A Divisional Title for St. Louis is No Longer a Certainty

Before Spring Training got underway, I had the Cardinals winning their division.  Despite the improvements by their divisional opponents, I felt that as long as the Cardinals had their rotation in tact, they would win the NL Central without a problem.  Well, unfortunately for the Cardinals, their ace Adam Wainwright will not pitch in 2011 due to Tommy John surgery.  The loss of Wainwright is certainly a big blow for the ball club.  The Cardinals will now have to find a pitcher to take over the number five spot in the rotation. 

There are a lot of candidates for last spot in the rotation.  These candidates include reliever Kyle McClellan, non-roster invitees Miguel Batista, Ian Snell, Brandon Dickson, and Lance Lynn.  Lynn appeared in yesterday’s spring training game against the Mets.  Lynn pitched three shutout innings allowing just one hit and struck out three batters.  Lynn used his nasty breaking ball on two of his three strikeouts.  

Other than the pitching rotation, the Cardinals have a couple of concerns in the lineup.  As of now, David Freese is penciled in as the everyday third baseman.  Freese as endured ankle injuries in each of the last two seasons, which has not allowed him to succeed with the Cardinals.  In his last full season in 2008 with AAA Memphis, Freese hit .313, belted 26 home runs, and knocked in 91 runs.  It’s not a matter of production from the third baseman; it’s a matter of staying healthy.

The other problem with the Cardinals is how much playing time outfielder Jon Jay will get this season.  During the offseason, the Cardinals signed Lance Berkman to provide another solid bat to the lineup.  The signing of Berkman puts Jay is a tough situation.  Chances are Berkman will not start everyday and so Jay would be his immediate replacement.  I also believe that Jay could be used as a late inning replacement for Berkman, giving Jay at least one at bat a game.  Jon Jay certainly deserves an everyday job.  Last season, hit .300, with four homeruns, and 27 runs batted in.  In yesterday’s game against the Mets, Jay went 2 for 3 with an RBI double and a sacrifice bunt.  Considering the circumstances, however, he will have to settle for the backup outfielder role.

You can’t talk about the Cardinals without mentioning Albert Pujols.  So, now that we know that Pujols will not negotiate a new contract during the season, what kind of impact will that have one the team?  I feel that as long as the Cardinals are in contention for a playoff spot, there will be no problems.  If the Cardinals are not in contention however, it will be an extremely long season in St. Louis.  The Cardinals definitely have enough talent to be in contention for a playoff spot this coming season despite the loss of their ace Adam Wainwright.

Next Team: Atlanta Braves