Before I look ahead to next season and the many changes the St. Louis Cardinals must make before Spring Training begins, let’s look back at what was an entertaining yet frustrating season.
My pick: That was the Cardinals in third behind Chicago and Milwaukee. While the Redbirds surprised me finishing 10 games above .500 (86-76), they finished fourth behind an even bigger surprise n the Houston Astros (86-75). A tip of the cap to first-year manager Cecil Cooper. He got as much out of his team as humanly and professionally possible, thanks to Hurricane Ike and Major League Baseball’s weird decision to make the team play in Milwaukee against the Chicago Cubs.
My disappointment: After scrapping, clawing and holding on to the Wild Card playoff berth most of the season, management decided to do absolutely nothing of impact before n and after n the trading deadline. The front office tried to sooth fans with the thoughts of Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter returning to glory at midseason, but neither came through. Mulder’s last outings were disastrous, and Carpenter is sidelined indefinitely with nerve damage in his throwing shoulder.
My high point: Brian Barton. When he got a chance to play, I think he played pretty well. Injuries slowed him, although I doubt he was injured most of the time. He was being a team player and spent time in Memphis at Triple A to open a slot on the roster.
My low point: The day I heard CC Sabathia was officially a member of the Brewers. That led to low point No. 2, which was the Brewers sweeping the Cardinals in July.
My nicest move: Trading Scott Rolen for Troy Glaus. I had my doubts about Glaus’ defense, but he proved to be solid. Glaus hit .270 with 27 home runs and 99 RBI He also played in 151 games, even though he missed a week in September with an injured shoulder. Compare that to Rolen’s 2008 season, which saw him hit .262 with 11 home runs and just 50 RBI. He also managed to play in just 115 games. The last-day move to sign Kyle Loshe is actually more about next year than this one. But it’s one that the Cards’ needed. But it does not mean that the team should forego bidding on a big-time winner like Sabathia, Ben Sheets or the Blue Jays’ A. J. Burnett.
Felipe Lopez played well after being dumped by the Washington Nationals and picked up by the Cardinals. But his September heroics for a team going no where do not mean he should be the starting second baseman next season. I don’t trust Lopez.
My MVP: Albert Pujols should be named the National League MVP, but is it possible that he is not the Cardinals’ MVP? If you look at the major categories n and the number of wins the Cardinals had earlier this season when Pujols had no pop n I can make a case for Ryan Ludwick. The young outfielder put the Cards in immediate contention with a hot bat and finished the season with a .299 batting average, 37 home runs and 113 RBI. He played in 152 games compared to 148 for Pujols.
Of course, Pujols’ .357, 37 home runs and 116 RBI make him the team’s most important player. But without Ludwick, the team would have never contended and would have completely fallen from the race when Pujols was on the disabled list for three weeks.
My offseason: Waiting for the Cardinals to surprise me by signing a big-name free agent. Finding a way to go to see some of the World Baseball Classic. Waiting for spring training to begin. And, most importantly, praying that I’m in Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Day to see Barack Obama sworn in as president.
