Kuzul

Despite the offense that the Cardinals lost from Albert Pujols, they are off to a good start at 7-3 and leading the Central. This production is still coming from the player at first base, but it’s not who you think it is.

Matt Carpenter, the Cardinals backup first baseman has been one of the keys to this start, batting .409 with 10 RBI to start the season. Cincinnati comes into town in a three-way tie for second and will be making their first trip to St. Louis tonight. Here is a preview of what is to come.

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The last calendar year has been an eventful one for the St. Louis Cardinals.

This time last year, the Cardinals were being written off by many thanks to Adam Wainwright’s elbow woes, which ultimately led to Tommy John surgery. The team ended up flying under the radar for much of the 2011 season, only to get hot in September, finally clinching a playoff berth on the final day of the regular season.

Then they won the World Series.

The euphoria was short-lived, though. Not long after the last out of the World Series was recorded, legendary manager Tony La Russa retired, and then the Cardinals lost superstar slugger Albert Pujols to free agency. He’s with the Los Angeles Angels now, which still feels weird.

The absence of La Russa and Pujols is making a lot of people write the Cardinals off once again, but the truth is that this is still a very strong team. The Cardinals are not going to fade into irrelevance just because things are going to be a little different.

Here’s a look at how things are shaping up for the Cardinals this season.

 

2011 Record: 90-72

Key Arrivals (courtesy of BaseballProspectus.com): LHP J.C. Romero (FA), LHP R.J. Swindle (FA), OF Eugenio Velez (FA), OF Carlos Beltran (FA).

Key Departures: 1B Albert Pujols (FA), SS Nick Punto (FA), SS Ryan Theriot (FA), C Gerald Laird (FA), RHP Octavio Dotel (FA), RHP Edwin Jackson (FA), LHP Arthur Rhodes (FA). 

Projected Rotation (per official site)

1. Chris Carpenter (11-9, 3.45 ERA, 1.26 WHIP)*
2. Adam Wainwright (20-11, 2.42 1.05 in 2010; did not pitch in 2011)
3. Kyle Lohse (14-8, 3.39, 1.17)
4. Jaime Garcia (13-7, 3.56, 1.32)
5. Jake Westbrook (12-9, 4.66, 1.53)

*Wainwright is listed as No. 1 starter on the Cardinals’ website, but Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has reported that Carpenter is penciled in for Opening Day.

Projected Starters

C: Yadier Molina (.305/.349/.465)

1B: Lance Berkman (.301/.412/.547)

2B: Tyler Greene (.212/.322/.288)

3B: David Freese (.297/.350/.441)

SS: Rafael Furcal (.231/.298/.348)

LF: Matt Holliday (.296/.388/.525)

CF: Jon Jay (.297/.344/.424)

RF: Carlos Beltran (.300/.385/.525)

Bullpen

Closer: Jason Motte (R) (5-2, 9 SV, 18 HLD, 4 BLSV, 2.25 ERA, 0.96 WHIP)

Fernando Salas (R) (5-6, 24 SV, 6 HLD, 6 BLSV, 2.28, 0.95)

Kyle McClellan (12-7, 4 HLD, 1 BLSV, 4.19, 1.31)

Mitchell Boggs (R) (2-3, 4 SV, 1 HLD, 4 BLSV, 3.56, 1.37)

Mark Rzepczynski (L) (2-6, 18 HLD, 4 BLSV, 3.34, 1.23)

J.C. Romero (L) (1-0, 3 HLD, 4.01, 1.74)

Eduardo Sanchez (R) (3-1, 5 SV, 7 HLD, 2 BLSV, 1.80, 1.00)

Lance Lynn (R) (1-1, 1 SV, 3 HLD, 1 BLSV, 3.12, 1.04)

Scouting the Starting Pitching

Cardinals starters were not elite in 2011. St. Louis’ rotation managed just 86 quality starts all season, and it managed a relatively unspectacular 3.81 ERA.

One things Cardinals starters did do, however, was log innings. In the National League, only the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks saw their starting pitchers rack up more innings than Cardinals’ starting pitchers. They logged exactly 999 innings.

Chris Carpenter had a lot to do with that. He led the National League with 237.1 innings pitched. His overall numbers—an 11-9 record, a 3.45 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP—weren’t overly impressive, but this was largely because Carpenter got off to a very slow start. He didn’t really get rolling until after the All-Star break.

After the break, Carpenter was outstanding. He pitched 108.2 innings and went 7-2 with an ERA of 2.98. He was particularly good in September, pitching two complete games and posting a 2.15 ERA. As everyone will well remember, Carpenter’s complete game shutout on the final day of the regular season ultimately punched St. Louis’ ticket to the postseason.

Carpenter is a rock, but the big question concerning St. Louis’ rotation is how Adam Wainwright will bounce back after missing the entire 2011 season.

This is a question that nobody knows the answer to. The track record for pitchers in their first year after Tommy John surgery is shaky, so nobody should expect Wainwright to recapture the form he showed in 2009 and 2010 right away. He won a total of 39 games those two years, with an ERA of 2.53 and a WHIP of 1.13. He was remarkable.

The Cardinals are obviously going to play it safe with Wainwright. Assuming he stays healthy enough to keep pitching, it’s safe to assume he’s going to spend much of the season shaking off rust. If all goes well, Wainwright will be more like his old self in the second half of the season, just in time for an inevitable playoff push.

While Wainwright is shaking off rust, the Cardinals will need Jaime Garcia to be better than ever. I like Garcia as a pitcher, but he hasn’t yet figured out a good balance on the mound. He did well to keep his strikeout rate steady from 2010 to 2011 while lowering his walk rate, but his improved control led to more hits. Batters hit .273 off Garcia in 2011, which is a little too high.

Garcia was at his worst after the break, posting a 4.07 ERA and allowing opponents to hit an even .300 against him.

On the bright side, Garcia’s numbers could have been a lot worse given the way he struggled in 2011. And strangely enough, his FIP of 3.23 was actually lower than his 3.56 ERA. 

This will be a big season for Garcia. He’s been around the block twice now, and the Cardinals are counting on him to take the next step towards being an ace.

