St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Preview, Predictions & Odds

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An epic second-half collapse cost the Cardinals a division title. They’ll need significant production from someone other than Pujols and Holliday to return to the top.

St. Louis Cardinals 2010 MLB Record: 86-76
St. Louis Cardinals 2010 MLB Home Record: 52-29
St. Louis Cardinals 2010 MLB Away Record: 34-47

St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Betting

St. Louis Cardinals Odds to Win the National League: +1500
St. Louis Cardinals Odds to Win the World Series: +3000

St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Preview & Prediction

A Cardinals club built around two of the finest starting pitchers in the league and two of the best hitters in the game discovered late in the season that it could not contend with its core alone. Injuries robbed the rotation of two starters in May, and inconsistencies sabotaged the offense. The Cardinals’ chronic lack of depth, on the roster and in the lineup, was most acute after they woke up on Aug. 13 in first place. They slid out of contention by going 3-20 against losing teams in the next five weeks. It was a vexing stretch from a club headlined by Albert Pujols (second in MVP voting), Adam Wainwright (second in Cy Young voting) and upstart Jaime Garcia (third in Rookie ofthe Year voting). With Wainwright and Chris Carpenter atop the rotation and Pujols and Matt Holliday fixtures in the lineup, the Cardinals will combat last year’s uncertainties with familiarity. They re-signed starter Jake Westbrook and landed two respected rivals, former Cub Ryan Theriot and signature Astro Lance Berkman, to alter the lineup and uplift the clubhouse. The Cardinals enhanced their rotation and offense, but their insurance against injury is still thin. Developing depth during the season will determine if that solid core gets a chance to play deep into October.

St. Louis Cardinals Manager: Tony La Russa – 16th year (33rd overall) Record: 2,638-2,293

Only Connie Mack and John McGraw have won more games in baseball history then LaRussa, who continues to distingish himself as the preeminent moder-day strategist.

St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Projected Batting Order: SS Ryan Theriot (R), RF Lance Berkman (S), 1B Albert Pujols (R), LF Matt Holliday (R), CF Colby Rasmus (L), 3B David Freese (R), C Yadler Molina (R), 2B Skip Schumaker (L).

St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Projected Rotation: RH Adam Wainwright, RH Chris Carpenter, RH Jake Westbrook, LH Jaime Garcia, RH Kyle Lohse.

St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Projected Closer: RH Ryan Franklin

2011 St. Louis Cardinals Offense:

St. Louis lines up with 2B Skip Schumaker, who’s made a career out of It Could Be Worse. SS Ryan Theriot is on board after an offseason trade. Nice to see “Cajun Rage” back in the division -we’re still hoping that nickname catches on. 1B Albert Pujols laughs at your weaknesses. OF Matt Holliday comes off anice year, but a bunch of semi-literate Cardinals fans still faulted him for basically not batting 1.000 with runners on base. He shifts to right field to make room for OF Lance Berkman in left, and oh man should this be interesting. Berkman has killed division opponents over his career, and he still carries a big stick. But he’s slower than aglacier, and hasn’t been an everyday outfielder in years. OF Colby Rasmus had a breakout season, in that he both put up big numbers and caused Tony LaRussa to break out in hives with his petulance. 3B David Freese looked solid before he got hurt. C Yadier Molina gives the team great defense and underrated offense.

2011 St. Louis Cardinals Rotation:

Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are a double-barreled shotgun of dominance. They remain a one-two punch that is envy of the league, and you might as well say their names together. One or both will earn Cy Young votes in 2011. Again, Jaime Garcia is a guy that caught us-and a lot of others-off-guard with his Rookie of the Year-type performance. We didn’t think he’d look this good, at least not this fast. He may never post microscopic ERAs for most of a season again, but he’s on the map and plays in pitcher-friendly Busch. Fourth starter Jake Westbrook came over in a silly three-way trade that cost the team Ryan LudWick, but he liked St. Louis so much he signed on for more. He’s nothing if not consistent. At the other end of the consistency spectrum is Kyle Lohse, and your guess is as good as ours how effective he’ll be. But based on how frequently he’s landed at both extremes with his performance, you should think twice about keeping him in your rotation the way the Cardinals have.

