The strangest aspect of last fall was seeing the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians play for the World Series. The fact the St. Louis Cardinals were not in the post-season at all was a close second in terms of oddities. 2016 marked the first time in six seasons—and just the fifth occasion in the past 17 years—that St. Louis failed to qualify for the playoffs.
As we approach the 2017 season, we’re previewing what’s ahead for each of the 30 MLB teams. The St. Louis Cardinals are next:
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Up-and-coming player to watch
This space would undoubtedly have been devoted to Alex Reyes had the starting pitcher not gone under the knife for Tommy John surgery in February. That being the case, though, we’ll give the nod to shortstop Aledmys Diaz.
The Cuban was a surprise saviour 12 months ago, stepping up to fill the void created after Jhonny Peralta was lost to a thumb injury in spring training. There’s a sense Diaz could be hard pressed to duplicate his 17 homers, but his ability to get on base will be a boon at the top of the Cardinals order. Diaz finished fifth in voting for National League Rookie of the Year and is just the latest in a long line of players that has opposing fans wondering, ‘Where does St. Louis find these guys?’
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What a successful 2017 would look like
A division title might be tough with the powerhouse Cubs in the NL Central—the Cards won 86 times last year and still finished 17.5 games behind Chicago—but a second consecutive October absence would not go over well in baseball-mad Missouri.
The off-season brought a new leadoff hitter in Dexter Fowler and some left-handed bullpen strength in the form of ex-Blue Jay Brett Cecil. St. Louis also has a few reasonable candidates for bounce-backs in 2017, especially on the mound. Lance Lynn will return to the bump after missing all of 2016 while recovering from Tommy John and if he can recapture the form that saw him go 15-10 in both 2013 and ’14, the rotation will be in much better shape. Adam Wainwright, who missed most of 2015 with a devastating Achilles injury, went 13-9 in his first season back. While his days of competing for the Cy Young might be over, the six-foot-seven righty can still be a highly effective hurler.
Trevor Rosenthal has battled some injury concerns, but if he can get anywhere close to the pitching that helped him save a combined 93 games in 2014 and ’15, the bullpen—now anchored by Seung-hwan Oh—will be tight.
If a few things break right for St. Louis, a return to the post-season very much in play. And once you’re there…
Biggest remaining question
You’ll note, the previous section about the pitching staff does contain its share of “ifs.”
Beyond that, there’s no one single question dogging St. Louis other than can it be better than the other non-division winners—think teams like the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets—and claim one of the two wild-card berths?
The co-faces of the franchise, Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina, will be 36 and 35, respectively, by Aug. 30 and it’s officially fair to wonder if St. Louis can win it all again with them as lead horses. That said, the Cards are expert at squeezing the most out of what they have.