Behind Garcia is Kyle Lohse. I wouldn’t trust him in a Game 7 situation, but there are much worse No. 4 starters out there. Lohse is a guy who isn’t going to walk the ballpark, and he has a habit of pitching to contact very effectively.

Unfortunately, Lohse pitched to contact a little too effectively last season, posting a .269 BABIP  despite the fact that Lohse’s ground-ball rate dipped a little. I’m thinking he got lucky last season and his numbers will level out in 2012.

Still, I’d take Lohse over 90 percent of the No. 4 starters around the majors.

Jake Westbrook is penciled into the No. 5 spot in this rotation, and he’s a serviceable starter as long as he’s getting ground balls. He got plenty of those last year, but a lot of them found their way through the infield. Opposing batters hit .290 off Westbrook last season.

But just like I’d take Lohse over most No. 4 starters, I’d take Westbook over most No. 5 starters. At least the Cardinals can rely on him for innings.

As a whole, I like this rotation. There are some question marks, but there’s not a whole lot to complain about either. In fact, I’m more worried about the absence of pitching coach Dave Duncan than I am about the pitchers themselves. That man is a wizard.

Nevertheless, these are Duncan’s guys, and they had enough time with him to learn all his tricks. They’ll be fine.

Scouting the Bullpen

St. Louis’ bullpen was better than most people probably realize last season. Cardinals relievers may have posted an unspectacular 3.73 ERA, but their 2.48 K/BB ratio was one of the top marks in the National League. 

Closing games was St. Louis’ biggest problem last season, as the team finished with 26 blown saves. That’s way too many. 

However, last year’s Cardinals team lacked a true closer, and that problem was solved late in the season and in the playoffs. Jason Motte proved he’s the man for the job by saving five games in the postseason, all while posting an impressive 2.19 ERA and a microscopic 0.49 WHIP.

We know from his performance in the playoffs last year that Motte’s ceiling as a closer is high, but it’s not like we’re talking about a fluky pitcher. Motte was fantastic in general last season, posting a 2.25 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He didn’t walk guys, and hitters managed just a .202 average against him.

The Cardinals have a bunch of quality arms with which to form a bridge to Motte. Though he was a mediocre closer, Fernando Salas had an outstanding season in his own right in 2011. He’ll be an asset setting up for Motte, and is a guy who can get both righties and lefties out.

The X-factor in this bullpen is Kyle McClellan. The Cardinals had to use him as a starter last season after they lost Wainwright, and the experiment didn’t go so well. By the time McClellan was back in the bullpen, he was pretty much out of gas.

We know from McClellan’s 2010 season that he’s a much better reliever than he is a starter. He was fantastic in 2010, and he should be fantastic again in 2012, resulting in a much deeper pen.

Mike Matheny likely won’t be able to mix and match like La Russa used to do, but that’s not going to be an issue given the overall quality of his bullpen.

 

Scouting the Hitting

Scoring runs was never a big problem for the Cardinals last season. They scored 762 of them, good for most in the National League. They also led the NL with a .273 team batting average and a .341 team on-base percentage, and they tied for first with a .425 team slugging percentage.

The big question, of course, is how the Cardinals can be that good again without Albert Pujols’ bat in the lineup. 

A bounce-back season from Matt Holliday will help. He was outstanding for the Cardinals in 2009 and 2010, but he just couldn’t catch a break in 2011. He had to have an emergency appendectomy in April, missed time when a moth got stuck in his ear in August and then he hurt his hand in September.

Despite his various mishaps, Holliday still managed to his .296 with 22 homers and he posted an OPS of .916. In retrospect, that’s pretty impressive.

For all intents and purposes, Pujols’ bat has been replaced by Carlos Beltran’s bat. This is a downgrade, but not as much of one as people may think. Beltran showed in 2011 that he can still hit. 

All told, Beltran posted a line of .300/.385/.525, which is not bad at all. The truly impressive part is that he was actually a better hitter with the Giants than he was with the Mets. I just didn’t see that coming given the lack of protection in San Francisco’s lineup and the ballpark the Giants play in.

If Beltran stays healthy (cross your fingers, Cardinals fans), he’s going to make up for a good chunk of the production the Cardinals lost when Pujols bolted for Los Angeles. 

Lance Berkman and David Freese will help make up for the rest. Berkman’s power numbers took a dive after the All-Star break, but he was way better in 2011 than the Cardinals probably ever thought he would be. I don’t think we’re going to see him hit 30 homers again, but Berkman is going to get on base and hit for enough power to flirt with an OPS of .900 again. The Cardinals will gladly take that kind of production.

Freese is the guy to watch in this lineup. He showed with his torrid postseason that he has the ability to be a difference-maker with a bat in his hands, as Freese was by far St. Louis’ best hitter in the World Series.

The knock on Freese is that he just can’t stay healthy for a full season, and this is absolutely true. Freese has generally been very good when he has been able to play, but the Cardinals are going to need him to stay on the field this season more than he has in each of the last two years.

If Freese stays healthy, the middle of St. Louis’ order is going to be stacked. Pitchers will not look forward to facing it.

And we haven’t even talked about Yadier Molina yet. He had the best offensive season of his career last year, batting .305 with a career-high 14 home runs. The Cardinals would love to get that kind of production from Molina again, but the truth is that whatever offense Molina provides is a bonus given how excellent he is on defense.

There are some weak spots in St. Louis’ lineup, but there’s enough talent to make sure the team’s offensive production doesn’t slide too far from where it was last season. This lineup is going to score plenty of runs.

Pitching Stud

Make a list of all the things you look for in a true ace, and you’ll find that Chris Carpenter satisfies most, if not all, of the requirements.

When Carpenter is healthy, he’s a guy who will pile up innings, keep runs off the scoreboard, and generally do whatever it takes to give the Cardinals a chance to win any game he pitches. He was instrumental in the Cardinals’ run to the World Series last year, and he ultimately won Game 7 of the World Series.

I mentioned above that Carpenter’s season totals from 2011 don’t tell the whole story, as he was at his best in the second half of the season when the Cardinals absolutely needed him to be. When the going got tough, Carpenter got going.

