The St. Louis Cardinals enter the 2014 season facing expectations many teams would find intimidating. The defending National League champions are viewed by many baseball experts to be one of the teams to beat, along with the team they defeated in last year’s National League Championship series: the Los Angeles Dodgers. And with that comes pressure. Cardinals’ players indicate they don’t mind being the team facing lofty expectations. As the Redbirds kick off the year, some questions still linger as to how everything will play out, with some players starting the year on the disabled list and others still having their playing time determined.
The Cardinals opened spring training with as many as seven starting pitchers vying for five spots in the rotation. What looked like a possible headache for manager MIKE MATHENY and pitching coach DEREK LILLIQUIST all of a sudden took a different turn when it was announced that left-hander JAMIE GARCIA would not start the season on the roster due to shoulder stiffness following surgery last year. It was also determined early on that former closer JASON MOTTE would be sidelined when the season starts. Motte had Tommy John surgery in February 2013. But the rotation still remains a strength for the Cardinals.
Adam Wainwright remains the ace of the staff. Wainwright won 19 games last year and when he’s healthy, he’s one of the top five pitchers in the game. Having Wainwright at the top of the rotation, and his presence in the locker room, is a huge asset. He leads a very young starting staff of MICHAEL WACHA, LANCE LYNN, SHELBY MILLER and JOE KELLY. The Cardinals will have to show patience with Garcia as he continues to get healthy.
The bullpen also remains a huge strength. The Redbirds bring back almost everybody from last year’s playoffs, including closer TREVOR ROSENTHAL, who was lights-out, and CARLOS MARTINEZ, who almost won the last starting pitching spot in spring training. Left-handed relievers RANDY CHOATE and KEVIN SIEGRIST also are solid, and hopefully, sooner rather than later Motte will be ready to go.
The Cardinals were active in the offseason. They traded away third baseman DAVID FREESE to the Los Angeles Angels for center fielder PETER BOURJOS and outfield prospect RANDAL GRICHUK. The trade had repercussions throughout the entire team. It allowed second baseman MATT CARPENTER the chance to return to his natural position at third. It also opened the door for KOLTEN WONG to take over the second-base duties. However, the Cardinals signed former Dodger second baseman MARK ELLIS to a one-year contract in case Wong doesn’t get off to the start the Cardinals are hoping for.
Bourjos, meanwhile, offers much more defensively in center field than incumbent JON JAY. Jay will most likely become the fourth outfielder, since he can play all three outfield spots while still getting some starts in center field. Bourjos played in only 55 games last year, so staying healthy is his top priority because when he is in the lineup he is a difference-maker with his glove and his speed. He covers a lot of ground, which will help both MATT HOLLIDAY and ALLEN CRAIG, as neither of the two outfielders can be mistaken for lightening-quick defenders. Bourjos has the speed the Cardinals want on the base paths to offer a base-stealing dynamic that they haven’t had for some time. Rookie prospect OSCAR TAVARES can’t be discounted either, and he could be a major contributor as the season progresses. And first baseman MATT ADAMS could be a 25-plus home run hitter, depending on how many at-bats he gets throughout the year.
The biggest off-season acquisition that grabbed the most attention was the free-agent signing of shortstop JHONNY PERALTA to a four-year $53 million contract. The 31-year-old Peralta was suspended for 50 games last year for being linked with Biogenesis, a Miami-area clinic that allegedly provided players with performance-enhancing drugs. Peralta stood up and took his punishment, while many others fought their suspensions. He’s been looked upon by his new teammates as a guy who has acknowledged his mistake and is moving forward.
Peralta has what the Cardinals have been lacking at the shortstop position for a long time: power. Peralta has 156 career home runs and has hit more than 20 in a season four times. He’s considered an average defensive shortstop, but the signing was seen across baseball as a good fit for both Peralta and the Cardinals as they looked for a bat to replace CARLOS BELTRAN, who signed with the New York Yankees.
With YADIER MOLINA, perhaps the most important Cardinal of them all back behind the plate, the team is definitely going to be a force to contend with. Like most teams, health is always an issue. The Cardinals also had their best year ever hitting with runners in scoring position. If they can come close to repeating that while keeping their players off the disabled list, this Cardinals team should be playoff-bound again. They have a great deal of depth and lots and lots of good young pitching. 2014 should be another exciting season for St. Louis fans.
by Jeff Melnick