What
to Expect in 2005 from St. Louis
Posted
March 2, 2005
After earning their first trip to the World Series since 1987, expectations should be high for the Cardinals in 2005. In reality, the roster they’ll open this season with appears to be stronger than the one that wound up winning the National League pennant a year ago. The lineup is virtually every bit as dangerous as it was in 2004 and the pitching is improved, largely due to the addition of Mark Mulder, who will be immeasurably valuable even if he isn’t a Cy Young contender. The strengths of this year’s Cards, along with the weaknesses of their divisional rivals, make St. Louis the favorite to take the NL Central for a second consecutive year. To further my assertions, let’s take a look at the 2005 Cardinals position-by-position.
Lineup
C Yadier Molina
While he may not be among the best backstops in baseball, or even in his overweight
family, he represents a solid defensive replacement who could replace the bat
of predecessor Mike Matheny even if he were blindfolded. I don't see the loss
of Matheny as any sort of bad thing whatsoever; Molina
isn't really a downgrade defensively and he's much cheaper.
1B Albert Pujols
Well, I’m not sure there’s much to say right here. Albert Pujols
is the best hitter in baseball who’s never used “the
cream” and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He’ll be
phenomenal again this year, health willing. On top of his statistical success,
I’m starting to actually believe that Pujols might seriously NOT be 33
years old, and may NOT be drawing pension from a Dominican sugar cane production
company he worked for in 1979.
2B Mark Grudzielanek
While I would rather the Cards acquire a real second baseman and have Grudzielanek
be a respectable backup, I can’t say that this is as bad as it could’ve
been. Grudzielanek has a little bit of pop, and has always hit for a decent
average. He isn’t getting any younger, though, and I’d like to see
a more dependable second baseman find his way on the Cardinals soon, whether
or not it involves me mugging and kidnapping somebody like Marcus Giles.
3B Scott Rolen
Rolen represents another valuable piece of 2004’s team making a sure-to-be
triumphant return. This guy hits, fields, and runs like every, little play is
the most important of his solid career. When he’s in the on-deck circle
he swings vigorously, over and over, until he feels ready to hit something hard.
Basically, Scott Rolen is really good, and really serious. As the Red Sox were
storming the field last November, I could see Rolen quietly plotting their collective
demise, his black eyes staring into their chubby, unshaven, error-prone souls.
May we meet the Red Sox again!
SS David Eckstein
It could be argued that Tony La Russa has a bizarre fixation on men whose last
names begin with “Eck.” Or it could be that Tony La Russa has a
bizarre fixation with giving advanced-aged Triple-A starters 500 at-bats for
no discernable reason other than that they “hustle.” Although I
wouldn’t mind if David Eckstein’s terrible self hustled off a cliff
into a sea of knives, I won’t let that affect me rooting for him as a
Cardinal. He’s a clear downgrade from Renteria, who
left for more money from the team who cost him a ring in 2004, but Eckstein
won’t be bad enough to offset the fact that this lineup is still awesome.
Still, I can’t help but wonder if Albert Pujols will be confused as he
waits for Eckstein’s prepubescent tosses to ooze their way across the
diamond. He’s probably become accustomed to Renteria’s much stronger
arm, after all.
LF Reggie Sanders
Reggie’s a decent player who will almost always hit for enough power to
justify a Major League starting job. He went 20-20 in 2004 and will probably
do it again this season. I’m really not quite sure why it took this long
for him to find a team to play for more than one season with, other than the
fact that he may very well be able to mangle anyone who might argue with him.
It’s easier to trade someone you’re scared to death of than tell
him he’s being moved down in the order. Reggie; he’s a big guy.
CF Jim Edmonds
He’s aging very gracefully. Still a very good hitter and an excellent
fielder, Edmonds should be a great asset to the Cardinals again in 2005. This
proves my point that I really don’t care about personalities as far as
baseball players go. They just need to not suck. While Edmonds may whine and
showboat, he certainly doesn’t ever suck. That’s all I ask for as
a fan. I’ll take a whiny Edmonds over a cuddly Bo Hart any day. It was
all I could do not to spell Bo’s last name “heart.”
RF Larry Walker
See above. This guy can still hit despite looking like some sort of gimpy, hairless
moose. Gone are the days of sweat-soaked mullets and triple crown attempts,
but a decent player is certainly still residing within Larry Walker’s
lumbering body. He’ll continue to fit well in this lineup.
Starting Rotation
Really only one change
has taken place here. The Cardinals have acquired Oakland A’s standout
Mark Mulder to head up their rotation and let geriatric Freddy Krueger look-a-like
Woody Williams go back to the Padres. Mulder holds a few distinct advantages
over the newly-departed Williams. The first is that Mulder is a great deal younger,
healthier, and entirely more left-handed. Mulder is 28 years old to Williams’
39. This inherently makes Williams a bit more injury prone. Mulder also gives
the Cardinals the best lefthander they’ve had in a while, and isn’t
much more expensive than the $8 million it would’ve taken to wheel Williams
back out to the mound for another season of fastballs that resembled changeups.
Despite any struggles Mulder may have had down the stretch, he should be strong
in his National League debit campaign. He’s had several months to recover
from any injuries he could’ve been dealing with and he’s sure to
be solid.
The rest of the rotation looks as it did in 2004: a bit questionable. Chris Carpenter, thought to be incapable of ever delivering on his prospect past, had a shockingly good 2004 until he incurred an untimely arm injury. He won 15 games while posting a 3.46 ERA. These numbers don’t look to be all that fluky either, as Carpenter had excellent control, putting up a 152/38 K/BB ratio in 182 innings of work. If Carpenter stays healthy, he could be a very good number two.
