The National League Central has been a battle between the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Brewers over the last few years. The Houston Astros always seem to make a run. The Cincinnati Reds have improved and are hoping to compete in 2010. The Pittsburgh Pirates always hope to play well but they field a team of young talent that every team hopes to make a trade for. Every veteran team needs young talent to win. The Brewers have become successful with the infusion of Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and Corey Hart. The Cardinals have seen Yadier Molina become the best catcher in the game. The Cubs may have a double-play combination of Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot (who played together at LSU). The Reds have Cuban phenom pitcher Aroldis Chapman to go with Dominican hurlers Edison Volquez and Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey. Every year the Pirates have new talent to throw into the fire with last year bringing up outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones. Who will have a breakout year in 2010? Let’s take a look.

Colby Rasmus

Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals (CF): Rasmus was the best player in the disappointing three game sweep at the hands of the LA Dodgers in the National League Division Series. He doubled three times and reached base six times, which was a resurgence for the outfielder who struggled in the second half. However the sky is the limit for Rasmus.

“I think Colby was, overall, remarkable,” manager Tony LaRussa said. “He had to live up to the expectations of fans. The organization has hyped him. He had to earn the job on a club that had a chance to win.” These expectations came with the honor of being named the Cardinals number 1 prospect and a preseason candidate for Rookie of the Year.

Heading into the 2009 spring training, Rasmus lifted weights to hopefully add more power to his well-rounded game. However he dealt with injuries and illness in the second half that saw him hit just .216 with 5 homeruns and 18 RBIs. Overall he hit .261 with 25 doubles, two triples, 16 homeruns, and 52 RBIs. So this offseason he focused more on endurance that will keep him effective for six or seven months. The key for Rasmus is to expand his 2009 first-half numbers (.278 average) over an entire season.

Rasmus believes a year of experience will help him live up to the expectations. “I feel more relaxed,” Rasmus said. “I kind of know that to expect going in.” The club will be counting on Rasmus at the top of the order and one of their only left-handed bats. He will need to improve his on-base percentage if Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Ryan Ludwick want to put up huge RBI numbers. When Skip Schumaker is in the lineup, Rasmus will probably bat further down in the order. He does not feel entitlement to the centerfield job. He knows he needs to work just as hard to help the Cardinals win. So far this spring training, Rasmus is 4-for-7 with zero strikeouts.

Casey McGehee

Casey McGehee, Milwaukee Brewers (3B): In 2009, McGehee was slated for a utility role (though he was a long shot to even make the club out of spring training), but he became an everyday player with a .368 average and 5 homeruns in June. He cooled off in mid-summer but finished strong in September with a .337 average and 5 homeruns. Only Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard had more RBIs in September than McGehee (27 to 26). His performance made Bill Hall expendable.

Brewers GM Doug Melvin has compared McGehee to the LA Dodgers Casey Blake, in that Blake developed late. The big question is whether or not McGehee can carry his stellar rookie season over to 2010. If not, the 27 year old could give up at-bats to prospect Mat Gamel. McGehee played 2009 on a bum knee but had surgery to clean out loose bodies, though the problem could persist. However McGehee proved he can push and perform through the pain. “I think there’s a huge difference between being injured and being hurt. If you can get out there and play, you should get out there when you’re called upon,” McGehee said. McGehee is 2-for-7 so far in spring training. Look for McGehee to give Prince Fielder protection in the order throughout the 2010 season.

Tags:

Casey McGehee, Colby Rasmus, Milwaukee Brewers, NL Central, St. Louis Cardinals, Tony LaRussa

Jarrod Washburn with Seattle

There are quite a few veteran starting pitchers on the free agent market. One, Mark Mulder, has decided to retire instead of trying to make it back to the majors on a minor league deal. Injuries had derailed Mulder’s career since he was one of the Big 3 dominating with the Oakland A’s. Left-hander Jarrod Washburn had had a dominant career with the Seattle Mariners. He went 8-6 with a 2.64 ERA in 20 starts in 2009 before being traded to the Detroit Tigers to help their playoff run. However Washburn completely fell apart with the Tigers, partly due to a gimpy knee, posting a 7.33 ERA in 8 starts. At 35 years old, Washburn has had few teams interested and his horrendous second half may be the reason why. Many wonder which Washburn will show up in 2010 and many are not offering long-term deals. He reportedly turned down a 1 year, $5 million offer from the Minnesota Twins. Washburn has stated that he would return to Seattle in a heartbeat and negotiations have been underway. He has made a point to say that he is in no hurry to sign because he does not like spring training anyway. Washburn believes that retirement is an option because he does not need the money to play. The team must be a perfect fit for him and his family and since he still has a home in Seattle and loved his time there, the Mariners may be the fit.