It becomes even more apparent that Carpenter really wasn’t that bad last season when you take an closer look at his numbers. He actually upped his strikeout rate and decreased his walk rate, posting an impressive 3.47 K/BB. Among pitchers who logged at least 200 innings, that was good for eighth in the National League.

Because Carpenter’s ground ball rate declined, you would think that he would have given up more long balls. He didn’t. Only 7.5 percent of the fly balls he induced went over the fence, and opponents only slugged .360 off him.

The point is that Carpenter did not regress as much as his primary numbers suggest he did. His slightly subpar numbers were products of a slow start and a bit of bad luck. On balance, Carpenter still pitched like an ace last season.

This should come as no surprise. Carpenter is one of the top aces in baseball, and he has been for years.

Hitting Stud

I’m a pretty big fan of Matt Holliday. From where I’m sitting, he’s one of the very best right-handed hitters in the game. At least when he’s healthy, anyway.

The numbers support the idea. From 2007 to 2010, Holliday managed a line of .322/.399/.549. His average of .322 was the fifth-best mark among all hitters in that four-year span, his slugging percentage of .549 was tied for seventh-best and his OPS of .949 was right up there with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.

This is the Holliday that the Cardinals should expect to see in 2012, not the snakebit version of him that they got in 2011—although even that version was pretty good, as Holliday saw very little decline in his on-base percentage and slugging percentage between 2010 and 2011.

With Pujols out of the Cardinals’ lineup, they’re going to need Holliday to get back to being the hitter he was from 2007 to 2010. As long as Holliday stays healthy, there’s not a doubt in my mind that he’s going to oblige the Cardinals.

X-Factor

The Cardinals have a lot of guys who could go here, particularly David Freese, Allen Craig or Rafael Furcal.

But no one player is as important for the Cardinals this season than Adam Wainwright. It’s not even close.

The Cardinals probably aren’t going to get the 2009-2010 version of Wainwright. That Wainwright won 39 games, pitched 463.1 innings, had a 3.48 K/BB, a 2.53 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He was one of the very best starting pitchers in the majors.

Like I mentioned above, it’s just not reasonable at all to expect Wainwright to pick up where he left off in 2010. He’s going to need some time to shake the rust off, and odds are it’s going to be a pretty tough process.

Once that rust comes off, though, the Cardinals are going to have a two-headed monster at the top of their rotation that few other teams around the league will be able to match. When healthy, the Carpenter-Wainwright tandem is right up there with Halladay-Lee and Lincecum-Cain.

If the Carpenter-Wainwright tandem is anywhere near as effective as it was before Wainwright got hurt, the Cardinals are going to run away with the NL Central.

Prospect to Watch

There’s only one guy who can go here, and that’s Shelby Miller.

Miller is widely recognized as one of the top prospects in baseball. Keith Law of ESPN.com has him ranked No. 5 overall, and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has him ranked No. 10 overall. What everyone agrees on is that Miller has outstanding stuff and that he’s going to be ready for the show very soon.

It helps that Miller made huge strides in 2011, posting a 2.77 ERA between Single-A and Double-A. He struck out 170 hitters in 139.2 innings, which is ridiculous.

Kary Booher of the Springfield News-Leader reported recently that Miller will have to show this spring he deserves to start the season in Triple-A. Given the fact he’s only started 16 games at Double-A, that makes sense.

My hunch is that Miller will start the season in Triple-A. If he is successful there too, you have to think the Cardinals are going to be very tempted to call him up if they need starting pitching help.

So here’s a bold prediction: we will see Miller in the majors this season.

What the Cardinals Will Do Well

If you think Pujols’ departure is going to result in a team-wide offensive slump, think again. He was the biggest bat in this lineup last season (and the season before that, etc.), but the Cardinals can rest easy knowing that there is still enough depth and talent in their lineup to make it formidable.

Before you ask, I don’t think the Cardinals are going to be the top offensive team in the NL again. Pujols’ exit won’t be that invisible. But the Cardinals will score plenty of runs. Count on it.

Pitching-wise, I’ll be surprised if the Cardinals aren’t better than they were in 2011. Wainwright’s return will help in the long run, and I anticipate Garcia continuing to improve. The bullpen will rally around Motte and be much more reliable as a result.

What the Cardinals Won’t Do Well

Nobody should accuse the Cardinals of being an elite defensive team. They really struggled on defense last season, and it’s worth noting that they lost their best defensive player when Pujols left for LA.

Even on paper the Cardinals’ defense is cringe-worthy. They’ve got some old-timers in some key spots, and they have a few other guys who simply don’t have a whole lot of range.

On the bright side, at least the Cardinals still have the best defensive catcher in the game. It’s just too bad Molina can’t field ground balls and catch fly balls.

Final Thoughts

The question concerning the 2012 Cardinals is whether they can be as good or better than they were in 2011.

They’ve lost La Russa, they’ve lost Pujols and they’re not going to have Dave Duncan, but I think the answer is yes.

Here’s the way I look at it. The Cardinals were never really strong on paper last season, and they had to deal with more injuries and other mishaps than most other teams in the league. By all rights, they should have had an awful season. Instead, they won 90 games and won the World Series.

This Cardinals team does look strong on paper. If they can avoid the bad luck that plagued them last season, I see no reason why they won’t win at least 90 games and go to the playoffs once again.

The Reds and Brewers will give them a run for their money, but I think the NL Central is going to go to the Cardinals this season.

Projected Record: 93-69, first in NL Central.

 

More Previews

National League Central

Milwaukee Brewers

Cincinnati Reds

Pittsburgh Pirates

Chicago Cubs

Houston Astros

 

American League Central

Detroit Tigers

Cleveland Indians

Kansas City Royals

Chicago White Sox

Minnesota Twins

National League West

San Francisco Giants

Arizona Diamondbacks

Los Angeles Dodgers

San Diego Padres

Colorado Rockies

American League West

Texas Rangers

Los Angeles Angels

Seattle Mariners

Oakland Athletics

Zachary D. Rymer is a lifelong baseball junkie with an impressive collection of Nomar Garciaparra rookie cards and a knuckleball that is coming along. He loves the Red Sox and hates the Yankees, but he has a huge man-crush on Derek Jeter and would like nothing more than to have a few beers with Nick Swisher. He’s always down to talk some baseball, so feel free to hit him up on Twitter:

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

 

 

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It is a strange time for the St. Louis Cardinals. On the one hand, the team will be celebrating a championship when the season starts and has a great chance to get back to the playoffs again this year. 

