Final 2009 American League Central Standings:
1. Minnesota Twins (87-76)
2. Detroit Tigers (86-77)
3. Chicago White Sox (79-83)
4. Cleveland Indians (65-97)
5. Kansas City Royals (65-97)
Predicted 2010 American League Central Standings:
1. Chicago White Sox
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Kansas City Royals
Chicago White Sox
Key Losses:
2B Chris Getz (Trade- Kansas City Royals)
OF Jermaine Dye (Free Agency)
MR Octavio Dotel (Free Agency- Pittsburgh Pirates)
Key Gains:
OF Mark Teahen (Trade- Kansas City Royals)
MR Tony Pena (Free Agency)
OF Andruw Jones (Free Agency)
Projeced Lineup:
C- A.J. Pierzynski
1B- Paul Konerko
2B- Gordon Beckham
3B- Mark Teahen
SS- Alexei Ramirez
LF- Juan Pierre
CF- Alex Rios
RF- Carlos Quentin
DH- Andruw Jones
Projected Rotation:
1. Mark Buehrle
2. Jake Peavy
3. Gavin Floyd
4. John Danks
5. Freddy Garcia
The Chicago White Sox followed up a division crown in 2008 with a disappointing 2009 season where they finished with their second losing record in three seasons. Alexei Ramirez followed up his stellar rookie season with what could be categorized as a sophomore slump, despite showing much improved plate discipline, one of his weaknesses in 2008.
The White Sox had some turn over this past offseason, as they let 2005 World Series MVP Jermaine Dye (.250-27-81) go to free agency as well as veteran reliever Octavio Dotel (62 appearances, 3.32 ERA in 2009). They signed Tony Pena and Andruw Jones to replace those two players and traded infielder Chris Getz and former top prospect third baseman Josh Fields to the Kansas city Royals for Mark Teahen, who offers versatility to the White Sox. Teahen came up as a third baseman, but has also played outfield and even played some second base last year. It is not certain who will play third base, whether it is Gordon Beckham or Mark Teahen, but that battle should be figured out during spring training.
The White Sox acquired former Cy Young winner Jake Peavy from the San Diego Padres at the deadline last year and he pitched well for the White Sox in September. Peavy was out with injury issues for most of the 2009 season, but a healthy Jake Peavy makes the White Sox top three of Mark Buehrle, Peavy, and John Danks one of the most formidable top three’s in baseball.
Cleveland Indians
Key Losses:
C Kelly Shoppach (Trade- Tampa Bay Rays)
Key Gains:
3B/OF Russell Branyan (Free Agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- Carlos Santana
1B- Russell Branyan
2B- Luis Valbuena
3B- Jhonny Peralta
SS- Asdrubal Cabrera
LF- Matt Laporta
CF- Grady Sizemore
RF- Shin-Soo Choo
DH- Travis Hafner
Projected Rotation:
1. Jake Westbrook
2. Fausto Carmona
3. Justin Masterson
4. David Huff
5. Aaron Laffey
It’s hard to believe that this franchise was one win from the World Series back in 2007. Now, heading into 2010, the Cleveland Indians look nothing like that team that won 96 games. They have traded away marquee players such as 2007 AL Cy Young award winner C.C. Sabathia, 2008 AL Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee, and three time all-star catcher Victor Martinez. One of the big differences with the Cleveland Indians team of 2007 and the last two has been the bullpen. In 2007, Cleveland’s team ERA out of the bullpen was 3.75, ranking 6th in baseball. However, in 2008 they ranked 29th with a 5.13 ERA, and in 2009 they ranked 27th with a 4.66 ERA. In 2007, the Indians got dominant years from Rafael Betancourt (1.47 ERA), Rafael Perez (1.78 ERA), and Aaron Fultz (2.92 ERA). Betancourt was traded away in 2009, Perez had a decent season in 2008 before falling apart in 2009, and Aaron Fultz hasn’t appeared in the majors since.
The Cleveland Indians had a quiet offseason, only making one minor deal by trading Shoppach to Tampa Bay to make room for top catching prospect Carlos Santana. They also signed Austin Kearns , Mark Grudzienalek, and Shelley Duncan to minor league deals and Branyan to a one year major league deal. They enter the 2010 season with some positions seemingly set in stone (Peralta, Cabrera, Sizemore, Choo, Hafner), while others remain open, especially on the pitching end. The Indians rotation had a 5.30 ERA in 2009, meaning there is a lot of room for improvement from the starters and nobody should really feel safe at Cleveland’s camp.
Detroit Tigers
Key Losses:
OF Curtis Granderson (Trade- New York Yankees)
SP Edwin Jackson (Trade- Arizona Diamondbacks)
2B Placido Polanco (Free Agency- Philadelphia Phillies)
MR Fernando Rodney (Free Agency- Los Angeles Angels)
MR Brandon Lyon (Free Agency- Houston Astros)
Key Gains:
OF Austin Jackson (trade- New York Yankees)
SP Max Scherzer (trade- Arizona Diamondbacks)
MR Daniel Schlereth (trade- Arizona Diamondbacks)
SS Adam Everett (Free Agency)
CL Jose Valverde (Free Agency)
OF Johnny Damon (Free Agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- Gerald Laird
1B- Miguel Cabrera
2B- Scott Sizemore
3B- Brandon Inge
SS- Adam Everett
LF- Johnny Damon
CF- Austin Jackson
RF- Magglio Ordonez
DH- Carlos Guillen
Projected Rotation:
1. Justin Verlander
2. Rick Porcello
3. Jeremy Bonderman
4. Max Scherzer
5. Nate Robertson
The Detroit Tigers entered this offseason coming off a season where they held a 3 game lead with 4 games to go and ended up costing themselves a playoff bid thanks in part to Minnesota’s great play at the end. The one game playoff was a game to watch as Minnesota won 6-5 in a wild 12 inning one game playoff. Detroit entered the offseason with financial struggles and holes to fill. From what I see, the Detroit Tigers did a great job to try to fill the holes that were expected to leave despite the financial issues. They dealt away fan favorite and star centerfielder Curtis Granderson and starting pitcher Edwin Jackson in a three way deal that netted the Tigers top prospect Austin Jackson from the Yankees and fireballer Max Scherzer and young reliever Daniel Schlereth from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Tigers used the money saved from Granderson to sign closer Jose Valverde to a two year deal and signed Damon late in free agency to a one year deal.
One of the wildcards for the Detroit Tigers playoff chances in 2010 could be the health of starting pitcher Jeremy Bonderman. It seems as though he’s been around for an eternity, but Bonderman is still just 27 years. If Bonderman is fully recovered from the blood clot injury that has sidelined him since June of 2008, than he could be the make or break piece for the Tigers. Max Scherzer came up with a lot of potential for the Arizona Diamondbacks and by most standards, his first full season in 2009 was pretty solid. In 30 starts, Scherzer went 9-11 with a 4.12 ERA and struck out 174 batters in 170 1/3 innings. Endurance is still an issue for Scherzer, who some believe would be better served in the bullpen. Control is also still an issue as Scherzer had a walk rate of 3.3 BB/9. Scherzer gave up 15 of his 20 homeruns at home in Arizona, which is another interesting thing to watch in Detroit in 2010.
Overall, the Detroit Tigers should once again be a strong team, as they were able to replace departing players about as well as one could expect. Their team may even be a bit stronger if Jose Valverde can repeat his 2009 season, if Bonderman returns to form, and if the young players make strides forward.
Kansas City Royals
Key Losses:
OF Coco Crisp (Free Agency- Oakland Athletics)
1B Mike Jacobs (Released- New York Mets)
3B Mark Teahen (Trade- Chicago White Sox)
Key Gains:
OF Rick Ankiel (Free Agency)
C Jason Kendall (Free Agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- Jason Kendall
1B- Billy Butler
2B- Alberto Callaspo
3B- Alex Gordon
SS- Yuniesky Betancourt
LF- Scott Podsednik
CF- Rick Ankiel
RF- David DeJesus
DH- Jose Guillen
Projected Rotation:
1. Zack Greinke
2. Gil Meche
3. Luke Hochevar
4. Kyle Davies
5. Brian Bannister
Once the model franchise of the American League in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Kansas City Royals have become the definition of dreadful in the American League over the last 15 years. The Royals have one winning season since 1995 and haven’t won a division title since 1985. They have gone through three General Managers since John Schuerholz left Kansas City for Atlanta and have gone through four times that many managers (12) since 1985. Needless to say, stability has not been existent in the dugout. When Dayton Moore came over to the Royals from the Braves there was hope that Moore could turn Kansas City around. He was touted at the time as one of the best general manager prospects in the game, afterall he had learned from the best, John Schuerholz. Moore hasn’t been what Kansas City hoped for, however, as since becoming the GM, the Royals have gone 209-277 in the three full years he’s been their GM. Now, some might see his affect as a positive because the Royals haven’t lost 100 games since 2007, while they lost 100 or more games in four of the previous five years.
Kansas City enters 2010 with the defending AL Cy Young award winner in Zack Greinke and a player in Billy Butler that some expect to have a big year in 2010. Zack Greinke finished 16-8 with a major league low 2.16 ERA in 2009 and had a season that many thought he was capable of for years. At just 26 years old, however, Greinke is just now entering the prime of his career, so more seasons like 2009 are to be expected. Billy Butler climbed up the minor league ladder quite quickly after being drafted in the first round out of high school. He drew comparisons to a right handed Jim Thome in the minors and some believe he has the potential to win a batting title and homerun title someday. After hitting well, but not great his first couple years in the majors, Butler followed a solid first half of 2009 with an outstanding, breakout second half. Batting .314 with a .925 OPS in the second half, Butler finished the year with a .301 average and an .854 OPS, hitting 21 homeruns, while driving in 93 runs.
Still, Kansas City doesn’t have a lot of great depth beyond their two young stars, so look for another year near the cellar unless players like former #2 overall pick Alex Gordon and Rick Ankiel can have big years.
Minnesota Twins
Key Losses:
3B Joe Crede (Free Agency)
OF Carlos Gomez (trade- Milwaukee)
SS Orlando Cabrera (Free Agency- Cincinnati Reds)
Key Gains:
SS J.J. Hardy (Trade- Milwaukee)
2B Orlando Hudson (Free Agency)
1B/DH Jim Thome (Free Agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- Joe Mauer
1B- Justin Morneau
2B- Orlando Hudson
3B- Nick Punto
SS- J.J. Hardy
LF- Jason Kubel
CF- Denard Span
RF- Michael Cuddyer
DH- Jim Thome
Projected Rotation:
1. Scott Baker
2. Kevin Slowey
3. Carl Pavano
4. Nick Blackburn
5. Francisco Liriano
The American League Central champs from 2009 returned to spring training with an improved roster, trading glorified pinch runner and defensive replacement Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers for shortstop J.J. Hardy, who is coming off a career worst season, but is also a hitter that hit 50 homeruns in 2007 and 2008 combined.
The Twins also managed to add second baseman Orlando Hudson, a two time all-star and four time gold glove winner. Those two players should give the Twins a boost up the middle, which is an area that the twins sorely lacked offensive threats from in 2009.
The Twins figured to enter spring training as favorites to repeat again in 2010 because they have most of the same faces returning and even improved on offense. However, an injury that will likely sideline Joe Nathan, a four time all-star closer, for the year could prove costly for the Twins playoff chances. Regarded as one of the best closers in the game, Joe Nathan has a miniscule 1.73 ERA over the last four seasons combined with 159 saves and a 0.91 WHIP over the time frame. That kind of a loss is huge for a team who’s pitching staff is not top tier to begin with. With Nathan probably out for the season, there will be a lot of pressure riding on the arms of Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, and Jose Mijares. Mijares and Guerrier both had very good 2009 seasons while Rauch really turned it on after the Twins acquired him, so those arms will need repeat seasons in 2010, a tough task.
The offense will be returning defending AL MVP Joe Mauer, however, and the Twins can hope for a healthier year from 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau, who missed most of September and the playoffs last year. Up and comers Jason Kubel and Denard Span also return and you can be sure that Minnesota would love a breakout year from Delmon Young. Minnesota’s offense should be very good again in 2010, but the starting pitching could use a step up with the loss of the shutdown closer.
Minnesota will once again be in the hunt in a tight AL Central, as there are three teams that look like they could contend with the right breaks in 2010.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
2010 Season Preview: American League East
2009 Final Standings
1. New York Yankees (103-59)
2.*Boston Red Sox (95-67)
3. Tampa Bay Rays (84-78)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (75-87)
5. Baltimore Orioles (64-98)
2010 Predicted Standings:
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles
Key Losses:
3B Melvin Mora (Free agency-Colorado Rockies)
MR Chris Ray (Trade- Texas Rangers)
Key Gains:
SP Kevin Millwood (Trade- Texas Rangers)
MR Mike Gonzalez (Free agency)
3B Garrett Atkins (Free agency)
SS Miguel Tejada (Free agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- Matt Wieters
1B- Garrett Atkins
2B- Brian Roberts
3B- Miguel Tejada
SS- Cesar Izturis
LF- Nolan Reimold
CF- Adam Jones
RF- Nick Markakis
DH-Luke Scott
Projected Rotation:
1. Kevin Millwood
2. Jeremy Guthrie
3. Brian Matusz
4. Brad Bergesen
5. David Hernandez
With the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the American League East, the Baltimore Orioles will always be an afterthought. However, this team should not be an afterthought because the offense has the potential to be every bit as good as any team out there. With one of the most underrated leadoff hitters in the game in Brian Roberts and great young hitters like Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and Matt Wieters on the roster, the Orioles offense should be able to put up the runs to win games. A breakout year from Matt Wieters, who batted .362 in September, should go a long way to solidify this offense as one of the best. Two overlooked players in Luke Scott and Nolan Reimold had solid offensive years in 2009, putting up OPS’s of .828 and .831. Offensively, the Orioles look strong.
Baltimore made efforts to restore pitching in 2010 by trading reliever Chris Ray, who has been recovering from Tommy John Surgery for the last couple years, for veteran starter Kevin Millwood. The move gives Baltimore a starter to help mentor the younger pitchers while also giving them a solid innings eater. Jeremy Guthrie is coming off a down year where he went 10-17 with a 5.04 ERA, but he had two solid years in 2007 and 2008 where he put up ERA’s of 3.70 and 3.64. With a declining strikeout rate, elevating walk , hits, and homerun rates, as well as a FIP that has increased each year, it’s hard to imagine Guthrie turning it around. Former 3rd overall pick, Brian Matusz gives the Orioles a young arm with potential, and Bergesen is a sleeper in the rotation as he is recovering from an injury that he suffered in the middle of what looked like a solid rookie year. David Hernandez, their #5 starter rounds out a rotation that has many question marks with answers needed. Hernandez, 24 years old, has put up impressive numbers in the minor leagues, but will need to show more consistency in the big leagues.
The Orioles bullpen got a boost when they signed veteran reliever Mike Gonzalez to a two year deal. Gonzalez came up with Pittsburgh and is one of the best power lefties in baseball when healthy. Gonzalez went through a couple injury plagued seasons in Atlanta in 2007 and 2008, but stayed healthy enough in 2009 to make 80 appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 2.42 ERA, while striking out 90 batters in 74 1/3 innings. Left handed hitters managed to hit .194 off of Gonzalez, who was nearly unhittable to any hitter after the all-star break, as he posted a 1.11 ERA and held hitters to a .183 average. Gonzalez should be the Orioles closer and brings great veteran presence to a bullpen in need of experience and production.
Boston Red Sox
Key Losses:
LF Jason Bay (Free agency- New York Mets)
MR Takashi Saito (Free agency- Atlanta Braves)
Key Gains:
OF Jeremy Hermida (Trade- Florida Marlins)
SS Marco Scutaro (Free agency)
SP John Lackey (Free agency)
OF Mike Cameron (Free agency)
3B Adrian Beltre (Free agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- Victor Martinez
1B- Kevin Youkilis
2B- Dustin Pedroia
3B- Adrian Beltre
SS- Marco Scutaro
LF- Mike Cameron
CF- Jacoby Ellsbury
RF- J.D. Drew
DH- David Ortiz
Projected Rotation:
1. Josh Beckett
2. Jon Lester
3. John Lackey
4. Daisuke Matsuzaka
5. Clay Buchholz
The 2009 season ended in an awful way for the Boston Red Sox, who were swept by the Los Angeles Angels in the ALDS. With Jason Bay a free agent to be, Boston wasn’t sure they would be able to have him back in the lineup. After trading for underachieving outfielder Jeremy Hermida and signing the top free agent shortstop on the market, Marco Scutaro, the Red Sox made their big splash by signing the best free agent starting pitcher on the market, John Lackey, to a 5 year deal worth $82.5 million. The deal gives the Red Sox arguably the best rotation in baseball and gives them a top three that holds a career record of 250-155.
Still, the offense for the Boston Red Sox could very well take a hit in 2010 as the loss of Jason Bay is a big loss. Bay hit .267 with 36 homeruns, 119 RBIs, and posted a .921 OPS. The Red Sox hope that quantity can replace Bay as they’ve gone out on the market and traded for Jeremy Hermida, while signing Marco Scutaro, Adrian Beltre, and Mike Cameron. They could platoon Hermida (.282/.368/.418/.786 vs. RHP in 2009) and Mike Cameron (.271/.420/.534/.954 vs. LHP in 2009) in an attempt to make up for the loss of Jason Bay. Hermida could also enjoy hitting in boston where down the lines it is much shorter than it is in Florida. Adrian Beltre had an awful 2009 season, but from 2006-2008 he had an OPS over .800 on the road each year, so there is some optimism there, although he has historically struggled at Fenway.
One of the weaknesses on the Red Sox team the last couple years has been the shortstop position and with Marco Scutaro, the Red Sox hope they have filled a weakness. Scutaro had the best season of his career in 2009 for the Toronto Blue Jays, batting .282 with 35 doubles, 12 homeruns, 60 RBIs, and a .788 OPS. All either tied or set career highs. That said, the question is did he just have his career year and the Red Sox are paying for it, or can Scutaro repeat the success he had at 33 years old (now 34 years old)? Scutaro’s three year batting line is .272/.355/.379/.734, which is solid, but not spectacular. It would be a drastic improvement over the Red Sox shortstop production in 2009, however.
New York Yankees
Key Losses:
OF Austin Jackson (trade- Detroit)
OF Melky Cabrera (trade- Atlanta)
OF Johnny Damon (Free agency)
OF Hideki Matsui (Free agency- Los Angeles Angels)
Key Gains:
DH Nick Johnson (Free agency)
OF Curtis Granderson (trade- Detroit)
SP Javier Vazquez (trade- Atlanta)
MR Boone Logan (trade- Atlanta)
OF Randy Winn (Free agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- Jorge Posada
1B- Mark Teixeira
2B- Robinson Cano
3B- Alex Rodriguez
SS- Derek Jeter
LF- Brett Gardner
CF- Curtis Granderson
RF- Nick Swisher
DH- Nick Johnson
Projected Rotation:
1. C.C. Sabathia
2. A.J. Burnett
3. Javier Vazquez
4. Joba Chamberlain
5. Andy Pettitte
The New York Yankees spent major money in the offseason before 2009 by signing Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett to big contracts, but it paid off big time for the Yankees as they won the World Series in the first year of the new Yankee Stadium. This past offseason was another good one for the New York Yankees, but this time they focused on the trade market by making deals for Detroit Tigers star centerfielder Curtis Granderson and Atlanta starting pitcher Javier Vazquez, who finished 4th in the NL Cy Young voting in 2009.
