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St. Louis Cardinals State Of The Union: 2014 Preview

2013 was a stellar year for the Saint Louis Cardinals, just falling short of capturing the franchises 12th World Series title. Though St. Louis may have arguably lost their best offensive power hitter of 2013, Carlos Beltran, St. Louis is well armed and poised to return to the Fall Classic for the 2nd straight season an 5th Fall Classic Appearance since 2004. The franchise has also been to 8 NLCS’s since the turn of the millennium.
By Steven Hines (Guest Cardinals Writer view his website here): Follow @hinesis2nd
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Much like the offseason of a year ago, St. Louis made little moves. Despite little deals made, big changes are coming to the way this team operates in 2014.
Just because the Cardinals will look different does not mean you should expect less success than that of their World Series run of 2013.
In fact, expect the 2014 Cardinals to capture their 12th World Series Championship this season.
Bold prediction or reality, you decide. Read the rest of this entry
Top Five MLB Holds Leaders In 2013
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Follow @mlbreportsTuesday June 25th, 2013
Bernie Olshansky (Baseball Writer): Follow @BernieOlshansky
Depending on the year, we can usually say if it is pitcher-dominant or hitter-dominant. This year, it is very hard to say. One could make the case that the MLB is being dominated by hitters with Miguel Cabrera tallying over 70 RBI before July.
That argument could be helped by the facts that Cole Hamels already has 11 losses and Justin Verlander has a high three ERA. Either way, the season will still go on and pitchers and hitters will still record their statistics.
One statistic that is not looked at or talked about much is the hold. A hold is given when a reliever enters in a save situation, records an out, and leaves the game without having given up the lead, but also does not get a save.
Usually the guys that get the most holds are setup men. In this piece, I’ll take a look at the top five (with a bonus!) holds leaders for the year.
Mitchell Boggs (2012 Holds Leader in some lighter days)
St. Louis Cardinals – Week 1 Review
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday, April 8th, 2013

2012 was a season that ended with disappointment which ultimately distracted us from recognizing what a successful year it really was. 2012 highlighted a lot of the greatness that is to come for this great franchise. The Cardinals are greatly positioned for the next 5 years with the influx of 6 top 100 MLB Prospects at League Entry Level Contracts. Having said this, the club started out the year dropping 2 out of 3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, before pulverizing the defending World Series Champions over the weekend – taking the series 2 – 1 and outscoring the Giants 20 – 7, while obliterating Matt Cain’s ERA for some time. by hanging 9 Earned Runs on him in just 3.2 IP.
By Landen Crouch ( Cardinals Correspondent) Follow @LandenCrouch
Week in Review:
The opening week of the 2013 season for the St. Louis Cardinals can now be considered successful after a 14-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals finished their opening week six-game West Coast road trip with a .500-record of (3-3).
This is definitely a huge success for the Cardinals to come back to St. Louis with at least a .500 record. Of course, they wanted to win the 16-inning marathon against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night (and early into Thursday morning), and the 1-0 pitchers-dual game against Barry Zito on Friday.
Those were two tough losses. Overall, though, this week was positive for the Cardinals and should give them some momentum coming into their home opening series against the Cincinnati Reds.
2013 St. Louis Cardinals Preview by MLB Network:
All-Star Studded Injury Report + Chipper Jones Retirement Effect On The Braves
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday, April 1/2013

Chipper had a lifetime slash line of .303/.401/.529 with 2726 Hits and 468 HRs. He played the game the way it was supposed to be played, with class and all out effort.
By Ryan Dana (MLB Reports Writer): Follow @ryandana1
The start of the 2013 Major League Baseball season is upon us. While that is beyond awesome, unfortunately there is a list of really good players who will likely not start the season playing for a Major League team. Most of these players are out due to injury, but there are also a few others I would like to mention that are out due to retirement, suspension, or the fact that they have still yet to sign with a team.
It will be a bittersweet Opening Day for the Atlanta Braves who will be without Chipper Jones this season. He spent his entire 19 years of Major League service time with the Braves, and after an MVP season in 1999, a 1995 World Series Championship, and 8 All-Star appearances, Chipper has decided to call it a career. Jones was one of, if not the best, switch hitter of all time.
Chipper Jones Highlights
St. Louis Cardinals 2013 Payroll and Contracts Going Forward
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Follow @mlbreportsWednesday, March.25/2013

