St. Louis Cardinals 2008 Season Preview

Leading up to the start of the 2008 Regular Season, Diamond Hoggers will preview each of MLB’s 32 teams. Teams will be rated on a 10-point scale in the following 5 areas: Lineup, Pitching, Manager, Intangibles/Chemistry, and Overall. Today’s team is the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lineup
Obviously, the St. Louis Cardinals discussion begins and ends with baseball’s best player, the Great Pujols. The Gigantosaur. Call him whatever you want, I’ll call him baseball’s best player, A-Rod included. He shows up every year and gives you the the best of numbers and makes those in the lineup around him all the more dangerous. I’ve never made it a secret that since about 2002, I’ve enjoyed watching him hit (except against Cincinnati) more than any other player in baseball, Manny and Alex Rodriguez included. Pujols is banged up. He’s a gamer though, and he says he’s going to play until ‘it tears right off the bone’. I’ll take Albert Pujols ailing over 99% of other players in baseball. What Pujols has done in this era is all the more amazing when you consider he’s done it clean. He’ll do his thing again this year and if he can play more than 150 games he’ll be a shot in the arm that makes this team contenders. Without Albert, the Cardinals are an ordinary team with plenty of holes to go around in their lineup.

Newcomer Skip Schumaker is expected to play a corner outfield spot (probably right) and lead off. He’s a good story and a good player, but he probably doesn’t stick long-term in this league. Speaking of great stories, look for Rick Ankiel to win the center field job and hit 2nd in front of the mighty Gigantosaur.

After that, the most important question on what kind of lineup this is going to be will be how much does Troy Glauss have left in the tank? Is he really a guy who can stay healthy and bolster a lineup as a clean-up hitter? Can he protect Pujols? The Cardinals swapped him with Scott Rolen from the Blue Jays, and he’s 23 home runs short of 300 for a career so he has something still to prove, especially coming off of some um, allegations.

I’m high on Chris Duncan but he’s not going to hit 40 HR. He’s more of a 30 guy but a gamer as well. Yadier Molina, Adam Kennedy, a pitcher, and Cezar Itzturis in the 9th spot round out the lineup. Don’t you love how La Russa puts players in the 9th spot instead of a pitcher for the sake of being creative? I don’t.

Rating: 8.1

Pitching
I must say, I’m not overly impressed with this group. At the same time, they’re not terrible and they have already done what they came to do, they won the World Series in 2006. For now, they’re playing with house money. The starting rotation is made up of 5 righties: Adam Wainwright (ace), Braden Looper, Joel Piniero, Matt Clement, and Anthony Reyes. I should state that this group is an overall Wildcard. Wainwright should soon have a breakout season that makes him a bonafide ace. He’s got it all. Looper is scrappy but was converted from the bullpen. He showed a lot of tough makeup during his first year as a starter. Piniero has always been solid but not spectacular. Clement was once an above average to high end starter but is battling coming back from injury. Anthony Reyes has un-tapped potetial and needs to realize it soon before someone else does.

Don’t forget about Mark Mulder, who should be back in the 2nd month of the season.

I think this is the year that Jason Isringhausen finally implodes. Izzy has been waiting to break down for a few years now it seems, and he’s really been under fire from the Cardinal faithful. By season’s end, they’ll be looking for a new closer. He brings the overall rating of this group down at this point in his career. The Cardinals should be looking to groom a youngster to take over and allow Isringhausen to set up for him. Lefties Randy Flores and Tyler Johnson are dime-a-dozen guys. I like Brad Thompson’s arm, but that’s only half the equation.

Rating: 7.8

Manager
I look at Tony La Russa as baseball’s version of Tom Coughlin in a lot of ways. The ultimate micro-manager who drives his fan base nuts with his miniscule micro-moves. You cannot question his resume, the guy just wins. He also delivered in 2006 with a World Championship. At the same time, those small moves that are more often than not right (and we’re left wrong) are so criticsized.

People need to get off La Russa. The guy should be able to write his contract and manage these Cardinals as long as he wants. St. Louis is his town. That’s his dugout at the new Busch, just ask Albert Pujols. He is a great in-game manager and adds anywhere from 7-15 wins per year to teams he manages. Consistently he gets more from a roster of less, as much as any skipper in the league. Hot tempered? Sure he is. La Russa won’t be around forever, so I ask Cardinal fans to appreciate what they have in him now. I’ve watched him do his thing since I was a kid and he’s an excellent baseball man, and man in general.

Rating: 9.1

Intangibles/Chemistry
I won’t say it is the finest baseball town in America but it’s in the top 3. The Cardinals are the end all and be all for fans in St. Louis, and that helps teams. They play in a beautiful new stadium and play hard for their manager. I like the veterans they have on the bench, but not at a high level. They’re not going to steal a ton of bases. They should be able to catch the ball and throw it fine, and you won’t hear of them not playing well together. That’s the only time chemistry is really an issue and you hear about it. They’ll play fine together.

Rating: 8.0

Overall
There’s plenty to be excited about Cardinals fans. It’s that time of year. You’ve got baseball’s best player and a fine young ace to bolster your staff. I simply don’t think this is that talented of a Cardinals team. I like them more than the Astros but less than the Brewers (where does that leave the Reds?). If Pujols is 100%, which he is not, this might be a division winner. They have many questions and it will be an interesting season, but the thing to remember is the year they won the World Series; there were as many if not more questions for this team. Isn’t that what makes baseball great?

Rating: 8.2