Vazquez is a familiar face in the Bronx, as he was a New York Yankee in 2004 before being dealt to Arizona. New York Yankees fans hope that this go around with Vazquez is better than the last. Vazquez, a flyball pitcher, may run into some trouble in New York with the way balls were flying out of the park in 2009. Still, Vazquez has always been a talented starter and being the 3rd starter in New York behind Sabathia and Burnett should help take pressure off of him. The Yankees top three are very solid with all three having the talent to be a #1 at times, while Joba and Pettite fill out a rotation that is good enough to win with the offense behind them.
Offensively, few teams can match up against the Yankees up and down the order. The addition of Granderson and on base machine Nick Johnson should make an already deep offense even deeper. The big question with Nick Johnson will be if he can stay healthy, as Johnson has never played in 140 or more games, although three of the last four years he’s played in 130 or more. Still, Johnson holds a career .402 on base percentage, so when he is healthy he gets on base at a great clip. Curtis Granderson seemed like a great fit for the Yankees as Granderson can cover ground in centerfield and his hitting ability is very good for the centerfield position. Last year for the Tigers he hit 30 homeruns and he has hit 20 or more for three straight years. He will now play half his games in a ballpark that saw baseballs flying out of the park at a ridiculous rate, so 40 homeruns may be within reach.
Tampa Bay Rays
Key Losses:
2B Akinori Iwamura (Trade- Pittsburgh Pirates)
Key Gains:
CL Rafael Soriano (Trade- Atlanta Braves)
C Kelly Shoppach (Trade- Cleveland Indians)
Projected Lineup:
C- Dioner Navarro
1B- Carlos Pena
2B- Ben Zobrist
3B- Evan Longoria
SS- Jason Bartlett
LF- Carl Crawford
CF- B.J. Upton
RF- Gabe Kapler
DH- Pat Burrell
Projected Rotation:
1. James Shields
2. Matt Garza
3. Jeff Niemann
4. David Price
5. Wade Davis
This time last year the Rays were coming off their first winning season and pennant in franchise history. The loss to the Phillies was disappointing, but the season itself was still a big stepping stone towards sustained success. The Rays didn’t do quite as well in 2009, however, as the Yankees spent money that Tampa Bay can’t even imagine and the Red Sox remain a high spender and quality organization. Tampa Bay finished with an 84-78 record and 19 games behind the eventual World Champion New York Yankees.
The Rays offseason has been rather quiet, but they depend a lot of their success on the development and comebacks of players, as well as one key move by trading for closer Rafael Soriano from the Braves. They traded Iwamura to open up a spot for an everyday spot for 2009 all-star Ben Zobrist and their rotation is expected to add top pitching prospect Wade Davis in 2010 for the full season. Davis started 6 games in late 2009 and pitched well enough to probably secure a spot with a good spring training.
Tampa Bay could use a comeback year from centerfielder B.J. Upton and either catcher Dioner Navarro or Kelly Shoppach, both of whom had down years in 2009 following very solid 2008 campaigns.
The addition of Rafael Soriano from the Braves, who put up 27 saves, a 2.97 ERA, and struck out 102 batters in 75 2/3 innings in 2009, should help a bullpen that had trouble closing out ballgames in 2009. Grant Balfour has been from two different worlds the last couple seasons, as he put up a dominant 1.54 ERA in 2008 in 51 appearances and then put up a 4.81 ERA in 73 appearances in 2009. If he can find middle ground, then that should help the bullpen as well.
The Rays may be overlooked in 2010 because of the down year and because they are the third wheel in a powerhouse division, but a few buttons pushed right could have the Rays right back in the playoff hunt.
Toronto Blue Jays
Key Losses:
SS Marco Scutaro (Free Agency- Boston Red Sox)
C Rod Barajas (Free agency)
SP Roy Halladay (trade- Philadelphia Phillies)
MR Brandon League (trade- Seattle Mariners)
Key Gains:
SS Alex Gonzalez (Free agency)
SP Kyle Drabek (trade- Philadelphia Phillies)
3B/1B/DH Brett Wallace (trade- Oakland Athletics)
SP Brandon Morrow (trade- Seattle Mariners)
MR Kevin Gregg (Free agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- John Buck
1B- Lyle Overbay
2B- Aaron Hill
3B- Edwin Encarnacion
SS- Alex Gonzalez
LF- Adam Lind
CF- Vernon Wells
RF- Travis Snider
DH- Randy Ruiz
Projected Rotation:
1. Ricky Romero
2. Shaun Marcum
3. Brandon Morrow
4. Brett Cecil
5. Scott Richmond
The Toronto Blue Jays began the 2009 season very hot going 15-9 in April and standing a season high 13 games over .500 on May 10th when they were 27-14 after sweeping the Chicago White Sox in a four game set. However, a nine game losing streak followed that sweep and the Blue Jays finished the rest of the season 48-64, finishing with a 75-87 record and in fourth place in the AL East. Changes followed the season as they fired General Manager J.P. Ricciardi, who had been the Blue Jays GM for eight seasons. Under Ricciardi, the Blue Jays were never a perennial losing team, but they also were pretty mediocre throughout his tenure. The Toronto Blue Jays hired 32 year old Alex Anthopoulos to replace Ricciardi as their general manager.
Since taking over the Blue Jays, Anthopoulos has made several decisions and moves that will affect the future of the franchise. They let shortstop Marco Scutaro go after the best season of his career in 2009 and then made the blockbuster deal by trading face of the franchise Roy Halladay in a three way deal, landing top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, top outfield prospect Michael Taylor, and catching prospect Travis D’Arnaud from the Phillies. Taylor was then flipped to Oakland for prospect Brett Wallace, who Toronto has long coveted. Losing Roy Halladay will likely hurt Toronto significantly right now, but with Drabek, Wallace, and D’Arnaud, Toronto hopes to have at least two pieces to add to a core that already includes Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, and Travis Snider.
The Blue Jays also made a move for Seattle Mariners pitcher Brandon Morrow by dealing reliever Brandon League and a good prospect in Johermyn Chavez. The Blue Jays hope a change of scenery for Brandon Morrow will help him reach his potential. Toronto has also made minor, possibly under the radar moves such as adding pitchers Dana Eveland, Merkin Valdez, and Shawn Hill as well as second baseman Jarrett Hoffpauir.
1. New York Yankees (103-59)
2.*Boston Red Sox (95-67)
3. Tampa Bay Rays (84-78)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (75-87)
5. Baltimore Orioles (64-98)
2010 Predicted Standings:
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles
Key Losses:
3B Melvin Mora (Free agency-Colorado Rockies)
MR Chris Ray (Trade- Texas Rangers)
Key Gains:
SP Kevin Millwood (Trade- Texas Rangers)
MR Mike Gonzalez (Free agency)
3B Garrett Atkins (Free agency)
SS Miguel Tejada (Free agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- Matt Wieters
1B- Garrett Atkins
2B- Brian Roberts
3B- Miguel Tejada
SS- Cesar Izturis
LF- Nolan Reimold
CF- Adam Jones
RF- Nick Markakis
DH-Luke Scott
Projected Rotation:
1. Kevin Millwood
2. Jeremy Guthrie
3. Brian Matusz
4. Brad Bergesen
5. David Hernandez
With the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the American League East, the Baltimore Orioles will always be an afterthought. However, this team should not be an afterthought because the offense has the potential to be every bit as good as any team out there. With one of the most underrated leadoff hitters in the game in Brian Roberts and great young hitters like Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and Matt Wieters on the roster, the Orioles offense should be able to put up the runs to win games. A breakout year from Matt Wieters, who batted .362 in September, should go a long way to solidify this offense as one of the best. Two overlooked players in Luke Scott and Nolan Reimold had solid offensive years in 2009, putting up OPS’s of .828 and .831. Offensively, the Orioles look strong.
Baltimore made efforts to restore pitching in 2010 by trading reliever Chris Ray, who has been recovering from Tommy John Surgery for the last couple years, for veteran starter Kevin Millwood. The move gives Baltimore a starter to help mentor the younger pitchers while also giving them a solid innings eater. Jeremy Guthrie is coming off a down year where he went 10-17 with a 5.04 ERA, but he had two solid years in 2007 and 2008 where he put up ERA’s of 3.70 and 3.64. With a declining strikeout rate, elevating walk , hits, and homerun rates, as well as a FIP that has increased each year, it’s hard to imagine Guthrie turning it around. Former 3rd overall pick, Brian Matusz gives the Orioles a young arm with potential, and Bergesen is a sleeper in the rotation as he is recovering from an injury that he suffered in the middle of what looked like a solid rookie year. David Hernandez, their #5 starter rounds out a rotation that has many question marks with answers needed. Hernandez, 24 years old, has put up impressive numbers in the minor leagues, but will need to show more consistency in the big leagues.
The Orioles bullpen got a boost when they signed veteran reliever Mike Gonzalez to a two year deal. Gonzalez came up with Pittsburgh and is one of the best power lefties in baseball when healthy. Gonzalez went through a couple injury plagued seasons in Atlanta in 2007 and 2008, but stayed healthy enough in 2009 to make 80 appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 2.42 ERA, while striking out 90 batters in 74 1/3 innings. Left handed hitters managed to hit .194 off of Gonzalez, who was nearly unhittable to any hitter after the all-star break, as he posted a 1.11 ERA and held hitters to a .183 average. Gonzalez should be the Orioles closer and brings great veteran presence to a bullpen in need of experience and production.
Boston Red Sox
Key Losses:
LF Jason Bay (Free agency- New York Mets)
MR Takashi Saito (Free agency- Atlanta Braves)
Key Gains:
OF Jeremy Hermida (Trade- Florida Marlins)
SS Marco Scutaro (Free agency)
SP John Lackey (Free agency)
OF Mike Cameron (Free agency)
3B Adrian Beltre (Free agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- Victor Martinez
1B- Kevin Youkilis
2B- Dustin Pedroia
3B- Adrian Beltre
SS- Marco Scutaro
LF- Mike Cameron
CF- Jacoby Ellsbury
RF- J.D. Drew
DH- David Ortiz
Projected Rotation:
1. Josh Beckett
2. Jon Lester
3. John Lackey
4. Daisuke Matsuzaka
5. Clay Buchholz
The 2009 season ended in an awful way for the Boston Red Sox, who were swept by the Los Angeles Angels in the ALDS. With Jason Bay a free agent to be, Boston wasn’t sure they would be able to have him back in the lineup. After trading for underachieving outfielder Jeremy Hermida and signing the top free agent shortstop on the market, Marco Scutaro, the Red Sox made their big splash by signing the best free agent starting pitcher on the market, John Lackey, to a 5 year deal worth $82.5 million. The deal gives the Red Sox arguably the best rotation in baseball and gives them a top three that holds a career record of 250-155.
Still, the offense for the Boston Red Sox could very well take a hit in 2010 as the loss of Jason Bay is a big loss. Bay hit .267 with 36 homeruns, 119 RBIs, and posted a .921 OPS. The Red Sox hope that quantity can replace Bay as they’ve gone out on the market and traded for Jeremy Hermida, while signing Marco Scutaro, Adrian Beltre, and Mike Cameron. They could platoon Hermida (.282/.368/.418/.786 vs. RHP in 2009) and Mike Cameron (.271/.420/.534/.954 vs. LHP in 2009) in an attempt to make up for the loss of Jason Bay. Hermida could also enjoy hitting in boston where down the lines it is much shorter than it is in Florida. Adrian Beltre had an awful 2009 season, but from 2006-2008 he had an OPS over .800 on the road each year, so there is some optimism there, although he has historically struggled at Fenway.
One of the weaknesses on the Red Sox team the last couple years has been the shortstop position and with Marco Scutaro, the Red Sox hope they have filled a weakness. Scutaro had the best season of his career in 2009 for the Toronto Blue Jays, batting .282 with 35 doubles, 12 homeruns, 60 RBIs, and a .788 OPS. All either tied or set career highs. That said, the question is did he just have his career year and the Red Sox are paying for it, or can Scutaro repeat the success he had at 33 years old (now 34 years old)? Scutaro’s three year batting line is .272/.355/.379/.734, which is solid, but not spectacular. It would be a drastic improvement over the Red Sox shortstop production in 2009, however.
New York Yankees
Key Losses:
OF Austin Jackson (trade- Detroit)
OF Melky Cabrera (trade- Atlanta)
OF Johnny Damon (Free agency)
OF Hideki Matsui (Free agency- Los Angeles Angels)
Key Gains:
DH Nick Johnson (Free agency)
OF Curtis Granderson (trade- Detroit)
SP Javier Vazquez (trade- Atlanta)
MR Boone Logan (trade- Atlanta)
OF Randy Winn (Free agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- Jorge Posada
1B- Mark Teixeira
2B- Robinson Cano
3B- Alex Rodriguez
SS- Derek Jeter
LF- Brett Gardner
CF- Curtis Granderson
RF- Nick Swisher
DH- Nick Johnson
Projected Rotation:
1. C.C. Sabathia
2. A.J. Burnett
3. Javier Vazquez
4. Joba Chamberlain
5. Andy Pettitte
The New York Yankees spent major money in the offseason before 2009 by signing Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett to big contracts, but it paid off big time for the Yankees as they won the World Series in the first year of the new Yankee Stadium. This past offseason was another good one for the New York Yankees, but this time they focused on the trade market by making deals for Detroit Tigers star centerfielder Curtis Granderson and Atlanta starting pitcher Javier Vazquez, who finished 4th in the NL Cy Young voting in 2009.
Vazquez is a familiar face in the Bronx, as he was a New York Yankee in 2004 before being dealt to Arizona. New York Yankees fans hope that this go around with Vazquez is better than the last. Vazquez, a flyball pitcher, may run into some trouble in New York with the way balls were flying out of the park in 2009. Still, Vazquez has always been a talented starter and being the 3rd starter in New York behind Sabathia and Burnett should help take pressure off of him. The Yankees top three are very solid with all three having the talent to be a #1 at times, while Joba and Pettite fill out a rotation that is good enough to win with the offense behind them.
Offensively, few teams can match up against the Yankees up and down the order. The addition of Granderson and on base machine Nick Johnson should make an already deep offense even deeper. The big question with Nick Johnson will be if he can stay healthy, as Johnson has never played in 140 or more games, although three of the last four years he’s played in 130 or more. Still, Johnson holds a career .402 on base percentage, so when he is healthy he gets on base at a great clip. Curtis Granderson seemed like a great fit for the Yankees as Granderson can cover ground in centerfield and his hitting ability is very good for the centerfield position. Last year for the Tigers he hit 30 homeruns and he has hit 20 or more for three straight years. He will now play half his games in a ballpark that saw baseballs flying out of the park at a ridiculous rate, so 40 homeruns may be within reach.
Tampa Bay Rays
Key Losses:
2B Akinori Iwamura (Trade- Pittsburgh Pirates)
Key Gains:
CL Rafael Soriano (Trade- Atlanta Braves)
C Kelly Shoppach (Trade- Cleveland Indians)
Projected Lineup:
C- Dioner Navarro
1B- Carlos Pena
2B- Ben Zobrist
3B- Evan Longoria
SS- Jason Bartlett
LF- Carl Crawford
CF- B.J. Upton
RF- Gabe Kapler
DH- Pat Burrell
Projected Rotation:
1. James Shields
2. Matt Garza
3. Jeff Niemann
4. David Price
5. Wade Davis
This time last year the Rays were coming off their first winning season and pennant in franchise history. The loss to the Phillies was disappointing, but the season itself was still a big stepping stone towards sustained success. The Rays didn’t do quite as well in 2009, however, as the Yankees spent money that Tampa Bay can’t even imagine and the Red Sox remain a high spender and quality organization. Tampa Bay finished with an 84-78 record and 19 games behind the eventual World Champion New York Yankees.
The Rays offseason has been rather quiet, but they depend a lot of their success on the development and comebacks of players, as well as one key move by trading for closer Rafael Soriano from the Braves. They traded Iwamura to open up a spot for an everyday spot for 2009 all-star Ben Zobrist and their rotation is expected to add top pitching prospect Wade Davis in 2010 for the full season. Davis started 6 games in late 2009 and pitched well enough to probably secure a spot with a good spring training.
Tampa Bay could use a comeback year from centerfielder B.J. Upton and either catcher Dioner Navarro or Kelly Shoppach, both of whom had down years in 2009 following very solid 2008 campaigns.
The addition of Rafael Soriano from the Braves, who put up 27 saves, a 2.97 ERA, and struck out 102 batters in 75 2/3 innings in 2009, should help a bullpen that had trouble closing out ballgames in 2009. Grant Balfour has been from two different worlds the last couple seasons, as he put up a dominant 1.54 ERA in 2008 in 51 appearances and then put up a 4.81 ERA in 73 appearances in 2009. If he can find middle ground, then that should help the bullpen as well.
The Rays may be overlooked in 2010 because of the down year and because they are the third wheel in a powerhouse division, but a few buttons pushed right could have the Rays right back in the playoff hunt.
Toronto Blue Jays
Key Losses:
SS Marco Scutaro (Free Agency- Boston Red Sox)
C Rod Barajas (Free agency)
SP Roy Halladay (trade- Philadelphia Phillies)
MR Brandon League (trade- Seattle Mariners)
Key Gains:
SS Alex Gonzalez (Free agency)
SP Kyle Drabek (trade- Philadelphia Phillies)
3B/1B/DH Brett Wallace (trade- Oakland Athletics)
SP Brandon Morrow (trade- Seattle Mariners)
MR Kevin Gregg (Free agency)
Projected Lineup:
C- John Buck
1B- Lyle Overbay
2B- Aaron Hill
3B- Edwin Encarnacion
SS- Alex Gonzalez
LF- Adam Lind
CF- Vernon Wells
RF- Travis Snider
DH- Randy Ruiz
Projected Rotation:
1. Ricky Romero
2. Shaun Marcum
3. Brandon Morrow
4. Brett Cecil
5. Scott Richmond
The Toronto Blue Jays began the 2009 season very hot going 15-9 in April and standing a season high 13 games over .500 on May 10th when they were 27-14 after sweeping the Chicago White Sox in a four game set. However, a nine game losing streak followed that sweep and the Blue Jays finished the rest of the season 48-64, finishing with a 75-87 record and in fourth place in the AL East. Changes followed the season as they fired General Manager J.P. Ricciardi, who had been the Blue Jays GM for eight seasons. Under Ricciardi, the Blue Jays were never a perennial losing team, but they also were pretty mediocre throughout his tenure. The Toronto Blue Jays hired 32 year old Alex Anthopoulos to replace Ricciardi as their general manager.
