MLB Season Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

Even without Albert Pujols, Tony LaRussa, and Dave Duncan, the Cardinals are equipped to win the NL Central.

Lance Berkman recently gave away
Adam Wainwright's truck in an April Fool's prank.

Offense: The Cardinals managed the departure of Pujols perfectly. Lance Berkman shifts to first base and his replacement in right field, Carlos Beltran, is a massive defensive upgrade. And excellent insurance for Beltran's health is already in place: Allen Craig homered every 18.2 at-bats last year (comparable to David Ortiz). Much of Pujols' offense should be recovered between those players. Matt Holliday, usually a very durable player, suffered some unlucky injuries in 2011 and should add additional value this year. At third base, David Freese is looking to carry the momentum from his historic postseason into 2012. Besides Yadier Molina, perhaps baseball's best catcher, the Cardinals aren't particularly strong up the middle with Rafael Furcal, Daniel Descalso, and Jon Jay--but they already won the World Series with that group, so it's not terribly concerning.

He's baaaaack.

Pitching: Last year, the Cardinals had to make do without incumbent ace Adam Wainwright. He's back now, though it remains to be seen how his command will be affected by his Tommy John surgery. Of course, once one workhorse gets healthy, the other gets hurt: Chris Carpenter is out indefinitely with a nerve condition. Fortunately the Cardinals have depth: Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse, and Jake Westbrook are mostly reliable, and Lance Lynn will simply slot into the rotation from the bullpen. On top of those arms, Shelby Miller awaits in the minors as perhaps the best right-handed pitching prospect in baseball. And while 2011 began with Ryan Franklin and Miguel Batista as the anchors of the bullpen, that unit now features incredible depth, from Jason Motte and Fernando Salas to Eduardo Sanchez and Marc Rzepczynski.

Freese may have hit a home run
in the playoffs or something.

Breakout Candidates: His playoff explosion only confirmed what we already knew--David Freese can mash. He's a career .300 hitter who started 2012 on the right foot with three hits in Miami. The only problem has been health, as he's never played 100 games in a season. Allen Craig is another young hitter with breakout potential, but he must first get healthy and then somehow carve out enough playing time.

3 Key Questions: Can Berkman, Beltran, Holliday, Furcal, and Freese stay on the field for 140+ games? Does Wainwright get back to 100%? And can the Cardinals' depth withstand the Carpenter injury?

Best Case Scenario: Wainwright returns to Cy Young form, Jaime Garcia becomes the newest St. Louis ace, Freese is a top-5 third baseman, the lineup stays healthy, and the Cardinals win the Central and return to the World Series.

Worst Case Scenario: A frail lineup is ravaged by injuries, Wainwright gets hit hard, Carpenter never returns, and the Pujols-less Cardinals finish third and out of the playoffs.

Predicted Finish: Losing Pujols will be offset by an improved bullpen, better seasons from Freese and Holliday, and the addition of Beltran. The NL Central race will be tight, but the Cardinals will come out on top and return to the postseason.