Pedro Martinez in Lehigh Valley

Pedro Martinez is in an interesting position. Last year, he was dazzling in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic, yet he still did not receive any serious offers until midseason. After signing with the Philadelphia Phillies in July and going through the minor leagues for seasoning, Pedro dominated until he seemed to run out of gas in the World Series. Pedro went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in 9 starts (44.2 innings) with the Phillies. He walked just eight while striking out 37. He was also dominant against the LA Dodgers in the NLCS. Many believe that Pedro no longer has the stamina to complete a full Major League season so he most likely will be a hot commodity at midseason. He proved in 2009 that he still can pitch competitively without the blazing fastball. The Phillies remain interested in bringing Pedro back, especially if the fifth starter falters.

John Smoltz with St. Louis

John Smoltz found very few takers after his release from the Boston Red Sox as he pitched poorly as a starter with them (2-5 with an 8.33 ERA in 8 starts though he did not walk many: 9BB/33K). The St. Louis Cardinals took a chance and he pitched much better (1-3 with a 4.26 ERA in 7 starts with 9BB/40K). Now with just two days before pitchers must report to spring training, Smoltz sill has not signed. Smoltz is interested in returning to St. Louis but he may be in the same situation as Pedro. At his age (43), he may be best suited to sign at midseason and help with a team’s playoff pitch if he chooses to remain a starter. If he decides to return to the bullpen, teams may be more interested because almost every team needs a veteran reliever. Smoltz will not be the All-Star closer he was with the Atlanta Braves, but I am sure he can help some team in 2010.

Tags:

Detroit Tigers, Jarrod Washburn, John Smoltz, Mark Mulder, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals fans finally got their Christmas/New Year’s wish: leftfielder Matt Holliday. With the Cardinals in the second half of 2009, Holliday provided protection for slugger Albert Pujols by hitting .353 with a .419 on-base percentage in 63 games. He hit 13 homeruns and drove in 55. He was only 2-for-12 (a homerun was on of the two hits) in the Division Series against the LA Dodgers (no one else produced offensively in the Dodgers three-game sweep either) but many will remember him for the 9^th inning dropped fly ball in a game the Cardinals would lose later that inning.

Holliday’s contract is for seven years (with an option for 2017) for $120 million (pending a physical). He also has a full no-trade clause, which is a provision that is an emphasis of agent Scott Boras. Holliday got the long and lucrative contract that he wanted and the Cardinals got the player they wanted (and gave up a lot to acquire at the trading deadline in 2009). His contract is the largest in the Cardinals’ club history, surpassing Pujols’ 7 year, $100 million contract. Holliday’s contract is also the largest this offseason, surpassing John Lackey’s 5 year, $82.5 million contract with the Boston Red Sox.

“The way Cardinals fans treated me the entire time I was there, from the first at-bat until the last at-bat, I definitely think that’s something you consider, and something I did consider,” Holliday told Doug Gottlieb on ESPN Radio. Cardinals fans have been known to be some of the best in all of sports, so who wouldn’t want to play in St. Louis?

Matt Holliday

I like that the Cardinals signed Holliday because he has been a force in the National League since his rookie year in 2004 with the Colorado Rockies. However, were those numbers inflated because he played half of his games at Coors Field? Holliday can hit and that never really has been questioned (though he struggled in Oakland). He will provide the protection of Pujols that the Cardinals so desperately need. The combination of Holliday, Colby Rasmus, and Ryan Ludwick in the outfield is pretty potent. The biggest concern is his defense. He is not the greatest of defensive outfielders as his blunder in the playoffs showed. Holliday made 5 errors combined between Oakland and St. Louis and had 7 assists (though he only had 1 error and 1 assist with the Cardinals). My biggest concern with the entire deal is that the game’s best player is Pujols and his contract will be expiring soon. Will the Cardinals have the money to re-sign Pujols for the rest of his career? We all know he is a better player than Holliday, so he will ask for more than $17 million a season. Hopefully the Cardinals will not be a cast of characters around Pujols and Holliday because they won’t be able to afford any other top-notch players (like re-signing Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, or Rasmus). I just think the Cardinals may have overpaid for Holliday, despite the fact that his offensive numbers are great and he is only going to be 30. Can Holliday continue his offensive barrage into his mid-to-late 30s? Only time will tell.

Tags:

Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals

Albert Pujols

The St. Louis Cardinals will always be in contention with perennial MVP Albert Pujols in its lineup. However to win it all, they need hitters around Pujols, a solid pitching staff, and a reliable bullpen. In 2009, the Cardinals boasted the best 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Chris Carpenter (17-4 with a 2.24 ERA in 28 starts with 144 strikeouts) and Adam Wainwright (19-8 with a 2.63 ERA in 233 innings pitched and 212 strikeouts) finished second and third in the CY Young voting, and were joined by Joel Pineiro to give opposing clubs jitters when facing the Cardinals for a 3-game set. But it wasn’t until July that the Cardinals took over the National League Central. Sure “Super” Joe Thurston, Skip Schumaker, Brendan Ryan, Colby Rasmus, Ryan Ludwick, and Yadier Molina were solid batting around Pujols. New GM John Mozeliak added thunder around King Albert in July with Julio Lugo, Mark DeRosa, and Matt Holliday, which led to the take off of the Cardinals. Holliday awoke from his Oakland slumber and Redbird’s fans quickly fell in love.

