2008 St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals have reached a crossroads. The nucleus of players that saw the postseason seven times in a span of eleven years is gone. Questions marks are plenty as St. Louis scrambles to find answers to soothe the uneasy stomachs of the game’s most loyal fans, and the organization begins what can only be described as ‘lean times.’ Newly-appointed general manager John Mozeliak, 38, has brought a steady hand to a post previously held by long-time and beloved Cardinals front-man Walt Jocketty. Mozeliak insists he and ownership will not succumb to recent free agency signing fads that have seen multiple teams throw large sums of money out the window. Instead, the Cardinals choose to look further down the road, stating whatever heralded minor league prospects they have, and they are few and far between, will have a significant chance at earning a spot on the roster by excelling in the spring. With a front office evidently unwilling to dip into its bottomless pockets (they would have us believe otherwise) and a farm system largely void of potential major league players, it seems baseball’s best fans will be supremely put to the test in coming years.

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Infield - Both corner spots are sewn up with all-world Albert Pujols at first and Troy Glaus, 31, who was acquired from Toronto in exchange for the disgruntled Scott Rolen, playing third base. Cardinals brass hopes the forgiving grass surface at Busch will help Glaus’ injured left foot, an ailment that worsened on the artificial turf in Toronto. Glaus will be heavily relied upon to regain the form he displayed in Anaheim where he averaged over 30 homeruns a year from 1999-2004.

However, this is where the certainty ends in the St. Louis infield. Veteran Adam Kennedy had an absolutely dismal beginning to his second go-around in St. Louis last season, hitting just over .200 and failing to drive in even 20 runs. Despite his poor showing in 2007, Kennedy would seem to be the most logical choice at second for the Cards due to the fact he has shown he can hit both right and left-handed pitching for average as well as power. He also brings a steady glove to the right side. Coach Tony La Russa has a more than capable backup in Aaron Miles, just resigned to a new one-year deal in January. But he is just that - a backup. Miles excels when he is thrust into action on a less than daily basis. At shortstop, it seems as if it is offseason acquisition Cesar Izturis’ job to lose. Many fans howled when the beloved David Eckstein was run out of town, so nothing short of a Gold Glove and .300 average will gain the trust of the Cards faithful. Izturis will also have to show that durability is not an issue. Since playing in a whopping 159 games in 2004, Izturis has failed to play in more than 110 games in any one season since. If Izturis finds himself on the DL or falls out of favor with La Russa, second-year man Brendan Ryan will be more than ready to fill the void. Ryan is the sort of versatile player La Russa relishes the opportunity to play, able to play all infield position with the exception of first. Incumbent utility man Scott Spiezio also figures to see time. Behind the plate will be a familiar face in Yadier Molina who is rumored to have shed some considerable pounds since last season. “Yadi” is by far the NL’s most lethal defensive catcher, and 2008 just might be the year he captures the Gold Glove that has eluded him for the past couple years.

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Outfield - While the infield situation in St. Louis may appear convoluted, it pales in comparison to the dizzying array of possible combinations of personnel in the outfield. No fewer than six candidates will vie for four spots in the spring, with at least one man getting relegated to full-time bench duty. First-year position-player phenom turned admitted HGH user Rick Ankiel appears to be the front-runner for center field at this point. Ankiel, who claimed his illegal substance use stemmed from the urging of a physician for medicinal practices, has more than the ability, speed and cannon to excel at the most-demanding outfield position. But he figures to be pushed greatly by highly-regarded prospect Colby Rasmus. The talented 21 year-old Rasmus is already being crowned the next great Cardinal center fielder even though he is yet to have an at-bat above the Double A level. He is also the main reason why St. Louis was willing to part ways with one of the best in Jim Edmonds. The rapidly improving Chris Duncan will likely patrol left field where his less than adequate right arm will be less of an issue. This leaves right field. Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker will duel it out for this spot all spring long, with one fulfilling the role of the fourth outfielder. Look for La Russa, depending on the unlikely emergence of Rasmus, to continually platoon players on either or both sides of Ankiel. Twenty-five year-old prospect Brian Barton will receive his opportunity to make a splash in Jupiter, Fla. but is unlikely to see any playing time at the big-league level.

Bullpen - Considering the workload it was forced to endure in 2007 because of a shaky and largely suspect rotation, the Cardinals bullpen performed rather respectively while posting an ERA of 4.00. And it’s hard to argue that this group won’t be the most consistent part of the team throughout the ’08 season as it has every one of its members returning, with the exception of Troy Percival. From the right side, Russ Springer and Ryan Franklin will be relied on to work the mid to late innings and then making way for closer Jason Isringhausen. Franklin enjoyed a tremendous ’07 campaign, finishing with a 3.04 ERA despite struggling late in the season. Both Southpaws will be heavily depended on as well. Both Randy Flores and Tyler Johnson possess the stuff to consistently succeed against left-handed batters but need to show more consistency. This unit will receive a big upgrade if Josh Kinney is able to return to the form he displayed in the 2006 postseason before missing all of ’07 due to off season surgery to repair torn ligaments in his elbow. If the St. Louis rotation again proves to be unreliable, several candidates from the bullpen will be picked to fill starting roles, most notably Brad Thompson and Todd Wellemeyer.

