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The Cardinals Struggles In 2014 So Far Might Point To Accumulation Of Roster Changes Since 2011

After St. Louis won the 2011 World Series, they lost their world class 1B Free Agent player in Albert Pujols.  It was the right move, and Michael Wacha was the compensation pick, so one wouldn't even make the trade for the Cardinals former legend.  However much like the Mariners in the late 90's lost Johnson,  Griffey and Rodriguez, that team had a league record 116 wins in 2001.  The Cards have back to back NLCS Appearances, and lost the World Series in 2013, however despite being chalked with young talent, is that they still have lost several key components to their team in the last 3 years.  Somewhere the franchise might have to slow down for a brief spell.

After St. Louis won the 2011 World Series, they lost their world class 1B Free Agent player in Albert Pujols. It was the right move (10 YRs/$250 MIL is too much), and Michael Wacha was the compensation pick, so one wouldn’t even make the trade for the Cardinals former legend. However much like the Mariners in the late 90’s lost Johnson, Griffey and Rodriguez, that team had a league record 116 wins in 2001. The Cards have back to back NLCS Appearances, and lost the World Series in 2013, however despite being chalked with young talent, is that they still have lost several key components to their team in the last 3 years. Somewhere the franchise might have to slow down for a brief spell.

In no way am I going to slag the best run franchise in the MLB.  We are talking about the quintessential template of how to run your team in the modern world of baseball.

All I am projecting in this article is that every team goes through a stretch of play where they may not be performing to capabilities.

Some of these problems may even persist for a whole campaign.

The 2011 Cardinals won the World Series, and then after losing their future hall of fame legend in Albert Pujols, were able to bring in Free Agents Carlos Beltran to help offset the power headed out the door.

The move paved the way for another final four finish.  In fact, St. Louis held a 3 – 1 NLCS lead before the Giants won 3 straight.

2013 saw their young players come to fruition at the same time, and it mixed perfectly with their cagey Veteran core.

The organization had 6 players in the top 100 prospects as listed by http://www.mlb.com – and most of them have seen time with the big club thus far. Read the rest of this entry

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.

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): 

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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

The St. Louis Cardinals Organizational Depth Charts – Spring 2014 (Majors and MInors)

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): & Jeff Kleiner (Org Depth Chart + Payroll Expert – find his website here)

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For all of those websites that put off writing about the Cardinals after the World Series due to fatigue, it is time to brush up on the best run franchise in the Major Leagues.

The majority of the players in the system and in the Majors were developed by the Cardinals franchise.

Last year, I did a Roster Tree of how all of the players were acquired.  Something like 18 of the 25 players were Drafted by the club.

That is light years ahead of the next team in the race.

When you see that St. Louis has made it to the final four clubs 8 teams in 13 years, and now has made 4 trips to the World Series in a decade, you are leaving another chapter in the legacy of the franchise. Read the rest of this entry

Aug.31 Trade Deadline Maneuvers Part 1

 had his best year in 2011 with the Nationals, where he hit .303, with 31 HRs and 95 RBI during his 515 AB.  The Orioles would love that kind of production to aid their DH core of hitters.  The club however, would simply settle for his Career 3 Slash Line of .284/.338/.816 in parts of 9 seasons and 1827 At-Bats.  Morse makes $6.75 MIL this year, and will be a Free Agent after the campaign is finished.

Mike Morse had his best year in 2011 with the Nationals, where he hit .303, with 31 HRs and 95 RBI during his 515 AB. The Orioles would love that kind of production to aid their DH core of hitters. The club however, would simply settle for his Career 3 Slash Line of .284/.338/.816 in parts of 9 seasons and 1827 At-Bats. Morse makes $6.75 MIL this year, and will be a Free Agent after the campaign is finished.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst and Website Owner)

The Orioles picking up Mike Morse is a good move.  The  guy is familiar with Region, is a nice contrast to Chris Davis – and cost the club a minimal amount to bring over.

I think the big 6 FT 5 players is just the kind of guy the Baltimore team has missed over the year.

The Designated Hitters slot has been abysmal – and if Morse can to the back of his bubblegum card, this move will pan out.

The team’s lineup will now feature  Manny Machado 3B, , Nick Markakis RF, Chris Davis 1B, Adam Jones CF, Matt Wieters C, J.J. Hardy SS, Mike Morse DH, Nate McLouth LF and Brian Roberts 2B.

Morse joins Scott Feldman, Francisco Rodriguez and Bud Norris as late season acquisitions.  All of them have contributed to the franchise.

