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St Louis (97-65) best recrd in the NL.
783 Runs scored - tops in the NL by a lot (Rox 2nd at 706)
596 Given up - 5th best.
The RS/RA ratio suggests they should have won 101
How do they do it (seemingly year after year)?
By combining good pitching with that elusive animal of clutch hitting from largely a home-grown cast. They forever seem to have some relatively unheralded guys, usually from their system but often not a top draft pick, who proceed to exceed all expectations while filling whatever weakness they have at that moment, sometimes not even the position he was drafted for.
Their 2009 draft alone produced three pitchers currently on the team plus their current 1st & 2nd basemen. And because the Cards have consistantly finished at or near the top of the standings lately, even their 1st round picks have never been in the top half of the round. Also, none of the home-grown talent is over age 30.
In all, four of their six starters plus the current closer were StL draftees, as were the catcher, the original 1st baseman and the guy who replaced him, the 2nd baseman; both platooning shortstops; and the CF. All except the SSs are exceeding league OPS.
Either they’re finding good ones or are crafting them into good ones after they get them.
C - Yadier Molina - 4th round pick 2000
[.319/.351/.477] Was on the MVP track until late season injury put him on the shelf for a while
1B - Matt Adams - 23rd round pick 2009
[.284/.335/.503] Big smacking (and just plain BIG) Adams (23 HRs in less than 300 ABs) took over when Allen Craig [8th round, 2006] went down
2B - Matt Carpenter - 13th round 2009
[.319/.392/481]. Not even a 2nd baseman until recently, all he did was lead the NL this season in Runs scored, Hits, and Doubles (55!!)
SS - Pete Kozma and/or David Descalso (1st & 3rd Round picks in 2007)
Neither hits a lot, but they handle the position. Descalso has started more often lately.
3B - David Freese - One of those acquired in a trade: with SD for Jim Edmonds six years ago
Their 2011 WS hero hasn’t bee quite so magical this year [.262/.340/.381]
LF - Matt Holliday - Acquired in a trade, then re-signed
[.300/.389/.490] Always seems like he’s injured to me but yet he’s averaged 145/yr as a Cardinal and, I think it’s safe to say at this point, has worked out better than the Jason Bay signing did.
CF - Jon Jay - 2nd round 2006
[.276/.351/.370] I’ll take those numbers from a good glove in CF
RF - Carlos Beltran The only significant piece of the team that was a pure FA signing
[.296/.339/.491] ... and naturally in the 2 years since signing w/StL Beltran has had 600+ PAs per season and totaled 56 HRs.. You have to go back to 2006/07 to find that kind of consistency and output
Rotation:
Adam Wainwright - Trade then re-signed
Will start Game 1 and probably Game 5 if it happens. [19-9; 2.94 ERA; 1.07 WHiP]
Lance Lynn - 1st round 2008 (39th overall)
Game 2 starter [15-10; 3.97; 1.31] after starting his career in the StL pen.
Joe Kelly - 2nd ML season - 3rd round 2009
[10-5; 2.78; 1.36] in 15 starts + 22 relief outings
Penciled in for Game 3
Shelby Miller - Rookie - 1st round 2009 (19th overall)
[15-9; 3.06; 1.21] - Probable Game 4 starter
Michael Wacha - Rookie - 1st round 2012 (19th overall from the Angels -- the Albert Pujols pick)
[4-1; 2.78; 1.10] in 9 ML starts + 6 relief appearances. Probably moves to the bullpen for this series
Pen:
Trevor Rosenthal - 21st round pick 2009
Has been the Cardinal closer since ... well since about a week and a half ago when he notched 3 straight saves in the division clinching sweep against Washington. 2.63 ERA & 1.10 WHiP.
Just your typical 21st round pick who throws 100 mph
Edward Mujica - Was the closer all year (the 3rd different one for StL in 3 seasons) until taking a wee bit of a tailspin in September. And by ‘wee bit’ I mean 18 hits including 6 doubles and 3 HRs in 7 innings over 10 appearances. Lost both the closer role with that stretch and was probably lucky just to stay on the playoff roster
Carlos Martinez -- Rookie, age 21 [5.08 ERA; 1.41 WHiP - 28 innings pitched]
Seth Maness -- Rookie (11th round pick, 2011) age 24 [2.32; 1.26 - 62]
John Axford (former Milwaukee closer acquired late in the year) [1.74; 1.36 - 10]
Randy Choate (LOOGY) 2.29; 1.05 - 35.1 innings in 64 games
Kevin Siegrist (LHP) -- Rookie, 41st round pick 2009 - Age 23 [0.45; 0.88 - 40]
Weaknesses?
- One can probably cite an inexperienced bullpen, but as that great American philosopher Fran Healy used to say; “Give me talent over experience”
- Their entire starting staff in right-heanded and only two LHPs out of the pen
- Their RIDONCULOUS RiSP numbers which one wouldn’t think is sustainable forever. The team’s overall .269/.332/.401 numbers morph into a killer .313/.376/.463 when runners are on and then into a stunning .330/.402/.463 wtih RiSP
- Allen Craig, their original starting 1B and the leader of the RiSP clan (his season-long .315/.373/.457 became .454/.500/.638 with RiSP) has been out with a sprained foot since early September and will not be active for this series.
- A VERY weak bench. The quintet of:
Kolten Wong - Rookie, 2B, 1st round (22nd overall) pick in 2011
Pete Kozma - the other half of the SS platoon
Shane Robinson - speedy OF (5th round, 2006)
Tony Cruz - backup catcher (26th round, 2007)
Adron Chambers - OF (38th round 2007)
... combined to hit a measly .214/.277/.274 (551 OPS) this season
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