Can the Cardinals Repeat as World Series Champions?
The St. Louis Cardinals look to begin their title-defense today when they kickoff the regular season against the Miami Marlins.
Today's Major League Baseball's official Opening Day, considered by thousands of St. Louisans as an unofficial holiday. And while the St. Louis Cardinals' home opener is really where it's at, that's not stopping us from getting into the baseball mood!
There's no shortage of story lines for the 2012 Cardinals as they look to defend last season's World Series Championship when the season kicks off today against the Miami Marlins.
The team is missing perhaps three of its biggest names of the past decade in manager Tony La Russa, pitching coach Dave Duncan—both of whom retired—and, of course, Albert Pujols, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels.
Former Cards catcher Mike Matheny is the new manager. And the Redbirds will look to fill the void left by Pujols with a handful of new and familiar names.
Baseball Prospectus, a website dedicated to sabermetric analysis, has the Cardinals winning 89 games and winning the National League Central this season. And ESPN's Power Rankings rates the Redbirds as the ninth best team in the league.
How many games do you think the Cardinals will win this season? Will they make the playoffs?
Do you think Chris Carpenter will make a difference this season? Can Adam Wainwright contend for the Cy Young?
And what about the offense? Will David Freese continue his torrid 2011 playoff pace? Can Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman make up for the absence of Albert Pujols?
Joe Scott
8:18 am on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I think that depends on one thing: health. The year already hasn't started off well with Carpenter, Furcal and Craig on the DL or ailing. You've got Wainwright coming off surgery; Berkman, Holliday, Beltran and Freese with histories of injury issues. None of that would matter if the Cards still had a certain first baseman. Without Pujols, it matters. Even so, I think they battle through and make the playoffs. How far they go depends on how healthy they are at season's end--or if Mo can pull off some season-saving deals the way he did last year.
Ball Hawk
10:44 am on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
UNfortunately, the odds on favorite to win the 2012 World Series is, alas, the Anaheim Angels because, after all people, this is an individual, not a team sport and where Albert is, goes the Championship .... (do you think he'll have anything StL on at his Hall of Fame induction?) .....
Candace Jarrett
8:45 pm on Friday, April 6, 2012
In the most recent ESPN magazine, he at least gave STL its props, but said it was a business decision. I don't think he's enough to turn around the Angels.
Joe Barker
1:01 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
How good the Cardinals do this season really depends on health. If the team stays healthy, there is no reason they shouldn't be in the playoffs.
Thomas J. Stein
2:33 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Well, the season will start without Chris Carpenter, Rafael Furcal and Allen Craig, who are all on the DL, and that's a sure sign of trouble for the Cardinals. Also, recent history is not on the Cards' side. After winning the World Series in 1964, 1982 and 2006, the Cardinals finished BELOW .500 in each of the seasons that followed (1965, 1983 and 2007). I don't see why 2012 should be any different than '65, '83 and '07. My prediction:65-97 (sixth place in NL Central), and worst in the NL. Mike Matheny will NOT last an entire season as Cardinals manager. Guaranteed.
Jason Wescoat
4:06 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
'64 is recent history?!? I'll give you 2006, but half the team now wasn't even alive in '82 either. Of course, in 2006 we were a terrible team (83 wins if memory serves) that got hot at the right time. In 2007, our best pitcher missed the season.
This team has a much better chance of doing well, if, as the Joe's have mentioned, we are healthy. If we're not healthy, we might just be terrible.
There's no way Matheny will get fired during his first year unless all heck breaks loose. I don't care if they do end up in 6th in the Central, he's got a leash of at least a couple of years while they bring up the young kids to replace the old dudes.
Gregg Palermo
4:33 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I put the over/under at 94 games and go from there. I have to say I'm already tired of the "how will they do without Pujols, Duncan, LaRussa" angle, and we haven't even started the season. Having said that, I can't remember a team being better prepared for handling this kind of scenario, or at least not being compromised enough to just fall apart (depending on Carpenter's health). Is that saying more about Milwaukee (No Fielder, Braun in the post-testing controversy, etc) and other league rivals than it does St. Louis? You could make that case.
Jim LaLonde
10:42 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The Cardinals could win, but a lot of mistakes will be made by the rookie manager and the team being re-tooled. In the long run, it will be pitching that counts.
Candace Jarrett
8:43 pm on Friday, April 6, 2012
I couldn't agree more with you Jim. The pitching will be vital but it also seems like they always get older or injured pitchers.