Five Questions Surrounding the St. Louis Cardinals

Who is the real Ryan Ludwick?

Usually 30-year-old journeyman who have spent the last six years on three different teams and who have never played more than 120 games in any one season aren’t supposed to break out to the tune of 37 home runs and 113 RBI.

But that’s what Ryan Ludwick did for the Cardinals in 2008.

Now he must do it again and naturally, there are doubters. But take a closer look at his stats from a year ago and it’s hard to call it a fluke. He hit over .300 in four different months, never had less than 14 RBI in any month and he hit 24 points higher after the all-star break than before hit, suggesting he didn’t get tired for increased playing time.  

That’s consistency, folks.

As long as he’s healthy there’s no reason to think Ludwick can’t do it again. 

Who wins the closer job?

Conventional wisdom suggests that right-hander Chris Perez, a former closer for the University of Miami, steps into a role he knows so well. But judging from the quotes coming from manager Tony La Russa this spring, the job isn’t going to be handed to him.

In fact he may not even be the favorite.

Fellow right-hander Jason Motte was actually more impressive than Perez in their 2008 debuts; he struck out 16 batters in 11 innings and held hitters to a .139 batting average against.

Perez was no slouch, either. He threw more innings, and had success posting a 3.46 ERA in 41 innings of work.

It’s anyone’s guess what La Russa will decide. But if nothing else it’s a good sign that the Cardinals suddenly have two promising arms to restructure their bullpen around.

Where does Skip Shumaker fit best?

It’s not uncommon to see an infielder move to the outfield once his defense begins to decline. Skip Shumaker is trying to do the opposite.

After playing 153 games in the outfield for the Cardinals last season, it remains to be seen how Shumaker will hold up defensively at second base. But give the Cardinals credit for thinking outside the box on this one.  

After trading Aaron Miles to the Cubs and releasing Adam Kennedy in February, the Cards really don’t have many options at second base and could desperately use Shumaker’s bat—he hit .303 in 546 AB’s last year—in what is an otherwise shaky lineup (especially with slugger Troy Glaus sidelined to start the year).

This means second base prospect Joe Thurston may have to wait awhile to get a starting gig, but for the Cardinals it’s worth the gamble.  

Can Chris Carpenter make another comeback?

Reports out of Jupiter, Fla are that pitcher Chris Carpenter looks and feels great. This is good news for a team that lacks a front-line starter.

While fellow pitcher Adam Wainwright is very solid, he probably slots in better as a no.2 starter. Carpenter, when he’s healthy, has shown the ability to be a Cy Young-caliber pitcher.

But it’s been three years since his last healthy season when he won 15 games and threw 221 innings way back in 2006. So asking for more than half a season in itself may be asking too much.

Still while Carpenter may never regain his old form completely, even if he’s at 80 percent of what he used to be, it would be a huge lift to the rotation.  

Is Colby Rasmus ready to contribute?   

It seems like Colby Rasmus has been featured in those baseball’s 100-top prospects lists forever.

Now the 22-year-old outfielder may finally get his chance to show St. Louis what its been waiting for. La Russa has already said that Rasmus would be an ideal choice for hitting ninth in the order (La Russa likes to hit his pitchers eighth) because of his blend of speed and power.

Rasmus, a former first-round draft pick, earned elite prospect status when he hit 29 home runs and stole 18 bases, all while posting a .381 OBP, at Double-A in 2007.

As much potential as he has, Rasmus still has to make the team. And don’t forget he struggled in Triple-A last season after failing to make the big league club out of spring training.

This is a new year, however, and things are already looking up. Rasmus has started all of the team’s grapefruit games and seems to be getting the vote of confidence from La Russa. The fans have waited long enough. It’s time to see what the kid can do.