However, there is the little hole over at first base that the organization and fans will miss. The good news is that there is help coming from down on the farm. Most of the top prospects in the system are in the lower levels of the minors, but there are a few players who could make their presence felt in 2012. 

Here is a look at the next wave of young talent that the Cardinals hope will bring more championships in the not-too-distant future. .

 

1. Shelby Miller, RHP, 21

The Cardinals should boast one of the best rotations in the National League, depending on how fast Adam Wainwright is able to return to the form we saw before the Tommy John surgery. Miller is not a bad insurance policy to have waiting if and when the team needs another impact arm. 

Strengths: His easy velocity comes from a smooth, fluid delivery that puts little stress on his shoulder. In addition to throwing his fastball in the mid-90s, he also gets great life and movement on the pitch. The velocity and movement allows him to induce a lot of weak contact. 

Weaknesses: Though he is nearly finished developing in the minors, he could stand to improve the consistency on his curveball and changeup. Both should be plus pitches soon enough, but there are times when he loses his feel for the pitches. His command also needs some refinement before he takes the next step.

Report: Miller is one of the best pitching prospects in the game right now. He is a true No. 1 starter in the making. His fastball is already a dominant pitch, and should allow him to succeed if he were to start the season with the team. He should make his Major League debut this year, but he will need some refinement in Triple A. 

ETA: Late 2012

 

2. Carlos Martinez, RHP, 20

Most teams can’t claim to have one pitcher in their system with true No. 1 starter potential, but the Cardinals can honestly say they have two in Miller and Martinez. Far from a finished product, Martinez does have to make progress this year to keep his stock rising. 

Strengths: He has such an easy delivery that it is almost a crime he throws 95-100 mph with regularity. Despite his age, he is already able to maintain that velocity deep into games. Time is on his side since he just turned 20 in September. 

Weaknesses: As great as his delivery is, he does have problems repeating it. This leads him to having problems commanding his pitches in the zone. There is some doubt about whether he will be able to handle starting long term because he is just 6’0″ and 165 pounds. 

Report: The size issue doesn’t concern me, especially when you see how easily he throws the ball and holds his velocity. His 4.7 BB/9 IP has to improve, but he was just 19 pitching in high Class A last year. He needs to show more consistency with his curveball and a better feel for his changeup, but both should end up being plus pitches. He and Miller will lead the Cardinals rotation in three years. 

ETA: 2014

 

3. Tyrell Jenkins, RHP, 19

While Jenkins does not have as much upside as Miller or Martinez, he would be the top pitching prospect in a lot of systems. He is more projection than polished product at just 19 years old, but last year he started to show signs of being the top-of-the-rotation starter his stuff suggests he can become. 

Strengths: After throwing just three innings during the 2010 season due to signing late, he was able to increase his workload to 56 last year. While very limited, he did show signs of improvement with his mechanics and a better feel for his pitches. His best offering is a low-to mid-90s fastball that has great life out of his hand. 

Weaknesses: As you can imagine for a pitcher so young with so little experience, his secondary pitches need work. He is still learning to throw a curveball and changeup. How well they progress as he moves through the minors will determine his ultimate role in the big leagues. 

Report: Assuming his secondary pitches come along, Jenkins has the upside of a No. 2 starter. He has only thrown 59 innings since 2010, so there is a lot of risk and projection in his arm right now. 

ETA: 2016

 

4. Oscar Taveras, OF, 19

While the Cardinals have played it fairly conservative in the draft, save for a few picks here and there, where they really shine is on the international free agent market. They signed Martinez and Taveras for a combined $1.6 million, and both should play a prominent role in the future direction of the franchise. 

Strengths: While most players need time to adjust to the pitching in the minors, Taveras has had no problems hitting. He went from .303/.342/.485 in rookie ball two years ago to .386/.444/.584 in 2011. His bat speed and easy swing allow him to make consistent, hard contact with the ball. He has a strong arm that should allow him to play in right field.

Weaknesses: As great as his swing is, he could benefit from taking more walks. He is not so aggressive that it works against him, but he does get swing-happy now and then. His defense has been problematic. He tends to lose focus in the outfield, which allows many balls that should be caught to fall in. 

Report: Even if the defense never comes around, you can learn to live with it because the bat is so good. He may end up being more of a doubles hitter than a home run threat in the majors, but because his swing is so good he will end up as a No. 3 hitter. 

ETA: 2016

 

5. Zack Cox, 3B, 22

There was some thought that Cox would be one of the first college hitters taken in the 2010 draft. He fell all the way to the bottom of the first round, where the Cardinals took him with the 25th pick. His bat will carry him to the big leagues, but with David Freese locked into the hot corner for the time being, he could be used as trade bait to fill another need the team has. 

Strengths: Cox came out of college as a polished hitter that would move quickly through the minors, and he has done nothing to prove that theory wrong. He has a smooth, fluid swing and the plate discipline needed to hit for a high average and get on base. 

Weaknesses: As nice as his swing looks, Cox has limited power potential because he does not have a lot of loft to it. His defense at third base suffers due to a lack of range. He has the arm for the position, but does not move well side to side. 

Report: Cox’s bat is going to be his calling card. If he hits 15-20 home runs on average while hitting close to .300 and getting on base at a .350-.360 clip, you can find a spot for him in the lineup. His defense will never be great, but it should be good enough to get by at the hot corner. 

ETA: 2013

 

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The St. Louis Cardinals are poised to strengthen their starting rotation by signing veteran free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt. The 34-year-old right-handed pitcher is reportedly close to a deal with the 2011 World Series Champions.

Update: Saturday, January 28 at 2:25 p.m. EST

According to MLB.com, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak has denied reports that say his team is close to a deal with free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt.

