The Cardinals Are Struggling, And Here's Why
This Cardinal team has way too many average players, and no super stars, and it’s really showing. The roster is full of second basemen, Gyorko, Diaz, Wong, Garcia, and arguably Carpenter, who are plugged in all over the infield, no true shortstop, and no solid option at third base. The outfield defense has the potential to be really good, but even Grichuk and Piscotty have shown they still have a lot to learn. And let’s not forget how bad the bullpen and starting pitching has been.
Last offseason, they opted to pass on guys like Yoenis Cespedes, Mark Trumbo, Edwin Encarnacion, Justin Turner, Kenely Jansen, Aroldis Chapman, and Mark Melancon, to name a few. They decided to stick to their guns, add a center fielder, and “win from within,” which was bound to catch up with them sooner or later.
So far this season, it looks like it’s going to be sooner. The offense sorely misses a star player, that can carry a team, and give them the assurance of 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs. If you look at some of the best Cardinal teams of the last fifteen seasons, you will notice that there is at least one of those guys in the middle of the lineup. In 2004 and 2006 it was Pujols, Edmonds, and Rolen, also guys who played Gold Glove defense. From 2009 through 2011 it was Pujols, Holliday, and the 2011 addition of Lance Berkman. 2012 had Holliday, Beltran, and Berkman, as did 2013 with the exception of the latter. From there on, the role fell solely on the shoulders of Holliday, until this season.
This season, the Cardinals are expecting Matt Carpenter to be that guy, and while he is a very professional hitter, he isn’t a middle of the order bat, he’s a leadoff man. However, with the acquisition of Dexter Fowler, Carpenter was moved down to the 3 hole, where he has historically struggled, for whatever reason. Piscotty, who is planned to be the clean-up hitter, is better suited for the sixth spot, much like Grichuk, Adams, Gyorko, and Peralta.
If you’ve been doing the math, that makes for 5 second basemen, 2 leadoff hitters, 5 sixth place hitters, no third basemen or shortstops, and no 3, 4, or 5 hitters. Not a well rounded roster at all. Much of what should’ve been improved on from last year has only carried over. And on top of all of this, the starting rotation is full of 4 and 5 guys, with the exception of Martinez, and the bullpen has been terrible, which we should have seen coming.
Hopefully, Mozeliak can make some moves, before the trade deadline, to improve this team, though it would take a lot, and maybe they can sneak in the playoffs. I do like to see the extensions given to the young guys, who look like they will be solid, consistent players, and Yadier Molina. I think these extensions might mean Mo is looking forward to the 2019 free agent class, with an eye on guys like Manny Machado, Daniel Murphy, Brian Dozier, and some of the impact arms that will be available after next season. At least that gives us Cards fans something to look forward too, even if this season is a bust.
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