Tony La Russa, 1408-1182, .544 W-L%, 2020 Cardinals (Post-Dispatch photo by Laurie Skrivan), With the designated hitter in play, Carpenter, at age 34, will assume that role on occasion, opening the door for Tommy Edman to see more time at third, where he did quite well this past season when Carpenter was sat down. In addition to Kim and Ponce de Leon, there are hard-throwing lefthander Genesis Cabrera, who made a couple of starts last year, and lefthander Austin Gomber, who was 4-0 at Memphis before encountering biceps problems, which effectively ended his season. Having the green light helped, and Wong should have more opportunities when he hits first in this year’s lineup. “I’ve got a lot to prove, and I’m looking forward to going out and proving it.

But in the spring he displayed the ability to throw quality strikes with a variety of pitches.

But much of this year’s success will depend on how available and productive 35-year-old Andrew Miller is. Some of that jump, though, had to do with his being healthier in August and September. Milwaukee Brewers vs St. Louis Cardinals Odds & Matchup Stats. Ultimately it depends on how long it takes Dylan Carlson to reach the expectations heaped upon him from outside and certainly from within the organization, although club executives are hesitant to say too much too soon. But there are other ways to go —  by matchups, whether it is by team or opposing hitter, late in the game. He had one less homer than Bader in 21 fewer at-bats and hit 99 points better. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. He reminds me of myself when I came up in 2012. After hitting .317 following the All-Star break in 2018, Wong batted .342 after the break in 2019, ranking fifth in the league. But manager Mike Shildt would find a place for him.

Now that Goldschmidt has found that Busch Stadium doesn’t offer up the extra home runs, he might settle for having more doubles. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson).

He won’t have Marcell Ozuna as a threat behind him in the lineup, but Goldschmidt was impatient enough last year when he fanned so often that it may not matter who hits behind him. O’Neill could hit fifth or sixth. None of the outfielders has to drive in runs like Ozuna, but all should be able to approach his .330 on-base percentage. (Post-Dispatch photo by David Carson). Join our linker program. Harrison Bader, who dipped to .205 after batting .260 the year before, showed better plate discipline this spring. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Reliever Ryan Helsley pitches at Busch Stadium on July 7. In a 60-game schedule, no Cardinals player is likely to get more than 100 at-bats as a DH but as many as 10 or 12 could get 20 apiece. Mikolas may not be the 18-4 pitcher he was in 2018 after coming back from Japan, but he probably is better than the 9-14 mark he put up last season. Molina often seems to hit with more power in the second half of the season. The Cardinals also could start lefthander Kwang Hyun Kim, a South Korean free agent who was signed to a two-year deal.

This will be Yadier Molina’s 16th consecutive season as the Cardinals’ starting catcher. Goldschmidt, 32, may be on the back side of his career, but he and the Cardinals expect an uptick. Subscribe to our Free Newsletter, This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. (Post-Dispatch photo by Chris Kohley). In five of his eight losses, which included a 1-0 defeat at San Francisco when he had a no-hitter into the seventh, Flaherty received zero runs of support. “If I can hit .270 to .280 and get on base at the clip I know I’m capable of, it would be a huge deal to our team. This is not a spot in which the Cardinals planned to invest much energy or money, but whoever hits there just needs to keep the line moving.

Giovanny Gallegos, who was delayed in reporting to summer camp, was an outstanding setup man last season, allowing just 44 hits and 16 walks in 74 innings while striking out 93 and holding opponents to a .170 batting average. I had close to 500 at-bats. Ryan Helsley is capable of throwing 100 miles an hour and has a breaking ball, too. But those two have meshed. All rights reserved. Do they have to have a closer? Veteran Brad Miller also has played considerable second base in his career. Carpenter says his throwing arm is stronger than it’s been for years and is hopeful it will stay that way so he doesn't have to shift to first base or second base during the season. Team Stats for the 2020 Arizona Cardinals Skip to main content Open menu button Primary nav News Scores Schedule Videos Teams Players Stats Standings NFL … Visit ESPN to view the St. Louis Cardinals team schedule for the current and previous seasons Blame the ace, blame the manager, blame the offense -- ultimately it doesn't matter. Gold Glove winner Kolten Wong cuts off a ball headed for right field. If a couple of the regular outfielders don’t pan out, Tommy Edman will come into play. Terms & Conditions apply to all bonus offers advertised. Fowler sixth or seventh, with a possibility of first and second.

When first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, a three-time Gold Glover, came to St. Louis last season, he instinctively went for balls to his right, only to discover that Wong was already waiting for them. Tommy Edman (left) and Matt Carpenter prepare for batting practice at spring training. I know I can do it. But he won’t be plugged into that closer role until next year as he has chosen to opt out of this season because of his  Type 1 diabetes that puts him at risk. He has the ability, he has the determination, and like many of the greats, he has the swagger. Andrew Miller has the most career saves of anybody else in the bullpen at 58, but he had issues this spring with his lack of “feel” for the baseball, which set his workload back. Cardinals pitcher Kwang Hyun Kim. But with starting pitchers not likely to work more than four or five innings at a time, there seems room for three or even four relievers to appear in almost every game. There might be only eight to 10 collective starts to be had for Wieters and Knizner. Playing a whopping 156 games at the position last season, DeJong had the best fielding percentage for shortstops in the National League at .989 and was first in assists, putouts and double plays (119).

Korean lefthander Kwang Hyun Kim was signed to a two-year contract with the understanding that he might relieve and start. Catcher Yadier Molina shares a laugh with Paul Goldschmidt (center) and Matt Wieters at summer camp on July 7. And, in the big picture, throwing strikes is what relief pitching is all about.