Reached by email, Mozeliak wrote that reports were “not true,” but did not elaborate. Another club official indicated that no transactions seemed to be imminent for the Cardinals.

Update: Saturday, January 28 at 12:10 p.m. EST

According to CBS Sports, Oswalt turned down a big contract offer from the Detroit Tigers, and has decided to focus on signing with a Southern team. The offer from the Tigers was reportedly one year at $10 million. Oswalt doesn’t need the money at this stage of his career, and would be best served joining a contender in a place he’s comfortable living in.

Update: Saturday, January 28 at 9:10 a.m. EST

ESPN Boston is reporting that Roy Oswalt is close to a contract agreement with the Cardinals, but the deal is not done yet.

Free-agent pitcher Roy Oswalt has elected to remain in the National League and is likely to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals “soon,” a major league source said late Friday night.

Presumably, any agreement would be pending a physical for Oswalt, who has a history of back problems.

“It’s not yet 100 percent,” the source said.

 

Free-agent pitcher Roy Oswalt has reportedly agreed to a contract with the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, a source told Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.

Oswalt, 34, was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2010 season from the Houston Astros, and went 9-10 last season with a 3.69 ERA for the NL East champs.

 

What Does This Mean?

This is an excellent signing for the Cardinals, who lost superstar first baseman Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels through free agency earlier this offseason.

Oswalt is not the elite starting pitcher he used to be, but he is more than capable of performing well in the NL Central division, which doesn’t have any dominating lineups other than the Milwaukee Brewers.

With starter Adam Wainwright missing all of last season with an elbow injury, Oswalt adds more depth to the Cardinals rotation. You can never have enough pitching, and the Cardinals were wise to target Oswalt to strengthen their rotation.

St. Louis will hope that Oswalt, who has a history of back problems, can be healthy for the entire 2012 season. He started 23 games last season for the Phillies.

 

What’s Next?

The Phillies still have good depth in their starting rotation following Oswalt’s departure. Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee are three of the better pitchers in baseball, but Philly would be smart to sign some low-cost, low-risk starters before spring training to battle for Oswalt’s place in the rotation.

This deal also affects the Boston Red Sox, who reportedly offered Oswalt a contract in an effort to bolster their rotation. The poor play of starters Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey were the primary reason Boston collapsed in September and missed the playoffs.

ESPN Boston has reported that the Red Sox are likely reengaged in trade talks with the Chicago White Sox regarding starter Gavin Floyd.

Oswalt was one of the last notable starting pitchers available on the free-agent market, which means teams looking to add quality starters before spring training will have to do so via trade.

 

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Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter.

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The St. Louis Cardinals lost the best player in Major League Baseball this offseason.

Cardinals fans around the country were devastated to find out that first baseman Albert Pujols left St. Louis to join the Los Angeles Angels. Not only did the Cardinals lose a great first baseman in Pujols, but they also lost arguably the best hitter in the Majors.

Pujols was among the league leaders in home runs and runs batted in every year. During his 11 years with the Cardinals, Pujols accounted for 445 home runs and 1329 runs batted in. Those numbers are difficult to replace.

The Cardinals lived and breathed off of their offense last season. In 2011, the Cardinals were in the top five in runs, batting average and on-base percentage. In order to have any chance at repeating in 2012, the Cardinals must get a lot from the hitters still on their team.

Players like Lance Berkman will have to play just as well, if not better, than last year. The Cardinals will need Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran and David Freese to bring their bats next year. These guys, especially Holliday and Beltran, can hit for power and have proven that in their careers.

Freese and players like Skip Schumaker, Rafeal Furcal, Jon Jay and Yadier Molina are all capable of hitting the ball well, but they will need to be exceptional to account for the absence of Pujols.

The Cardinals have a bullpen that should be much improved from last year, and that will help a St. Louis offense that may have some growing pains. The signing of Beltran helped the Cardinals, but he will need to put up numbers like he did in his prime to truly help the Cardinals.

St. Louis will do a good job of replacing Pujols in 2012, but they may need to add one more power hitter before the season begins. A guy like Prince Fielder is out of the question, but possibly a guy like Johnny Gomes could come into the outfield rotation and help the Cardinals throughout 2012.

Even if the Cardinals do not bring in anyone else before the season starts, they have a roster that could be good offensively. It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals handle the 2012 season without Pujols and the power that they were so used to.

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The defending World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals are expecting big things in 2012. Coming off their wild postseason ride, the Cardinals believe they are once again one of the favorites to win the World Series in 2012.

Obviously, the loss of Albert Pujols this offseason was extremely disappointing for this franchise. There is not one player who can replace what Pujols brought to the Cardinals’ franchise, but a combination of players will need to step up.

Here are five players who need to have big season for the St. Louis Cardinals if they want to be competitive in 2012.

Begin Slideshow

On October 27, 2011 Cardinal Nation was thrown into a dream.

The Birds were down to their final two outs when their hero, Albert Pujols, came up to bat. Pujols doubled to start a rally that will never be forgotten by Cardinal fans.

Down to their final strike twice they battled back to force a Game 7 in the 2011 Fall Classic. In Game 7 the Cardinals defeated the Rangers to win their 11th World Series title. The title capped a wild 24-hour ride that saw the Cardinals go from the brink of elimination to being World Champions.

It was one of the greatest teams and one of the greatest moments in Cardinals history.

At the center of all the chaotic happiness stood Pujols, the hero who this city loved more than anything, the hero who loved them back, the hero they thought would be with them forever.

Forty-one days later the city of St. Louis was thrown into another dream—only this time, the dream was a nightmare. That hero who would always be there, suddenly was gone.

Albert Pujols was no longer a Cardinal, but an Angel, and there was nothing Cardinal Nation could do to change it. Here now is a look back at one of the greatest careers in Cardinal baseball history.

 

The Beginning

Albert’s journey as a Cardinal began when he was selected in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.

He was the 402nd overall pick. Pujols quickly progressed through the minor leagues and made the big league roster for the Cardinals in 2001.