2012 was a season that ended with disappointment which ultimately distracted us from recognizing what a successful year it really was. 2012 highlighted a lot of the greatness that is to come for this great franchise. The Cardinals are greatly positioned for the next 5 years with the influx of 6 top 100 MLB Prospects at League Entry Level Contracts. The Cards were 1 one away from the World Series in 2012 before the Giants won 3 elimination games. Can the franchise withstand the losses of Lohse, Carpenter, Furcal and even Hitting Coach Mgwire
By Landen Crouch ( Cardinals Correspondent) Follow @LandenCrouch
I believe we can expect more of the same from the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013. This is a franchise that has proven they can be competitive on a consistent basis, even doing so last year without Albert Pujols. The Cardinals enter 2013 following consecutive runs to the National League Championship Series (won World Series in 2011).
On the heels of a very quiet offseason, the Cardinals seem to be entering the 2013 season with a very clear plan: get younger while simultaneously maintaining a high level of success on the field. The franchise has clearly begun this transition already with the departure of a few key players in the last several years – Kyle Lohse being the latest.
In the money department, the Cardinals have never been afraid to spend money to help the ballclub; however, they have always done so wisely. They are not among the teams that seemingly are just trying to buy championships. They have always been a team that uses a healthy balance of money and a solid farm system for success.
In 2013, the Cardinals will rank 10th in all of Major League Baseball in overall payroll – in the upper tier, for sure, but not overspending by any means – and their farm system is ranked 1st overall in baseball. The Cardinals have the money and the players it takes to continue being competitive for a long time to come.
2011 Cardinals World Series:
Put That Coffee Down! Coffee Is Closers Only: Top 5 Closers Projected For 2013
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Tuesday February 12th, 2013

Fernando Rodney had one of the best seasons for a reliever in baseball history in 2012. It will be interesting to see if he can build on his strong season in 2013.
MLB Reports:
From the movie Glengarry Glen Ross came one of the most compelling scenes ever – when Alec Baldwin took the stage in an office setting – spewing out some of the greatest and powerful insults over a failing sales crew that included Jack Lemmon and Ed Harris. In the scene, Baldwin himself is a powerful corporate executive that has been sent down to yell at these guys – from the powers to be of the operation. At the beginning point in Alec Baldwin’s lecture, old sales veteran (Lemmon) goes for a cup of coffee. Baldwin yells out “Put the coffee Down! Coffee is for closers!
The same can be said for closers that are not doing the job in nailing down games. Many teams have bullpens that blow games at the most inopportune times. Nothing is as deflating as losing a lead in the late Innings. It is bad for team moral, the players and managers try to not play the blame game, however it is a tough pill to swallow when your team can’t close down baseball leads…. Just like the guys in Glengarry Glen Ross the movie couldn’t. After you view this clip, you can move past it and read on who the best players that nail down victories. The last part of the speech also works: A.B.C.: Always Be Closing. It is Close or hit the bricks! Great movie BTW…
Glengarry Glen Ross – Explicit Language so Parental Guidance is advised (Not for the Weak Of Heart):
St. Louis Cardinals Roster For 2013: State Of The Union
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Wednesday, January.09/2013

