explanation of rankings of other team previews here
2008 Record: 86-76
Offseason Additions: Khalil Greene, Trevor Miller
Offseason Subtractions: Felipe Lopez, Aaron Miles, Braden Looper
Ranks (MLB):
Line-Up – 9th
Rotation – 19th
Bullpen – 24st
Defense – 3rd tier (out of 5)
Baserunning – 4th tier (out of 5)
KEY PLAYER: ALBERT PUJOLS
Usually I reserve this spot for an unknown quantity, but in the Cardinals case, there is only one player that can go here. Since Barry Bonds “retired” there has been no player that has come even close to meaning as much to their team as Albert Pujols. He is undoubtedly the best hitter in baseball and last year, while injured, carried a weak Cardinals squad to 10 games over .500. In his first 8 seasons in the league, his 162 game averages are as follows: .334 BA, 42 HR, 128 RBI, 45 2B, 124 runs and only 66 K. Only 8 players have put up those numbers in a single season (Ruth, Gehrig, Williams, Klein, Hornsby, Trosky, Helton and DiMaggio) and Pujols has done it for 8 seasons combined. It’s absurd for Ryan Howard to think that he deserves to be paid as if he in the same realm as a player like Pujols. Pujols, along with hitting for an elite average without striking out, is an elite baserunner and defender, making him the most well rounded player in the league.
PLAYER TO WATCH: RYAN LUDWICK
Before last season, the 30 year-old Ludwick had 28 HR and 96 RBI…in his 6-year career. Last year alone, he hit .297 with 37 HR, 113 RBI and only Pujols and Manny Ramirez had higher SLG %’s. I’m not going to say the guy was using some drugs, because I don’t think that’s the case. But I will say that I don’t think he can do it again. This season will show whether or not he simply had one of the biggest fluke seasons in MLB history, or whether he is a legitimate ball player. I’m thinking the former, but it wouldn’t be the first (or 100th) time I was wrong.
PHILLY ANGLE
The Anti-Philly Fans Sour
When the media takes their shots at our fanbase, they will often use the St. Louis Cardinals fans as the yin to our yang. The Cardinals fans have long been some of the most positive and supportive fans out there. The most close to home example of this was when Scott Rolen pushed (and was pushed) out of town and landed on his feet in the wonderful town of St. Louis, who welcomed him with open arms. Yes, the Cardinals fans are the best around…that is, of course, until they feel their ownership is pinching pennies or their team isn’t winning as many games as they would like. Read this article by Jerry Crasnick, and you will find that the Cardinals fans are just like all others. Here’s an excerpt that gives you the jist…
“The fan base seems angry,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote earlier this month. “On the talk shows and in the blogosphere, where the rage bubbles into a rapid boil, there’s chatter of a boycott, of customers giving up their season tickets. They question the commitment to winning. They are tired of excuses. They won’t spend another dollar until things change.”
Which makes you wonder: Have Cards fans ever pondered what it must be like to follow baseball in that alternate universe known as Pittsburgh?
This, by the way, is a team that won the World Series two years ago! Not to mention that their ace has been injured this entire time. The lesson as always, is that 95% of whining fans have no idea that there are 29 other teams with the same goals, and same issues. Only 1 team takes home the trophy.
QUICK HITS
Worst Contract: Chris Carpenter (5 yrs, $63.5 million, ends in 2012)
Best Pitch: Adam Wainwright’s Curveball
Best Player in a Contract Year: Rick Ankiel, OF
Top Prospect: Colby Rasmus, OF
Best Individual Season: Stan Musial, 1948 (.376 BA, 39 HR, 131 RBI, 46 2B, 18 3B, .450 OBP, .702 SLG, 135 runs, 429 total bases, MVP)
Worst Uniforms: 1956
Where’d They Come From?
- Free Agent, 7 (most in MLB)
- Draft, 5
- Trade, 2
- Amateur FA, 0
2009 OUTLOOK
3rd NL Central, 11th NL, 19th MLB
The Cardinals may make another move or two (starting pitcher?), but either way, I don’t see them as a playoff team this year. They really could use a bat to compliment Pujols and a closer would be nice as well. But King Albert will do his thing and have this team in the hunt, just like Bonds did with the Giants at the beginning of the decade. If they can get anything from Carpenter, that would be great, but I doubt it will happen. I’ll be out there in July to check out their new digs, and unless Adam Wainwright is pitching or Pujols is hitting, I’ll probably spend most of my time checking out the concessions.
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Not a bad assessment. I’m a huge Cardinals fan. This season will be an uphill climb. Always too many questions mark about their pitching. Don’t bet against Ryan Ludwick. He has been solid the past 1.5 seasons. Even if he only drives in 85 that is a good season from him. You didn’t mention that Troy Glaus just had shoulder surgery an will miss at least the first 5 weeks of the season. St Lous native is a great ballplayer who should be paid well, but as you say, he is no Albert Pujols. Bad bad and elbow and all. Pujols is simply one of the three best players in baseball this decade.
This is a re-post of something I put under the Ryan Howard arbitration topic from last week. I’m putting it here since Pete mentioned that Howard is unjustifiably looking for Pujols-type money ( I agree, btw), and there are a few mentions of Pujols in the article, showing how he far exceeds Howard in several areas.
I found a very good analysis of Howard’s arbitration case (both for and against) on dugoutcentral.com. It really ends up being a referendum on Howard himself, making you wonder whether he really gives us what we think he does, if we are placing too high a value on what he really gives us, and if we should even be thinking about trying to keep him.
It’s definitely worth a read, but I’ll post the conclusion for those who don’t want to bother with the whole article.
Conclusion:
Howard is a darn good hitter, and there is no denying his outstanding raw power. He has been tremendously overrated, however. His agents are asking for Pujols/Alex Rodriguez compensation for their client, which is absurd. He could probably get a similar figure in free agency, but he is still under team control. During escalating arbitration years, a player will receive a greater percentage of their actual market value, but the big first baseman is pushing the envelope too far. Even if Howard does live up to projections (and he should improve in 2009, falling in line with his ’07 and ’08 levels), he would not merit enough to make close to his real value at this stage of his career.
The Phillies are walking a fine line here. Obviously, they do not want to insult a player like Howard, who is arguably the face of the franchise. They should not back down, though, as their initial offer was more than reasonable. It is unlikely that the two sides will settle on a middle point near $16M, but if the Phils lose, this process could get out of hand in the future, setting a bad precedent. The year-to-year game will continue to free agency, but it might be in the Phillies’ best interest to deal when his perceived trade value is at its peak, assuming there will be enough interested suitors that can afford his salary. Odds are, he is long gone once he becomes a free agent in 2011, anyway. In all honesty, though, that might not be such a bad thing.
It is fun to watch Howard hit all of those long moon shots into the night, but he is already 28. By the time free agency does come around, he will be looking for big-time dollars that he will probably not end up earning, with old-player skills and power that could decline quickly as he gets up there in age. In arbitration, he certainly has a chance to win next month, given the common arbitrators’ love of home runs and other traditional counting stats. There are clearly some major flaws in his overall skill set, though, that need to be addressed. So, no, he does not deserve that much at this stage of his career. A settlement between $15-16-million would be ideal.