Since taking over the Blue Jays, Anthopoulos has made several decisions and moves that will affect the future of the franchise. They let shortstop Marco Scutaro go after the best season of his career in 2009 and then made the blockbuster deal by trading face of the franchise Roy Halladay in a three way deal, landing top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, top outfield prospect Michael Taylor, and catching prospect Travis D’Arnaud from the Phillies. Taylor was then flipped to Oakland for prospect Brett Wallace, who Toronto has long coveted. Losing Roy Halladay will likely hurt Toronto significantly right now, but with Drabek, Wallace, and D’Arnaud, Toronto hopes to have at least two pieces to add to a core that already includes Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, and Travis Snider.
The Blue Jays also made a move for Seattle Mariners pitcher Brandon Morrow by dealing reliever Brandon League and a good prospect in Johermyn Chavez. The Blue Jays hope a change of scenery for Brandon Morrow will help him reach his potential. Toronto has also made minor, possibly under the radar moves such as adding pitchers Dana Eveland, Merkin Valdez, and Shawn Hill as well as second baseman Jarrett Hoffpauir.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Position Players Who Need a Breakout Year
In baseball there are the players who produce consistently throughout their careers and then there are players who take a few years to have a big year, or have up and down years. Every year these types of players can play big roles on determining whether a team has a big year or not. I’ve put together a team of position players that I believe need to have a breakthrough season or a big year.
Catcher Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
Few players have had as interesting of a career both at the minor league and major league career as Geovany Soto. For the first six years of minor league baseball Soto was really nothing to write home about. He had hit a grand total of 25 homeruns in the 6 years in the minors and his highest average in a season was .273 with an OPS high of .756. Then in the offseason before 2007, which would be his third year in AAA, he dropped 20 pounds from 240 to 220. The weight loss contributed to a breakout year for Soto who hit .353 with a 1.076 OPS and 26 homeruns in 110 games. He carried the success to the majors where he batted .389 in 18 games, hitting 3 homeruns. In 2008, Soto was named an all-star, rookie of the year, and finished 13th in MVP voting after batting .285 with an .868 OPS, blasting 23 homeruns and 35 doubles. He helped the Cubs win their 2nd straight division title. Then he got caught with marijuana during the WBC before the 2009 season and things started going downhill. Soto hit just .109 in April, and it didn’t get a whole lot better. Soto finished the year with a .218 average, hit just 11 homeruns, and put up a .702 OPS. He has reportedly dropped 40 pounds this offseason in order to get back to the form that helped him win a rookie of the year and make him look like a franchise catcher.
But which Soto will truly show up in 2010? That is the question.
First Baseman Chris Davis, Texas Rangers
When Chris Davis skyrocketed through the Texas Rangers minor league system putting together a 36 homerun and .945 OPS in 2007 between high-A and AA, the team had high hopes for the young first baseman. He did nothing to diminish that hope in 2008 when he slugged 23 homeruns in 297 at bats in the minors, en route to a successful major league callup. He hit .285 with 17 homeruns in 295 at bats for Texas after getting the call on June 26th. After hitting so successfully in the minors and majors, it was hard to see Davis’s 2009 season beginning the way it did. Davis was batting just .200 after April and batted only .189 in May, while striking out 77 times in the first two months. June didn’t get much better as he batted just .220 with 3 homeruns, while striking out 33 times. Davis was on pace to shatter the strikeout record if not for the Rangers deciding to send Davis back down to AAA in early July to improve his confidence at the plate. Davis spent 44 games with the Rangers AAA club, Oklahoma, and batted .327 with a .939 OPS. He came back up in late August, and hit .308 with an .834 OPS the rest of the way. His strikeout totals were still high, piling up 36 strikeouts in 36 games, but it was still an improvement.
So was 2009 a sophomore jinx for Davis and can he put behind the 2009 season and improve for the future? Or are his high strikeout totals in the minors, a sign of a player who’s ceiling may be limited, despite good minor league production?
Second Baseman Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers
Selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 2nd overall pick of the 2003 draft, just behind Delmon Young, Weeks came up with the Brewers as a potential star second baseman. Weeks made his major league debut the same year he was drafted, but spent all of 2004 in the minors hitting .259 with a .773 OPS in AA. After a hot start hitting .320 through 55 games in AAA in 2005, the Brewers called Weeks up for good and he hit 13 homeruns and put up a .727 OPS the rest of 2005 in the majors. Weeks continued to tease Brewers fans with flashes of brilliance over the next three full seasons, including an .807 OPS in 2007 and a second half .827 OPS in 2008. 2009 seemed like finally Weeks was going to have that breakout year that so many people had been believing he could have. He was hitting .272/.340/.517/.857 when he injured his wrist while striking out on May 17th against the St. Louis Cardinals. He tore a tendon in his left wrist, which required season ending surgery and ended what could have been his big breakout year. Weeks is supposed to be healthy for the start of the 2010 season and the Brewers didn’t re-sign Felipe Lopez so that Weeks could fill the hole.
Can Rickie Weeks finally have the breakout year that he seemed to be on in 2009? Or will the wrist injury delay a breakout year that never comes?
Third Baseman Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals
Like Rickie Weeks, Alex Gordon is a former 2nd overall pick who has yet to live to his full potential. Gordon was taken by the Royals in the 2005 draft after a highly decorated college career at the University of Nebraska. Gordon hit .353 in his college career, including .372 as a junior. He was a two time First Team All-American, two time Big 12 Player of the Year, winner of the 2005 Brooks Wallace Award, and was the Baseball America and ABCA Player of the Year in 2005. After being drafted by Kansas City, Gordon spent one year in the minors where he hit .325 with 39 doubles, 29 homeruns, drove in 101 runs, stole 22 bases, and put up a .427 OBP and 1.016 OPS in AA. The Royals had him skip AAA by calling him up to the big leagues for the 2007 season, a decision that may have affected his development in the long run. Gordon hit just .247 with a .725 OPS as a rookie, hitting 36 doubles, 15 homeruns, stole 14 bases, and drove in 60 runs. Gordon got off to a little better start in 2008 by hitting .253 with a .741 OPS at the break. He was batting .268 with an .877 OPS in August when he got hurt and missed close to a month with a quadriceps injury. He came back, though, and continued to rake in September, finishing with a .277 average and an .888 OPS in the second half of 2008, leading some to believe 2009 was going to be a breakthrough season for Gordon who was on the upswing. However, 2009 wouldn’t be the breakout year for the left handed hitting third baseman, as Gordon went on the DL early in the season with a hip injury. He missed 79 games due to the injury and was never the same when he returned. On August 18th, the Royals optioned Gordon to AAA where he put up a .928 OPS in 18 games. Once he returned in September to the Royals, Gordon hit .279 with an .830 OPS, leading an optimistic view to be maybe 2010 will be his big breakout year.
So will Alex Gordon show that September of 2009 is a sign of things to come? Or will he continue to disappoint everyone who thought he was a “can’t miss” prospect?
Shortstop J.J. Hardy, Minnesota Twins
With a glaring weakness at shortstop and an extra outfielder, the Minnesota Twins traded speedy centerfielder Carlos Gomez to the Brewers for shortstop J.J. Hardy. While the former Brewers second round pick is coming off a disastrous season, there is still hope for a bounce back year, which would do wonders for the Twins offense. The previous two seasons, Hardy hit 61 doubles and 50 homeruns at ages 24 and 25. An all-star shortstop in 2007, Hardy has been an up and coming player for the last couple seasons before a strange 2009 season that saw him demoted to AAA at one point. Viewed as a power hitting shortstop, Hardy’s OPS had improved three straight seasons, as he became a more disciplined shortstop and hit for more pop each year. But in 2009, despite a career high walk rate, he statistically regressed a lot. His ISO went down, his wOBA went down, his strikeouts% went up a bit, but not dramatically. While his BABIP in 2008 was .308, his BABIP in 2009 was just .264, the lowest it’d been since 2006. Perhaps part of the problem was that his LD% was the lowest it’s been in his career at 13.9%, but that also has been decreasing every year since he’s entered the league. So if Hardy can improve that, he could bounce back in 2010 for the Twins, who’s lineup could be very good with a 2007 or 2008 Hardy season, as opposed to a 2009 season version.
Will Hardy bounce back to the player that had improved three straight years in production? Or will he revert back to the 2005, 2006, and 2009 version of J.J. Hardy?
Outfielder Delmon Young, Minnesota Twins
The second Minnesota Twins player to make this list, Delmon Young is in need of a big season in 2010. The first overall pick of the 2003 draft, taken just ahead of Rickie Weeks who also made this list, Young has yet to live to the expectations that surrounded him when the Rays took him with that first overall choice. Yes, Delmon Young is still just 24 years old and still has time to breakout, even if he doesn’t in 2010, but for a player that some saw as having 40 homerun potential, Delmon has certainly not come close to living to the expectations. Young has had an interesting career, as he came up in Tampa Bay’s farm system and hit 25 homeruns as an 18 year old in A ball in his first pro season in 2004, an impressive feat. Delmon then had a big 2005 season by hitting .315 with 26 doubles, 7 triples, 26 homeruns, and stole 32 bases as a 19 year old in AA and AAA, a very impressive feat. The Tampa Bay Rays, however, did not call up Young that year, which got him upset with the organization a bit.
Things began to go downhill, however, in 2006 when Delmon Young got suspended for 50 games after throwing a bat at an umpire on April 26th, a now infamous incident that has stuck with Young’s name throughout his career so far. His 2006 season did not go as planned, but he still was called up to the big leagues in September and batted .317 with an .812 OPS in 30 games. Delmon Young’s rookie season was not awful, but also not as good as many thought he could do. He batted .288, but hit for little power (13 homeruns) and his OPS was .723. He did drive in 93 runs and hit 38 doubles, though, which showed gap power. The offseason after his first full season, the Rays traded Young to the Minnesota Twins for Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza. Delmon Young, a player with great power potential, has not developed the power like people thought he would, in fact he has regressed the last two years in Minnesota, dropping to 42 extra base hits in 2008 and then even further to just 30 in 2009.
Delmon Young will see a little more playing time in 2010 with Carlos Gomez out of the picture, but the question of whether Young’s power can develop is something that needs an answer. If he can maintain his ability to hit for average and add power into the mix, then Delmon Young has the makings of an all-star outfielder. But if he continues to hit less than 15 homeruns, and get on base at a less than .340 clip, then Delmon Young is a very replaceable player, especially given his subpar defense.
Outfielder BJ Upton, Tampa Bay Rays
When the Tampa Bay Rays took B.J. Upton with the 2nd overall pick of the 2002 draft, they believed they were getting a potential franchise changing player. He had a bat that could make him one of the top players in baseball and if his defense hadn’t been so bad in the infield and if Tampa’s outfield hadn’t been so deep with talented prospects such as Josh Hamilton, Carl Crawford, Delmon Young, and Rocco Baldelli, then Upton may have been able to make a real impact a year or two earlier then he did. But, that wasn’t the case, and Upton’s defense kept his major league ready bat out of Tampa Bay for a year or two longer then it was ready for. Upton hit .297 with 30 doubles, 6 triples, and 8 homeruns between A ball and AA in 2003 as an 18 year old. He had a .390 OBP and .821 OPS that year, impressive for his age at those levels. Upton then handled AA and AAA in 2004 at 19 years old to the tune of a .315/.410/.505/.915 batting line. He hit 24 doubles, 2 triples, 14 homeruns, and stole 20 bases in 98 games. He made his debut in 2004 at the age of 19, and hit .258 with a .733 OPS in 45 games. Upton needed work on his defense, however, so he spent all of 2005 in the minors, hitting .303 with 36 doubles, 6 triples, 18 homeruns, stole 44 bases, and had an .882 OPS in AAA, but also made 53 errors at third base. The writing was on the wall, Upton needed the outfield. He got his chance in 2007 with Rocco Baldelli hurt, and Upton had a huge year batting .300/.386/.508/.894 in 129 games, blasting 24 homeruns and stole 22 bases. In the two years since, however, Upton has declined in production each year. In 2008, he hit .273/.383/.401/.784, while helping the Rays get to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and in 2009 battling a wrist injury, Upton hit just .241/.313/.373/.686. Upton is still a very talented player, but the Rays need a healthy B.J. Upton and one that is closer to the 2007 version to help their team get past the Yankees and Red Sox.
Can B.J. Upton bounce back and have a breakout year like 2007 and help the Rays get back to the playoffs? Or will Upton’s injury continue to make his production decline like it has three straight years?
Outfielder Elijah Dukes, Washington Nationals
The Nationals corner outfielder, the third former Rays outfielder, may be a key player on a team that I think could surprise some people in 2010. Elijah Dukes is better known to fans that follow baseball for his antics and off the field baggage that has come with him in his past then he is on the field. And that says a lot, because on the field he’s always been seen as a very talented player who can do most things well. Even though it seems like Dukes has been on the prospect and baseball radar for years, he is still just 25 years old and has the potential to breakout any year. It seemed like 2009 was going to be a big season for Dukes after he hit .264/.386/.478/.864 with the Nationals in 334 plate appearances in 2008. He hit 16 doubles, 13 homeruns, drove in 44 runs, and walked 50 times to 79 strikeouts that year at age 24 putting up a 127 OPS+. Dukes didn’t hit as well in 2009, however, as the power he showed in 2008 was not there and fundamentally, Dukes struggled greatly. He batted .250/.337/.393/.729 with 20 doubles, 8 homers, drove in 50 runs, and walked 46 times to 74 strikeouts in 416 plate appearances. Now, his BABIP was more on the “luckier” end in 2008 (.326) than it was in 2009 (.294), so those hits that got through in 2008 may not have in 2009. Still, if Dukes can put up a batting line in between 2008 and 2009 or perhaps closer to 2008 than 2009, and get playing time/stay healthy, then Dukes will remain an asset in the Washington nationals lineup and really help what could be a very underrated lineup, especially if they can land Orlando Hudson in free agency.
Designated Hitter David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
The oldest player on this list, the Boston Red Sox need David Ortiz to get off to a faster start in 2010 than he did in 2009, when it seemed like we may be seeing the beginning of a big decline for Big Papi. Ortiz rebounded, however, putting up a .258/.350/.516/.866 batting line in the second half with 16 of his 28 homeruns. With Jason Bay now a New York Met, however, the importance of a big season from David Ortiz hasn’t been higher in years. The Red Sox also do have Victor Martinez for a full season, something they did not have in 2009, so Ortiz will still have support. There is also still Youkilis and there is the possibility that the Red Sox trade for Adrian Gonzalez, a player they’ve tried to get since the deadline in 2009. If they could acquire Adrian Gonzalez, the pressure may be off of Ortiz to have a big year to keep up with the Yankees. But until then, Boston needs a big year from Big Papi, who will be 34 on Opening Day.
Can Ortiz keep up the momentum that he gained in the second half and bring it into 2010? Or is the five time all-star beginning a decline as seen by his OPS declining three straight years?
Saturday, January 16, 2010
A Look Back at a Decade of Excellence in St. Louis
It was one of the most successful decades in a storied franchise history. Seven playoff appearances in ten seasons, five NLCS appearances, two World Series appearances, and a World Series title. In all thirty three playoff victories spanning the seven playoff appearances, and numerous individual player achievements. The 2000s for the St. Louis Cardinals will forever be remembered for the success of the franchise, but perhaps just as importantly, the decade will be remembered for the images it gave.
When the page turned over from the 1990s to the 2000s, the St. louis Cardinals had a team that was coming off three straight years where they finished 3rd or 4th in the National League Central. They were now entering their fourth year since being a win from the World Series in 1996 and were a far cry from their last World Series appearance (1987) and victory (1982).
The team, however, was itching to be good and had two reasons to be optimistic about their chances in the 2000s: J.D. Drew and Rick Ankiel. In 1999 they became the first and only team in Baseball America history to have the #1 (Drew) and #2 (Ankiel) prospects on their top 100 prospect lists.
J.D. Drew made his debut in 1998, but played in 100 games for the first time in 1999. When Drew made his debut he was viewed as a future superstar, even getting comparisons drawn to a young Mickey Mantle. Heading into the 2000s, people expected Drew to be the cornerstone of the Cardinals, something that would never come to be.
Rick Ankiel, like Drew, was an extremely talented baseball player, and was viewed as a future ace of the St. Louis Cardinals. He made his debut in 1999 as a pitcher, but would make his mark as a pitcher in 2000 when he went 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA and struck out 194 batters in 175 innings as a 20 year old rookie. His future, however, would be defined by the playoffs when he threw 5 wild pitches and walked 6 batters in 2 2/3 innings pitched in the NLDS, and followed it with 4 wild pitches and 5 walks in 1 1/3 innings in the NLCS. To this day, nobody including Rick Ankiel can figure out what happened. Ankiel would only pitch 34 major league innings the rest of his career, before making his miraculous comeback as a hitter. What might sum up the career of Rick Ankiel best is that Rick Ankiel began the decade a future star pitcher of the St. Louis Cardinals and will begin the next decade a free agent outfielder looking for a team to give him a chance after a tough season marred by injuries in 2009.
The St. Louis Cardinals began the decade as a team looking to win, and in 2000, they did so. The 2000s wouldn't have been the same, however, without one key trade made just before the start of the 2000 season. Looking for a bat, the St. Louis Cardinals traded Kent Bottenfield (18-7 in 1999) and Adam Kennedy (made debut in 1999) to the Anaheim Angels for their talented, but unhappy centerfielder Jim Edmonds. The trade may be the epitome of what made Walt Jocketty so successful as the General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, as he turned a one year wonder and solid young player into a star looking for a change of scenery, who was also a free agent at the end of the year.
Jim Edmonds became a part of a talented core in St. Louis, and it all began that year when Edmonds hit .295 with 42 homeruns, drove in 108 runs, and put up .994 OPS while being selected to the all-star game, earning a Gold Glove award, and finished 4th in the MVP voting. From 2000-2004, Edmonds hit 181 homeruns, drive in 511 runs, walk 460 times, and would put up at least a 146 OPS+ and .974 OPS in each season, while winning a gold glove each season and being selected to the all-star game twice. He became a bonafide superstar at the centerfield position.
The 2000 St. Louis Cardinals won 95 games and finished first in the NL Central with help from Edmonds, an up and coming Edgar Renteria, veterans Ray Lankford and Fernando Vina, and a semi healthy J.D. Drew and Mark Mcgwire. The offense scored 887 runs that year, which was the most by a Cardinals team since the 1930 St. Louis Cardinals scored 1,004 runs.
The Cardinals success in 2000, however, wouldn't have come without the help of Daryl Kile, who was acquired in the offseason before 2000 from the Colorado Rockies. Daryl Kile came up with Houston and put together some good years with them including an outstanding 1997 season when he won 19 games and put up a 2.57 ERA. He did not have the same success in hitters haven Coors field, however, and was traded with Dave Veres to the Cardinals. Kile went 20-9 with a 3.91 ERA in 2000 and put up another outstanding year in 2001 going 16-11 with a 3.09 ERA. A great pitcher, Kile got off to a solid start in 2002 before his sudden death at a hotel in Chicago shocked Cardinals Nation. The loss of a great pitcher and great clubhouse guy, left St. Louis in tears, especially given the timing of the death.