2011 St. Louis Cardinals Bullpen:

Ryan Franklin is still Tony LaRussa’s closer, but he and his goatee are definitely fraying around the edges. Approach with caution, because he’s still likely to be overvalued. It doesn’t help Franklin’s cause that there are two extremely qualified relievers right behind him who are ready to step up if need be. The first is Kyle McClellan, who has done what every GM dreams of, getting better every season in the big leagues. McClellan is equal opportunity nasty, shutting down both lefties and righties. The second is Jason Motte, who once upon a time was the starting catcher at Iona College, and in 2010 had a 32-inning scoreless streak. Not too shabby.

2011 St. Louis Cardinals Middle Infield:

Shortstop Brendan Ryan and second baseman Skip Schumaker stumbled, meandering through a difficult first half and hitting .245 combined overall. That necessitated a change. Ryan was shipped out to Seattle and Theriot was landed in a swap with the Dodgers. Desperate for a new look up the middle, the Cardinals willingly traded defense for more reliable offense, counting on Theriot’s savvy and bat to compensate for losing Ryan’s nimble glove. A career outfielder, Schumaker starts his third season in the infield, a move first inspired by his ability to hit .300 at leadoff.

2011 St. Louis Cardinals Corners:

Pujols, already a three-time MVP, flirted with a Triple Crown run in late August. He won a second Gold Glove, and he finished second in MVP voting for the fourth time his career, the first player in the expansion era to do so. Through his first 10 years, Pujols has more homers than Hank Aaron did, more RBIs than Stan Musial did, a higher average than Tony Gwynn had, and more runs than record-holder Rickey Henderson did. Pujols enters the final year of his first multi-year contract as the face of the game and its undisputed best hitter. Third baseman David Freese’s rookie season was undone by ankle troubles, and his absence accelerated the Cardinals’ offensive issues. If he remains healthy, Freese’s nose for RBIs will lengthen the lineup.

2011 St. Louis Cardinals Outfield:

In the first year of the biggest contract in club history, Holliday delivered as the desired bodyguard for Pujols and the only outfielder in the NL to rank in the top 10 in average (.312), on-base percentage (.390) and slugging (.532). He and Colby Rasmus, whose .498 slugging led all NL center fielders, give the Cardinals the potential for the most productive outfield tandem in the league, especially if Rasmus can maintain his strength through a season. To complete their outfield, the Cardinals took an opportunistic gamble — signing five-time All-Star Berkman for $8 million. Berkman adds a dimension to the lineup with his career .409 on-base percentage, but he hasn’t been an everyday outfielder since 2004, and he has been dogged by recent leg troubles. That risk is worth it for the Cardinals, who believe the jovial Berkman is positioned for a rebound year offensively.

2011 St. Louis Cardinals Catching:

Yadier Molina, a three-time Gold Glove winner, shouldered more innings behind the plate the past two seasons than any other catcher, leading with 1,138 in 2010. The mileage has meant knee trouble in three of past four years. It hasn’t eroded his game: Molina neutralized runners (49 percent caught) and caught for a career-best 3.24 ERA. Helped by backup Gerald Laird, the Cards will strive to demand less so Molina can give more later.

2011 St. Louis Cardinals Bench:

The Cardinals started 2010 with an inexperienced bench, believing that it would be beneficial financially and developmentally to stock it with youth. It didn’t take long to reconsider and add vets like Randy Winn and Aaron Miles for support. It’s a recipe poised for a repeat. Nick Punto joins the team after spending the past seven seasons in Minnesota. He has more than 200 career starts each at second, third and short. He should provide defensive support for Theriot. The Cardinals will lean on outfielders Allen Craig for power and Jon Jay for versatility. Tyler Greene and Daniel Descalso will audition for utility openings, though neither has a wealth of experience in the role.

St. Louis Cardinals 2011 Season Predictions

Once the class of the NL Central, the Cardinals watched last season as the Reds overtook them. Now it looks Ii.ke the Brewers are poised to leapfrog St. Louis as well. As long as the likes of Pujols, Holliday, and Carpenter are around, the Cards will be solid. But there doesn’t appear to be enough supporting cast to get this group over the hump. – We predict that the St. Louis Cardinals will finish 82-80 & 3rd in the NL Central Division.

St. Louis Cardinals 5-Year Win Trend

2006: 1st NL Central 83
2007: 3rd NL Central 78
2008: 4th NL Central 86
2009: 1st NL Central 91
2010: 2nd NL Central 86

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