Rotation - On a team downtrodden with uncertainty in multiple areas, the starting rotation is by far the most pressing issue. A solid and reliable starting rotation is the fuel that drives all great teams as it provides an undeniable comfort level for the offense and keeps the bullpen fresh the entire length of the season. The Cardinals will likely have neither of these luxuries. Relinquished staff ace Chris Carpenter won’t return until at least the All-Star break, if at all, after missing all of last season with an elbow injury suffered on opening day that resulted in surgery to remove bone spurs as well as a Tommy John procedure. The extent of St. Louis’ success will greatly determine how quickly Carpenter is thrown back into the mix. Given this, Tony La Russa desperately needs Mark Mulder to quickly regain the form he showed while in Oakland where he consistently won nearly 20 games per year. This will be easier said than done as Mulder will be coming off multiple surgeries to repair a torn rotator cuff. He underwent the latest procedure last September after it was revealed the rotator cuff healed only partially following the initial surgery in September of 2006. Incumbent ace Adam Wainwright will need to be even better than last year (14-12, 3.70) and would greatly benefit from projected no.2 starter Braden Looper improving on his impressive inaugural campaign as a starter (12-12, 4.94). The aforementioned Jocketty pulled off a shrewd move prior to his exit acquiring right-hander Joel Pineiro, who has the ability to be a very solid no. 3 guy for years to come. The back end of the rotation has the most to prove. This may be a “shut up or put up” type year for Anthony Reyes who, after enduring the pains of a 14-loss season in 2007, will have much work to do to prove his once-promising career is still intact. Forced to get creative in a stagnant free-agent market over the off season, the Cardinals signed nine-year veteran Matt Clement to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with an option for 2009 and loaded with incentives. Despite the relatively low amount of financial risk in the deal, the fact that Clement missed all of last year with Boston because of shoulder surgery raises red flags about his durability and should concern the Cardinals due to their lack of depth in the rotation.

Lineup - No more are the days of the MV3; the moniker was given to the dynamic trio comprised of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds who combined for 122 HR, 358 RBI and a batting average of .315 in St. Louis’ 2004 pennant season. In fact, with the off season departures of Rolen and Edmonds, Pujols is now the lone member of the offense that produced a league-high 855 runs. Like every good lineup in baseball, the Cardinals had a leadoff man in Tony Womack that ignited the rest of the offense. Four years later, they enter camp not even close to knowing who will suit that role. Izturis would be the trendy pick to bat first but his abysmal on-base percentage could hinder that idea. If not Izturis, the next likely candidate would be Schumaker assuming he gets enough playing time in the outfield. Ankiel would fit nicely in the no. 2 hole because of his ability to hit for power and some average and speed on the bases. For certain is the fact that perennial MVP candidate Pujols will bat third followed by Glaus and Duncan, in no discernible order. It is imperative to this lineup’s ability to produce runs that Glaus and Duncan both put up big power numbers since most teams will spend their sweet time nibbling around Pujols. If the Adam Kennedy of old decides to show up, he would provide some nice production towards the latter half of the order where a slimmer Molina awaits his breakout year offensively. As is his custom, expect La Russa to continually shuffle his lineup from top to bottom, with the exception of Pujols, to compensate for a lack of consistent production.

Coach - Since his arrival in 1996, Tony La Russa has had to endure his share of hardship as the Cardinals skipper. Coinciding with the passing of legendary broadcaster Jack Buck was the untimely and tragic death of pitcher Darryl Kyle in 2002. Nearly five years later, more tragedy. In April 2007, relief pitcher Josh Hancock died after slamming his SUV into the back of a two truck in St. Louis. This event came on the heels of La Russa getting arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence during spring training and effectively set the tone for the upcoming season. Now, entering 2008 with arguably the least amount of talent he has had in his 13 years at the helm, the forever optimistic La Russa prepares to embark on perhaps his most difficult managing journey yet. After all he has been through, is La Russa’s finest hour yet to come?

Outlook - With many of the country’s publications and experts picking St. Louis to finish no better than fourth in the National League Central Division, the Cardinals have the one luxury of sneaking up on people by exceeding albeit substandard expectations in 2008. If Carpenter’s elbow turns out to be bionic, Mulder recaptures his old form, Albert keeps on doing what he does and Rasmus validates all the preseason hype, then the Cardinals have more than a shot to at least threaten for the division crown. After being the hunted for so many years, La Russa’s club has now slid into the role of ‘hunter’ in what has seemingly become a two-horse race between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. And while the Cards may not possess the elite arms and bats they once enjoyed, the fact that no one manager gets more out of his team than La Russa makes this team dangerous in what is a less than stellar division.

Predicted finish: 80-82, fourth in the Central Division

by Ryan Faller
DFN Sports Staff Writer

> View all of the 2008 MLB team previews from Pro Baseball Fans