Dave Veres, the other part of the deal, put together a solid 2000 campaign when he got 29 saves with a 2.89 ERA. He put together a couple more solid years of relief in 2001 and 2002 before becoming a free agent.
In 2000, the St. Louis Cardinals swept the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, but fell apart in the NLCS losing in five games to the New York Mets, who lost to the New York Yankees in the Subway Series.
While the St.Louis Cardinals were having a fantastic year in the majors in 2000, something was happening in Peoria, the St. Louis Cardinals low-A ball affiliate. Something special that would impact the rest of the decade in St. Louis.
The St. Louis Cardinals drafted a stocky high school kid named Albert Pujols who most didn't think had a position, in the thirteenth round of the 1999 draft. He could swing the bat, but without a position and seen as overweight, teams passed on Pujols enough to see him fall to the 13th round. In 2000, Pujols was assigned to low A Peoria, where he hit .314/.378/.543/.920 with 41 doubles and 19 homeruns in 133 games. Perhaps most impressive, though, was his 46 to 47 walk to strikeout ratio as a 20 year old. Only 47 strikeouts in 544 plate appearances. Late in the year, St. Louis thought so highly of Pujols that they called him up to AAA Memphis for the Redbirds playoffs. He was named the MVP of the Pacific Coast League championship.
Albert Pujols went to Spring training the next year with a chance to make the club, which he did thanks in part to Bobby Bonilla's injury late in the spring. By the end of May, Pujols was batting .351 as a 21 year old rookie with 16 homeruns. Another good June where he hit .330 with a .969 OPS was followed by a typical rookie July of .241 with a measly .793 OPS. Upset with pitchers, Pujols would hit .375 with a 1.137 OPS in August and finish with a solid September to bring his rookie year batting stats to: .329/.403/.610/1.013 with 37 homeruns, 130 RBIs, 47 doubles, 69 walks to 93 strikeouts.
Yea, just a typical rookie year.
Of course everyone knows who Albert Pujols is now, almost unanimously considered the best player in the game and definitely the most consistent player in the game. He is the only player in baseball history to begin his career with 9 straight .300 average, 30 homerun, 100 RBI seasons and has three NL MVP's in 9 seasons. Even more amazing is that Pujols could have even more MVP's in his career if not for a man named Barry Bonds. Pujols has as many second place finishes in the MVP balloting (3) as he does MVP awards, two of which he finished second to Bonds. Pujols got his first homerun title this past season, and got a batting title in 2003, when he batted .359, just ahead of Todd Helton.
As baseball enters another decade, Pujols turns the page on the twenties and will now be entering the thirties as of this past Saturday, his 30th birthday. He is a St. Louis Cardinal for a guaranteed two more years, and everybody in St. Louis prays every night that it will be longer than that. Pujols, known as "El Hombre", has similarities to another St. Louis legend, Stan "The Man" Musial, like his involvement in the community, his meaning to St. Louis, and how the fans look to him.
In 2001, the St. Louis Cardinals finished 93-65 and claimed the National League Wild Card. The team featured talented players on offense such as Pujols, Edmonds (.304-30-110), Drew (.323-27-73), a fading McGwire (.187-29-64), and Craig Paquette (.282-15-64). The pitching staff was led by Daryl Kile and a healthy Matt Morris (22-8 3.16 ERA).
The trade that proved big before 2001 was a deal that sent third baseman Fernando Tatis to Montreal for Dustin Hermanson (14-13 with a 4.45 ERA in 2001) and left handed reliever Steve Kline. Steve Kline was considered one of the best left handed relievers in the game and would prove that in St. Louis where he made 89 appearances in 2001 and posted a miniscule 1.80 ERA. He pitched in St. Louis from 2001 to 2004 and gave the Cardinals two dominant years and two solid ones.
In 2001, St. Louis had a tough task of going up against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round, a team led by twin aces Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. St. Louis took Arizona to five games, but lost the series as Arizona went on to win a thrilling seven game World Series over the New York Yankees.
2002 marked a tough year for the city of St. Louis as the city lost legendary radio broadcaster Jack Buck on June 18th and then four days later lost ace pitcher Darryl Kile to coronary disease.
In spite of the losses of the two well liked people in the St. Louis community, the 2002 St. Louis Cardinals found ways to win games led once again on offense by Albert Pujols (.314-34-127) and Jim Edmonds (.311-28-83). Edgar Renteria had a breakout year hitting .305 with 83 RBIs and an .803 OPS. Matt Morris gave the Cardinals quality pitching again going 17-9 with a 3.42 ERA and journeyman Jason Simontacchi became a Dave Duncan specialty surprise by going 11-5 with a 4.02 ERA out of nowhere. Rookie Mike Crudale gave the Cardinals another quality rookie season by posting a team low 1.88 ERA out of the bullpen in 49 appearances at 25 years old. Crudale only spent another partial season in the majors the rest of his career in 2003.
The Cardinals front office, however, made key moves in the 2002 season which boosted the teams playoff hopes. Dealing for Chuck Finley (7-4 3.80 ERA in 14 starts) and Woody Williams (9-4 2.53 ERA in 17 starts). The two veteran pitchers gave the Cardinals a chance even after the sudden and tragic death of Darryl "DK57" Kile. Then the final deal, the blockbuster deal made at the deadline, sent Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith to the Philadelphia Phillies for star third baseman Scott Rolen. Rolen, a free agent to be, had rejected the Phillies extension offers and wanted out of there, so St. Louis saw it as an opportunity to add a star hitter to the core. Rolen signed an 8 year, $90 million deal later in the 2002 season, to stay in St. Louis long term.
Rolen, hit .278 with 14 homeruns and 44 RBIs in 55 games for St. Louis and help the Cardinals make the playoffs. He provided impact offense and phenomenal defense at third base for St. Louis over basically five seasons. In 2004 he formed with Edmonds and Pujols what would be nicknamed the "MV3" as all three players had elite offensive seasons and all three played gold glove caliber defense at their respective positions. Rolen hit 111 homeruns, drove in 453 runs, and batted .286 with an .879 OPS in his career as a St. Louis Cardinal. Unfortunately, bad luck and injury may have cost Scott Rolen a shot at the hall of fame and would eventually lead to the Cardinals trade him before the 2008 season after a public spat with manager Tony Larussa.
Before the 2002 season, the Cardinals made their first big free agent signing of the decade by signing star closer Jason "Izzy" Isringhausen. The Brighton, Illinois native became the St. Louis Cardinals franchise saves leader later on in the decade. Somewhat known for making games more interesting then they should be, Isringhausen was a very good closer for St. Louis over the longhaul posting sub 3 ERA's for St. Louis in 2002 (2.48), 2003 (2.36), 2004 (2.87), 2005 (2.14), and 2007 (2.48). In 2004, Isringhausen compiled a league high 47 saves and surpassed 30 saves five times as a Cardinal. Unfortunately for Isringhausen, he was not able to be effective enough in 2008 to get his 300th save as a Cardinal and to this day he is stuck on 293.
An interesting thing about the 2002 St. Louis cardinals is the way that manager Tony Larussa and the players handled the death of Darryl Kile. The ability to handle the death as a sad and tragic loss, but then to also move on and continue to play well like Kile would have wanted them to. In fact, the St. Louis Cardinals would win 57 games after the death of Kile, an interesting tidbit seeing how his number was 57. The 97 win 2002 St. Louis Cardinals won the NL Central by 13 games over the Houston Astros and made a third straight trip to the playoffs.
The Cardinals played Arizona again in 2002 in the first round, but this time St. Louis would get revenge as they swept the Diamondbacks. However, a Barry Bonds led San Francisco Giants team would handle a Scott Rolen-less St. Louis Cardinals team well by beating them in 5 games in the NLCS. Scott Rolen missed the NLCS after getting run into by Arizona's Alex Cintron.
After three years of making the postseason, the St. Louis Cardinals came into 2003 with optimism, and why not? They had a talented offense led by Pujols (.359-43-124), Rolen (.286-28-104), and Edmonds (.275-39-89), and Edgar renteria (.330-13-100) was coming off an .800+ OPS season at shortstop. This all without mentioning, they still had hopes for a breakout season from the man that was supposed to be a star in J.D. Drew.
However, an early season injury to closer Jason Isringhausen saw the Cardinals bullpen go through revolving doors to try to find someone to save games more than they would blow them. And a pitcher in Chicago named Mark Prior (18-6 2.43 ERA) caused problems as well in his one healthy season.
Still Isringhausen returned in 2003 and pitched effectively posting a 2.36 ERA in 40 appearances and the Cardinals came into September with a one game lead over the Chicago Cubs. An unusual five game series against the Cubs in the first days of September, however, would watch their lead go from a game to down by a game and they wouldn't see first place the rest of the season, finishing in 3rd place and three games behind the Chicago Cubs.
In the end, it was a disappointing 85 win season, but if the Cardinals had won that year, one would have to wonder if they would have made the sweeping changes before 2004 that would bring prosperity back to St. Louis and teams that were better then ever.
The offseason before 2004 saw a lot of action in St. Louis as the Cardinals traded often injured outfielder J.D. Drew and utility player Eli Marrero to the Atlanta Braves for starting pitcher Jason Marquis, left handed reliever Ray King, and top pitching prospect Adam Wainwright. The move could not have worked out better for St. Louis.
Jason Marquis was a talented pitcher who never lived to his abilities in Atlanta. In 2004 he would go 15-7 with a 3.71 ERA and would be a part of the Cardinals rotation for thre years winning 42 games in all, but also losing 37 games. Known to be somewhat of a headcase, Marquis left St. Louis with a bitter taste in cardinals fans mouths. However, one thing that has been interesting about Marquis is every year that he has been a professional baseball player, the organization he is in has made the playoffs. That run of 14 straight years will be put to the test in 2010 as he signed with the Washington Nationals.
Ray King had proven in Atlanta to be a quality durable left handed reliever, and his time in St. Louis would only strengthen that as he would spend two quality seasons in St. Louis putting up a 2.61 ERA in 86 appearances in 2004. With King and Steve Kline, Tony Larussa was given two left handers who he could call on at any time to get a left handed batter out. Left handed batters hit just .150 against King in 2004 and had just two extra base hits, both doubles, off of him in 127 plate appearances.
The trade would have worked out alright with just those two, but the best part of the deal, Adam Wainwright, was still to come.
The St. Louis Cardinals also signed recovering starter Chris Carpenter. Viewed as the future of the Blue Jays along with Roy Halladay, Carpenter never quite lived to his talent in Toronto and then went through Tommy John Surgery there and ultimately was released by the Blue Jays. St. Louis signed the right hander before the 2003 season while he was recovering from the surgery, and in 2004 brought him back again. The move has paid off big dividends for the Cardinals.
Chris Carpenter went 15-5 with a 3.46 ERA for St. Louis in 2004, making 28 starts and was part of a much improved rotation. The best was yet to come for Carpenter though, who currently holds the best winning % of any pitcher in St. Louis Cardinals history with a .739 winning%.
Coming into the 2004 season, most viewed the Chicago Cubs as being the best team in the division with their duo of young flame throwing starters Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. But, the St. Louis Cardinals with a surprise rotation led by Carpenter's comeback year, Jason Marquis, and veterans Matt Morris (15-10 4.72 ERA), Woody Williams (11-4 4.18 ERA), and free agent acquisition Jeff Suppan (16-9 4.16 ERA), the Cardinals not only won the division, but held the best record in baseball with a 105-57 record.
While the rotation surprised many people, it was the offense which also helped the team get to the elite level. The 2004 season was the year of the MV3 in St. Louis, when a deadly middle of the order in Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds took their game to historic levels.
All three hitters finished the season with a 1.000+ OPS and all three hit at least .300 with 30 doubles, 30 homeruns, 110 RBIs, walked 70 times, and scored 100 runs. They finished 3rd (Pujols), 4th (Rolen), and 5th (Edmonds) in the MVP voting, likely because they took away votes from each other. The season also marked the last time that all three would play in 140+ games in the same season together.
The Cardinals got even more offense later in the year, when they made a trade for former superstar outfielder Larry Walker. Walker made the offense even more dangerous and provided a .280 average and .953 OPS in 44 games for St. Louis down the stretch.
Holding the best record in baseball, the expectations were high in St. Louis for the Cardinals to get to the World Series, afterall this is still considered one of the most talented teams in St. Louis Cardinals history. The Cardinals got dealt another tough playoff break, however, as ace Chris Carpenter missed the entire postseason with an injury. Still, St. Louis handled Los Angeles, defeating them in four games in the first round, setting up a matchup with the division rival Houston Astros, who had claimed the NL wild card in 2004.
While Boston and New York went through an extraordinary ALCS, the Cardinals/Astros went through one about as compelling.
With homefield advantage, St. Louis took a quick 2-0 series lead over the Astros, despite Houston's deadline acquisition, Carlos Beltran, hitting a homerun in each of the first two games.
Houston, however, took game three, then won a close game in game four to even the series. In game five in Houston, the game went through 8 innings of a 0-0 score, before the Jeff Kent of the Astros hit a walkoff 3-run homerun in the bottom of the 9th to give the Astros a 3-2 lead heading to St. Louis for game six. St. Louis managed only 1 hit in game five, while Houston had just 3.
St. Louis took an early 4-3 lead after four innings, but Houston scored a run in the 9th inning to tie the game at 4-4. With all the drama setting up in St. Louis, Jim Edmonds hit a walkoff 2-run homerun in the bottom of the 12th that will be remembered by many St. Louis fans for years to come.
Jeff Suppan, a pitcher who would prove huge in the playoffs for St. Louis over his three years there, faced a tough task in game seven: He had to beat Roger Clemens. A first inning Craig biggio homerun didn't help the issues, but a defining moment of the game came in the second inning. With runners on first and second and only one out for the Astros, Brad Ausmus hit a ball that looked like it would bring at least one run home and maybe two, but Jim Edmonds, the star of game six, dove for the ball and made one of his greatest catches in a career full of them. The Astros didn't score that inning, but would score one run in the third. A Cardinals run in their third inning, cut the lead to 2-1. Pujols doubled home Roger Cedeno in the 6th to tie the game at 2, setting up Scott Rolen's two run homerun off Roger Clemens to give St. Louis a 4-2 lead. St. Louis scored another run in the eighth and won 5-2, making the World Series for the first time since 1987.
While the celebrations were great, the 2004 season was all about the Boston Red Sox who made quick work of St. Louis, sweeping them in four games.
After the 2004 season, Edgar Renteria left as a free agent for the Boston Red Sox who signed him to a 4 year, $40 million deal. With a void to fill at shortstop, the Cardinals signed the Los Angeles Angels free agent shortstop David Eckstein, who some said was the "worst signing of the offseason", to a three year deal.
In 2005, David Eckstein batted .294 with a .363 OBP as the Cardinals leadoff hitter. He is well known throughout baseball for his pesky ability to fight off pitches and make pitchers work, and he displayed that throughout his three years in St. Louis.
Another new part of the Cardinals in 2005 was rookie Yadier Molina, one of three Molina brothers that catch in the major leagues. He made his debut in 2004, but got his first year of catching in 2005 as the replacement for Mike Matheny, a well liked great defensive catcher. Molina has become a core piece in St. Louis since getting the call up and has become well known for having one of the best arms of any catcher in baseball. His specialty as a defensive catcher is an uncanny ability to pickoff baserunners off of first base, easily ahead of any other catcher in baseball in that department. He has gotten such a reputation around baseball for having a great arm that it's a rarity for teams to run on him anymore, and those that do are thrown out nearly half the time.
Before the 2005 season, however, St. Louis made a blockbuster trade that might go down as one of the worst in St. Louis Cardinals history. Needing a top of the line starter, Walt Jocketty and the Cardinals traded a young starter in Dan Haren who had yet to make a real impact in St. Louis, along with top prospect Daric Barton and reliever Kiko Calero to the Oakland Athletics for left handed starter Mark Mulder. At the time, Mulder was one of the best left handed starters in the game and had compiled 72 wins over the previous four seasons for the Oakland Athletics. The Cardinals believed that this gave them a big advantage with Carpenter and Mulder at the top of the rotation. In the end, Mark Mulder had major red flags before coming to St. Louis as his 2004 season was a mixed bag.
First Half: 18 starts, 131 2/3 IP 116 H 92 K 41 BB 6.3 K/9 IP 2.24 K/BB, 3.21 ERA
Second Half: 15 starts, 94 IP 107 H 48 K 42 BB 4.6 K/9 IP 1.14 K/BB, 6.13 ERA
His strikeout to walk ratio decreased dramatically, his strikeout ratio went down, his ERA ballooned, he became much more hittable. And in the end, Mark Mulder had one solid year in St. Louis in 2005 when he went 16-8 with a 3.64 ERA, but would make only 21 more ineffective starts over the final three seasons of his Cardinals career.
Dan Haren, on the other hand, became an ace in Oakland before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks where he has become one of the best pitchers in the National League. At the time, Tony LaRussa wanted Mark Mulder, while Dave Duncan wanted to keep Haren, and they have said it was one of the few times in their career together that they have come close to splitting.
Despite an unfortunate injury to Scott Rolen in 2005, the St. Louis Cardinals managed to win 100 games again in 2005 finishing in first place in the NL Central with a 100-62 record, once again the best record in baseball.
Much of the success was due to Albert Pujols getting his first MVP award with a .330 average, 41 homeruns, and 117 RBIs, as well as a Cy Young winning season from ace Chris Carpenter who went 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA in 33 starts.
The St. Louis Cardinals were back in the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons and for a second year in a row they handled an NL West team fairly well, sweeping the San Diego Padres. And for a second straight year, the first round win set up a rematch with the division rival Houston Astros for the chance to go to the World Series. Only difference was this time, the Astros didn't have Carlos Beltran. The Cardinals, however, didn't have Scott Rolen either.
This year, the Cardinals did have Chris Carpenter though, and St. Louis took game one winning 5-3. Behind Roy Oswalt, the Astros took game two, however, to split the games heading to Houston. A heated game three saw Jim Edmonds get thrown out of the game while still at the plate, and a late rally in the 9th couldn't keep the Astros from winning 4-3. The Astros then took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series with a 2-1 win in game four.
One of the most defining swings of the decade, not only for the Cardinals, but also in baseball in general, occurred in game five of the 2005 NLCS. With the Cardinals winning 2-1, Lance Berkman hit a 3-run homerun in the 7th inning to put the Astros on top 4-2, which would stay the score heading into the 9th inning. With seemingly all hope lost, St. Louis was three outs from another year without the ring. And two strikeouts later, the Cardinals last hope was in movie ending form, the pesky David Eckstein, who fought to stay alive and then singled. A Jim Edmonds walk setup the defining moment, which came off the bat of Albert Pujols. A 3-run moonshot off Brad Lidge gave St. Louis a 5-4 lead and eventually won by the same score.
Of course, for St. Louis, the postseason ended poorly as the Cardinals lost 5-1 in game six, but for one last time they got the chance to play in Busch Stadium.
