2012 MLB Handicapping: St. Louis Cardinals
Anyone who closely follows Major League Baseball fully understands the impact that first basemen Albert Pujols had on the St. Louis Cardinals, but with his departure via free agency to the Los Angeles Angels, we now have to try and estimate his impact on not being on this team.
MLB Team Betting Previews- St. Louis Cardinals
Odds to Win the NL Central: +250
Odds to Win the National League Pennant: +900
Odds to Win the World Series: +2000
2012 Projected Win Total: 87
We already know how the Oddmakers have viewed this loss; listing the defending World Series champions as just the third-favorite to even win their division. The Cardinal faithful have not given-up on their team and after taking a closer look at the level of talent that is left on the roster; there could actually be some tremendous value in these odds.
St. Louis led the NL in hitting last season with a team batting average of .273 and even though Pujols hit .299, there were four other players with at least 400 at-bats that hit .296 or better. In an effort to replace the gaping hole in the lineup, the Cardinals signed Carlos Beltran, who hit .300 last season with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. If players such as David Freeze and Allen Craig can hit like they did in the 2011 postseason, St. Louis could end-up being just as potent at the plate in 2012.
The starting rotation will automatically be better if Adam Wainwright can successfully return to form after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The rest of the rotation features Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse, and Jake Westbrook. Even without Wainwright in the rotation, the Cardinals had a respectable 3.74 ERA and a manageable WHIP of 1.31. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
The Cardinals also have top-prospect Shelby Miller waiting in the wings to move into the rotation as many project that the hard-throwing right-hander could be a starter in the Majors by late summer. The bullpen is still filled with some solid arms, but was a cause for concern at times last season and did cost the team some games over the course of the year.
While everyone continues to fret over the loss of Pujols, a bigger impact could be the loss of Tony LaRussa, who was instrumental in managing this team to the World Series title. He will be replaced by Mike Matheny, who has never served as a full-time coach at any level, but has ties to the organization from his days as a catcher with the team. He was hired for his leadership skills, but there will definitely be a learning curve this season as he grows into the role.
2012 Outlook
St.Louis has more than enough talent on its current roster to win the NL Central this season, but it is highly doubtful it has enough to get by Philadelphia a second year in-a-row should the two teams meet again in the postseason. The loss of Pujols is still bound to cost the Cardinals a few games along the way, so the ‘under’ on the 87-game win total is probably the smart play. Fortunately, if they can find a way to win more than 85 games it might still be enough to win this division.
Prediction: 85-77 and second in the NL Central
