St. Louis Cardinals: 5 Players Who Must Have Big Years in 2012

Albert Pujols is gone. So is Tony La Russa.

Chris Carpenter will begin the season on the disabled list. So will Skip Schumaker.

Change is the name of the game for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. New manager Mike Matheny will have the tough task of replacing the legendary La Russa, Carlos Beltran will be asked to replace some of Pujols’s production and Adam Wainwright will be back to lead the starting rotation.

A lot is going to have to fall perfectly into place for St. Louis if it is going to successfully defend its 2011 World Series crown.

Several players are going to have to step up and have big years if the Cardinals are going to win the National League Central division. Let’s take a look at five of those players now.

5. Matt Holliday, LF

Holliday is the main man in St. Louis now, and he needs to step up and become the unquestioned leader of this offense.

He’ll have guys like Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltran and David Freese protecting him in the lineup, so he’ll have no excuses for a subpar season.

If this spring is any indication, we could see a career year for the slugger. So far, he’s hitting a whopping .409 with three home runs and 11 RBI.

If he can keep up that production in the regular season (with a slightly lower average, obviously), the Cardinals won’t miss Albert Pujols quite as much.

4. Erik Komatsu, OF

Komatsu, a Rule 5 draft pick, needs to have a productive season to warrant being kept on the big league roster.

He’s been impressive this spring, hitting .278 with nine RBI. His left-handed bat could be very useful for the Cardinals off the bench.

He’ll also be relied on to give Carlos Beltran an occasional day off to keep him healthy.

3. Jason Motte, RP

Motte is finally the unquestioned closer in St. Louis. Now, he needs to make the most of it.

His fastball is one of the best in the league, but he needs to develop his other pitches or he won’t be an effective closer.

He only converted nine of his 13 save opportunities in 2011, something he’ll have to improve on if he’s going to keep the job in 2012.

If he can perform better in the ninth inning, the Cardinals will be in great shape.

2. Jake Westbrook, SP

The Cards will have four very good starters when Chris Carpenter is healthy.

They’ll have Carp, Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia and Kyle Lohse anchoring the rotation. But they are going to need a strong effort from Westbrook at the end of the rotation if they are going to hold off the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

He’s going to need to lower his 4.66 ERA from 2011 or he’ll be in danger of losing his spot in the rotation.

1. Tyler Greene, 2B/SS

Greene was given plenty of opportunities to succeed under former manager Tony La Russa, but failed every time.

This spring, he’s been playing well enough to earn the starting job at second base, hitting .268 with two home runs and five RBI.

He needs to prove he’s not just a spring training success story when teams head north, though.

If he continues his regular season struggles, his time in a Cardinals uniform should be numbered.