2006 brought new hope, however, as the Cardinals were still the team that held the best record in baseball over the last two seasons.
The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals had to go through a lot of adversity, however, as players missed time to injuries (David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds, Mark Mulder, Scott Rolen, and Albert Pujols at times), or ineffectiveness (Jason Marquis).
Albert Pujols got off to a flying start in 2006, however, as he hit 25 homeruns in the first two months of the season and looked to be heading towards 50 homeruns easy. An injury in early June, however, shelved Pujols on the Disabled List and cost him a run at 50 homeruns. When he returned, he picked up right where he left off, and finished with a career high 49 homeruns and 137 RBIs, but it still was a season that could have been better. At the time, it was his best season of an already great career. Of the 49 homeruns Pujols hit the season, 20 of them were for game winning RBIs, which broke Willie May's single season record.
It was a rookie reliever who would play a key role for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, a pitcher named Adam Wainwright. As talked about earlier, he was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in the trade that dealt Drew and Marrero to Atlanta. Wainwright was at the time the key to the deal, as he was the Atlanta Braves top prospect. A Georgia native, Wainwright made his way through the minors in Atlanta and then St. Louis as well. He struggled in AAA in 2004 and 2005, but made the big league club out of spring training in 2006 nonetheless after two September outings in 2005. A starter in the minors and viewed as a starter of the future for St. Louis, Wainwright made his debut in the bullpen where he stayed all year. Wainwright proved to be big for St. Louis all year, appearing in 61 games, pitching 75 innings, and posting a 3.12 ERA. He struck out 72 batters, walked 22, and gave up 6 homeruns. By any standard, Wainwright had a very solid rookie year. The best was yet to come, however.
The big in season additions for St. Louis in 2006 were second baseman Ronnie Belliard and Jeff Weaver. Neither was a blockbuster move, both were pretty shocking that the two were supposed to help a playoff caliber team. In the end, both proved huge for the Cardinals in the postseason.
When St. Louis acquired Jeff Weaver from the Angels, he was a veteran pitcher who had bounced his way around to clubs spending time in Detroit, New York (A), and both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels. The Cardinals gave up a minor league outfielder Terry Evans to get Weaver, who was at the time one of the worst pitchers in baseball. For the Angels in 2006, he was 3-10 with a 6.29 ERA in 16 starts when he was traded to St. Louis. He didn't pitch a whole lot better in St. Louis, but did show improvement as time went on, and finished 5-4 with a 5.18 ERA in 15 starts for St. Louis in the regular season. He had always had good ability, but never pitched to it.
Ronnie Belliard had a solid year for Cleveland when the Cardinals traded for him. He was batting .291 with a .757 OPS. He didn't hit very well for the Cardinals the rest of the way, batting .237 with a .666 OPS, but he made some good defensive plays in the postseason for St. Louis, including one great diving stop in game one of the NLDS.
While Pujols was having a career year, Jim Edmonds was not having a good year. He missed time with post concussion syndrome after crashing into a wall on June 21st and also went through shoulder and foot injuries during what was at the time his worst season as a cardinal. Edmonds finished with a .257 average, hit 19 homeruns, drove in 70 runs, and posted an .822 OPS in 110 games played.
The cardinals got a needed boost, however, in Scott Rolen. Rolen played in just 56 games in 2005, but stayed much healthier in 2006 as he played in 142 games. His power wasn't the same as it used to be, however, after missing time in 2005, as he hit 22 homeruns in 2006, while driving in 95 runs, and posted an .887 OPS. He did hit 48 doubles, however, which were one shy of a career high.
The Cardinals signed Scott Spiezio in the offseason to provide a veteran bat for the bench and in return they got a very good year out of Spiezio. He batted .272 and hit 13 homeruns in 321 plate appearances, while he drove in 53 runs. He would come up huge late in the year as well.
A rookie outfielder named Chris Duncan would make a big impact for the Cardinals in 2006 as well. The son of pitching coach Dave Duncan, Chris was a power hitting outfielder who made his name against right handed pitchers. In 2006, Duncan hit .293, blasting 22 homeruns in just 280 at bats, and posted a .952 OPS. He batted .318 with a 1.034 OPS against right handed pitching. While in recent time, Duncan got a lot of heat from Cardinals fans, there is no doubting that when healthy Chris was a very talented hitter. Unfortunately, Duncan spent two healthy seasons for the Cardinals, but groin injuries hampered his power, which brought his value skyrocketing down.
The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals were in first place by 5 games heading into September and held the 2nd best record in the National league at the time. But St. Louis had an awful September, where they went just 12-17 and almost didn't even make the playoffs. With a division on the line and St. Louis enduring 7 game losing streak, it was a 3-run homerun in the 8th inning against the San Diego Padres on September 27th by Albert Pujols that might have saved the season and the playoff dreams. It took a Houston Astros loss on the last day of the season for St. Louis to make the playoffs without playing game #162.
After finishing with just 83 wins, however, the cardinals didn't get much respect from the media. And really why not? The team was struggling, they didn't have a high win total, but they did deal with injuries throughout the season, and at game one, they were finally healthy.
With the help of Chris Carpenter and Albert Pujols, the Cardinals took game one against the San Diego Padres in the first round of the NLDS. They defeated the Padres, who won 88 games, in four games and moved on to face the 97 win New York Mets team, who now had Carlos Beltran.
Behind Tom Glavine, the Mets took game one by a 2-0 score. Tony Larussa tinkered the lineup in game two by playing Scott Spiezio over Scott Rolen at third base and the move paid off big time. With the Cardinals down 6-4 in the 7th, Spiezio came up with Pujols on 2nd and Edmonds on first against Guillermo Mota. Spiezio hit a flyball down the right field line that hit off the wall and Spiezio got a triple out of it scoring the tying runs. Then in the 9th inning with a tie game at 6-6, So Taguchi surprised everybody by hitting a homerun off of Mets closer Billy Wagner. The Cardinals scored two more runs that inning and won 9-6 to tie the series heading to St. Louis.
Jeff Suppan, a proven playoff pitcher, who beat Roger Clemens in game seven of the NLCS in 2004, pitched outstandingly in game three, by 8 innings of shutout ball while allowing just 3 hits. He even hit a homerun in the game as well, single handedly beating the Mets.
After a crushing defeat in game four where the Mets won 12-5, Jeff Weaver took the mound after pitching well in a losing effort in game one. This time, the Cardinals Jeff Weaver would beat the Mets Tom Glavine, as the Cardinals won 4-2, taking a 3-2 lead in the series. The Mets took game six at home beating ace Chris Carpenter to win 4-2, and it came down to game seven for the chance to go to the World Series.
Jeff Suppan, the game three magician, started for St. Louis against New York's Oliver Perez. Both teams scored a run early, and through five innings the score was 1-1. An Edmonds walk, set up perhaps one of the greatest catches in playoff history when Scott Rolen hit a flyball to left field that looked to be a sure 2-run homerun to give St. Louis a lead, when New York's Endy Chavez leaped and made an amazing, acrobatic catch to rob Rolen and then maybe even more impressively, and forgotten, double up Jim Edmonds off of first base. It was truly an incredible catch, especially given the circumstances.
The next half inning, the Mets threatened Jeff Suppan for the first time all night as they loaded the bases with 1 out. A strikeout of Jose Valentin brought up Endy Chavez, the same player that had just made a terrific catch. On the first pitch, however, Chavez popped out to centerfield ending the threat and leaving the game tied at 1. Jeff Suppan finished after giving up 1 run and 2 hits in 7 innings, but neither team threatened in the 7th or 8th innings, which brought the game to the 9th inning. After a strikeout of Edmonds and a single by Rolen, the Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina came to the plate with a surprisingly hot bat in the playoffs given his bad regular season performance at the plate. And with the 1 out and 1 runner on, Molina hit the biggest homerun of his career, a 2-run homerun to left field off of Aaron Heilman which silenced a loud New York Mets crowd.
The drama wasn't over, however, as the Mets threatened in the 9th inning, putting the first two men on, and then loading the bases with two outs. With rookie closer Adam Wainwright on the mound and Cardinals killer Carlos Beltran at the plate, the ending set up for a Hollywood finish. And with an 0-2 count, Adam Wainwright froze Carlos Beltran on probably the nastiest curveball he's ever thrown.
St. Louis made the World series after a terrific upset of the heavily favored New York Mets. The Cardinals were a team that was supposed to lose, afterall they only won 83 games, and the New York Mets team seemed destined to go to the World Series after a terrific regular season. Perhaps, it was the baseball god's way of making up for two St. Louis cardinals teams that should have done more then they did in the previous two years, though.
St. Louis came into the World Series against an even more heavily favored Detroit Tigers team. The AL had won three of the last four World Series, and this Tigers team was a very good one with good pitching. There was even one USA Today writer who said "Detroit Tigers in three" displaying how heavily favored the Tigers were, given it was best of seven, not five.
But St. Louis played the way they had in the playoffs, and took game one 7-2 behind a great performance by rookie starter Anthony Reyes, who went up against the Tigers rookie starter Justin verlander. Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen both homered off of Verlander giving support to Reyes who at one point retired 17 consecutive batters.
A game two gem by Kenny Rogers of the Tigers tied the series up at 1-1 heading back to St. Louis for game three after a 3-1 win.
With the chance for a big momentum switcher, St. Louis called upon ace Chris Carpenter, who wasn't able to pitch in the World Series (or playoffs) in 2004. Carpenter didn't give this chance away and pitched probably one of the best games of his life, throwing 8 shutout innings while allowing just 3 hits and throwing a remarkable 80 pitches. An Edmonds 2 RBI double in the 4th gave carpenter all of the support he needed, as the Cardinals won 5-0.
It was pesky shortstop David Eckstein who would come up big throughout the series, but especially in game four. He went 4 for 5 in game four including a double in the 7th to set up the tying run at 3-3. The Cardinals took a 4-3 lead later that inning thanks to a Detroit Tigers pitching error (a common theme in the World Series), which extended the inning. After the Tigers tied the game in the 8th at 4-4, Eckstein came up in the 8th inning with Aaron Miles on second and doubled to centerfield scoring Miles to give the Cardinals a 5-4 lead, which Wainwright preserved for the win and a 3-1 series lead.
With game five in St. Louis, the cardinals sent Jeff Weaver to the mound to bring home their first World Series victory since 1982. When the playoffs began, nobody in St. Louis and nobody nationally could have thought that the Cardinals would be in the situation they were in. But, it happened and the Cardinals beat teams that they were big underdogs against.
Game five was all about Jeff Weaver, a pitcher who had gone through so much and never really pitched to his talent. He had bounced from team to team and earlier in the year was one of the worst in baseball. But in game five, he was pitching the biggest game of his life and except for one glitch he was outstanding. Weaver gave up a 2-run homerun to Sean Casey in the 4th which at the time gave up an early 1-0 lead. But a Justin Verlander throwing error in the 4th inning with Jeff Weaver at the plate, helped St. Louis to rally for two runs and gave them a 3-2 lead. St. Louis never looked back.
Jeff Weaver went 8 innings, gave up 4 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), walked 1 batter, and struck out 9 batters. In all, he threw 99 pitches-- of which 69 were strikes. The 9 strikeouts tied a season high, as he also struck out 9 batters on June 15th against the Padres while on the Angels. Weaver finished the postseason with a 2.43 ERA, the lowest of any Cardinals starter.
Detroit threatened in the 9th inning against Adam Wainwright, but the rookie closer proved tough as nails. With the go ahead run at the plate, Wainwright got third baseman Brandon Inge to swing through a curveball to end the game with a 4-2 score. The win marked the Cardinals first World Series victory since 1982 and shortstop David Eckstein became the fourth shortstop to be named the World Series MVP, and the first to do so in the National League.
While the celebrations began after the World Series victory in 2006, the season also marked the end of an era in St. Louis, as the Cardinals lost pitchers Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver to free agency.
2007 began with optimism again, as the Cardinals still had ace Chris Carpenter and were still hoping for big things from World Series game one winner Anthony Reyes, who struggled in his rookie year, but did show occasional signs of promise. The Cardinals also planned on World Series closer Adam Wainwright to be one of their starters in 2007 and he had front of the line potential.
Looking for insurance at starting position, the Cardinals signed Kip Wells during the offseason hoping that Duncan could do with the talented, but underachieving starter what he did with Jeff Weaver. In the end, the project proved to be a disaster as Wells went 7-17 with a 5.70 ERA for the Cardinals and was taken out of the rotation late in the year.
The 2007 season in general was a disaster for the St. Louis Cardinals who had decreased three straight years in wins, but hoped to change that in 2007. On the first game of the season, the Cardinals lost ace starter Chris Carpenter to an injury. The loss proved more devestating then originally expected as the 2005 NL Cy Young and 2006 NL Cy Young runner up, only pitched in 21 1/3 innings over 2007 and 2008. With the loss of ace Carpenter, who in essence defined the Cardinals playoff chances, St. Louis was forced to patchwork a rotation in hopes of coming up with some magic.
The magic was dead, however, as the 2007 rotation finished as one of the worst in franchise history. If not for a bullpen that was pretty spectacular, the Cardinals playoff chances would have been over much earlier then they were.
Despite the general rotation, Adam Wainwright proved to be a good first year starter going 14-12 with a 3.70 ERA in 32 starts. He pitched 202 innings, allowed 212 hits, 13 homeruns, walked 70 batters, and struck out 136. All in all, it wasn't what St. Louis believed he could do, but it was a solid start. The best was still yet to come from Adam.
Albert Pujols had his worst power year of his career, as he hit only 32 homeruns and 103 RBIs in 158 games, which was the closest he's come to not making the .300/30/100 in his career. The team didn't get support from Eckstein, Rolen, and Edmonds who all failed to play in 120 games, showing that their ages (32, 32, and 37) may finally have been catching up to them.
One of the scariest incidents, happened on August 31st, when outfielder Juan Encarnacion was hit in the eye by a foul ball off the bat of Aaron Miles while standing in the on deck circle. The freak accident ended Juan Encarnacion's professional baseball career.
Even with the difficult 2007 season, the Cardinals did manage to find some bright spots in it. Once the future of the Cardinals, Rick Ankiel returned in 2007 as a hitter to the big leagues. Playing in 47 games and getting 172 at bats, Ankiel managed to hit .285 with 11 homeruns. Perhaps the best moment of the season came when ankiel homered in his first game back against the Padres. Aside from the World Series, that may have been the happiest I have seen Tony Larussa, who has always been a huge supporter of Ankiel.
The 2007 St. Louis Cardinals finished with the team's lowest win total (78) since the 1999 Cardinals won 75 games.
With the disastrous 2007 season, and a team seemingly on the decline, the St. Louis Cardinals fired/let go long time general manager Walt Jocketty. Jocketty had been the Cardinals GM since 1995 and had made many great trades and signings as GM of the Cardinals. He was responsible for bringing in players like Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Daryl Kile, Edgar Renteria, Larry Walker, etc. via trade. As GM of the Cardinals, the team made the playoffs 7 times, made 6 trips to the NLCS, made 2 World Series trips, and had one World Series title. His time in St. Louis was very successful, and he left the organization as one of the best GM's in baseball.
Needless to say, the man the Cardinals hired to replace Jocketty, John Mozeliak, had tough shoes to fill, especially given the Cardinals fans really had admiration for Jocketty. Mozeliak has proven that he is good enough to fill the shoes of Jocketty, however, as he did a fantastic job of righting a sinking ship.
His first moves when he took over for St. Louis were trading veterans Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen. The Cardinals traded Edmonds to the Padres for minor league third baseman David Freese and traded Scott Rolen to the Blue Jays for another veteran third baseman in Troy Glaus. The move of Edmonds was meant to open up a spot for Ankiel and save the team cash. While Glaus when healthy, was also a great offensive player.
Rick Ankiel getting playing time in 2008 proved big, as he batted .264 with 25 homeruns and put up an .843 OPS in 120 games. His OPS was among the best of National league centerfielders.
Troy Glaus got off to a slow start in St. Louis, and didn't hit a homerun until April 27th, but he finished with a very productive year, hitting .270 with 27 homeruns, 99 RBIs, and an .856 OPS. He also played very good defense at third, which hasn't been his forte. Unfortunately, Glaus would not be healthy in 2009, leaving a big void in the Cardinals lineup.
The biggest surprise in 2008 and maybe in all of baseball, though, was the play of outfielder Ryan Ludwick. An injury prone outfielder in the minors, Ludwick signed with the Cardinals during the 2007 season and in his time in the majors there, hit well (.267/.339/.479/.818 with 14 homeruns in 303 at bats). But nobody could have seen his 2008 season coming, as Ludwick would finish the 2008 season with an all-star appearance and join Pujols as the Cardinals two silver slugger award winners. Ludwick batted .299 with 37 homeruns, 40 doubles, 113 RBIs, and a .966 OPS. Those were numbers the Cardinals hadn't seen out of an outfielder since 2004. Ludwick's .591 slugging% was 2nd in the league behind teammate Albert Pujols, and his OPS and homerun totals ranked 4th.
Pujols put together another steady season batting .357 with 37 homeruns, 116 RBIs, and put up a career high 1.114 OPS. He won his second MVP award with the out of the world season.
With no Chris Carpenter again in 2008, St. Louis had to rely on a rotation made up of Wainwright, Braden Looper, 2007 pickups Todd Wellemeyer, Joel Pineiro, and a late free agent signing in Kyle Lohse. Together, the rotation put together a solid year, and much improved from the 2007 St. Louis Cardinals rotation.
Lohse put together a career year with the help of Dave Duncan, as he went 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA in 33 starts. Looper put together his best year going 12-14 with a 4.16 ERA in 33 starts, and Todd Wellemeyer put together the team low ERA of starters with at least 150 innings, with a 3.71 ERA in 32 starts. Joel Pineiro, re-signed to a 2 year deal after a solid showing in late 2007, was not the same effective starter in his first full season with the Cardinals. He went 7-7 with a 5.15 ERA in 26 games/25 starts.
Wainwright was in the midst of a breakout year before a freak finger injury sidelined him for over two and a half months. Wainwright finished the year 11-3 with a 3.20 ERA in 20 starts.
With an 86-76 record, the 2008 St. Louis Cardinals were better and on the upswing, but they finished 4th in the NL Central and 11.5 games behind the Cubs, so there was still room for improvement.
The 2009 St. Louis Cardinals would close the decade along the same lines they opened it, with a wining successful season after a couple average years.
The Cardinals expected ace Chris Carpenter to be back healthy again in 2009, which was a huge lift for a team that had dealt with injuries all over the field the last few years. Chris Carpenter had been with the team since 2003 and in the years he was hurt, the cardinals didn't make the playoffs, while in the years he was healthy, they did. So, Carpenter being back, was an important attribute.
St. Louis began 2009 as the underdogs, the team nobody was really talking about. The Cubs had won the NL Central the last two years and looked to remain on top for a third year. St. Louis made a few signings in the offseason, but nothing major. And on top of Carpenter returning, the Cardinals also dealt with a blow as Glaus had offseason surgery and was expected to miss a month or two. The month or two ended up being most of the season and then when he returned, he wasn't close to his old self.
