Grab your mitt, your ball cap, and sharpen your scorebook pencil; it’s time for Spring Training! Now take all of that junk and throw it away, like I said it’s Spring Training: Where the games don’t matter, but the injuries and innings pitched do. Yes, it is once again the time of the year where we are given an absurd 33-game preseason to get us giddy for the drudge of another MLB season. As the sun shines on the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, Florida, things are a little darker back at base for the self-proclaimed “Best Fans in Baseball”. The offseason for the Cards has mostly come to an end, and the front office has not left the fan base with fiery excitement, but more of a malcontent whimper. If you haven’t been keeping up with the Cardinals’ offseason, don’t worry, I’m here to perform the painful task of breaking down the team as they enter their latest foray in the Grapefruit League.
Last season ended with a NLCS sweep at the hands of the eventual World Series champion, Washington Nationals. A NLCS appearance would be seen as a success for most teams, but not the almighty Cardinals. The fans were able to notice that the offensive production was more barren than a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and how did the front office answer? They weren’t able to resign arguably the most productive hitter in the postseason, Marcell Ozuna, trading the always-productive Jose Martinez and didn’t make a substantial addition at any position. You want to know the notable acquisitions the Cardinals were able to make? Hold on to your hat and take a look:
- SP Kwang-Hyun Kim
- 2B Brad Miller
That get your motor pumpin’, that get you hot and bothered? If so, I suggest you see a medical professional, because those aren’t what I or anyone would call blockbusters. Another offseason where the Cardinals haven’t been able to rope in one of the top free agents, which is fine, the Cardinals haven’t built their team recently around free agent signings. With that being said, the disappointment of not being able to make a move for Nolan Arenado this year or Manny Machado in the past, has the fanbase less than enthused. Sure, Brad Miller adds some utility to the field and left-handed pop off the bench. Sure, “KK” Kwang-Hyun Kim brings an exciting, but untested, arm that can work as a starter or out of the bullpen. It would be crazy to think these are the moves that could push the club into the Fall Classic. Then again, who am I to say how Darth Bowtie and his gang of on-field Stormtroopers, who have the same chance to make contact with a breaking ball as their movie counterpart does a Skywalker, build an empire? John Mozeliak has a World Series title and five Central Division pennants under his belt, maybe Mozeliak will be able to piece together a reputable 26-man roster during Spring Training.
The Cardinals’ management have a lot of decisions to make during Spring Training and some of the players need to get back to the game they’ve shown in the past. Last year was disastrous for much of the lineup. Besides Kolten Wong, who had a career year in the box and grabbed his first piece of Gold Glove hardware, players like Carpenter and Bader had horrible years. Goldschmidt even had a subpar year based on the standard he has set for himself. Carpenter has a track record of having bad seasons after signing extensions, but chalking up his down year to his contract shouldn’t fly for a big-league hitter. Bader should take a step forward from last year, but writing that even makes me feel like a fool. Saying Harrison Bader improves upon his 2019 .205 BA and .680 OPS is like saying that Idris Elba’s next movie will be better than “Cats”, I’d sure hope so! Spring Training might be what those guys need to get their selves right for the regular season. Even if guys like Carpenter and Bader can put up production, other guys need to step-up with the bat and on the mound if they want to be successful.
Spring Training for the Cardinals is ripe with position battles, something that could be useful for the ball club. Most intriguing is the competition between hot prospects Lane Thomas and Dylan Carlson. Both are highly touted prospects looking to make the MLB roster in a backup outfield role that has a good chance at becoming a starter due to the shaky ground players like Bader, Fowler, and O’Neill are on with their inconsistent play. If Tommy Edman is able to maintain his numbers from last year, he should be seen as the only outfielder with a spot in the lineup that is safe. You might have noticed pitching hasn’t been given a lot of attention in this blog. For good reason, the pitching was actually good last year for the most part and it should be expected to be good again in 2020. Most of the rotation is more than likely set in stone, being led by Jack Flaherty, but the fifth spot in the rotation is still up for grabs. The two pitchers who have the best shot at securing the spot are Carlos Martinez and the newly acquired Korean import, Kwang-Hyun Kim. It wasn’t long ago Carlos Martinez was the ace of the staff and was garnering comparisons to Pedro Martinez. Multiple injuries later and now “CarMart” has been relegated to a bullpen role that he has performed hit-or-miss. With Miles Mikolas having elbow issues, it is possible that both “KK” and Carlos Martinez find their way into the rotation. If this does happen, I believe Kim should find some success until Mikolas is healthy due to the league’s unfamiliarity with the rookie. You might think things are bad or I’m being negative, but it isn’t all a hailstorm of crap, the Cardinals have the fortunate ability of playing almost half their games against the rest of the NL Central.
As complacent the offseason has been for the Cardinals, it has arguably been less exciting for teams like the Cubs and Brewers. The Cubs didn’t make many improvements except shoring up their bullpen and the Brewers signed some boom-or-bust bats. The Cincinnati Reds are easily the most improved team since this time last year after the acquisition of Trevor Bauer and adding former-Brewer Mike Moustakas and the underrated, Nick Castellanos. The Pirates continue a pseudo-rebuild, making them the default whipping team of the NL Central. At one time, this division was a warzone for strong clubs but it has become a race of futility. There is a strong possibility that the Cardinals are able to repeat as division champs, but their fellow competition in the National League isn’t quite as weak. Seeing what the Dodgers were able to do in the offseason, making themselves the favorite to come out of the “Senior Circuit”, dwarfs what St. Louis is planning to put on the field. It might take anything short of a miracle for the Cardinals to venture their way to another World Series.
The lack of offseason moves, disappointing offense of last year, and strong competition in the National league to the side; the Cardinals have fed on being seen as an underdog. They have found a way to win games in the past, something that continues regardless of coach or front office. The Cardinals are a winning franchise, and as much doubt this piece places on the team, there is always a chance the Cardinals make a miracle run. As we move through Spring Training to Opening Day, the team will come together and the fan base will form their expectations for the Cards and I’m sure those expectations will be reasonable as always…
Cracked Pavement Sports 