FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the St. Louis Cardinals.
The pride and joy of Gateway City, the Cardinals certainly have a stacked resume of success both historically and recently. In Tony La Russa's 13 seasons, the Cardinals have reached the playoffs seven times -- which, in turn has yielded two trips to the World Series and one championship. In that span, they have only finished below .500 three times, while winning at least 93 games five times.
Heading into 2008, though, the roster faces a myriad of question marks. Troy Glaus will enter the season on the disabled list, with no clear cut fill-in at third base (seriously, Joe Mather?). Second base and closer are unresolved, and the outfield is jumbled. The starting rotation is questionable without a fully healthy Chris Carpenter, and his health is tenuous at best. All that said, they still have enough pieces -- such as the best player in baseball, Albert Pujols -- to remain competitive in a pretty weak division.
| Lineup | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Skip Schumaker |
2B |
| 2. | Rick Ankiel |
CF |
| 3. | Albert Pujols |
1B |
| 4. | Ryan Ludwick |
RF |
| 5. | Troy Glaus |
3B |
| 6. | Khalil Greene |
SS |
| 7. | Yadier Molina |
C |
| 8. | Pitcher |
P |
| 9. | Chris Duncan |
LF |
| Pitching Staff | ||
| 1. | Chris Carpenter |
R |
| 2. | Adam Wainwright |
R |
| 3. | Kyle Lohse |
R |
| 4. | Todd Wellemeyer |
R |
| 5. | Joel Pineiro |
R |
| CL | Chris Perez |
R |
In: Khalil Greene, SS (trade); Dennys Reyes, RP (free agency); Trever Miller, RP (free agency); Royce Ring, RP (free agency)
Out: Adam Kennedy, 2B (released); Aaron Miles, 2B (free agency); Randy Flores, RP (free agency); Felipe Lopez, 2B (free agency); Braden Looper, SP (free agency); Russ Springer, RP (free agency); Ron Villone, RP (free agency); Cesar Izturis, SS (free agency)
Storylines
The Mad Scientist...
La Russa often does things as a manager that seem like a ploy to get noticed like batting the pitcher eighth. This year, his head-scratcher is moving Skip Schumaker to second base -- a position he hasn't played in years. He's trying to make the adjustment in spring training.
Getting Schumaker's production from second base would maximize his offense, and would free up a spot for either Chris Duncan or prospect Colby Rasmus in the outfield. But at what price? Defense up the middle is paramount to a team's success, and Schumaker has committed a team-high four errors thus far in only 15 spring games.
Rasmus Ready? ...
After a stellar 2007 season in Double-A (.932 OPS, 29 home runs, 18 steals in 128 games), Rasmus was a hot prospect, but he took a significant step backward last season. He had trouble adjusting to Triple-A pitching, and only hit .251 (.742 OPS) with 11 home runs in 90 games. This spring he's not exactly setting the world on fire, either (.229 average, .669 OPS).
Still, we know he has the potential, and he's only 22 years old. He'll open the season in the minors, but should a minor-league hot streak coincide with injuries or serious struggles to Duncan, he'll get the call. After that, it's certainly feasible Rasmus sticks for good in St. Louis.
Is Carpenter Really Back? ...Chris Carpenter was one of the best pitchers in baseball from 2004-06. Since then, though, he's battled an onslaught of arm issues. At 34 (he will be on April 27), he's not too old to return to form, but there are still many questions to be answered before we can assume he's the staff ace again. Fortunately for the Cardinals, Adam Wainwright is poised to take that mantle this season, so the pressure on Carpenter is somewhat alleviated.
It's worth noting all the signs are good in camp. Carpenter has thrown 14 scoreless innings thus far, including a six-inning outing (by the way, what if this had happened in the WBC? Just asking ... ) last time out. His WHIP is 0.79, so it's quite accurate to say he's been dominant.
The bottom line is that a fully healthy Carpenter makes the Cards a legitimate threat in the division. Without him, they are likely an also-ran.
Closing Time? ...
Heading into last season, Chris Perez was thought to be the Cardinals' future closer. He had a month-long stint in the role, too. From August 6 to September 7, Perez saved seven games in nine chances, but he was removed from the role in favor of Ryan Franklin. Franklin is still in the mix with Perez, and Jason Motte is emerging as a legitimate contender this spring (12 K and a 1.23 ERA in 7 1/3 innings).
It's a nice problem to have, but it's certainly worth keeping an eye on how the mad scientist uses the back end of his bullpen.
2009 Outlook
Why You Should Watch: Because they always contend, at least through August. Heading into last season, everyone thought they would be terrible. Out of nowhere came things like Ryan Ludwick's power and better-than-expected pitching from Todd Wellemeyer, en route to finishing a surprising 10 games over .500. Say what you will about La Russa, but he always seems to get maximum output from players who haven't fared well elsewhere.
What Defines Success: Anything less than the NL Central title is a disappointment in St. Louis (of course, you'd never know it because their fans are too busy proving how positive they are). They have enough here to compete for the division crown, but ultimately, there probably isn't enough to take them to October.
Related Links
- Fantasy Baseball Preview: Prince Albert and Everyone Else
- Better Know a Prospect: St. Louis Cardinals
