In an offseason that saw changes in the front office, a major trade and the moving of a popular free agent, the 2008 Cardinals are now on display.
The team comes with questions, concerns and optimism.
The pitching staff is somewhere between question, concern and optimism. The question is who will be in the rotation at the start of the season? Adam Wainwright will lead the way, and that is a good thing.
Kyle Lohse is penciled in to be the number two guy.In his first outing, he was pretty good. Aside from him being a little delusional initially with contract requests, why was he sitting at home three weeks into spring training? As short as baseball is on pitching, does someone know something about this guy that we don’t?
Braden Looper has not been effective in spring training.
Todd Wellemeyer and Brad Thompson were guys who at the start of spring training were going to have a hard time having a regular role on this staff. Now they are four and five in the rotation. That’s because Joel Piniero, who was acquired late in the season, and Matt Clement, who was signed as a free agent, have been hurt from day one of training camp.
Now that you know the questions and concerns, here is where the optimism comes into to play. Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder will pitch this season. Mulder, who is further along than Carpenter in his rehab, appears to have fixed his mechanics. He could be back by May 1.
As for Carpenter, perhaps July. If these two come back to the form we used to know them at, and the Cardinals are still in it, the second half should prove interesting. The other positive here is the bullpen is set and they should be really, really good. So good that if the starters don’t burn them up early in the season and can get to the seventh inning, few teams will be better prepared than the Cardinals.
Declining skill level and a contract request that was not applicable is why David Eckstein is now in Toronto struggling during spring training. The same can be said for his replacement here in Cesar Izturis.
Izturis has struggled at the plate and in the field recently, although he did flash the leather late last week in a game. Another concern for sure. If he can not get on in the 9th spot in the order nor make the routine play in the field, look out.
The outfield will have some good and some not so good.
Skip Schumaker has won a starting job. Each year he has been in the system he has gotten better. This year he has done a remarkable job in the leadoff position. Defensively he has the most accurate throwing arm from the outfield.
Rick Ankiel has been on fire in spring training. He has hit for power and driven a team high in runs. He can play right and center field, and he has perhaps the strongest throwing arm the Cardinals have had since Mike Shannon patrolled the outfield in the 60’s.
Another new face on the team is Brian Barton. Barton was drafted in the rule five draft in the off season. Basically, when you take a player in that draft he has to stay on the roster the entire season. If not, you have to send him back to the minors of the teams you drafted him from, and you forfeit $50,000. Part of his slow start was due to recovering from off-season knee surgery. Now they cannot keep him off base. Barton is raw when it comes to base running and defense, two things that are hard to master at the major league level, but what the heck.
By the way, Barton attended the University of Miami and would be the lone African American on this edition of the Cardinals. From the looks of things in the minors, he might have that title for a while because the African-American prospects in this organization are in Class AA and Class A.
For left fielder Chris Duncan, it has been a tough spring. Coming off abdominal surgery, Duncan injured his back and was slowed a bit. He has some work to do at the plate before he can be the guy the Cardinals are counting on. As for his defense, there has not been much improvement.
The other reserve will be Ryan Lundwick who filled in admirably last year. He can play all three outfield positions and can hit with power.
Behind the plate the Cardinals will have the best one-two punch in baseball. Yadier Molina when healthy is the best catcher in the game. Jason Larue, who is finally healthy, will serve as a back up.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and his staff will have to teach and communicate more with this team than in the past.
If the Cardinals can stay healthy, pitch and get a break early, they will be in this thing.
If not, it will be one of the longest seasons in recent memory.