All of a sudden having a 7 – 9, with a 25 – 30 HR powers in Morse, added with veteran Brian Roberts (if healthy) and Nate McLouth, could add a speed element when the team swings around back to the top of the lineup.

It is good for depth and when consider the team is only 5 games out of the 2nd Wild Card Spot, this is plausible with 3o games left.

Chris Tillman has asserted himself an up and coming #2 Pitcher on the team. I must say, him doing this 2 years in a row, has made a believer out of me now.

The man is 24 – 7 over his last 31 decisions – and has a mid tier 3 ERA – competing in a donnybrook of a Division.  Yesterday’s win over Boston was just another example of how much the 25 year old has bailed the club out of a losing streak.

You know Buck Showalter will have his guys ‘game ready’ for the challenge.

Read the rest of this entry

St. Louis Cardinals Organization: Payroll Contracts, Depth Charts + Rosters, (Majors + Minors)

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Monday, Aug.12/2013

The Cardinals have made it to 7 NLCS's since 2000 - going 3 - 4 in them.  The Cards won the World Series in 2006 and 2011, while losing in 2004.  With a plehora of awesome talent in their system, coupled with star Veterans, all playing the St. Louis way, they could be poised for another playoff run in 2013 - and for years beyond.

The Cardinals have made it to 7 NLCS’s since 2000 – going 3 – 4 in them. The Cards won the World Series in 2006 and 2011, while losing in 2004. With a plethora of awesome talent in their system, coupled with star Veterans, all playing the St. Louis way, they could be poised for another playoff run in 2013 – and for years beyond.  The club is just on the fringe of the MLB’s top ten for team salaries, however they do hold the most expensive club in the NL Central.  The franchise rarely doles out a bad long – term contract.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): and welcome Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website  here  

You guys are all in for a treat.  Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website. 

He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs. 

We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams. 

Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective. 

If you can’t wait for all of my assessments for each club, go and visit Jeff’s website over at http://www.prosportsrosters.com.

In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball.  He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job. 

So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!

Jeff updates this page below on a daily basis.  After you click on it….Bookmark it.  There is a 3 year salary forecast and stats not listed here on this page. 

Jeff updates these pages daily and these changes include any Roster moves!

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Cardinals Organization click here.

St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series Run – Mature Lyrics So Parental Guidance Is Advised

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The Cardinals And Pujols Will Be On The Same Field Again

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Monday, July .1st 2013

albert_pujols

Albert Pujols led the St. Louis Cardinals in nearly every statistical category for over a decade. He was well on his way to being touted the greatest Cardinal of all-time, which would be a substantial honor given the history of the franchise. But all of that changed when the man from Kansas City shocked the baseball world and packed his backs for Anaheim, California on December 8th, 2011.  Since signing the 10 Year Deal with the Angels, Pujols has regressed both years in OPS (.859 in 2012, .752 in 2013 – which pales in comparison to his St. Louis Career OPS of 1.037 – or even his 2011 campaign of a .906 mark. It looks like letting Prince Albert go was a great decision!

By Landen Crouch (Cardinals Correspondent)

After a year and a half, 243 regular season baseball games, and 13 Postseason games, the time has finally arrived.  The St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols will finally be on the same baseball field again.  

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will host the St. Louis Cardinals at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night at 10:05 ET.

I believe that at this point, Cardinals fans have moved on from the sting of the Pujols situation.  This is not the same level of hatred as the LeBron James saga in his return to Cleveland.  But, in a way, it is similar.  

Pujols signing with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (of California of the United States of North America of the Northern Hemisphere…etc) shocked everyone.  No one saw it coming.  It was literally as if he packed his bags and snuck out in the middle of the night.

Pujols tells reporter “[St. Louis] is where I wanna be.”

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Triple Play Podcast #10: An Interview With MLB Reports Cards Correspondent Landen Crouch + Poor Show Of Brett Lawrie!

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Tuesday, May 28th, 2013

The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month.  Each show will be about 1 hour

The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month. Each show will be about 1 hour.

By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com)

Guests in this Podcast – Landen Crouch (Cardinals Correspondent) of mlbreports.com  (

Landen Crouch of mlbreports.com is our guest on this episode as we discuss the continuous success of the cardinals. We also cover their rich history as Landen gives us his Mt Rushmore of Cards greats. Finally we bat around Brett Lawrie‘s recent run-ins and lack of maturity.

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