World Series 2011: 4 Players Who Must Step Up for St. Louis Cardinals

The 2011 World Series is about to commence tonight and the teams facing each other are almost dead even in terms of strengths and weaknesses.  The St. Louis Cardinals come out of the NL leading almost all offensive categories. 

The Texas Rangers are back in the World Series with the intent of finally bringing the pennant back to the Lone Star State. 

These two teams have never faced each other in the playoffs nor have they even seen each other during the regular season since 2004.

During the regular season, the Cardinals struggled to beat the Brewers.  However, when it mattered most they managed to bring out the bats and take care of business.  After a hard-fought NLCS, the Cardinals finally came out on top to reach the World Series. 

Ron Washington led his Texas Rangers once again to the World Series behind one of the most talented lineups in the league.  After losing to the San Francisco Giants just a year ago, they are back to prove that the headlines should not always be surrounding the Yankees or Phillies. 

One of the many things we can expect from this series are a plethora of runs due to the struggling starting pitchers from both sides.

Here are four players who must step up in order for St. Louis to be the last team standing.  

Lance Berkman

Last year, Lance Berkman looked worn out toward the end of the year with the Yankees.  After his tenure with the Yankees was over, the Cardinals decided to give him another shot and see what he can do.

Berkman is in his early years with the Cards and he has turned out to be a good choice.  During the final stretch of the regular season being down by 10.5 games, he was one of the big factors for the position the Cardinals are in now. 

Luckily for St. Louis, Berkman is having one his best years in 2011.  During the regular season his batting average was slightly above .300.  Although his production has slightly lowered during the postseason, he is a player that can get hot very quickly. 

If he can pick up the pace once again, he can help relieve the stress on Albert Pujols and the rest of the batting lineup.  

Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols is one of the most prolific players in MLB history. Unfortunately, he becomes a free agent soon after the World Series finishes so this is really the big stage he needs to show that he is worth all the money he is asking for. 

Luckily for the Cards, winning the World Series could help keep Pujols wearing the Cardinal red.  It could also help the front office by showing Pujols that they are committed to winning.  

During the 2011 postseason, he has been a monster at the plate.  He has put up 10 RBI, 18 hits, six walks and a .490 OBP.  If he keeps playing the way he is, it is going to be tough to out hit and out score the Cardinals.

Chris Carpenter

The Cardinals have been criticized for having a weak starting pitching rotation.  This was none more evident than in the series against the Milwaukee Brewers where it looked like the batters were hitting off tees. 

Carpenter has been plagued with injuries ever since the season started.  He has complained about a sore arm and elbow that could affect his overall play during this series. 

It is crucial for Carpenter to have a solid outing in his Game 1 start.  If he can contain the red-hot Texas Rangers, it is most likely that the offense of the Cards will outscore the Rangers.  A win in Game 1 could give the team some momentum going into the rest of the series.

David Freese

David Freese has been a huge surprise for the Cards this postseason.  During the postseason his batting average is at .425 while his slugging percentage is at a whopping .850.  All this led to his MVP selection of the 2011 NLCS.

He is calm at the plate and seeing the pitches well.  He is putting up some gaudy numbers for the Cards that is crucial to easing some pressure off Pujols. 

It looks like he will be able to maintain this pace due to the lack of firepower on both teams at the starting pitching spot. 

The Cardinals have a solid chance at winning this series if they can keep Pujols and Freese hitting at these ridiculous numbers.