Kuzul

With the Super Bowl now in the past and trucks already being shipped to Florida and Arizona filled with baseball gear, it’s time to officially start thinking about baseball season again.

While spring training will be filled with all of the usual suspects—Yadier Molina, Matt Holliday and Adam Wainwright to name a few—there will also be a number of new faces.

On Jan. 21, 2014, the Cardinals announced a total of 18 non-roster invitees that would be joining the squad at its camp in Jupiter, Fla.

Non-roster invitees can be either players already within the organization, or individuals outside the organization given a spring training invitation in an effort to allow them a chance to prove themselves to the front office. At that point, the hope would be to earn a major league contract.

While the Cardinals have a number of full positions, they also have several positions where they could possibly bring in backup assistance. It’s likely an additional pitcher or two will make their way into the roster, and a backup fielder, whether infield or outfield, could also find themselves in the mix for a position.

Will those lucky players be NRIs? The answer to that question can’t yet be known.

For the sake of this piece, I selected who I believe to be the five NRIs with a chance at making the major league team. Following are their odds for making the 25-man active roster from spring training.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and Fangraphs.com unless otherwise noted.

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The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot to look forward to in 2014.

The arrival of Oscar Taveras, a full season from Kolten Wong and a possible rotation slot for Carlos Martinez are all highly anticipated highlights of the season to come.

That’s enough to justify getting anyone excited, but before things begin to get under way, there are decisions that have to be made by Mike Matheny and the front office.

The decisions can be very simple, such as player adjustments and work schedules, or something as difficult as determining a player’s role on the team altogether.

The following list is five things the Cardinals will need to take care of before they head down to Jupiter, Fla. for the start of spring training.

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With four World Series appearances in the last decade, the St. Louis Cardinals are baseball’s closest thing to a dynasty. 

However, rather than procuring talent during the offseason like most large-market franchises, the Cardinals continue to produce winning teams the old-fashioned way: by developing players.

That being said, a strong case can be made that the Cardinals would not have reached the postseason—let alone the World Series—if not for their impressive young arms.

Using 12 rookie pitchers during the regular season, the Cardinals led the major leagues (among rookies) with 308 games pitched, 36 wins, 541 strikeouts, a 3.25 FIP and, most importantly, a 6.7 fWAR (via FanGraphs).

Even after the graduation of top prospects Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal and Michael Wacha to the major leagues last season, the team’s prospect pool is still loaded with an ideal mixture of high-ceiling and high-floor talent.

Three of the team’s top-ranked prospects from last year, Oscar Taveras, Carlos Martinez and Kolten Wong, are still in the mix for 2014. Martinez and Wong both saw time in the major leagues after the All-Star break and ultimately secured spots on the team’s postseason roster. But because neither exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched, both players’ rookie seasons carry over into 2014.

Taveras, on the other hand, was limited to only 46 Triple-A games last year due to an ankle injury sustained in May that led to season-ending surgery in mid-August. Even though there’s a realistic chance he will open the 2014 season back at Triple-A, expect the 21-year-old to make up for the lost time with an eye-opening rookie campaign.

As for pitchers, the organization doesn’t boast as many flame-throwing studs as it did a year ago, but that’s not to say it’s thin on arms.

Beyond the aforementioned Martinez, the Cardinals house one of the more exciting pitching prospects below A-ball in right-hander Alex Reyes. Like so many of the great arms to rise through their system in recent years, the 19-year-old possesses a special combination of athleticism, arm strength and pitchability. However, given the state of the team’s big league rotation, don’t expect it to rush him up the ladder without reason.

The Cardinals’ prospect pool also has a deep collection of left-handed pitchers, including both of its 2013 first-round draft picks Marco Gonzalez and Rob Kaminsky.

And for those of you hoping to identify the next Cardinals prospect to overachieve and carve out an everyday role in the major leagues, then look no farther than outfielder Stephen Piscotty. After his strong showing last season between High-A Palm Beach and Double-A Springfield, followed by an equally impressive performance in the Arizona Fall League, the 22-year-old may not be long for the minors in 2014.

Here’s a look at the St. Louis Cardinals’ top 10 prospects for the 2014 season.

