beltran to an affordable 2-year deal, locking up Lance Berkman and Chris Carpenter for 2 years before the season even ended, and bringing back spark-plug Rafael Furcal. They would be better off for 2012 with Albert Pujols, but 10 years at 24 million per season was just too much – and I think Mozeliak made the right call by thinking beyond 2012 (apparently, he doesn’t take Mayans too seriously). Holliday-Berkman-Beltran spell the best heart of the order in this division and the return of Adam Wainwright to the rotation means that the Cardinals have the pitching necessary to take them back to the post-season. They are my pick to win the division.

Why they could fail: They did undergo some changes, that’s for sure. Mike Matheny will take over for Tony LaRussa and the great pitching coach Dave Duncan will not be around for 2012, as he is helping his wife, Jeanine during her bout with cancer. And of course, Albert Pujols is no longer a Cardinal. This could have far-reaching effects beyond the .328/.420/.617, 42 HR, 126 RBI line he averaged in eleven years as a Cardinal. Losing Pujols means everyone gets pitched to differently, it means teams can approach situations differently, and it means that lesser players have to take up the slack. That’s not to hate on Berkman, Holliday, Beltran, or NLCS & World Series MVP David Freese – but there’s excellent ballplayers, and then there are transcendent ballplayers. Pujols was the latter.

What to watch: All eyes will be on Adam Wainwright, who returns this season after losing 2011 to Tommy John surgery. Wainwright placed top-3 in the last two Cy Young ballots, posting 11.9 WAR in that time span. He pitched over 230 innings in both years but is unlikely to reach 200 this season in his recovery. We’ll see how his new arm ligaments hold up.

2011 Prediction: 92-70, 1^st Place

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Every baseball season, there are injuries around the league.  Some are so bad that a few can never rebound and make the same impact as they did before—i.e. Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets, who has now been forced to change positions due to injury.

Depending on the situation, whether it’s Tommy John surgery, a shoulder operation, elbow tendinitis or a broken foot, baseball is a very tough sport to recover in.  This can be due to the fact that “Americas pastime,” puts a high demand on muscles that aren’t used in everyday life. 

Not to mention that those muscles and ligaments are used in an unusual fashion.

The throwing motion, for one, is a prime example of overuse of certain shoulder and arm muscles.

With constant force on the knee joints, whether it be getting in a fielding position or moving side to side, the ligaments eventually began to fall apart like tread on a tire. 

Baseball players bodies’ are like tires.  They can ride great when they’re fresh and new, however, once they start to wear down from the overuse, bad things can happen.

Now that the steroid era has come and gone—at least it looks that way—more superstars are coming up with injuries.  Why? Because of the constant grind on their rubber-like bodies.

A few players may never be the same again this season.  

So who are they?

Begin Slideshow