The Cardinals also had a major hole at second base and with the team wanting to make room for top prospect Colby Rasmus, they asked Skip Schumaker, a career outfielder, to make the switch from outfield to second base. Skip Schumaker made the switch without complaining, worked hard, and made improvements throughout the year at second. He led off for the Cardinals and finished by hitting .303 with a .364 on base percentage.
With the All-star game in St. Louis in 2009, the hope was that the club would have a successful season and superstar Albert Pujols could happily be the unofficial host of the All-star game. They did and he was.
Chris Carpenter looked like his old self on his first start of the season as he allowed just 1 hit to the Pirates in 7 innings in a win. But, an oblique strain took him out of his second start of the year and put him on the DL for a month. Carpenter came back, however, and never looked back, pitching the rest of the season healthy and as good as ever. He finished the season with a 17-4 record and a league low 2.24 ERA. In 192 2/3 innings, he allowed just 156 hits, struck out 144 batters, allowed 38 walks, and just 7 homeruns. His 1.01 WHIP was 2nd best in the league behind Dan Haren.
Adam Wainwright, who looked to be having a breakout season in 2008, got off to a slow start in 2009. His production was not bad, but he didn't look all that dominant. While on the DL, Chris Carpenter spotted something in Wainwright's delivery in a May 10th start against Cincinnati and they looked at game tape on it. After working on it, Adam Wainwright was one of the best pitchers in baseball, joining Carpenter to give St. Louis arguably the best duo in baseball in 2009. Wainwright finished the year with a 19-8 record, a 2.63 ERA, and 212 strikeouts. He led the league in wins and innings pitched and was nearly unhittable after the all-star break (9-3 2.10 ERA in 15 starts). At one point, it seemed as though the duo of Carpenter and Wainwright could not be beat.
Like the MV3 in 2004, it was a trio of Cardinals pitchers that made them so successful in 2009, as with Carpenter and Wainwright, came Joel Pineiro. Pineiro was a total opposite of his 2008 form, as he went to a sinker pitch much more often in 2009. It helped him 7-9 record and a 3.20 ERA at the all-star break, and he finished 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA for the season. In 214 innings, he walked just 27 batters, much lower then his 35 in 148 2/3 in 2008 and a far cry from his 64 in 165 2/3 innings in 2007.
The St. Louis Cardinals 2009 was all about pitching, despite having the best player in the game.
Albert Pujols got off to a great start and was on pace to have a career year as he entered the all-star break with 32 homeruns, 87 RBIs, a .332 average, and a 1.179 OPS. At one point there was talk of a triple crown in store for Pujols in 2009. A worse second half where he hit 15 homeruns, drove in 48 runs, batted .322, and put up a 1.009 OPS calmed the Triple Crown talk down, but was still good enough to get Pujols his third MVP of the decade. Pujols still finished with 47 homeruns and 135 RBIs, which ranked 1st and 3rd in the league. His homerun title was the first of his illustrious career.
St. Louis GM John Mozeliak made key deals this season which helped St. Louis to their first division title since 2006. The first move was one that sent young relievers Chris Perez and Jess Todd to Cleveland for veteran utility man Mark DeRosa. At the time, DeRosa was hitting .270 with 13 homeruns and 50 RBIs for Cleveland in 71 games. He was on pace to go far beyond his career high in homeruns and RBIs. An injury shortly after he got to St. Louis landed DeRosa on the DL and meant his impact was going to be less than expected. He finished hitting just .228 with a .696 OPS in 68 games for St. Louis. He had a stretch where he hit 7 homeruns in 2 weeks, but other then that stretch did not prove to be as valuable as expected, until the playoffs where he was one of the Cardinals few bright spots.
The second move was when the Cardinals traded struggling outfielder Chris Duncan to Boston for veteran infielder Julio Lugo. Boston also agreed to pay the rest of Lugo's contract, which ends after 2010. Lugo provided an instant impact for the Cardinals as he batted .277 with a .784 OPS in 51 games for the Cardinals. He also provided some surprising pop by hitting 15 extra base hits in 148 at bats.
The third move, but the biggest impact of all, was the blockbuster that sent top prospect Brett Wallace, minor league pitcher Clayton Mortensen, and minor league outfielder Shane Peterson to the Oakland Athletics for outfielder Matt Holliday. The Cardinals had long wanted Holliday as the cleanup hitter to protect Albert Pujols, who was getting intentionally walked at career high levels. St. Louis attempted to trade for Holliday when he was a Rockie, but reports said they wanted Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker, and a prospect for Holliday. Turns out, the Cardinals got their guy in the end, and he helped St. Louis tremendously.
After putting on a Cardinals uniform, Holliday's bat became a run producing machine, as he hit .353, blasted 13 homeruns, drove in 55 runs, and put up a 1.023 OPS in 63 games. The production out of the 4th spot went from below average to great with the deal for Holliday and the Cardinals went from a possible playoff trip to a legitimate World Series contender, boasting arguably the best 1-2 combination both from the mound and in the lineup of any playoff team.
The final move was when the Cardinals picked up an aging hall of fame caliber pitcher in John Smoltz. Smoltz had a tough 2009 with Boston and was looking to go somewhere where he could help a team in the playoffs after being released by the Red Sox. Smoltz found that in St. Louis where he became a starter for the Cardinals and pitched well in 7 starts down the stretch.
When the Cardinals let Edgar Renteria go to free agency, much was made about letting such a talented player go, and then to replace him with Eckstein. Of course Eckstein went onto be the Cardinals World Series MVP in 2006 and Edgar Renteria netted a first round pick from Boston. That pick was used on a player that for the previous three seasons was the Cardinals top prospect and coming into 2009, he was considered a top five prospect in the game. That player, Colby Rasmus, made his debut in 2009, and while it wasn't an Albert Pujols (how many of those are there? Not many) rookie year, Rasmus still had a promising rookie season. For the first half of the season, Rasmus was producing impressively for a rookie that had gone through injury in 2008. At the all-star break, he was batting .278 with 11 homeruns, 19 doubles, 34 RBIs, had put up an .807 OPS, and was playing some of the best defense of any centerfielder in the game. He was a legit rookie of the year contender and had displayed most of why so many scouts believed so highly of him. He even had a youtube video made for him that was well known in St. Louis.
Rasmus, however, dealt with nagging heel issues in the second half and weight loss as well, and struggled mightily to the tune of .216/.278/.314/.592 in the second half. Still, Rasmus appeared to be the best hitter on the team in the playoffs, showing promise for a breakthrough 2010 perhaps. Compared to players like Edmonds and Steve Finley coming up in the minors, Rasmus looks to be a very good player in the future, especially if he displays the patience in the majors that he did in the minors.
The 2009 St. Louis Cardinals struggled in September, and a power slump for Pujols drew questions of whether he was hurt. The team in general slumped, and it went right through the end of the regular season as they finished with 91 wins, still first place in the NL Central and still well up on the second place Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals didn't show up for the postseason, however, as they struggled with the bat. A drop flyball in the 9th inning of game two by Matt Holliday didn't help the cause, but neither did Ryan Franklin who couldn't get anyone out. In the end, the Dodgers outplayed the Cardinals and swept them in three games.
The end of the decade didn't finish like it could have, but the decade still represents one of the most successful in franchise history. The Cardinals in all, garnered 3 MVP awards, 1 Cy Young award, 31 all-stars, 1 Rookie of the Year award, 12 Silver Slugger awards, 21 Gold Glove awards, and twice Jocketty was named Executive of the Year in the decade.
Few franchises in sports are as storied as the St. Louis Cardinals, and only one in baseball is more storied.
With the help of the player of the decade, Albert Pujols, they performed as the best National League team in the decade.
Here's hoping the next decade will bring the same kind of prosperity as the one we just finished with did.
When the page turned over from the 1990s to the 2000s, the St. louis Cardinals had a team that was coming off three straight years where they finished 3rd or 4th in the National League Central. They were now entering their fourth year since being a win from the World Series in 1996 and were a far cry from their last World Series appearance (1987) and victory (1982).
The team, however, was itching to be good and had two reasons to be optimistic about their chances in the 2000s: J.D. Drew and Rick Ankiel. In 1999 they became the first and only team in Baseball America history to have the #1 (Drew) and #2 (Ankiel) prospects on their top 100 prospect lists.
J.D. Drew made his debut in 1998, but played in 100 games for the first time in 1999. When Drew made his debut he was viewed as a future superstar, even getting comparisons drawn to a young Mickey Mantle. Heading into the 2000s, people expected Drew to be the cornerstone of the Cardinals, something that would never come to be.
Rick Ankiel, like Drew, was an extremely talented baseball player, and was viewed as a future ace of the St. Louis Cardinals. He made his debut in 1999 as a pitcher, but would make his mark as a pitcher in 2000 when he went 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA and struck out 194 batters in 175 innings as a 20 year old rookie. His future, however, would be defined by the playoffs when he threw 5 wild pitches and walked 6 batters in 2 2/3 innings pitched in the NLDS, and followed it with 4 wild pitches and 5 walks in 1 1/3 innings in the NLCS. To this day, nobody including Rick Ankiel can figure out what happened. Ankiel would only pitch 34 major league innings the rest of his career, before making his miraculous comeback as a hitter. What might sum up the career of Rick Ankiel best is that Rick Ankiel began the decade a future star pitcher of the St. Louis Cardinals and will begin the next decade a free agent outfielder looking for a team to give him a chance after a tough season marred by injuries in 2009.
The St. Louis Cardinals began the decade as a team looking to win, and in 2000, they did so. The 2000s wouldn't have been the same, however, without one key trade made just before the start of the 2000 season. Looking for a bat, the St. Louis Cardinals traded Kent Bottenfield (18-7 in 1999) and Adam Kennedy (made debut in 1999) to the Anaheim Angels for their talented, but unhappy centerfielder Jim Edmonds. The trade may be the epitome of what made Walt Jocketty so successful as the General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, as he turned a one year wonder and solid young player into a star looking for a change of scenery, who was also a free agent at the end of the year.
Jim Edmonds became a part of a talented core in St. Louis, and it all began that year when Edmonds hit .295 with 42 homeruns, drove in 108 runs, and put up .994 OPS while being selected to the all-star game, earning a Gold Glove award, and finished 4th in the MVP voting. From 2000-2004, Edmonds hit 181 homeruns, drive in 511 runs, walk 460 times, and would put up at least a 146 OPS+ and .974 OPS in each season, while winning a gold glove each season and being selected to the all-star game twice. He became a bonafide superstar at the centerfield position.
The 2000 St. Louis Cardinals won 95 games and finished first in the NL Central with help from Edmonds, an up and coming Edgar Renteria, veterans Ray Lankford and Fernando Vina, and a semi healthy J.D. Drew and Mark Mcgwire. The offense scored 887 runs that year, which was the most by a Cardinals team since the 1930 St. Louis Cardinals scored 1,004 runs.
The Cardinals success in 2000, however, wouldn't have come without the help of Daryl Kile, who was acquired in the offseason before 2000 from the Colorado Rockies. Daryl Kile came up with Houston and put together some good years with them including an outstanding 1997 season when he won 19 games and put up a 2.57 ERA. He did not have the same success in hitters haven Coors field, however, and was traded with Dave Veres to the Cardinals. Kile went 20-9 with a 3.91 ERA in 2000 and put up another outstanding year in 2001 going 16-11 with a 3.09 ERA. A great pitcher, Kile got off to a solid start in 2002 before his sudden death at a hotel in Chicago shocked Cardinals Nation. The loss of a great pitcher and great clubhouse guy, left St. Louis in tears, especially given the timing of the death.
Dave Veres, the other part of the deal, put together a solid 2000 campaign when he got 29 saves with a 2.89 ERA. He put together a couple more solid years of relief in 2001 and 2002 before becoming a free agent.
In 2000, the St. Louis Cardinals swept the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, but fell apart in the NLCS losing in five games to the New York Mets, who lost to the New York Yankees in the Subway Series.
While the St.Louis Cardinals were having a fantastic year in the majors in 2000, something was happening in Peoria, the St. Louis Cardinals low-A ball affiliate. Something special that would impact the rest of the decade in St. Louis.
The St. Louis Cardinals drafted a stocky high school kid named Albert Pujols who most didn't think had a position, in the thirteenth round of the 1999 draft. He could swing the bat, but without a position and seen as overweight, teams passed on Pujols enough to see him fall to the 13th round. In 2000, Pujols was assigned to low A Peoria, where he hit .314/.378/.543/.920 with 41 doubles and 19 homeruns in 133 games. Perhaps most impressive, though, was his 46 to 47 walk to strikeout ratio as a 20 year old. Only 47 strikeouts in 544 plate appearances. Late in the year, St. Louis thought so highly of Pujols that they called him up to AAA Memphis for the Redbirds playoffs. He was named the MVP of the Pacific Coast League championship.
Albert Pujols went to Spring training the next year with a chance to make the club, which he did thanks in part to Bobby Bonilla's injury late in the spring. By the end of May, Pujols was batting .351 as a 21 year old rookie with 16 homeruns. Another good June where he hit .330 with a .969 OPS was followed by a typical rookie July of .241 with a measly .793 OPS. Upset with pitchers, Pujols would hit .375 with a 1.137 OPS in August and finish with a solid September to bring his rookie year batting stats to: .329/.403/.610/1.013 with 37 homeruns, 130 RBIs, 47 doubles, 69 walks to 93 strikeouts.
Yea, just a typical rookie year.
Of course everyone knows who Albert Pujols is now, almost unanimously considered the best player in the game and definitely the most consistent player in the game. He is the only player in baseball history to begin his career with 9 straight .300 average, 30 homerun, 100 RBI seasons and has three NL MVP's in 9 seasons. Even more amazing is that Pujols could have even more MVP's in his career if not for a man named Barry Bonds. Pujols has as many second place finishes in the MVP balloting (3) as he does MVP awards, two of which he finished second to Bonds. Pujols got his first homerun title this past season, and got a batting title in 2003, when he batted .359, just ahead of Todd Helton.
As baseball enters another decade, Pujols turns the page on the twenties and will now be entering the thirties as of this past Saturday, his 30th birthday. He is a St. Louis Cardinal for a guaranteed two more years, and everybody in St. Louis prays every night that it will be longer than that. Pujols, known as "El Hombre", has similarities to another St. Louis legend, Stan "The Man" Musial, like his involvement in the community, his meaning to St. Louis, and how the fans look to him.
In 2001, the St. Louis Cardinals finished 93-65 and claimed the National League Wild Card. The team featured talented players on offense such as Pujols, Edmonds (.304-30-110), Drew (.323-27-73), a fading McGwire (.187-29-64), and Craig Paquette (.282-15-64). The pitching staff was led by Daryl Kile and a healthy Matt Morris (22-8 3.16 ERA).
The trade that proved big before 2001 was a deal that sent third baseman Fernando Tatis to Montreal for Dustin Hermanson (14-13 with a 4.45 ERA in 2001) and left handed reliever Steve Kline. Steve Kline was considered one of the best left handed relievers in the game and would prove that in St. Louis where he made 89 appearances in 2001 and posted a miniscule 1.80 ERA. He pitched in St. Louis from 2001 to 2004 and gave the Cardinals two dominant years and two solid ones.
In 2001, St. Louis had a tough task of going up against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round, a team led by twin aces Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. St. Louis took Arizona to five games, but lost the series as Arizona went on to win a thrilling seven game World Series over the New York Yankees.
2002 marked a tough year for the city of St. Louis as the city lost legendary radio broadcaster Jack Buck on June 18th and then four days later lost ace pitcher Darryl Kile to coronary disease.
In spite of the losses of the two well liked people in the St. Louis community, the 2002 St. Louis Cardinals found ways to win games led once again on offense by Albert Pujols (.314-34-127) and Jim Edmonds (.311-28-83). Edgar Renteria had a breakout year hitting .305 with 83 RBIs and an .803 OPS. Matt Morris gave the Cardinals quality pitching again going 17-9 with a 3.42 ERA and journeyman Jason Simontacchi became a Dave Duncan specialty surprise by going 11-5 with a 4.02 ERA out of nowhere. Rookie Mike Crudale gave the Cardinals another quality rookie season by posting a team low 1.88 ERA out of the bullpen in 49 appearances at 25 years old. Crudale only spent another partial season in the majors the rest of his career in 2003.
The Cardinals front office, however, made key moves in the 2002 season which boosted the teams playoff hopes. Dealing for Chuck Finley (7-4 3.80 ERA in 14 starts) and Woody Williams (9-4 2.53 ERA in 17 starts). The two veteran pitchers gave the Cardinals a chance even after the sudden and tragic death of Darryl "DK57" Kile. Then the final deal, the blockbuster deal made at the deadline, sent Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith to the Philadelphia Phillies for star third baseman Scott Rolen. Rolen, a free agent to be, had rejected the Phillies extension offers and wanted out of there, so St. Louis saw it as an opportunity to add a star hitter to the core. Rolen signed an 8 year, $90 million deal later in the 2002 season, to stay in St. Louis long term.
Rolen, hit .278 with 14 homeruns and 44 RBIs in 55 games for St. Louis and help the Cardinals make the playoffs. He provided impact offense and phenomenal defense at third base for St. Louis over basically five seasons. In 2004 he formed with Edmonds and Pujols what would be nicknamed the "MV3" as all three players had elite offensive seasons and all three played gold glove caliber defense at their respective positions. Rolen hit 111 homeruns, drove in 453 runs, and batted .286 with an .879 OPS in his career as a St. Louis Cardinal. Unfortunately, bad luck and injury may have cost Scott Rolen a shot at the hall of fame and would eventually lead to the Cardinals trade him before the 2008 season after a public spat with manager Tony Larussa.
Before the 2002 season, the Cardinals made their first big free agent signing of the decade by signing star closer Jason "Izzy" Isringhausen. The Brighton, Illinois native became the St. Louis Cardinals franchise saves leader later on in the decade. Somewhat known for making games more interesting then they should be, Isringhausen was a very good closer for St. Louis over the longhaul posting sub 3 ERA's for St. Louis in 2002 (2.48), 2003 (2.36), 2004 (2.87), 2005 (2.14), and 2007 (2.48). In 2004, Isringhausen compiled a league high 47 saves and surpassed 30 saves five times as a Cardinal. Unfortunately for Isringhausen, he was not able to be effective enough in 2008 to get his 300th save as a Cardinal and to this day he is stuck on 293.
An interesting thing about the 2002 St. Louis cardinals is the way that manager Tony Larussa and the players handled the death of Darryl Kile. The ability to handle the death as a sad and tragic loss, but then to also move on and continue to play well like Kile would have wanted them to. In fact, the St. Louis Cardinals would win 57 games after the death of Kile, an interesting tidbit seeing how his number was 57. The 97 win 2002 St. Louis Cardinals won the NL Central by 13 games over the Houston Astros and made a third straight trip to the playoffs.
The Cardinals played Arizona again in 2002 in the first round, but this time St. Louis would get revenge as they swept the Diamondbacks. However, a Barry Bonds led San Francisco Giants team would handle a Scott Rolen-less St. Louis Cardinals team well by beating them in 5 games in the NLCS. Scott Rolen missed the NLCS after getting run into by Arizona's Alex Cintron.