The Cardinals have been the most consistent Franchise in the National League, having appeared in 7 of the last 11 NLCS since 2000 (3-4). They have also won 2 World Series in that time (2006 and 2011.) They held a 3-1 NLCS lead over the San Francisco Giants before losing to the 2012 World Champions. They are ready for another great 2013 campaign. The NL Central goes from 6 teams to 5 – with the departed Houston Astros.
By Landen Crouch ( Cardinals Correspondent) Follow @LandenCrouch
The current St. Louis Cardinals roster, set to take them into the 2013 season, has seen little changes from what was a very successful 2012 season. This really is not much of a surprise, though, as the front office has told fans they were not planning to change too much this offseason. After a gut-wrenching offseason a year ago, in which Albert Pujols headed west to the Angels, a quiet offseason really does not seem like such an awful thing. In the upcoming season, the St. Louis Cardinals will be hoping for more of the same from a team that was one win away from a second straight World Series Berth. The Cardinals will look to continue recent success, while filtering in some young prospects in the process.
Game #5 of the NLDS (Comeback win versus the Washington Nationals)
2012 World Series Predictions: Tigers and Cardinals Will Meet Again in October
Monday October 15th, 2012
Sam Evans: With the Championship Series just beginning, predicting the two teams that will face off in the World Series has never been easier. Still, the teams playing in the ALCS and NLCS right now are pretty evenly matched so it’s still difficult to see which two will advance. Due to their momentum and great ability to come back, St. Louis will prevail over San Francisco in the NL. Due to their outstanding pitching staff and Miguel Cabrera being on his current tear, Detroit has a slight advantage over New York in the American League. Even if these predictions go horribly wrong, the one thing we can be certain of is that these two series are going to include some thrilling games played between some of the best teams in baseball. Read the rest of this entry
2012 Top Ten MLB Saves Leaders
Monday October 8th, 2012
Sam Evans: With the 2012 regular season completed, bullpens will become even more important during the postseason. Closers in particular will be under more pressure than usual during these next few weeks. Before these pitchers make a name for themselves in the postseason, let’s admire what the top closers in baseball did during the 2012 regular season. Some closers helped many fantasy teams, and their real-life teams, by their outstanding performances in the ninth inning. Here is a look at the top ten closers in baseball this past year in terms of saves:
Top MLB Saves Leaders At the All-Star Break
Sunday July 8, 2012
Bryan Sheehan (MLB Writer): The All-Star Break is now upon us, so now is a good time to start looking at stats for the first half of the season. One of the most important statistics in the game of baseball is the “save,” and the mammoth contracts that relievers are signed to every year in free agency are proof that teams are hungry for a strong closer capable of providing saves. In fact, a third of the league’s closers are making at least $4.5 million in 2012, while eight are raking it at least $7 million. This does not include the huge salaries of Ryan Madson ($8.5 million), Mariano Rivera ($15 million), Brian Wilson ($8.5 million) or any other that may have been injured or otherwise removed from their role as closer. But salary does not always equal success: six of the top eleven saves leaders are earning less than $2.75 million (keep in mind that the MLB average is just about $3 million). This top eleven, all of whom have recorded 19 saves or more, is not as predictable as you might think: Heath Bell of the Marlins serves as a surprise member of the list while his NL East counterpart Jonathan Papelbon, while more consistent in terms of ERA and opportunities converted, falls just shy. So who else is on the list? You’ll have to read on to find out. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Closer Report: Where Does Your Team Stand?
Sunday May 6, 2012
Bryan Sheehan (Baseball Writer): Seeing Mariano Rivera go down with a torn ACL is like driving by a car accident and reflecting on how easily it could have been you in that accident, or in this case- how it could have been your team’s closer cringing in pain on the warning track. And this is the year of the injured closer: from Boston’s Andrew Bailey to San Francisco’s Brian Wilson, closers across the league have been dropping like flies. Other closers, like the Angels’ Jordan Walden, have stayed healthy but haven’t played well enough to keep their coveted ninth inning role. Even though there has only been a month of baseball so far, much has changed for some clubs.
Today, I’ll be taking a look at every team’s closer situation, and breaking down how it got to be the way it is: Read the rest of this entry
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