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The St. Louis Cardinals represented the National League in the World Series in 2013. They put together the best regular season record in the National League to get there. Since the close of the season, they have improved their roster by making moves by both trade and in free agency.

Along the way, there have been some headlines worth noting. Combined, they form a subscript of the calendar year and help to define the current state of the franchise.  

What follows is the top five stories from the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013.

Statistics in the following article are sourced from Baseball-Reference.com.

Transaction information can be found on the Cardinals’ official transaction page.

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I’m sure I am not alone when it comes to the excitement I have about the 2014 season and what it holds for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Coming off their second World Series appearance in three years, the Cardinals appear primed to make a deep run into October in 2014.

Their roster is pretty loaded, and they actually reduced payroll heading into next season. However, no matter how loaded a roster may be, there are always injuries, slumps and unforeseen circumstances.

Here is a look at some of the prospects from the Cardinals’ pipeline that may have an impact in 2014.

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With the end of a year comes the final chapter of the season that nearly was. For the second year in a row, the St. Louis Cardinals were inches away from their 12th world championship.

The arrival of 2014 means it is time to put the season fully in the past and move forward to the future of the organization.

The 2013 season brought to the forefront many new faces within the organization that made an impact on 2013 and will in all likelihood continue to do so next season.

Another exciting note that comes with a new season are the new faces and players who will become major parts of the team in 2014.

As always there is no guarantee with prospects. Some of them are typically lost due to injury, while many never become the player they have been hyped to be.

With that said, some players become more than was ever anticipated. Few predicted the rapid rise of Michael Wacha or Matt Carpenter to become the player he has developed into—even though in retrospect we likely should have expected such performance.

Following are five prospects I believe are set to break out in 2014 and make a name for themselves.

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As the New Year rings in, the St. Louis Cardinals have a lot to look forward to.

They are stocked up on talent at almost every position, are coming off a trip to the World Series and are poised to contend against the National League Central, all with a lower payroll.

Yeah, times are pretty good. But every team has room for improvement and the Cardinals are no exception.

Here are some New Years’ resolutions for the birds from St. Louis.

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With the new year vastly approaching, we’re inching closer and closer to spring training, where the St. Louis Cardinals will rev up for what they hope to be another red October.

As Rodger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. awaits, the Cardinals lineup has been modified with raw talent, stunning power and lightning speed. The additions of free-agent shortstop Jhonny Peralta and utility infielder Mark Ellis give manager Mike Matheny more flexibility in the infield. And the arrival of Peter Bourjos from the Los Angeles Angels adds a ton of speed and even more depth to what has now become a crowded outfield.

That said, there are always alterations to make before spring training gets underway. The Cardinals must learn from the mistakes that haunted them against the Boston Red Sox in last October’s Fall Classic, and adjust. After watching Fenway Park celebrate a World Series championship, the Cardinals will surely be motivated to produce better results in 2014.

Here are three changes the Cardinals should make before flying south come February.

Speed

The Cardinals have lacked true speed on the basepaths over the last few years. They haven’t had one or two guys who can cause nightmares for opposing catchers with their legs.

Take the last three years, for example.

In 2013, the Cardinals were last in the National League with 15 stolen bases and 29th in all of baseball, ahead of only Detroit. In 2012, the Cardinals ranked 13th in the NL and 25th in the MLB; and in 2011, they were 16th and 29th, respectively.

There’s reason to believe this will change in 2014, considering the added talent and quickness the Cardinals will have in Borjus and the young Kolten Wong.

Cardinals fans should be ecstatic about the arrival of Bourjos, who swiped 22 bases in 2011. For his career, Bourjos is 41-54 in stolen base attempts.

Wong, another speedster, will surely get the nod as the everyday second baseman for the Cardinals in 2014. Last season, Wong stole three bases, including one during the postseason.

For a team that has lacked speed, the Cardinals will have plenty of it in 2014.

Consistency at the bottom 

The Cardinals struggled to get any consistency from the bottom tier of their lineup throughout the postseason.

Hitters seven, eight and nine in the order went a combined 23-for-167 (.137) during the 2013 postseason. That must change in 2014, and I believe it will.

Freese is no longer with the team, and barring another late-season injury, Allen Craig will be healthy and ready to go for Opening Day. Also, Matt Adams figures to be an everyday player, which will give the Cardinals even more power and consistency throughout their lineup. 