Ryan Franklin earned the closer’s role after the season started but late in the year began to falter (4-3 with a 1.92 ERA in 62 games and converted 38 of 43 save opportunities). Outside of Franklin and their two left-handed relievers (Trever Miller and Dennys Reyes), the Cardinals bullpen was hardly lights out.

Winning the NL Central in 2009 did nothing to help them in the playoffs as the offense went to sleep and the pitching staff pitched poorly (except for Wainwright and John Smoltz in relief), leading to a three-game sweep at the hands of the LA Dodgers. It has been a very quiet offseason for the Cardinals, despite having quite a few holes to fill and many free agents (Rick Ankiel, DeRosa, Holliday, Pineiro, Thurston, etc). Mozeliak will need to make some moves to make the Cardinals better or King Albert may just file for free agency and leave St. Louis. Here’s their wish list:

1. 

   Matt Holliday

   Re-sign Matt Holliday: Maybe this is why the Cardinals have been so quiet this offseason. They are playing the waiting game with Holliday. St. Louis desperately wants him back but his price range and length of contract may be too high and may put them out of the running for Pujols when he becomes a free agent. Many want the deal done soon, which may lead to the Cardinals to look for another leftfielder. Skip Schumaker could move back out there after a year at second base with Brendan Ryan moving to second.

2. Starting pitching: The Cardinals have two aces in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, both of whom who are workhorses when healthy. However pitching coach Dave Duncan’s reclamation project, Joel Pineiro, is a free agent and will probably get big money elsewhere. Kyle Lohse, who pitched well in 2008, struggled for much of 2009 (6-10 with a 4.74 ERA in 22 starts) and the Cardinals will need him to step up in 2010. The number five spot in the rotation was a rotating cast of characters who were inconsistent (Todd Wellemeyer, Brad Thompson, Mitchell Boggs, PJ Walters, and John Smoltz). The one signing this offseason was of starter Brad Penny, who pitched brilliantly for the SF Giants in the second half (4-1 with a 2.59 ERA in 6 starts with 20 Ks). The key is to have that Penny pitch in 2010. The Cardinals could use two more starters to push both Penny and Lohse and to battle for the 5^th spot in the rotation.
3. A third baseman: The Cardinals traded Gold Glove winner Scott Rolen for Troy Glaus and Glaus spent his tenure on the DL. They traded top prospect Brett Wallace to Oakland for Holliday. In the second half of 2009, third base was filled by now free agent Mark DeRosa. “Super” Joe Thurston played everywhere and got a lot of time at third, but he just signed with Atlanta.
4. A bench: The Cardinals did re-sign backup catcher Jason LaRue, giving them a reliable catcher to give Yadier Molina an occasional rest. After that, the bench is pretty bare. They could use a middle infielder, an outfielder, and someone with power. Tyler Greene will probably fill the middle infield spot and the Cardinals have a few outfielders (Joe Mather and Nick Stavinoha). However none have much power.
5. Upgrades to the bullpen: The Cardinals need experience at the back end of the bullpen, preferably someone with closing capabilities. They desperately need a setup man if they’re going to stick with Ryan Franklin as the closer.

Tags:

Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols, Brad Penny, Chris Carpenter, Joe Thurston, Joel Pineiro, Kyle Lohse, Mark DeRosa, Matt Holliday, Ryan Franklin, Skip Schumaker, St. Louis Cardinals

Every postseason, there are disappointing players and teams and thus those teams usually end up losing. Last year, the Tampa Bay Rays were the talk of the baseball world. They hit 16 homeruns against the Red Sox in the ALCS. However in the World Series, the power was zapped from the players and many struggled to just hit the ball. Thus the Rays lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies. For 14 seasons, the Atlanta Braves won their division, yet only once did the team come away with a World Championship.

