St. Louis Cardinals: 8 Players to Watch out for in 2011
The Major League Baseball season is almost upon us. Here are my picks for players to watch out for this season for the St. Louis Cardinals.
From players on the rise to the guys with the most to prove, I pick 'em all. This slide show is a combination of both position players and pitchers. You can check out my position by position breakdown on Bleacher Report here. I will have a preview of the Cardinals pitching staff posted later this week. Enjoy!
St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Season Preview Part 2: Pitching Staff (Coming Soon)
Pitcher with the Most to Prove: Jaime Garcia
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With their ace Adam Wainwright out for the season, the Cardinals are going to be relying heavily on Garcia to follow up his rookie of the year-caliber debut with an equally impressive sophomore year. It will be up to Garcia to not only avoid the infamous "sophomore slump" but to also prove that he can endure a full Major League season.
Last year, the Cardinals cut him off after 163 innings pitched. He won't be afforded that luxury this year. Factor in the team's less than stellar bullpen and Garcia will be expected to consistently go deep into games, meaning that his inning total should be around the 200 mark midway through September.
Assuming he is the team's second starter, Jaime would avoid facing a Central Division opponent until April 24 when the Cardinals take on Cincinnati on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. That's important because those are the teams Garcia faced the most last season and, one would assume, are the teams that know him and his tendencies the best.
That being said, I expect Garcia to get off to a hot start. In fact, I think he will breeze through his first few starts against Central Division opponents too. Once teams start getting used to his stuff, things could get a little dicey. It will be interesting to see how he responds to this adversity.
Position Player with the Most to Prove: Lance Berkman
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After seeing his numbers drop drastically last season from the year before, 35-year-old Lance Berkman is easily the player with the most to prove. Many people have written him off and, while I am admittedly a bit skeptical myself, this lineup sets him up for success.
Hitting behind Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, Berkman should see plenty of pitches to hit and should have a lot of RBI opportunities. Fans can forgive any of Berkman's fielding liabilities if he is able to return to his old form at the plate. A hot-hitting Berkman could be the piece that pushes this team into the playoffs.
Pitcher Set to Make a Comeback: Kyle Lohse
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Knock on wood, but it appears that Kyle Lohse is finally 100 percent healthy. If he is and if he can continue to perform as well during the regular season as he did during spring training, then he could have a career year.
A healthy Lohse would drastically improve the Cardinals' rotation.
Position Player Set to Make a Comeback: Skip Schumaker
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Last year was a down year for Skip Schumaker at the plate. He played so poorly during the season that he actually lost his leadoff role for a good portion of the season. This year, there's nowhere else for Schumaker to go. The lowest Tony LaRussa will be able to drop him is to the number two spot. This more consistent role in the lineup should help Schumaker find his stroke at the plate.
As I wrote about in part one of my 2011 preview, it will be important for Schumaker to reach base consistently ahead of the Cardinals' big hitters. This team will succeed largely based on its offense and Schumaker is one of the more underappreciated parts of this Cardinals' lineup. I expect him to "step up to the plate" (no pun intended) and deliver.
Pitcher This Team Will Depend on Most: Chris Carpenter
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With fellow ace Adam Wainwright out for the season, the Cardinals will be relying heavily on Chris Carpenter to use whatever is left in the tank to lead this rotation. A strong season from Carpenter could be what pushes this team from just a contender to a legitimate threat for the NL Central crown.
If he struggles, however, this entire pitching staff could go down in flames. His veteran leadership is that important.
Position Player This Team Will Depend on Most: David Freese
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A major problem for the Cardinals last season was a lack of depth at third base. The signing of Nick Punto did little to remedy that problem. Not only is Punto nothing spectacular at the plate, he's also going to miss the first portion of the season due to injury. In the minors there is Matt Carpenter, who had an awesome spring training but is still an unproven commodity at the major league level.
All of this explains why David Freese is so important. When healthy, he has shown the ability to generate offense, which adds even more depth to the lineup. Defensively, he is nowhere near as good as Scott Rolen, but he is a major upgrade from Felipe Lopez, who filled in last year, and Punto, his backup this year.
A healthy David Freese means that the Cardinals are at least strong defensively at the corner infield positions, which should help compensate for the team's weak middle-infield.
Pitcher Poised to Have a Breakout Year: Kyle McClellan
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Kyle McClellan's time has finally arrived. After getting turned down for the team's fifth starting spot the last two years, the Saint Louis native is finally going to get his shot as a starting pitcher.
McClellan does not lack experience. In the bullpen, he was arguably one of the most underrated setup pitchers in the majors. As a starter, his four-pitch repertoire makes him one of the best fifth starters around. Factor in his strong performance during spring training and it would appear that McClellan has the potential to be a long-term option in the Cardinals rotation.
The biggest question facing the 26-year-old is how he will hold up over the course of the season. The most innings he has ever pitched is 75. He hit that number last year and in 2008. Conditioning may not be as big a factor as one would think based on his time in the minors as a starting pitcher, but it's something that should be taken into account.
Position Player Poised to Have a Breakout Season: Colby Rasmus
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Colby Rasmus has the potential to become one of baseball's elite outfielders.
He has shown flashes of greatness, but has not been able to produce at a high level for an entire season. Heading into this season, it appears that Rasmus is set to have the best of his career. Batting behind Pujols, Holliday and Berkman means that Rasmus will have plenty of RBI opportunities and will see more than his share of pitches to hit.
