Defending champs entering new post-Pujols and LaRussa era but are still amongst favourites

The two most recognisable faces of modern St. Louis Cardinals baseball departed on a high at the end of the season, with star slugger Albert Pujols taking his 445 home runs to Los Angeles following a mega contract with the Angels, while long term manager Tony LaRussa retired after coaching more than 5,000 games and is currently third in the all-time list of major league wins as a manager, with 2,728.

So, it is a new era in Cardinals baseball, but not, one must hasten to add, any kind of rebuilding project. The Cardinals are a genuine threat to repeat their sensational triumph of last season. The likes of Lance Berkman, David Freese and Matt Holliday are all returning and are clearly potent threats to any pitcher, while the rotation is strong and will be buoyed by the return from injury of Adam Wainwright. Barring the loss of Pujols, and the free agent pick-up of Carlos Beltran, it is, to all intents and purposes the same team that won it all in October last year, but can they do it again?

IN : Carlos Beltran (OF – San Francisco), Alex Cora (INF – Washington), Koyie Hill (OF – Chicago Cubs), Scott Linebrink (RP – Atlanta), J.C. Romero (RP – Colorado), Eugenio Velez (INF – L.A. Dodgers)

OUT : Bryan Augenstein (RP – Tampa Bay), Blaine Boyer (RP), Octavio Dotel (RP – Detroit), Ryan Franklin (RP), Edwin Jackson (SP – Washington), Gerald Laird (C – Detroit), Corey Patterson (OF – Milwaukee), Albert Pujols (INF – L.A. Angels), Nick Punto (INF – Boston), Arthur Rhodes (RP), Ryan Theriot (INF – San Francisco)

Catchers : In Yadier Molina, the Cards have one of the best catchers in the game. The 29 year old is coming off a career year, his eighth in St. Louis. He had career highs in batting average (.305), home runs, RBIs and runs, along with being a top class defensive catcher. He may have it all, but can he repeat his 2011 form? Tony Cruz will be his primary back-up, with Bryan Anderson the third choice. Inexperience is clearly an issue, with Cruz having just 65 career at-bats, a figure that is slightly more than double that of Anderson. Koyie Hill is a 32 year non-roster invite that could bring something to the table, but he has never been more than a back-up.

Infielders : With the signing of Beltran, Lance Berkman, it appears, will move to first base. The 36 year old veteran hit .301 with 31 homers last season, his first in Missouri. A single home run in 37 appearances with the Yankees the previous season led to some questioning whether the former Astro was washed up, but a terrific campaign, capped off by a sensational post-season, proved the doubters wrong. David Freese, Rafael Furcal and Tyler Greene will provide a solid, veteran infield, but one with a history of injuries. The trio, despite being valuable pieces of the roster, all missed significant time last year and such a situation cannot be repeated if the Cards hope to retain their World Series title. Freese can provide some pop, while Furcal and Greene above average defenders with some speed. Skip Schumaker is a vital part of the roster, with a .290 career batting average. The 32 year old has played in over 700 games for the Cards, ranking behind only Yadier Molina on the current roster. Daniel Descalo was a widely used reserve as a rookie last season, appearing in 148 games, yet starting only 81 and will fill a similar role this time around. Matt Carpenter and Mark Hamilton are a pair of lefties that have little experience. Carpenter went 1-for-15 as a rookie last year, while Hamilton has just over 60 career at-bats. Both will be seen as last options on the roster, while 36 year old Alex Cora is an interesting non-roster invite. Used mostly as a reserve for the best part of a decade now, Cora arrives from a .224 season with the Nationals.

