The St. Louis Cardinals Have Reason to Have Hope
Although Albert Pujols and his contract issues have been dominating the headlines out of St. Louis, presuming the team plays to its capabilities, Cardinals fan's should have every reason to expect great things out of this years ball club.
The following slides outline exactly what has to go right for the Cardinals to compete for an NL pennant this year:
A Healthy Kyle Lohse
1 of 8
Reports from Jupiter indicate that Lohse’s forearm is healthy and that his stuff looks good. He’s taken criticism from media and fans well over the last two seasons and should be ready, both mentally and physically, to be a key factor this season.
The Tony LaRussa/Colby Rasmus Feud Is over
2 of 8
It is time for Colby to have breakout season, and coming off a 23 home run campaign last year, he is poised to do so.
Clubhouse Unity
3 of 8
Brendan Ryan has been traded.
If the riff between Colby, his father and Tony is truly a non-issue, (see No. 9) then this could be the most cohesive Redbird squad in years, especially with the addition of MLB good guy Lance Berkman (see No. 4).
.png?w=256)
Garcia and Westbrook Should Be Solid
4 of 8
The signing of Jake Westbrook now appears to be the key move made by the front office this off-season. Jaime Garcia boasted a sub 3.00 ERA last season, leaving St. Louis faithful salivating for more.
The Big Puma
5 of 8
Notorious for getting off to a fast start, Lance Berkman could set the tone for a successful season early on.
The five-time All-Star can hit in front of Pujols (.416 career on base percentage) or behind him (.561 career slugging percentage). He could also be the key in helping the Cardinals tame a divisional foe; he has 20 home runs at Great American Ballpark in his career, the record for an opposing player.
Chris Carpenter Will Be an Ace
6 of 8
The Cy Young award winner, three time All-Star and 2009 Comeback Player of the Year will be the leader of the starting rotation with his solid work ethic and World Series experience.
Tony LaRussa
7 of 8
The time is fast approaching for TLR’s tenure in St. Louis to come to an end, but this would not have been the season for Jose Oquendo to take over the reins or to bring in an outsider to manage.
It’s no secret that he has had spats with players in the past, some of whom have argued with him, cussed him or given him obscene gestures, but they’ve also played hard for him (Steve Klein).
Third all-time for wins in MLB history and current longest tenured coach in U.S. major professional sports, LaRussa is the guy to lead this veteran-laden team to the post season.
Albert Pujols Has to Play Huge in His Contract Year
8 of 8
The city is on pins and needles, everyone realizing this could be the last season Albert Pujols dons the birds on the bat.
But the best fan base in baseball also knows that they still have six months to show King Albert why leaving would be a mistake, and they will seize the opportunity to woo the greatest player in the game to stay in St. Louis for life (because it is going to take a hometown discount in order for this deal to get done).
.png?w=480)
