Count on the Cardinals?
St. Louis was a surprise NL Central winner last season. A mix of aging stars and youth gives St. Louis an intriguing look.
Five issues facing the Cardinals:
Rotation complication:
The Cardinals relied heavily on their starting pitching last season on their way to a spot in the National League Championship Series. Jack Flaherty allowed just 10 earned runs in his 15 starts after the AllStar break (0.91 ERA). He’ll be the rotation’s anchor again this season.
But some unexpected news came up as pitchers and catchers reported to spring training when No. 2 starter Miles Mikolas experienced a familiar arm soreness in his first bullpen session. Late last year he had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection to address discomfort in his forearm flexor tendon. The issue doesn’t seem to have gone away. The Cardinals are going to slow his throwing program. This could affect Mikolas’ availability for opening day. Starter or closer?
Former staff ace Carlos Martinez missed the first six weeks of last season with a strained rotator cuff and he returned to the roster as a reliever. Taking over for injured closer Jordan Hicks, Martinez converted 24 of 27 save opportunities. He will get a chance to return to the starting rotation this season as long as his shoulder holds up.
Hicks, recovering from Tommy John surgery, could be ready to return in the second half. Giovanny Gallegos appears to be the front-runner to close if Martinez wins a rotation spot.
Gold standard:
In his first year with the Cardinals, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt led the team with 34 home runs and 97 RBI. However, his .260 batting average, .346 on-base percentage and .476 slugging percentage were all career lows for a full season.
With Goldschmidt now 32, the question is whether his skills are declining or there’s rebound potential. He did cut his strikeout rate slightly in 2019 and ranked among the top 10 players in hard-hit rate for a third consecutive season. Outfield alignment:
Tyler O’Neill, 24, appears to be the leading candidate to start in left field despite only 121 games of major league experience. O’Neill earned a reputation as a power hitter in the minors, averaging 28 home runs from 2015 to 2018, but his best attribute might be his speed. Although he’s stolen a total of three bases in the majors, Statcast
ranked him among the top 10 players last season in sprint speed.
Top prospect Dylan Carlson, 21, could be a wild card in the mix. He’s played just 18 games above the Class AA level, but
Carlson has the power and speed to be an impact player very soon. He can play all three outfield spots, and he could be the first option if anyone struggles or gets hurt.
Age issues:
In Goldschmidt, outfielder Dexter Fowler, third baseman Matt Carpenter and catcher Yadier Molina, the Cardinals will rely on four players 32 or older in their everyday lineup. And that doesn’t include 38-year-old right-hander Adam Wainwright in the starting rotation.
They’ll need those veterans to stay healthy and produce if they hope to repeat as NL Central champs. But then again, the Cardinals also have an uncanny ability to find unheralded players (such as Tommy Edman last year) to fill a need during the season.