After three years of making the postseason, the St. Louis Cardinals came into 2003 with optimism, and why not? They had a talented offense led by Pujols (.359-43-124), Rolen (.286-28-104), and Edmonds (.275-39-89), and Edgar renteria (.330-13-100) was coming off an .800+ OPS season at shortstop. This all without mentioning, they still had hopes for a breakout season from the man that was supposed to be a star in J.D. Drew.
However, an early season injury to closer Jason Isringhausen saw the Cardinals bullpen go through revolving doors to try to find someone to save games more than they would blow them. And a pitcher in Chicago named Mark Prior (18-6 2.43 ERA) caused problems as well in his one healthy season.
Still Isringhausen returned in 2003 and pitched effectively posting a 2.36 ERA in 40 appearances and the Cardinals came into September with a one game lead over the Chicago Cubs. An unusual five game series against the Cubs in the first days of September, however, would watch their lead go from a game to down by a game and they wouldn't see first place the rest of the season, finishing in 3rd place and three games behind the Chicago Cubs.
In the end, it was a disappointing 85 win season, but if the Cardinals had won that year, one would have to wonder if they would have made the sweeping changes before 2004 that would bring prosperity back to St. Louis and teams that were better then ever.
The offseason before 2004 saw a lot of action in St. Louis as the Cardinals traded often injured outfielder J.D. Drew and utility player Eli Marrero to the Atlanta Braves for starting pitcher Jason Marquis, left handed reliever Ray King, and top pitching prospect Adam Wainwright. The move could not have worked out better for St. Louis.
Jason Marquis was a talented pitcher who never lived to his abilities in Atlanta. In 2004 he would go 15-7 with a 3.71 ERA and would be a part of the Cardinals rotation for thre years winning 42 games in all, but also losing 37 games. Known to be somewhat of a headcase, Marquis left St. Louis with a bitter taste in cardinals fans mouths. However, one thing that has been interesting about Marquis is every year that he has been a professional baseball player, the organization he is in has made the playoffs. That run of 14 straight years will be put to the test in 2010 as he signed with the Washington Nationals.
Ray King had proven in Atlanta to be a quality durable left handed reliever, and his time in St. Louis would only strengthen that as he would spend two quality seasons in St. Louis putting up a 2.61 ERA in 86 appearances in 2004. With King and Steve Kline, Tony Larussa was given two left handers who he could call on at any time to get a left handed batter out. Left handed batters hit just .150 against King in 2004 and had just two extra base hits, both doubles, off of him in 127 plate appearances.
The trade would have worked out alright with just those two, but the best part of the deal, Adam Wainwright, was still to come.
The St. Louis Cardinals also signed recovering starter Chris Carpenter. Viewed as the future of the Blue Jays along with Roy Halladay, Carpenter never quite lived to his talent in Toronto and then went through Tommy John Surgery there and ultimately was released by the Blue Jays. St. Louis signed the right hander before the 2003 season while he was recovering from the surgery, and in 2004 brought him back again. The move has paid off big dividends for the Cardinals.
Chris Carpenter went 15-5 with a 3.46 ERA for St. Louis in 2004, making 28 starts and was part of a much improved rotation. The best was yet to come for Carpenter though, who currently holds the best winning % of any pitcher in St. Louis Cardinals history with a .739 winning%.
Coming into the 2004 season, most viewed the Chicago Cubs as being the best team in the division with their duo of young flame throwing starters Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. But, the St. Louis Cardinals with a surprise rotation led by Carpenter's comeback year, Jason Marquis, and veterans Matt Morris (15-10 4.72 ERA), Woody Williams (11-4 4.18 ERA), and free agent acquisition Jeff Suppan (16-9 4.16 ERA), the Cardinals not only won the division, but held the best record in baseball with a 105-57 record.
While the rotation surprised many people, it was the offense which also helped the team get to the elite level. The 2004 season was the year of the MV3 in St. Louis, when a deadly middle of the order in Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds took their game to historic levels.
All three hitters finished the season with a 1.000+ OPS and all three hit at least .300 with 30 doubles, 30 homeruns, 110 RBIs, walked 70 times, and scored 100 runs. They finished 3rd (Pujols), 4th (Rolen), and 5th (Edmonds) in the MVP voting, likely because they took away votes from each other. The season also marked the last time that all three would play in 140+ games in the same season together.
The Cardinals got even more offense later in the year, when they made a trade for former superstar outfielder Larry Walker. Walker made the offense even more dangerous and provided a .280 average and .953 OPS in 44 games for St. Louis down the stretch.
Holding the best record in baseball, the expectations were high in St. Louis for the Cardinals to get to the World Series, afterall this is still considered one of the most talented teams in St. Louis Cardinals history. The Cardinals got dealt another tough playoff break, however, as ace Chris Carpenter missed the entire postseason with an injury. Still, St. Louis handled Los Angeles, defeating them in four games in the first round, setting up a matchup with the division rival Houston Astros, who had claimed the NL wild card in 2004.
While Boston and New York went through an extraordinary ALCS, the Cardinals/Astros went through one about as compelling.
With homefield advantage, St. Louis took a quick 2-0 series lead over the Astros, despite Houston's deadline acquisition, Carlos Beltran, hitting a homerun in each of the first two games.
Houston, however, took game three, then won a close game in game four to even the series. In game five in Houston, the game went through 8 innings of a 0-0 score, before the Jeff Kent of the Astros hit a walkoff 3-run homerun in the bottom of the 9th to give the Astros a 3-2 lead heading to St. Louis for game six. St. Louis managed only 1 hit in game five, while Houston had just 3.
St. Louis took an early 4-3 lead after four innings, but Houston scored a run in the 9th inning to tie the game at 4-4. With all the drama setting up in St. Louis, Jim Edmonds hit a walkoff 2-run homerun in the bottom of the 12th that will be remembered by many St. Louis fans for years to come.
Jeff Suppan, a pitcher who would prove huge in the playoffs for St. Louis over his three years there, faced a tough task in game seven: He had to beat Roger Clemens. A first inning Craig biggio homerun didn't help the issues, but a defining moment of the game came in the second inning. With runners on first and second and only one out for the Astros, Brad Ausmus hit a ball that looked like it would bring at least one run home and maybe two, but Jim Edmonds, the star of game six, dove for the ball and made one of his greatest catches in a career full of them. The Astros didn't score that inning, but would score one run in the third. A Cardinals run in their third inning, cut the lead to 2-1. Pujols doubled home Roger Cedeno in the 6th to tie the game at 2, setting up Scott Rolen's two run homerun off Roger Clemens to give St. Louis a 4-2 lead. St. Louis scored another run in the eighth and won 5-2, making the World Series for the first time since 1987.
While the celebrations were great, the 2004 season was all about the Boston Red Sox who made quick work of St. Louis, sweeping them in four games.
After the 2004 season, Edgar Renteria left as a free agent for the Boston Red Sox who signed him to a 4 year, $40 million deal. With a void to fill at shortstop, the Cardinals signed the Los Angeles Angels free agent shortstop David Eckstein, who some said was the "worst signing of the offseason", to a three year deal.
In 2005, David Eckstein batted .294 with a .363 OBP as the Cardinals leadoff hitter. He is well known throughout baseball for his pesky ability to fight off pitches and make pitchers work, and he displayed that throughout his three years in St. Louis.
Another new part of the Cardinals in 2005 was rookie Yadier Molina, one of three Molina brothers that catch in the major leagues. He made his debut in 2004, but got his first year of catching in 2005 as the replacement for Mike Matheny, a well liked great defensive catcher. Molina has become a core piece in St. Louis since getting the call up and has become well known for having one of the best arms of any catcher in baseball. His specialty as a defensive catcher is an uncanny ability to pickoff baserunners off of first base, easily ahead of any other catcher in baseball in that department. He has gotten such a reputation around baseball for having a great arm that it's a rarity for teams to run on him anymore, and those that do are thrown out nearly half the time.
Before the 2005 season, however, St. Louis made a blockbuster trade that might go down as one of the worst in St. Louis Cardinals history. Needing a top of the line starter, Walt Jocketty and the Cardinals traded a young starter in Dan Haren who had yet to make a real impact in St. Louis, along with top prospect Daric Barton and reliever Kiko Calero to the Oakland Athletics for left handed starter Mark Mulder. At the time, Mulder was one of the best left handed starters in the game and had compiled 72 wins over the previous four seasons for the Oakland Athletics. The Cardinals believed that this gave them a big advantage with Carpenter and Mulder at the top of the rotation. In the end, Mark Mulder had major red flags before coming to St. Louis as his 2004 season was a mixed bag.
First Half: 18 starts, 131 2/3 IP 116 H 92 K 41 BB 6.3 K/9 IP 2.24 K/BB, 3.21 ERA
Second Half: 15 starts, 94 IP 107 H 48 K 42 BB 4.6 K/9 IP 1.14 K/BB, 6.13 ERA
His strikeout to walk ratio decreased dramatically, his strikeout ratio went down, his ERA ballooned, he became much more hittable. And in the end, Mark Mulder had one solid year in St. Louis in 2005 when he went 16-8 with a 3.64 ERA, but would make only 21 more ineffective starts over the final three seasons of his Cardinals career.
Dan Haren, on the other hand, became an ace in Oakland before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks where he has become one of the best pitchers in the National League. At the time, Tony LaRussa wanted Mark Mulder, while Dave Duncan wanted to keep Haren, and they have said it was one of the few times in their career together that they have come close to splitting.
Despite an unfortunate injury to Scott Rolen in 2005, the St. Louis Cardinals managed to win 100 games again in 2005 finishing in first place in the NL Central with a 100-62 record, once again the best record in baseball.
Much of the success was due to Albert Pujols getting his first MVP award with a .330 average, 41 homeruns, and 117 RBIs, as well as a Cy Young winning season from ace Chris Carpenter who went 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA in 33 starts.
The St. Louis Cardinals were back in the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons and for a second year in a row they handled an NL West team fairly well, sweeping the San Diego Padres. And for a second straight year, the first round win set up a rematch with the division rival Houston Astros for the chance to go to the World Series. Only difference was this time, the Astros didn't have Carlos Beltran. The Cardinals, however, didn't have Scott Rolen either.
This year, the Cardinals did have Chris Carpenter though, and St. Louis took game one winning 5-3. Behind Roy Oswalt, the Astros took game two, however, to split the games heading to Houston. A heated game three saw Jim Edmonds get thrown out of the game while still at the plate, and a late rally in the 9th couldn't keep the Astros from winning 4-3. The Astros then took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series with a 2-1 win in game four.
One of the most defining swings of the decade, not only for the Cardinals, but also in baseball in general, occurred in game five of the 2005 NLCS. With the Cardinals winning 2-1, Lance Berkman hit a 3-run homerun in the 7th inning to put the Astros on top 4-2, which would stay the score heading into the 9th inning. With seemingly all hope lost, St. Louis was three outs from another year without the ring. And two strikeouts later, the Cardinals last hope was in movie ending form, the pesky David Eckstein, who fought to stay alive and then singled. A Jim Edmonds walk setup the defining moment, which came off the bat of Albert Pujols. A 3-run moonshot off Brad Lidge gave St. Louis a 5-4 lead and eventually won by the same score.
Of course, for St. Louis, the postseason ended poorly as the Cardinals lost 5-1 in game six, but for one last time they got the chance to play in Busch Stadium.
2006 brought new hope, however, as the Cardinals were still the team that held the best record in baseball over the last two seasons.
The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals had to go through a lot of adversity, however, as players missed time to injuries (David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds, Mark Mulder, Scott Rolen, and Albert Pujols at times), or ineffectiveness (Jason Marquis).
Albert Pujols got off to a flying start in 2006, however, as he hit 25 homeruns in the first two months of the season and looked to be heading towards 50 homeruns easy. An injury in early June, however, shelved Pujols on the Disabled List and cost him a run at 50 homeruns. When he returned, he picked up right where he left off, and finished with a career high 49 homeruns and 137 RBIs, but it still was a season that could have been better. At the time, it was his best season of an already great career. Of the 49 homeruns Pujols hit the season, 20 of them were for game winning RBIs, which broke Willie May's single season record.
It was a rookie reliever who would play a key role for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, a pitcher named Adam Wainwright. As talked about earlier, he was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in the trade that dealt Drew and Marrero to Atlanta. Wainwright was at the time the key to the deal, as he was the Atlanta Braves top prospect. A Georgia native, Wainwright made his way through the minors in Atlanta and then St. Louis as well. He struggled in AAA in 2004 and 2005, but made the big league club out of spring training in 2006 nonetheless after two September outings in 2005. A starter in the minors and viewed as a starter of the future for St. Louis, Wainwright made his debut in the bullpen where he stayed all year. Wainwright proved to be big for St. Louis all year, appearing in 61 games, pitching 75 innings, and posting a 3.12 ERA. He struck out 72 batters, walked 22, and gave up 6 homeruns. By any standard, Wainwright had a very solid rookie year. The best was yet to come, however.
The big in season additions for St. Louis in 2006 were second baseman Ronnie Belliard and Jeff Weaver. Neither was a blockbuster move, both were pretty shocking that the two were supposed to help a playoff caliber team. In the end, both proved huge for the Cardinals in the postseason.
When St. Louis acquired Jeff Weaver from the Angels, he was a veteran pitcher who had bounced his way around to clubs spending time in Detroit, New York (A), and both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels. The Cardinals gave up a minor league outfielder Terry Evans to get Weaver, who was at the time one of the worst pitchers in baseball. For the Angels in 2006, he was 3-10 with a 6.29 ERA in 16 starts when he was traded to St. Louis. He didn't pitch a whole lot better in St. Louis, but did show improvement as time went on, and finished 5-4 with a 5.18 ERA in 15 starts for St. Louis in the regular season. He had always had good ability, but never pitched to it.
Ronnie Belliard had a solid year for Cleveland when the Cardinals traded for him. He was batting .291 with a .757 OPS. He didn't hit very well for the Cardinals the rest of the way, batting .237 with a .666 OPS, but he made some good defensive plays in the postseason for St. Louis, including one great diving stop in game one of the NLDS.
While Pujols was having a career year, Jim Edmonds was not having a good year. He missed time with post concussion syndrome after crashing into a wall on June 21st and also went through shoulder and foot injuries during what was at the time his worst season as a cardinal. Edmonds finished with a .257 average, hit 19 homeruns, drove in 70 runs, and posted an .822 OPS in 110 games played.
The cardinals got a needed boost, however, in Scott Rolen. Rolen played in just 56 games in 2005, but stayed much healthier in 2006 as he played in 142 games. His power wasn't the same as it used to be, however, after missing time in 2005, as he hit 22 homeruns in 2006, while driving in 95 runs, and posted an .887 OPS. He did hit 48 doubles, however, which were one shy of a career high.
The Cardinals signed Scott Spiezio in the offseason to provide a veteran bat for the bench and in return they got a very good year out of Spiezio. He batted .272 and hit 13 homeruns in 321 plate appearances, while he drove in 53 runs. He would come up huge late in the year as well.
A rookie outfielder named Chris Duncan would make a big impact for the Cardinals in 2006 as well. The son of pitching coach Dave Duncan, Chris was a power hitting outfielder who made his name against right handed pitchers. In 2006, Duncan hit .293, blasting 22 homeruns in just 280 at bats, and posted a .952 OPS. He batted .318 with a 1.034 OPS against right handed pitching. While in recent time, Duncan got a lot of heat from Cardinals fans, there is no doubting that when healthy Chris was a very talented hitter. Unfortunately, Duncan spent two healthy seasons for the Cardinals, but groin injuries hampered his power, which brought his value skyrocketing down.
The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals were in first place by 5 games heading into September and held the 2nd best record in the National league at the time. But St. Louis had an awful September, where they went just 12-17 and almost didn't even make the playoffs. With a division on the line and St. Louis enduring 7 game losing streak, it was a 3-run homerun in the 8th inning against the San Diego Padres on September 27th by Albert Pujols that might have saved the season and the playoff dreams. It took a Houston Astros loss on the last day of the season for St. Louis to make the playoffs without playing game #162.
After finishing with just 83 wins, however, the cardinals didn't get much respect from the media. And really why not? The team was struggling, they didn't have a high win total, but they did deal with injuries throughout the season, and at game one, they were finally healthy.
With the help of Chris Carpenter and Albert Pujols, the Cardinals took game one against the San Diego Padres in the first round of the NLDS. They defeated the Padres, who won 88 games, in four games and moved on to face the 97 win New York Mets team, who now had Carlos Beltran.
Behind Tom Glavine, the Mets took game one by a 2-0 score. Tony Larussa tinkered the lineup in game two by playing Scott Spiezio over Scott Rolen at third base and the move paid off big time. With the Cardinals down 6-4 in the 7th, Spiezio came up with Pujols on 2nd and Edmonds on first against Guillermo Mota. Spiezio hit a flyball down the right field line that hit off the wall and Spiezio got a triple out of it scoring the tying runs. Then in the 9th inning with a tie game at 6-6, So Taguchi surprised everybody by hitting a homerun off of Mets closer Billy Wagner. The Cardinals scored two more runs that inning and won 9-6 to tie the series heading to St. Louis.
Jeff Suppan, a proven playoff pitcher, who beat Roger Clemens in game seven of the NLCS in 2004, pitched outstandingly in game three, by 8 innings of shutout ball while allowing just 3 hits. He even hit a homerun in the game as well, single handedly beating the Mets.
After a crushing defeat in game four where the Mets won 12-5, Jeff Weaver took the mound after pitching well in a losing effort in game one. This time, the Cardinals Jeff Weaver would beat the Mets Tom Glavine, as the Cardinals won 4-2, taking a 3-2 lead in the series. The Mets took game six at home beating ace Chris Carpenter to win 4-2, and it came down to game seven for the chance to go to the World Series.
Jeff Suppan, the game three magician, started for St. Louis against New York's Oliver Perez. Both teams scored a run early, and through five innings the score was 1-1. An Edmonds walk, set up perhaps one of the greatest catches in playoff history when Scott Rolen hit a flyball to left field that looked to be a sure 2-run homerun to give St. Louis a lead, when New York's Endy Chavez leaped and made an amazing, acrobatic catch to rob Rolen and then maybe even more impressively, and forgotten, double up Jim Edmonds off of first base. It was truly an incredible catch, especially given the circumstances.
The next half inning, the Mets threatened Jeff Suppan for the first time all night as they loaded the bases with 1 out. A strikeout of Jose Valentin brought up Endy Chavez, the same player that had just made a terrific catch. On the first pitch, however, Chavez popped out to centerfield ending the threat and leaving the game tied at 1. Jeff Suppan finished after giving up 1 run and 2 hits in 7 innings, but neither team threatened in the 7th or 8th innings, which brought the game to the 9th inning. After a strikeout of Edmonds and a single by Rolen, the Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina came to the plate with a surprisingly hot bat in the playoffs given his bad regular season performance at the plate. And with the 1 out and 1 runner on, Molina hit the biggest homerun of his career, a 2-run homerun to left field off of Aaron Heilman which silenced a loud New York Mets crowd.
