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Saturday, April 20th, 2013

Matt Adams is absolutely crushing the ball in his 21 AB during the young 2013 season. He has clubbed 3 HRs – driven in 8 RBI – while posting a 3 Slash Line of .524/.564/1.613. Will the organization be able to find room for he or even Oscar Taveras for that matter? Adams, from Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, was selected  in the 23rd Round of the 2009 Amateur Draft.

By Landen Crouch (Cardinals Correspondent) Follow @LandenCrouch

All of baseball remembers the day – Cardinals fans, especially.  It was December 8th, 2011 – the day that it was announced that Albert Pujols was leaving St. Louis for the Los Angeles Angels.  

It was a huge story for Major League Baseball at the time.  The story left most fans wondering why the Cardinals would not do absolutely everything they could to keep Albert Pujols.  

But amongst all of that, hidden behind that name Albert Pujols, was a young man by the name of Matt Adams.  Prior to the 2011 offseason, Matt Adams had no idea what was in his near future.

 His career path at the time literally depended on what decision Albert Pujols chose to make.  Adams was an up and coming First Base prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.  He was coming off an incredible 2011 year, in which he posted an impressive line of .300 BA, 32 HR, and 101 RBI in just 115 Games Played.

 It was clear that this young guy was a pure hitter with outstanding Major League potential.  He is the very reason the Cardinals refused to offer Pujols any more money.  If you have ever wondered to yourself why the Cardinals did not pay Pujols, just keep reading.  I promise this story gets really interesting.

Matt Adams’ 1st Home Run of 2013:

Craig had a .300 Avg through his first 3 years and he had 3 HRs and 5 RBI in the 7 Game World Series win vs Texas in 2011. He helped soften the blow with Prince Albert leaving with his steady year of 2012 of .305/.354/.876 with 22 HRs and 92 RBI in just 469 AB. He has struggled in 2012, with a .218/.267/.576 – but has still managed to plate 9 RBI in 55 AB.

The Cardinals front office has had a very successful last few years.  From the “Colby Rasmus” trade that was the catalyst for the Cardinals’ 2011 World Series run, to preparing to say goodbye to the great Albert Pujols (which seemed a little crazy at the time), GM John Mozeliak has been a part of some catastrophic roster moves in his time in St. Louis.

 What the Cardinals did in the 2011 offseason speaks against everything baseball has come to as of late.  Lately this game has been about, “if you pay for it, you can have it.”

 But the Cardinals organization has wanted to be bigger than simply bowing down the players’ salary demands.  The philosophy of the front office in St. Louis is old school.  

They do their homework.  They draft well.  They develop well.  And, most importantly, they simply find a way to win games at the Major League level.  In 2013 though, the Cardinals have the glorious “problem” of having too many everyday capable players.  How did they wind up with that though?

This story begins the moment Pujols inked his new contract with the Los Angeles Angels.  Personally, I was very upset.  I believe most Cardinals fans were.  Some, however, refused to react and waited to see what the Cardinals would do.  After about a week of thinking about it though, I had figured out what the Cardinals would do.  I was correct.  

The plan in St. Louis after Albert left was a simple fix.  Move Lance Berkman from Right Field to First Base and find a new Right Fielder.  The club did exactly that.  

Just two short weeks after Pujols signed in LA, the Cardinals signed vVteran Outfielder Carlos Beltran to a 2-year contract to play Right Field.  This signing revealed the Cardinals long term plan.  

At the time, their plan was simple.  Let Berkman play First Base for a year (he only had one year left on his contract at the time), and then when Matt Adams is ready he can be the every day First Baseman for the Cardinals beginning in 2013.  

Here’s where it gets complicated though.  Lance Berkman’s 2012 season was an absolute wreck.  He had three different visits to the Disabled List and only had 80 At – Bats.  

This definitely was not the Cardinals plan.  So, because of the injuries to Berkman, the Cardinals turned to their only other First Baseman at the time, Allen Craig.

 Allen Craig was a rising star in 2011 and looked poised to be an everyday player in 2012.  Because of the Berkman injuries, that’s exactly what he turned out to be.  Thankfully, Allen Craig filled in nicely, picking right up where he left off in the 2011 postseason and blasted 22 HRs and drove in 92 Runs.

So now what?  What happened next is very interesting.  Prior to the 2013 season, the Cardinals signed Allen Craig to a 5-year extension worth $31 million.  Sounds great.  He was a very productive member of the team last season.  

The problem?  With his past injuries, Craig is best suited as a First Baseman at this point in his career.  First Base in now occupied again with little room for the rising star prospect Matt Adams.

Potential Solution:

A potential solution for this issue is a little bit of mobility among the guys.  Cardinals fans probably do not want to hear this, but the best thing to do right now would be to trade David Freese.

 He’s going to be 30 years old this month.  It is possible that Freese might have already reached his full potential in 2012, in which he hit .293 BA, 20 HRs, and 79 RBI.  He had a great year in 2012, but Allen Craig is still the better of the two players right now and is already signed long term.

In my opinion, I think the Cardinals should trade Freese and then move Allen Craig back the Third Base, where he played in the minors.  

The organization could get a really nice reliever and maybe a nice utility guy out of Freese, which is really what they need.  Moving Craig to replace Freese really is not too much of a sacrifice defensively, and is an upgrade offensively.

 It gives the club the room they need to allow their prospects to take over the big league club.  Oscar Taveras, who is ranked the #3 prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com will be major league ready in 2014.

Potential 2014 Cardinals Lineup:

2B – Matt Carpenter – L

CF – Jon Jay – L

LF – Matt Holliday – R

1B – Matt Adams – L

3B – Allen Craig – R

C – Yadier Molina – R

RF – Oscar Taveras – L

SS – Pete Kozma – R

Pitcher’s Spot

The Cardinals ownership has shown some serious signs of moving to the future.  They have completely restructured this organization in the last few years.  They have done an excellent job setting up the team for what could potentially be multiple World Series Championships.  

With the departure of  Albert Pujols, Dave Duncan, and Tony La Russa, what fans know about this team is changing.  The fans are beginning to warm-up to this new direction of Cardinals baseball.  It is time for the Cardinals management to go ALL-IN.  

These young rising stars deserve to take over this team in the near future, and I believe they will.  The management has shown they are moving in a new direction. Now, it is only a matter of time before they are all in.

Taveras hit for a 3 Slash Line of .321/.380/.953 in AA Springfield last year. In Memphis of the PCL this year of 2013, Taveras has started .289/.325/.746 with 1 HR and 4 RBI in 41 AB. The man from the Dominican Republic will turn just 21 in June of this year.  Taveras has been ranked #3 by Baseball America for 2 consecutive years.

***The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of www.mlbreports.com and their partners.***

A big thank-you goes out to our Cardinals Correspondent Landen Crouch for preparing today’s featured article.  Landen is a huge fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.  He has followed them almost religiously since he was 7-Years-Old. 

In recent years, though, he has discovered how deep his passion for the game of baseball is.  His dream is to visit as many ballparks as he can in his lifetime.  Landen does not currently cover sports professionally, but as a hobby.

  He is studying Vocal Music Education at Arkansas Tech University and is his final year in the program.  He is set to graduate in December of this year.  Follow and Interact with Landen on Twitter Follow @LandenCrouch

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