This season, like every other postseason, there have been disappointments. First have been the first two opponents of the NY Yankees: the Minnesota Twins and the LA Angels. Both teams were lacking the fundamentals and is the main reason they are home and the Yankees are in the World Series. Both teams were victimized by fielding errors, baserunning blunders, and too many walks by the pitching staffs. The Twins made 2 errors in the Yankees three-game sweep. Poor baserunning plagued the Twins in the three games, like Nick Punto’s base running gaffe of trailing too far away from third base (and getting thrown out). The Twins combined to walk 9 batters in the ALDS. The Angels made 5 errors combined in Games 1 and 2, costing them both games in NY. They also had 2 errors in the 8^th inning of Game 6. In the two games the Angels won, they committed zero errors. The Angels also had a few baserunning blunders, including Vladimir Guerrero getting picked off of first on a shallow pop fly to right field and Bobby Abreu rounding second base too far. The Angels pitchers also walked too many, including the nine in the deciding Game 6. The Angels pitchers combined to walk 38 batters in the ALCS. The St. Louis Cardinals also had their problems: Matt Holliday’s error (dropping a fly ball to left) in Game 2 of the NLDS, which led to the Dodgers comeback win; 11 walks by Cardinals pitchers in 3 games; and the Cardinals inability to come up with a clutch hit.

Second, the Angels offense in the ALCS against the Yankees was meager. Except for Guerrero, Jeff Mathis (who didn’t play in every game), Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick (who also didn’t play in every game), and Torii Hunter, the offense was nonexistent. The top of the order (Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu) combined to hit around .146 with just 3 RBI and 4 runs scored. They also struck out 11 times. If the top of the order is not getting on base, the middle of the order (Guerrero and Hunter) will not have anyone to drive in. When the Angels did get men on base, like in Game 2 of the ALCS, they could not drive them in, stranding 16 runners in Game 2 alone.

Third, most of the closers throughout the postseason have been disappointing. Despite the Holliday miscue in left, Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin still had 2 outs with just one runner on base in Game 2 of the NLDS. He could not get the job done, resulting in a blown save and loss. Joe Nathan of the Twins came in the bottom of the 9^th in Game 2 of the ALDS and imploded, giving up a game-tying 2-run homerun to Alex Rodriguez. The game went into extra innings and the Twins lost a game they seemed to have in the bag going into the 9^th inning. In both Games 3 and 4 of the NLDS, Colorado Rockies closer Huston Street could not finish the game. In Game 3 of a tie game, Ryan Howard hit a sacrifice fly to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 6-5 lead. In Game 4 and handed a 4-2 lead in the 9^th, Street gave up a Howard 2-run double to tie the game and a bloop single to Jayson Werth to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead, sending the Phillies to the NLCS. In Game 3 of the ALCS, Red Sox closer Jonathon Papelbon was handed a 6-4 lead in LA. However, he could not get the third out without giving up the lead, sending the Angels to the ALCS. After the Angels had taken the lead in 11^th inning of Game 2 of the ALCS, Angels closer Brian Fuentes quickly gave up the lead as A-Rod homered off of him to tie the game at 3-3 and sending the game to further extra innings…a game later won by the Yankees.

This leads to the fourth disappointment, the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen versus the Phillies. Yes closer Jonathon Broxton blew another game (Game 4) to the Phillies in the NLCS but he was hardly the only one. Broxton yet again had to face pinch-hitter Matt Stairs but this time walked him, leading to Jimmy Rollins’ walk-off hit in the bottom of the 9^th. Dodgers setup man George Sherrill couldn’t repeatedly get hitters out. In his two innings pitched, Sherrill walked 3 and gave up 2 hits and 3 runs. Ronald Belisario pitched 3.1 innings, giving up 5 hits and four runs. Ramon Troncoso was the only solid member that came out of the bullpen, pitching 3 shutout innings, though he walked 3. Chad Billingsley pitched out of the bullpen and gave Joe Torre a solid 3+ innings, though he gave up 2 runs. Even starter Clayton Kershaw, who pitched poorly in Game 1 of the NLCS, was victimized out of the bullpen in Game 5 (2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP).

The final disappointment so far has been the offense from the Yankees’ Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher. Yes the two have been playing great defense at first base and right field, respectively. Teixeira has saved many errors with his stretching for throws at first base and Swisher has made some diving catches, even doubling off the Angels Guerrero at first base. The offense from the two, especially in the ALCS, has been virtually nonexistent. Teixeira was 6-for-27 with 4 RBI, 3 of which came in Game 5 on a 3-run double. Teixeira also struck out 8 times. Swisher had just 3 hits in 20 at-bats and 0 RBI, along with 7 strikeouts. Swisher had been so clutch for the Yankees all season but has not been able to come up with a big hit in the postseason. These two guys will be needed if the Yankees are to win another World Series title.

Tags:

Bobby Abreu, Brian Fuentes, Chad Billingsley, Chone Figgins, Clayton Kershaw, George Sherrill, Huston Street, Joe Nathan, Jonathon Broxton, Jonathon Papelbon, LA Angels, LA Dodgers, Mark Teixeira, Matt Holliday, Minnesota Twins, Nick Swisher, NY Yankees, Ramon Toncoso, Ronald Belisario, Ryan Frankline, St. Louis Cardinals