Matt Morris is a huge question mark. Morris will be returning in 2005 for a little over $2 million, which could be a bargain should he regain his velocity and spend a little less time gazing over his shoulder at balls that are headed over the fence. Morris had an ERA of 4.72 and didn’t really fool anyone. He gave up 30+ homers and only struck out 131 in over 200 innings of work. All things considered, a bounce back season from Morris should be expected. How well he responds to his struggles is the big question. The Cardinals can only hope the giant, disgusting beard he’s brought to spring training represents some sort of positive change.
Jason Marquis will fall in as the team’s fourth starter and hope to build on a respectable 2004. Marquis’ numbers look a little better on the surface than they may have actually been. He did win 15 games with a sub 4.00 ERA, but he also struck out less than twice the batters he walked in 200 innings. Marquis also had his fair share of struggles in the playoffs, particularly against the Red Sox, when he exhibited a complete lack of control. If Marquis enjoys the level of success he did a year ago while still having these control problems, it would be shocking. So let’s hope he cuts the walks and repeats everything else. If he does that, he’ll be quite good for a fourth starter.
Former Royals/Red Sox/Pirates hopeful Jeff Suppan is now 30 years old and past the point where anyone’s excited about him. He probably had his career year last season, winning 16 games with a 4.16 ERA. The problem is that he only managed to strike out 110 batters (as compared to 65 walks) in 188 innings. Suppan just isn’t a guy who’s going to fool a hitter. Fortunately the Cardinals’ defense is solid, and they’ll help Suppan to be a decent fifth starter by catching what he gives up. As much as I could whine about Suppan being a bit sub-par, he’s a fifth starter and he’ll do just fine in that role. Plus, Suppan really isn’t declining or peaking, he’s shown a remarkable statistical similarity the past few seasons, save the spike in wins last season.
Bullpen
A lot of familiar faces return to the Cardinals bullpen in 2005. Among them
is closer Jason Isringhausen, who saved 47 games a year ago and was one of the
better stoppers in baseball. He maintained a 3-to-1 K/BB ratio throughout the
season and served as the most reliable relievers St. Louis has seen in a long
time. The only problems Izzy really had occurred in the postseason, when he
was shaky at best. I remember making several derogatory comments regarding his
bulbous, shaven head as I watched him load the bases time after time in the
ninth innings of what seemed to be every Cardinals playoff game. But that’s
all behind him and there’s no reason to think he won’t be great
again in 2005.
A few more solid relievers will come
back in 2005, including lefty Ray King, righty Julian Tavarez, and oldie Cal
Eldred (4-2, 3.76 in 67 IP). King (5-2, 2.61 in 62 IP) and Tavarez (7-4, 2.38
in 64 1/3 IP) will be depended on to get ballgames to Isringhausen, while Eldred,
one-time prospect Jimmy Journell, and a cast of other seldom-mentioned journeymen
and hopefuls will fill in the blanks.
But perhaps the two biggest factors in the success of the Cardinals pitching
staff will be Julian Tavarez’s ability to not punch walls and the progress
of former Best Pitcher Ever Rick Ankiel. While Tavarez can probably hold himself
back this time, Ankiel is a huge question mark. While we don’t know if
he’ll have control, we can count on Ankiel to have nasty stuff and beady
eyes. Now if only he could use those beady, little eyes to get that nasty stuff
over the plate like he did in his rookie season. If Ankiel pulls it together,
the Cardinals could have even higher hopes for 2005. If he doesn’t, you’d
better just hope you don’t have seats behind home plate while he’s
on the mound.
Ankiel
needs to focus less on having beady eyes
and more on throwing strikes.
Bench
Somehow, So Taguchi is a millionaire and I am not. While I
can’t explain that, I can explain that the Cardinals bench isn’t
all that good. There is John Mabry, who is a decent outfield/first base option
if someone needs a day off. Mabry hit 13 homers in 240 at bats last season,
and is always good to hit .275-.300 off the bench. Aside from Mabry, and perhaps
newcomer Einar Diaz (Yadier Molina’s backup), no one here is too exciting.
Roger Cedeno isn’t much more than Otis Nixon minus the jail time, and
as for the aforementioned Taguchi, I don’t think I need to say anything.
Hector Luna may also be useful off the bench in 2005. Luna, if nothing else,
showed he can hit a little and provide the sickening versatility Tony La Russa
drools over. Luna played over ten games at four positions in 2004 (SS, 2B, 3B,
OF). So, in conclusion, maybe the Cardinals’ bench isn’t stunning,
but it’ll suffice.
Closing Conclusions
The Cardinals may not look like the best team in baseball, but they do look
like the best team in the National League Central. The lineup is great, the
pitching will get by, and David Eckstein won’t take up much space on the
team jet. As my final prognostic act in regards to the 2005 St. Louis Cardinals,
here are ten things we’re sure to see from them this year (in order of
certainty):
1. Albert Pujols will be really, really good.
2. Scott Rolen will be really good.
3. The Cardinals will win the NL Central in 2005.
4. Ray Lankford will try to make another comeback.
5. Tony La Russa won’t get a haircut.
6. Some random 29 year-old minor league veteran will cement
a place in the Cardinals rotation after a starter gets hurt. He’ll have
a dumb, long last name.
7. I hate Jason Simontacchi.
8. Hector Luna will be forced to catch at least once.
9. Ray King will defend his title as clubhouse Boggle champion.
10. Mark Grudzielanek and David Eckstein will hammer thirty
homers apiece and become forever christened “The Unstoppable Grudstein.”
Let the baseball begin!
