St. Louis Cardinals
2013: 97-65, 1st in NL Central, Lost in World Series
Last season saw the Cardinals do what the Cardinals usually do, win a ton of games and make the playoffs. They had the best record in the National League, and the 2nd best in baseball (Boston). Going into 2013, the Cardinals had the best farm system in the MLB, which helped because they dipped into it fairly often because of injuries on the field. Those injuries included pitchers Chris Carpenter, Jason Motte, and Jamie Garcia, as well as infielder Rafael Furcal. To take those spots, St. Louis called upon guys like Joe Kelly, Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha later in the season. Those three combined for a 29-15 record with a 2.84 ERA in 362 innings. The Cardinals were good at the plate as well, hitting .269 (4th), and scoring 783 runs (3rd), good for a +187 run differential. The Cardinals took down the Pirates in the NLDS and the Dodgers in the NLCS before dropping the World Series to the Red Sox.
The off-season was slow for the Cardinals, but for good reason. Many of the pieces that they had to replace either during or after their 2013 regular season were already in their system in the minor leagues. Guys like Matt Adams, Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal, Michael Wacha and Kolten Wong will see significant playing time in 2014. The departed include Carlos Beltran, who signed with the Yankees, John Axford with the I
ndians, David Freese was traded to the Angels, and Fernando Salas and Jake Westbrook were both free agents as well. Chris Carpenter announced his retirement after 15 major league seasons, all with the Cardinals. They signed Mark Ellis, Peter Bourjos, and Jhonny Peralta.
NL Central Champs selfies
This year looks to be another successful season in St. Louis for the defending National League champs, as much of their young pitching is back and they got better offensively at some positions, and defensively at others. The outfield will look to be Matt Holliday in left, Bourjos in center, and Allen Craig in right, with Jon Jay off the bench giving them a valuable lefty bat to use. Matt Carpenter will make another position switch after a great 2013 playing a new position at 2nd base. This season he moves to third with the trade of Freese and will look to have another solid year. Jhonny Peralta was brought in to take over the SS duties after Pete Kozma had a so-so year. Kolten Wong looks to start and 2B and lead off for the Cards, while Matt Adams will be penciled in the 1B. The Cardinals have maybe the best bench in baseball with Mark Ellis, Jon Jay, and Daniel Descalso available not only to hit, but as very good defensive subs in late game situations. Descalso can play anywhere and Ellis is a good veteran presence, while Jay will contribute in the OF, as I would assume he’ll see a lot of action in RF with Craig being the DH in American League cities. Adam Waiwright, Wacha, Lance Lynn, Jamie Garcia, and Shelby Miller make for a tough starting 5, while the bullpen with guys like Randy Choate, youngster Carlos Martinez, Jason Motte, and closer Trevor Rosenthal won’t be bad either.
Prediction: I like the Cardinals to finish at the top of the NL central, but with some stiff competition. Their pitching and lineup is just too deep for a lot of teams to compete with. You’ll have to watch out for a sophomore slump from some of their younger guys, but they have the bench if need be. Yadier Molina was a dark horse MVP candidate in 2013, and Wainwright could be a Cy Young guy in 2014.
FUN FACT: Over the last 5 seasons, the Cardinals have used more position players to pitch than any other team.
@DKnappyBoy
North Bound Sports Report 