That year Pujols exploded to win MLB Rookie of the Year and make the All-Star team. The Cardinal rookie hit for a .329 average, had 37 home runs and drove in 130 runs. There was no doubt the Cardinals had a special player.

Pujols continued to tear through the major leagues for his first three seasons.

He helped lead St. Louis to the NLCS in 2002, where they fell to the San Francisco Giants. The Cardinal slugger won multiple awards throughout his second and third seasons, including the Hank Aaron Award, the Silver Slugger Award and another trip to the All-Star Game.

Pujols was turning into a premier player for the Cardinals. He was beginning to be looked at as a once-in-a-lifetime player; a player to build a franchise around.

 

2004-2006

In 2004 Pujols signed a seven-year deal with the Cardinals worth $100 million. The deal also included a club option of $16 million for the 2011 season, which was obviously exercised by the team just last offseason.

On the field, the Cardinals were a force.

Pujols, along with Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds, became known as the MV3 in St. Louis. In the 2004 NLCS the MV3 stepped up and led the Cardinals to a seven-game series victory over the rival Houston Astros.

Pujols was named MVP of the series with his four home runs. In the World Series the Cardinals ran into a team of destiny, the Boston Red Sox. Disappointingly, the season ended with a four-game sweep.

In 2005 the Cardinals were contenders again. This time though it was not an MV3, but an MVP named Albert Pujols who led the charge. Rolen and Edmonds were still there and still productive, but Pujols had won the first MVP award of his career and was the leader of this franchise. 

In the 2005 NLCS Pujols gave St. Louis fans a highlight to remember.

In Game 5 the Cardinals were down to their final out against the Houston Astros; the season was almost over, but Pujols was up, and he delivered. On an 0-1 pitch from Astros’ closer Brad Lidge, Pujols hit a mammoth home run to silence Houston for the rest of the night.

The Cardinals ended up losing the next game in the series, but they were granted one last game at Busch Stadium in front of their amazing fans because of Albert Pujols.

In 2006 the Cardinals opened up a brand new ballpark. They were once again expected to be contenders, but the regular season did not go according to plan. The Cardinals started off hot in 2006, but fell apart down the stretch to just stumble into the playoffs with only 83 wins.

No team had ever won a World Series with just 83 wins, but St. Louis did not listen to the critics.

Pujols again stepped up when he jump-started the Cardinals offense against the Padres with a towering home run in Game 1 of the 2006 NLDS. The Cardinals went on to defeat San Diego in four games.

The Birds headed to their third straight NLCS in 2006; their opponent was the New York Mets. In a dramatic seven-game series, the Cardinals prevailed to go to their second World Series in just three years. People began to wonder if this team could really pull this off.

In Game 1 of the World Series, Pujols stepped up again.

With the score tied 1-1, Albert hit a two run home run off Tiger ace Justin Verlander to put St. Louis up 3-1. The Cardinals went on to win Game 1, but lost Game 2. The series was 1-1 headed back to St. Louis.

In St. Louis the Cardinals went on a magical three-game run where they capped off an incredible season and won the franchise’s 10th World Series Championship. Albert Pujols was not the World Series MVP, but he was a champion all the same.

 

2007-2010

The next two years were darker times for the Cardinals. The team did not make the postseason either year, and even ended up with a losing record in 2007.

Albert Pujols continued to produce though.

The slugger continued to earn multiple awards and honors throughout the two years, and he capped it off by winning his second MVP award at the end of 2008. The Cardinals did not stay down long though.

In 2009 St. Louis was back in top form. Pujols led the way with his third MVP award, and the team went back to the playoffs after clinching the NL Central.

The Cardinals also added Matt Holliday to protect their franchise player. Ultimately, the 2009 season ended in disappointment, as the team was swept from the NLDS by the Dodgers.

The 2009 season was not just about the results on the field though.

The Cardinals also hosted the 2009 All Star Game that year. Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Ryan Franklin were the three All Stars selected to represent the Cardinals. It was a great time for the city of St. Louis and Cardinal fans.

The city received huge publicity as the game approached, and the Cardinals were given the opportunity to show off their ballpark and franchise player on the national stage.

Pujols participated in the Home Run Derby as well as the All-Star Game in 2009. Although his performance was slightly disappointing, the St. Louis icon fought valiantly and ended up making the semifinals of the Derby.

In the All-Star Game Pujols did not perform extremely well either, but it was an awesome moment to see Stan Musial come out and hand President Barack Obama the ball for the first pitch, which was caught by Pujols. The game ended up with an American League victory though.

In 2010 the Cardinals again fell short of the playoffs, but Albert Pujols put up another historic season. Pujols became the first major league player to hit for a .300 average, have 30 or more home runs and drive in 100 or more RBI in his first 10 seasons.

Pujols again made the All-Star Game, which was held in Anaheim. Kind of ironic when you look back on it, St. Louis and then Anaheim.

 

The Offseason

The biggest offseason topic after the 2010 season was trying to re-sign Albert Pujols, who was to become a free agent at the end of the 2011 season.

Neither side was able to reach an agreement though, and Pujols received some backlash from the fans. This was quickly forgotten, as Pujols did not want to discuss contract negotiations throughout the 2011 season.

 

2011

For Cardinal fans, this is a season they will never forget.

Albert Pujols struggled for most of the beginning of the year as he dealt with some injuries. Many people thought that this was the beginning of the decline of Albert Pujols, and the season looked like it would have a disappointing ending again.

The Cardinals got healthy though, made some key moves and then made a historic run to the playoffs.

After clinching a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season, the Cardinals faced the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. The Cardinals went on to win the series in five games. Pujols hit .318, including a great Game 3 performance where he had three doubles.

The Cardinals then moved on to play the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS.

In the NLCS Pujols had a hit in every game and hit .526 for the series. The Cardinals superstar also drove in nine runs over the course of the six-game series. In the end, Pujols helped the lead the Cardinals back to the World Series.

The World Series was a struggle for Albert, but like a true MVP does, he stepped up when his team needed him the most.

Pujols had a magical night in Game 3 of the World Series, where he hit three home runs in three consecutive at-bats.

When many people look back on the World Series and how Pujols performed, this is what they will look at, but Pujols had another hit that showed why he was a true MVP.