Outfielders : Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday are clearly the bashers of the outfield, with the duo having hit 504 career homers, with no fewer than fifteen seasons of 20 or more long balls. Both, however, have had injury concerns in previous seasons and odds on both veterans staying healthy for the entire season are slim. That’s where Allen Craig steps in. He was a revelation last season, hitting .315 and 11 homers in 75 games as a sophomore, and continuing the streak into the post-season with vital homers in the World Series. He will likely be the first reserve in the outfield, and can also play first base. Jon Jay will get the nod in centre field. He was another who impressed greatly during his sophomore campaign, hitting .297 with ten homers in a team high 159 games. While the likes of Adron Chambers and Shane Robinson are on the roster, along with prospect Erik Komatsu, their lack of experience, coupled with a versatile infield, means that Berkman and Schumaker are likely to see some time in the outfield too.

Starting Pitchers : With the departure of Edwin Jackson, and the return from injury of Adam Wainwright, the Cards starting rotation picks itself. Chris Carpenter and Wainwright are a formidable one-two punch, yet the rotation hardly stops there. Both Jaime Garcia and Kyle Lohse are coming off sub 3.60 seasons and are more than capable of repeat performances. Carpenter, with a career 3.76 ERA in 329 starts, will turn 37 in April, but shows no signs of age, having recorded sub 3.50 ERA season in each of his six fully healthy years in a Cards uniform. Wainwright, on the other hand, has a 2.97 career ERA, and has allowed just one hit in 5.0 innings in Spring. Back to his best? Garcia and Lohse are as solid a 3-4 punch as you may find outside of Philadelphia. Garcia has been outstanding since forcing his way into the rotation with an excellent 2010 Spring Training, as a 3.17 ERA in 60 starts indicates, while Lohse pitched a career year at the age of 32 and was coming off a 6.55 ERA season. Jake Westbrook is no longer the fearsome pitcher he once was, but as good a number five pitcher as there is in the game. The righty went 12-9 with a 4.66 ERA last year. Behind the top five, there is little experience, with a couple of members of the bullpen next in line should, while intriguing free agents include Roy Oswalt should they Cards have a lengthy injury to any of their rotation.

Relief Pitchers : Like the rotation, the bullpen seems to pick itself, with eight players clearly ahead of the rest of the pack. It just depends on how many relief pitchers first year manager Mike Matheny will desire for his Opening Day roster. Jason Motte will be the closer following an impressive 2011 season in which he clinched the World Series title with the final out in game seven. He and Fernando Salas combined for 33 saves during the regular season, along with a 2.27 ERA and a sub 1.00 WHIP. Clearly, the duo will be relied heavily upon yet again, but there are several other pitchers capable of putting in decent performances in the 2012 season. Marc Rzepczynski and J.C. Romero are the lefties of the bullpen, with the solid performances of the starters limiting the former to just 28 appearances. Veteran Romero arrives from Colorado and has pitched in 664 games for five teams. Kyle McClellan will be the long reliever and, essentially sixth starter, having started 17 games last season, but his future is very much in the bullpen. Youngster Lance Lynn is another who could spot start. Barring two performances that saw him give up eight earned runs in 6.1 innings, the rookie was outstanding and the Cards front office certainly have high hopes for the 23 year old. Mitchell Boggs and Eduardo Sanchez, who is coming off a 1.80 ERA rookie season are also names in the hat. Thus far in Spring Training, however, Sanchez has been incredibly erratic, walking four batters, hitting another two, but striking out nine in just 4.0 innings of work. He clearly has the talent, but has he the control? Behind those eight names, however, there is precious little experience, although Scott Linebrink is a non-roster invite. As good a group as the Cards bullpen is, they better stay healthy or a lack of depth could be sorely exposed.

PREDICTION : They won the World Series last year, despite needing a minor miracle to actually qualify for the post-season. They have lost Pujols and LaRussa, but even so, I have them in first place in their division. The Brewers have suffered a similar loss in Fielder, but the Cards are effectively gaining a Cy Young quality pitcher with the return of Wainwright, and those are few and far between. They have a line-up with some pop, but not a great deal of depth in a lot of areas so injuries will possibly play a bigger role in their season than with other teams. Even so, I still see them edging past the Brew Crew and Atlanta.