Approach vs. left-handed pitching

Generally, if the Cardinals went up against a left-handed pitcher, they struggled. The reasoning behind the Cardinals’ struggles against lefties was puzzling.

In 2013, the Cardinals hit .238 against LHP, 13th in the NL. To put that into context, the Cardinals led the NL with a .280 average against RHP. 

That must change. The Cardinals need to focus on spraying the ball to all fields against lefties, which would make their lineup even more dangerous. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Former Major League Baseball pitcher, and current ESPN baseball analyst, Mark Mulder announced he is attempting a return to baseball, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.

Mulder retired in 2009 after two surgeries on his left shoulder and after having realized he couldn’t pitch at a high level again:

But things changed in October when Mulder watched Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Paco Rodriguez on TV and found something in Rodriguez’s delivery that he could emulate. Mulder spent the month of November working himself into shape at a Phoenix-area facility run by former big-league catcher Chad Moeller, and recently threw off the mound for three unspecified teams near his home in Scottsdale.

Mulder said scouts clocked him at 89-90 mph, according to Crasnick‘s story, which makes him very excited—”I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am,” Mulder said by phone Tuesday. “To be honest with you, I never anticipated this five or six weeks ago. It was just a flat-out fluke that came from me trying to imitate Paco Rodriguez in my living room.”

But the question is, can Mulder return to MLB and be effective after a six-year layoff?

Mulder’s Career

During his career, Mulder went 103-60 with a 4.18 ERA and 834 strikeouts for the St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics.

His best year came in 2001 when he went 21-8 with a 3.45 ERA and 153 strikeouts. It was also a year where he finished runner-up in the AL Cy Young race, losing to Roger Clemens.

He was a part of Oakland’s “Big Three” pitchers that included Barry Zito and Tim Hudson.

In 2004, fresh off a 17-8 season with a 4.43 ERA, Mulder was traded to St. Louis for Dan Haren, Daric Barton and Kiko Calero.

In his first season in St. Louis, Mulder was impressive, going 16-8 with a 3.64 ERA. The next season started out just as good, as Mulder won five of his first six decisions.

Then, the trouble started. He struggled the rest of the year and had two separate stints on the disabled list. In total, he finished the year 1-6 with a 13.64 ERA in his final eight starts.

Another surgery in the offseason limited Mulder to three starts at the end of 2007 in which he gave up 15 earned runs in 11 innings. By the end of 2008, the Cardinals bought out Mulder’s contract, and he hasn’t played a game since.

Bullpen is Best Place

The biggest question is, would you use Mulder as a starter or reliever?

With obvious shoulder issues in the past, the best bet for Mulder would be as a reliever. That would put less strain on his arm and wouldn’t force him to work as hard in any given day.

With that in mind, we’ve seen in the past that some of the best relievers are former starting pitchers. John Smoltz and Dennis Eckersley are two pitchers that come to mind.

But unlike both of those pitchers, Mulder’s issue was with a shoulder, which isn’t always the easiest fix. Far more pitchers have come back successfully from Tommy John surgery than from multiple shoulder surgeries. Smoltz dealt with Tommy John, while Eckersley was moved to the bullpen due to poor performance.

Both thrived in the bullpen, but neither had to deal with a six-year layoff like Mulder is doing.

Mixed Reaction and Final Thoughts

There is a mixture of reaction on Twitter, concerning Mulder’s comeback attempt:

It’s hard to say whether Mulder will succeed or not. The only way we will find out is if a team gives him a shot to earn a roster spot in spring training.

Regardless of whether anyone believes he can come back or not, he will get that shot and have a chance to prove that he can still pitch at a high level.

A lot of people will be rooting for him to succeed. But even if he doesn’t, he’s going to inspire people to remember to never let their dreams die.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak heads into his second day of the baseball winter meetings, it must be a nice feeling to hold all of the cards, so to speak.  He doesn’t have to make a move but can if he sees a great opportunity.

There are no more holes to fill in the everyday lineup and the pitching cupboard is overflowing with arms.  Mozeliak has built this team to contend not only in 2014, but well beyond that as well.

Here are some predictions for what could be in store for the Cardinals in the next three years.

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