MLB Team Preview – St. Louis Cardinals
In MLB betting, the American League and National League are different beasts. Whereas the Red Sox and Yankees are shoe-ins to contend every year, the NL’s divisional and MLB Wild-Card playoff picture varies wildly. Remember when the Rockies made the World Series in 2007, then went 74-88 the last year?Because of the NL’s foggy nature, a team like the St. Louis Cardinals, who won 86 games in 2008, has plenty of hope for 2009.
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While the Cards certainly have holes defensively, no sportsbook follower can say they don’t have oodles of power at the dish. Albert Pujols is a modern-day Joe DiMaggio, sporting a .334 lifetime average. He strikes out roughly 50 times per season, an absurdly low number for a power hitter. He’ll fuel an offense that features a handful of all-or-nothing swingers. Rick Ankiel’s pitcher-to-hitter conversion is complete and he’ll provide 25-plus-homer power. Ryan Ludwick is the NL’s Cliff Lee -possibly underrated because online betting fans forget that he was projected as a top prospect years ago, then flopped. In other words, his monster 2008 (.299-37-113) didn’t quite come out of nowhere. Troy Claus and Chris Duncan can both hit the ball a mile, but neither guy can stay healthy.
An offseason acquisition for baseball betting fans to watch is Khalil Greene. It’s a given that he’ll add outstanding defense to a suspect Cards infield, but he could provide unexpected pop. Suppressed for years by Petco Park in San Diego, he was a career .225 hitter there but hit .270 on the road. He also showed much more power away from Petco, so I’d bet at the sportsbook that 2009 will be the best season of his career to date.
The Cardinals’ pitching staff is a true mystery; neither smashing success nor complete disaster would be surprising. Adam Wainright is the staff ace for now, though he doesn’t really have ace stuff. He improved his control dramatically last year and will give the Cards a chance to win on most days. Kyle Lohse’s career opponents’ batting average is .282, but he apparently fooled enough hitters to fool the Cards into paying him $10 million per season. Like Todd Wellemeyer, he could surprise again, but it’s no sure thing at the sportsbook.
The most interesting story in St. Louis this year will be the return of former NL Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter. Supposedly, he’s finally healthy, and a dominant spring attests to that. If he can even start 25 games in the 2009 MLB odds, he’ll greatly increase St. Louis’ Wild-Card hopes.
Surprise, surprise – Tony La Russa is being dodgy about his bullpen choices. For now, the closing job belongs to Jason Motte, who is unproven but has dominant stuff. He whiffed 16 guys in his 11-inning cup of coffee last season, so he could give St. Louis major bang for their buck.
Online betting fans shouldn’t mistake the Cards for a Central division title challenger; the Cubs will win the division in a walk. However, if the stars align and enough guys stay healthy, St. Louis could make a push for 90 wins and a Wild-Card berth. That’s a big “if.”