At the beginning of the article I mentioned Pujols’ Game 6 double against the Rangers. This double showed the kind of player Albert Pujols was.

The double that was indeed the final hit of his Cardinal career shows why Pujols is considered one of the greatest hitters of all time. Pujols took a 97-mph fastball from Neftali Feliz and stroked it into the gap in left-center field. It was the first pitch he saw.

Pujols was not concerned about having no hits through his last nine at-bats when he stepped in against Feliz. He came up to the plate with confidence, just like an MVP should. He was not going to let the Cardinals’ World Series dream die.

Feliz was going to have to strike someone else out, because Pujols refused to fail with the game on the line. He did not swing for the fences, but he just put the ball in play and gave his team a chance. David Freese will be remembered for his triple to tie the game, but do not forget about the quality at-bats from Pujols and then Lance Berkman that gave Freese the chance.

On the next night, after the wild comeback, Pujols and the Cardinals won the franchise’s 11th title. In his final game as a Cardinal Albert Pujols walked out a champion.

He would never step on the field at Busch Stadium again wearing the birds on the bat across his chest.

 

The Legacy of Albert Pujols

No matter what people say or think about Albert Pujols now, his achievements on and off the baseball field can not be forgotten.

In his career in St. Louis, Pujols won 75 major awards, hit 445 home runs, drove in 1,329 RBI, had a lifetime average of .328, broke many records and reached many milestones.

He is the only player in baseball history to hit for a .300 average, have 30 or more home runs and 100 or more RBI in each of his first 10 seasons.

Off the field, Pujols and his wife, Deidre, started the Pujols Family Foundation in 2005. The Foundation has raised millions of dollars throughout the years. The mission of the Pujols Family Foundation is to 

“honor God and strengthen families through our works, deeds and examples. Since beginning this foundation in 2005, we have sought to help those living with Down syndrome here at home and to improve the lives of the impoverished in the Dominican Republic. Along the way, God has blessed us richly, and for those of you who have been a part of that journey we offer our gratitude.” – http://www.pujolsfamilyfoundation.org/

The decade of Cardinal baseball known as the Pujols Era will go down as one of the greatest in Cardinals history. Pujols helped lead this franchise to six NL Central titles, seven playoff appearances, five NLCS appearances, three World Series appearances and two World Championships.

Throughout the past 11 seasons, Cardinal fans across the world were fortunate to see one of the greatest players ever wear the birds on the bat and dominate the game of baseball. A player like Albert Pujols will probably not come around for another 50 years, and a player like Pujols wearing a Cardinals jersey may never be seen again.

St. Louis fans should not stay bitter at Pujols for his decision.

It is extremely disappointing that he left our city, but we saw 11 amazing years. The Angels will take Pujols now, and see the rest of his Hall-of-Fame career, but no matter how many records Pujols breaks, no matter how many milestones he reaches and no matter how many championships he wins, Pujols will always be a Cardinal.

He may not have a statue next to Stan Musial on 8th Street, but Albert Pujols will still be one of the greatest Cardinals ever.

We may lose Albert for the next 10 years, but when everything is said and done, and the Hall of Fame comes calling; Albert Pujols will be a Cardinal again.

No matter what happens over the next 10 years in Anaheim, the story and legacy of Albert Pujols will start and end with St. Louis.

It began with a guy from Maple Woods Community College getting drafted 402nd overall in the 1999 MLB Draft. He became an icon to the greatest baseball city in the world. He was a three-time MVP and two-time World Series Champion.

He launched 445 home runs in the Cardinals’ colors. He represented our city in the 2009 All-Star Game. He was a hero to many.

Finally, when the day comes for Albert to go to the Hall of Fame, he will end everything has a Cardinal. As he stands up and speaks of his great career, it will be as a Cardinal once again.

Things will still go on in St. Louis.

When the Cardinals take the field at their home opener in 2012, Albert Pujols will be in New York leading the Angels against the Yankees, but the celebration will still go on. The Cardinals will still be the defending World Champions, the Cubs will be there and will still be hated and the famous Clydesdales will still make their annual march around the field.

Albert Pujols gave us 11 of the most exciting seasons of Cardinals baseball.

It may take many fans time, but someday they will all realize how lucky they were. With their own two eyes they saw the greatest player ever put the birds on the bat across his chest, watched him play in Baseball Heaven in front of the greatest fans in the world and watched him add to the legacy that his Cardinals baseball.

Thank you Albert Pujols for the past 11 years. We may never be lucky enough to see a player like you ever again.

 

 

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I believe Mark McGwire has paid his dues, and it is now time to let him into the Hall of Fame.

This is a topic that will inevitably run deeper than just the issue of allowing McGwire into the Hall, I am aware of that. He is really the first legitimate player from the steroid era entering his sixth year of eligibility. I would like to briefly take a look at some of the other eligible candidates before making my full case on behalf of McGwire.

First, the list of 27 players making their first appearance for Hall voting is vastly underwhelming. The best player on the list, in my humble opinion, is Bernie Williams. Now, Williams was a fine ballplayer, but he was not a Hall-of-Fame-caliber player.

This is not the Hall of Good Players, it is the Hall of Fame—reserved for the best of the best.

Unfortunately, the list of players making the ballot for the first time is just that: Good players, not great. That leaves the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to examine the 14 holdover names on the ballot and decide which of them are worthy of making it into Cooperstown.

This is where it gets dicey.

These are the players on that list. Next to their name, I will put the percentage of the vote they received in the 2011 voting as well as what year of ballot this will be for their consideration:

Barry Larkin 62.1, third year

Jack Morris 53.5, 13th year

Lee Smith 45.3, 10th year

Jeff Bagwell 41.7, second year

Tim Raines 37.5, fifth year

Edgar Martinez 32.9, third year

Alan Trammel 24.3, 11th year

Larry Walker 20.3, second year

Mark McGwire 19.8, sixth year

Fred McGriff 17.9, third year

Don Mattingly 13.6, 12th year

Dale Murphy 12.6, 14th year

Rafael Palmeiro 11, second year

Juan Gonzalez 5.2, second year.