The drama wasn't over, however, as the Mets threatened in the 9th inning, putting the first two men on, and then loading the bases with two outs. With rookie closer Adam Wainwright on the mound and Cardinals killer Carlos Beltran at the plate, the ending set up for a Hollywood finish. And with an 0-2 count, Adam Wainwright froze Carlos Beltran on probably the nastiest curveball he's ever thrown.
St. Louis made the World series after a terrific upset of the heavily favored New York Mets. The Cardinals were a team that was supposed to lose, afterall they only won 83 games, and the New York Mets team seemed destined to go to the World Series after a terrific regular season. Perhaps, it was the baseball god's way of making up for two St. Louis cardinals teams that should have done more then they did in the previous two years, though.
St. Louis came into the World Series against an even more heavily favored Detroit Tigers team. The AL had won three of the last four World Series, and this Tigers team was a very good one with good pitching. There was even one USA Today writer who said "Detroit Tigers in three" displaying how heavily favored the Tigers were, given it was best of seven, not five.
But St. Louis played the way they had in the playoffs, and took game one 7-2 behind a great performance by rookie starter Anthony Reyes, who went up against the Tigers rookie starter Justin verlander. Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen both homered off of Verlander giving support to Reyes who at one point retired 17 consecutive batters.
A game two gem by Kenny Rogers of the Tigers tied the series up at 1-1 heading back to St. Louis for game three after a 3-1 win.
With the chance for a big momentum switcher, St. Louis called upon ace Chris Carpenter, who wasn't able to pitch in the World Series (or playoffs) in 2004. Carpenter didn't give this chance away and pitched probably one of the best games of his life, throwing 8 shutout innings while allowing just 3 hits and throwing a remarkable 80 pitches. An Edmonds 2 RBI double in the 4th gave carpenter all of the support he needed, as the Cardinals won 5-0.
It was pesky shortstop David Eckstein who would come up big throughout the series, but especially in game four. He went 4 for 5 in game four including a double in the 7th to set up the tying run at 3-3. The Cardinals took a 4-3 lead later that inning thanks to a Detroit Tigers pitching error (a common theme in the World Series), which extended the inning. After the Tigers tied the game in the 8th at 4-4, Eckstein came up in the 8th inning with Aaron Miles on second and doubled to centerfield scoring Miles to give the Cardinals a 5-4 lead, which Wainwright preserved for the win and a 3-1 series lead.
With game five in St. Louis, the cardinals sent Jeff Weaver to the mound to bring home their first World Series victory since 1982. When the playoffs began, nobody in St. Louis and nobody nationally could have thought that the Cardinals would be in the situation they were in. But, it happened and the Cardinals beat teams that they were big underdogs against.
Game five was all about Jeff Weaver, a pitcher who had gone through so much and never really pitched to his talent. He had bounced from team to team and earlier in the year was one of the worst in baseball. But in game five, he was pitching the biggest game of his life and except for one glitch he was outstanding. Weaver gave up a 2-run homerun to Sean Casey in the 4th which at the time gave up an early 1-0 lead. But a Justin Verlander throwing error in the 4th inning with Jeff Weaver at the plate, helped St. Louis to rally for two runs and gave them a 3-2 lead. St. Louis never looked back.
Jeff Weaver went 8 innings, gave up 4 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), walked 1 batter, and struck out 9 batters. In all, he threw 99 pitches-- of which 69 were strikes. The 9 strikeouts tied a season high, as he also struck out 9 batters on June 15th against the Padres while on the Angels. Weaver finished the postseason with a 2.43 ERA, the lowest of any Cardinals starter.
Detroit threatened in the 9th inning against Adam Wainwright, but the rookie closer proved tough as nails. With the go ahead run at the plate, Wainwright got third baseman Brandon Inge to swing through a curveball to end the game with a 4-2 score. The win marked the Cardinals first World Series victory since 1982 and shortstop David Eckstein became the fourth shortstop to be named the World Series MVP, and the first to do so in the National League.
While the celebrations began after the World Series victory in 2006, the season also marked the end of an era in St. Louis, as the Cardinals lost pitchers Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver to free agency.
2007 began with optimism again, as the Cardinals still had ace Chris Carpenter and were still hoping for big things from World Series game one winner Anthony Reyes, who struggled in his rookie year, but did show occasional signs of promise. The Cardinals also planned on World Series closer Adam Wainwright to be one of their starters in 2007 and he had front of the line potential.
Looking for insurance at starting position, the Cardinals signed Kip Wells during the offseason hoping that Duncan could do with the talented, but underachieving starter what he did with Jeff Weaver. In the end, the project proved to be a disaster as Wells went 7-17 with a 5.70 ERA for the Cardinals and was taken out of the rotation late in the year.
The 2007 season in general was a disaster for the St. Louis Cardinals who had decreased three straight years in wins, but hoped to change that in 2007. On the first game of the season, the Cardinals lost ace starter Chris Carpenter to an injury. The loss proved more devestating then originally expected as the 2005 NL Cy Young and 2006 NL Cy Young runner up, only pitched in 21 1/3 innings over 2007 and 2008. With the loss of ace Carpenter, who in essence defined the Cardinals playoff chances, St. Louis was forced to patchwork a rotation in hopes of coming up with some magic.
The magic was dead, however, as the 2007 rotation finished as one of the worst in franchise history. If not for a bullpen that was pretty spectacular, the Cardinals playoff chances would have been over much earlier then they were.
Despite the general rotation, Adam Wainwright proved to be a good first year starter going 14-12 with a 3.70 ERA in 32 starts. He pitched 202 innings, allowed 212 hits, 13 homeruns, walked 70 batters, and struck out 136. All in all, it wasn't what St. Louis believed he could do, but it was a solid start. The best was still yet to come from Adam.
Albert Pujols had his worst power year of his career, as he hit only 32 homeruns and 103 RBIs in 158 games, which was the closest he's come to not making the .300/30/100 in his career. The team didn't get support from Eckstein, Rolen, and Edmonds who all failed to play in 120 games, showing that their ages (32, 32, and 37) may finally have been catching up to them.
One of the scariest incidents, happened on August 31st, when outfielder Juan Encarnacion was hit in the eye by a foul ball off the bat of Aaron Miles while standing in the on deck circle. The freak accident ended Juan Encarnacion's professional baseball career.
Even with the difficult 2007 season, the Cardinals did manage to find some bright spots in it. Once the future of the Cardinals, Rick Ankiel returned in 2007 as a hitter to the big leagues. Playing in 47 games and getting 172 at bats, Ankiel managed to hit .285 with 11 homeruns. Perhaps the best moment of the season came when ankiel homered in his first game back against the Padres. Aside from the World Series, that may have been the happiest I have seen Tony Larussa, who has always been a huge supporter of Ankiel.
The 2007 St. Louis Cardinals finished with the team's lowest win total (78) since the 1999 Cardinals won 75 games.
With the disastrous 2007 season, and a team seemingly on the decline, the St. Louis Cardinals fired/let go long time general manager Walt Jocketty. Jocketty had been the Cardinals GM since 1995 and had made many great trades and signings as GM of the Cardinals. He was responsible for bringing in players like Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Daryl Kile, Edgar Renteria, Larry Walker, etc. via trade. As GM of the Cardinals, the team made the playoffs 7 times, made 6 trips to the NLCS, made 2 World Series trips, and had one World Series title. His time in St. Louis was very successful, and he left the organization as one of the best GM's in baseball.
Needless to say, the man the Cardinals hired to replace Jocketty, John Mozeliak, had tough shoes to fill, especially given the Cardinals fans really had admiration for Jocketty. Mozeliak has proven that he is good enough to fill the shoes of Jocketty, however, as he did a fantastic job of righting a sinking ship.
His first moves when he took over for St. Louis were trading veterans Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen. The Cardinals traded Edmonds to the Padres for minor league third baseman David Freese and traded Scott Rolen to the Blue Jays for another veteran third baseman in Troy Glaus. The move of Edmonds was meant to open up a spot for Ankiel and save the team cash. While Glaus when healthy, was also a great offensive player.
Rick Ankiel getting playing time in 2008 proved big, as he batted .264 with 25 homeruns and put up an .843 OPS in 120 games. His OPS was among the best of National league centerfielders.
Troy Glaus got off to a slow start in St. Louis, and didn't hit a homerun until April 27th, but he finished with a very productive year, hitting .270 with 27 homeruns, 99 RBIs, and an .856 OPS. He also played very good defense at third, which hasn't been his forte. Unfortunately, Glaus would not be healthy in 2009, leaving a big void in the Cardinals lineup.
The biggest surprise in 2008 and maybe in all of baseball, though, was the play of outfielder Ryan Ludwick. An injury prone outfielder in the minors, Ludwick signed with the Cardinals during the 2007 season and in his time in the majors there, hit well (.267/.339/.479/.818 with 14 homeruns in 303 at bats). But nobody could have seen his 2008 season coming, as Ludwick would finish the 2008 season with an all-star appearance and join Pujols as the Cardinals two silver slugger award winners. Ludwick batted .299 with 37 homeruns, 40 doubles, 113 RBIs, and a .966 OPS. Those were numbers the Cardinals hadn't seen out of an outfielder since 2004. Ludwick's .591 slugging% was 2nd in the league behind teammate Albert Pujols, and his OPS and homerun totals ranked 4th.
Pujols put together another steady season batting .357 with 37 homeruns, 116 RBIs, and put up a career high 1.114 OPS. He won his second MVP award with the out of the world season.
With no Chris Carpenter again in 2008, St. Louis had to rely on a rotation made up of Wainwright, Braden Looper, 2007 pickups Todd Wellemeyer, Joel Pineiro, and a late free agent signing in Kyle Lohse. Together, the rotation put together a solid year, and much improved from the 2007 St. Louis Cardinals rotation.
Lohse put together a career year with the help of Dave Duncan, as he went 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA in 33 starts. Looper put together his best year going 12-14 with a 4.16 ERA in 33 starts, and Todd Wellemeyer put together the team low ERA of starters with at least 150 innings, with a 3.71 ERA in 32 starts. Joel Pineiro, re-signed to a 2 year deal after a solid showing in late 2007, was not the same effective starter in his first full season with the Cardinals. He went 7-7 with a 5.15 ERA in 26 games/25 starts.
Wainwright was in the midst of a breakout year before a freak finger injury sidelined him for over two and a half months. Wainwright finished the year 11-3 with a 3.20 ERA in 20 starts.
With an 86-76 record, the 2008 St. Louis Cardinals were better and on the upswing, but they finished 4th in the NL Central and 11.5 games behind the Cubs, so there was still room for improvement.
The 2009 St. Louis Cardinals would close the decade along the same lines they opened it, with a wining successful season after a couple average years.
The Cardinals expected ace Chris Carpenter to be back healthy again in 2009, which was a huge lift for a team that had dealt with injuries all over the field the last few years. Chris Carpenter had been with the team since 2003 and in the years he was hurt, the cardinals didn't make the playoffs, while in the years he was healthy, they did. So, Carpenter being back, was an important attribute.
St. Louis began 2009 as the underdogs, the team nobody was really talking about. The Cubs had won the NL Central the last two years and looked to remain on top for a third year. St. Louis made a few signings in the offseason, but nothing major. And on top of Carpenter returning, the Cardinals also dealt with a blow as Glaus had offseason surgery and was expected to miss a month or two. The month or two ended up being most of the season and then when he returned, he wasn't close to his old self.
The Cardinals also had a major hole at second base and with the team wanting to make room for top prospect Colby Rasmus, they asked Skip Schumaker, a career outfielder, to make the switch from outfield to second base. Skip Schumaker made the switch without complaining, worked hard, and made improvements throughout the year at second. He led off for the Cardinals and finished by hitting .303 with a .364 on base percentage.
With the All-star game in St. Louis in 2009, the hope was that the club would have a successful season and superstar Albert Pujols could happily be the unofficial host of the All-star game. They did and he was.
Chris Carpenter looked like his old self on his first start of the season as he allowed just 1 hit to the Pirates in 7 innings in a win. But, an oblique strain took him out of his second start of the year and put him on the DL for a month. Carpenter came back, however, and never looked back, pitching the rest of the season healthy and as good as ever. He finished the season with a 17-4 record and a league low 2.24 ERA. In 192 2/3 innings, he allowed just 156 hits, struck out 144 batters, allowed 38 walks, and just 7 homeruns. His 1.01 WHIP was 2nd best in the league behind Dan Haren.
Adam Wainwright, who looked to be having a breakout season in 2008, got off to a slow start in 2009. His production was not bad, but he didn't look all that dominant. While on the DL, Chris Carpenter spotted something in Wainwright's delivery in a May 10th start against Cincinnati and they looked at game tape on it. After working on it, Adam Wainwright was one of the best pitchers in baseball, joining Carpenter to give St. Louis arguably the best duo in baseball in 2009. Wainwright finished the year with a 19-8 record, a 2.63 ERA, and 212 strikeouts. He led the league in wins and innings pitched and was nearly unhittable after the all-star break (9-3 2.10 ERA in 15 starts). At one point, it seemed as though the duo of Carpenter and Wainwright could not be beat.
Like the MV3 in 2004, it was a trio of Cardinals pitchers that made them so successful in 2009, as with Carpenter and Wainwright, came Joel Pineiro. Pineiro was a total opposite of his 2008 form, as he went to a sinker pitch much more often in 2009. It helped him 7-9 record and a 3.20 ERA at the all-star break, and he finished 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA for the season. In 214 innings, he walked just 27 batters, much lower then his 35 in 148 2/3 in 2008 and a far cry from his 64 in 165 2/3 innings in 2007.
The St. Louis Cardinals 2009 was all about pitching, despite having the best player in the game.
Albert Pujols got off to a great start and was on pace to have a career year as he entered the all-star break with 32 homeruns, 87 RBIs, a .332 average, and a 1.179 OPS. At one point there was talk of a triple crown in store for Pujols in 2009. A worse second half where he hit 15 homeruns, drove in 48 runs, batted .322, and put up a 1.009 OPS calmed the Triple Crown talk down, but was still good enough to get Pujols his third MVP of the decade. Pujols still finished with 47 homeruns and 135 RBIs, which ranked 1st and 3rd in the league. His homerun title was the first of his illustrious career.
St. Louis GM John Mozeliak made key deals this season which helped St. Louis to their first division title since 2006. The first move was one that sent young relievers Chris Perez and Jess Todd to Cleveland for veteran utility man Mark DeRosa. At the time, DeRosa was hitting .270 with 13 homeruns and 50 RBIs for Cleveland in 71 games. He was on pace to go far beyond his career high in homeruns and RBIs. An injury shortly after he got to St. Louis landed DeRosa on the DL and meant his impact was going to be less than expected. He finished hitting just .228 with a .696 OPS in 68 games for St. Louis. He had a stretch where he hit 7 homeruns in 2 weeks, but other then that stretch did not prove to be as valuable as expected, until the playoffs where he was one of the Cardinals few bright spots.
The second move was when the Cardinals traded struggling outfielder Chris Duncan to Boston for veteran infielder Julio Lugo. Boston also agreed to pay the rest of Lugo's contract, which ends after 2010. Lugo provided an instant impact for the Cardinals as he batted .277 with a .784 OPS in 51 games for the Cardinals. He also provided some surprising pop by hitting 15 extra base hits in 148 at bats.
The third move, but the biggest impact of all, was the blockbuster that sent top prospect Brett Wallace, minor league pitcher Clayton Mortensen, and minor league outfielder Shane Peterson to the Oakland Athletics for outfielder Matt Holliday. The Cardinals had long wanted Holliday as the cleanup hitter to protect Albert Pujols, who was getting intentionally walked at career high levels. St. Louis attempted to trade for Holliday when he was a Rockie, but reports said they wanted Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker, and a prospect for Holliday. Turns out, the Cardinals got their guy in the end, and he helped St. Louis tremendously.
After putting on a Cardinals uniform, Holliday's bat became a run producing machine, as he hit .353, blasted 13 homeruns, drove in 55 runs, and put up a 1.023 OPS in 63 games. The production out of the 4th spot went from below average to great with the deal for Holliday and the Cardinals went from a possible playoff trip to a legitimate World Series contender, boasting arguably the best 1-2 combination both from the mound and in the lineup of any playoff team.
The final move was when the Cardinals picked up an aging hall of fame caliber pitcher in John Smoltz. Smoltz had a tough 2009 with Boston and was looking to go somewhere where he could help a team in the playoffs after being released by the Red Sox. Smoltz found that in St. Louis where he became a starter for the Cardinals and pitched well in 7 starts down the stretch.
When the Cardinals let Edgar Renteria go to free agency, much was made about letting such a talented player go, and then to replace him with Eckstein. Of course Eckstein went onto be the Cardinals World Series MVP in 2006 and Edgar Renteria netted a first round pick from Boston. That pick was used on a player that for the previous three seasons was the Cardinals top prospect and coming into 2009, he was considered a top five prospect in the game. That player, Colby Rasmus, made his debut in 2009, and while it wasn't an Albert Pujols (how many of those are there? Not many) rookie year, Rasmus still had a promising rookie season. For the first half of the season, Rasmus was producing impressively for a rookie that had gone through injury in 2008. At the all-star break, he was batting .278 with 11 homeruns, 19 doubles, 34 RBIs, had put up an .807 OPS, and was playing some of the best defense of any centerfielder in the game. He was a legit rookie of the year contender and had displayed most of why so many scouts believed so highly of him. He even had a youtube video made for him that was well known in St. Louis.
Rasmus, however, dealt with nagging heel issues in the second half and weight loss as well, and struggled mightily to the tune of .216/.278/.314/.592 in the second half. Still, Rasmus appeared to be the best hitter on the team in the playoffs, showing promise for a breakthrough 2010 perhaps. Compared to players like Edmonds and Steve Finley coming up in the minors, Rasmus looks to be a very good player in the future, especially if he displays the patience in the majors that he did in the minors.
The 2009 St. Louis Cardinals struggled in September, and a power slump for Pujols drew questions of whether he was hurt. The team in general slumped, and it went right through the end of the regular season as they finished with 91 wins, still first place in the NL Central and still well up on the second place Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals didn't show up for the postseason, however, as they struggled with the bat. A drop flyball in the 9th inning of game two by Matt Holliday didn't help the cause, but neither did Ryan Franklin who couldn't get anyone out. In the end, the Dodgers outplayed the Cardinals and swept them in three games.
The end of the decade didn't finish like it could have, but the decade still represents one of the most successful in franchise history. The Cardinals in all, garnered 3 MVP awards, 1 Cy Young award, 31 all-stars, 1 Rookie of the Year award, 12 Silver Slugger awards, 21 Gold Glove awards, and twice Jocketty was named Executive of the Year in the decade.
Few franchises in sports are as storied as the St. Louis Cardinals, and only one in baseball is more storied.
With the help of the player of the decade, Albert Pujols, they performed as the best National League team in the decade.
Here's hoping the next decade will bring the same kind of prosperity as the one we just finished with did.
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