Carlos Beltran returns to Missouri to fill the shoes of Albert Pujols. Photo: Tony Medina/Icon SMI
The St. Louis Cardinals finished the 2011 season 90-72, good for second place in the National League Central and the NL Wild Card. They staged two great comebacks to win the World Series, first going 23-9 over the last month of the season to pass Atlanta on the last day of scheduled play. Then against Texas, St. Louis found themselves down three runs with two innings to go in game six of the World Series. They rallied for a run in the eighth, two in the ninth to tie, two in the tenth to tie again, and a run in the 11th to win the game. They then went on to an easy 6-2 victory in game seven.
The team thrived on offense, with the top four position players, Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, and Yadier Molina combining for 18.6 bWAR. The pitching staff as a whole posted an 11.1 bWAR. The offense was deep as well, with most regulars producing in excess of one bWAR. Skip Schumaker was the only one under 1.0 at 0.6 bWAR. Chris Carpenter led the way on the pitching side with a 3.7 bWAR.
The Cardinals brought in the following personnel over the winter:
- Carlos Beltran, of
- Mike Matheny, MGR
- J.C. Romero, p
When a team wins the World Series, there appears to be little need for change. The two big moves were forced on the Cardinals. Tony La Russa retired from the game, leaving an opening in the manager’s office. Mike Matheny takes over in his first managerial role in the big leagues. On the field, Albert Pujols departed for Anaheim. The Cardinals replaced him with indirectly with Carlos Beltran. Lance Berkman will move to first, and Carlos will take over for Lance in the outfield.
Based on 2011 numbers, his is a wash. Pujols posted a 5.4 bWAR in 2011, Beltran combined for a 5.0 bWAR between the Mets and Giants. I don’t know if it will work out that way on the field. Both Carlos and Lance are getting old, and they’ve had seasons that showed their age lately. They could as easily combine for a 4.0 bWAR as post that level individually.
The Cardinals could make up for Pujols’s lost wins with a pitcher, however. Adam Wainwright returns from a year missed due to injury, and he is more than capable of producing a Cy Young season. The Cardinals may need that if the older players on offense start showing their age.