There are several players on that list that I believe deserve to be in Cooperstown. The problem with the crop of players this year is that the list has no stand-out player that is head and shoulders above the rest.

The voting this year won’t be anything like 2007, when Cal Ripken, Jr. received 98.5 percent of the vote and Tony Gwynn received 97.6 percent; if anything, we may see two players just barely receive the needed 75 percent to get in to the Hall.

Looking back at BaseballReference.com, I examined what percentage of the vote McGwire has received over the past five attempts. Sequentially, it went as follows: 23.5 percent in 2007, 23.6 percent in 2008, 21.9 percent in 2009, 23.7 percent in 2010 and 19.8 percent in 2011. While he did dip in 2011, McGwire has averaged 22.5 percent of the vote in his five years of eligibility. This could be the year that number soars.

And why not?

Mark McGwire has paid his dues. Yes, he admitted—albeit a little late in the eyes of many—that he had in fact used steroids on and off for a decade, including when he broke the single-season home run record in 1998. McGwire does have a good argument on his side for being in the Hall, especially now as we are on the cusp of several accused steroid users being on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2013.

McGwire came out and apologized for his actions, and truth be told, nobody knows how uneven the playing field truly was during the steroid era. From all of the names that have been floated around in The Mitchell Report, we as a fan base have to come to terms with that time period in baseball.

Looking at the career statistics that McGwire has put up, it is extremely hard to ignore him this season. He has 583 career home runs, which is good for 10th all time. He drove in 1,414 runs, had 1,626 hits and scored 1,167 times. His career batting average was just that—average—at .263, but it was his on-base percentage (.394) and slugging percentage (.588) that were incredible, giving him a career OPS of .982.

In 1987, McGwire won the AL Rookie of the Year Award and also broke the record for home runs hit by a rookie that year, belting 49. In 1999, he won the ML Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. He is a 12-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger recipient (1992, 1996 and 1998) and he won a Gold Glove in 1990.

Less we not forget that it was McGwire and Sammy Sosa who arguably saved baseball in 1998, after the ugly strike in 1994 that brought about a work stoppage. In my opinion, the game did not recover until the summer of Big Mac and Sammy racing to see who would break the single-season home run record.

McGwire has silently been loyal to the Cardinals, acting as the team’s hitting coach since 2010. The man has paid his dues, and I think it’s time to say we forgive him.

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One game was at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. The other game was at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

The 34,124 fans were in high spirits, as their St. Louis Cardinals were leading the third place Chicago Cubs 2-1. Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Mort Cooper of the fourth place Boston Braves was shutting out the Dodgers 4-0.

The Cards were tied with the Dodgers for first place.

The date was Sept. 29. 1946, the last day of the season. It was one of the few times that the Cardinals didn’t win a game they had to win.

The Boston Braves beat the Dodgers. It was a very good thing, because the Cubs rallied in the sixth inning for five runs. They scored two more in the eighth on their way to an 8-3 win over St. Louis.

For the first time in major league history, there was a tie for the pennant.

The best-of-three series opened in Sportsman’s Park on Oct. 1. A disappointingly small crowd of 26,012 fans attended the game.

The Cardinals sent left-hander Howie Pollet to the mound to face Brooklyn’s Ralph Branca, who would become a household name five years later in another Brooklyn Dodgers’ playoff series.

Under a cloudless sky on a warm autumn day, Branca struck out Red Schoendienst and Stan Musial in the bottom of the first of the scoreless game, but in between the two future Hall of Famers strikeouts, Terry Moore singled to left.

Enos Slaughter kept the inning alive when he singled between first and second. Whitey Kurowski walked to load the bases. Joe Garagiola was the batter.

The left-handed hitting catcher sent a sharp ground ball to the left of third baseman Cookie Lavagetto. Shortstop PeeWee Reese backhanded the ball, leaped into the air and fired a strike to first, but it was an eyelash too late.

Who drove in the first run in the history of the playoffs? We’re talking about the real playoffs, before the need for playoffs was created by divisional play. 

It was Joe Garagiola.

Brooklyn tied the game on a Howie Schultz home run in the third. Schultz drove in Brooklyn’s other run on a seventh-inning single.

The Dodgers’ problem was that the Cardinals scored two runs in their half of the third on a walk and three singles. They scored their fourth and final run in the seventh for 4-2 victory.

The second game was played in Brooklyn on Oct. 3, 1946. Five years later, in a game at the Polo Grounds, Oct. 3 would become a day of mourning for Brooklyn.  It wasn’t too happy a day in 1946 either.

Murray Dickson held the Dodgers to one run over eight innings. The run came in the first inning to give Brooklyn a short-lived 1-0 advantage.

After the Cards scored once to tie the game, Dickson belted a triple to give the Cardinals a lead they never would relinquish. But they almost did.

Trailing 8-1 in the bottom the ninth inning, Brooklyn wouldn’t give in.

Augie Galan doubled. Dixie Walker hit a harmless fly ball to center field for the first out, but Ed Stevens tripled, Carl Furillo singled and Dickson’s wild pitch moved him to second.

Reese walked.

Guess who came in to pitch? It was Harry “the Cat” Brecheen.

Bruce Edwards greeted “the Cat” with a single to left to score Reese, making the score 8-4. Cookie Lavagetto walked to load the bases. The potential tying run was at the plate.

Brecheen struck out Eddie Stanky and Howie Schultz.

The Cardinals had their ninth pennant in 20 years.

 

References:

By JOHN DREBINGER Special to The New,York Times. (1946, Sep 30). 34,124 at st.louis see cubs win, 8-3. New York Times (1923-Current File), pp. 38. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/107643595?accountid=46260

By JOHN DREBINGER Special to THE NEW,YORK TIMES. (1946, Oct 02). Cardinals defeat dodgers in opening game of play-off series for pennant. New York Times (1923-Current File), pp. 35. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/107616811?accountid=46260

By JOHN DREBINGER The New,York Times. (1946, Oct 04). Cords win pennant, defeatinb dodgers again for two-game play-off sweep. New York Times (1923-Current File), pp. 17. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/107580441?accountid=46260

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