2007 Cardinals Baseball Preview
Pujols and Carpenter Will Lead the 2007 St. Louis Cardinals.
The 2007 Cardinals have a lot of gaps in their starting rotation and bullpen this season. This 2007 MLB Preview takes a good look at how St. Louis plans to fill them
Here’s the scoop on the 2007 St. Louis Cardinals.
The 2007 St. Louis Cardinals Starting Pitching
Manager Tony LaRussa faces an uphill battle just assembling his rotation for the 2007 St. Louis Cardinals season. He lost Jason Marquis to the Chicago Cubs and Mark Mulder to rotator cuff surgery. Mulder will be back in mid-July, but that still leaves the Redbirds without a former Cy Young runner-up in their rotation. The Cardinals know that they have to fill that gap by Opening Day.
In the off-season, the Cardinals brought in three possible starters: Randy Keisler (a career record of 4-4 with a 6.82 ERA); Kip Wells (57-74 career record); and Ryan Franklin (41-57 lifetime record). LaRussa knows that these journeymen cannot replace Mulder and Marquis. That’s why he is trying to fill the void in the starting rotation with relievers Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper. So far, LaRussa’s experiment has been a smashing success. Wainwright and Looper have a combined five starts, 18 innings pitched, and one earned run surrendered this spring.
Despite these encouraging starts, the Cardinals still must be thanking the baseball gods that Chris Carpenter is healthy and throwing well. Carpenter won 21 games and the Cy Young award in 2005. Last year, he went 15-8 and placed third. He will need another brilliant season to hold this rotation together.
The 2007 St. Louis Cardinals Offense
The Cardinals have the greatest hitter alive in Albert Pujols. Nobody has put up the numbers that he has posted in his first six seasons. Barring some unforeseen catastrophe, Prince Albert will hit about .330 with at least 40 homers and 120 RBI. Third Basemen Scott Rolen is another great hitter -- although not in Phat Albert’s class -- who should hit for his usual 25 to 30 homers and pick up 100 RBI. After that, things get a bit trickier.
The brilliant Jim Edmonds slipped last season in all major offensive categories. One has to wonder if the downturn was due to chronic injuries, or if it was the beginning of a permanent decline. Edmonds is still recovering from the shoulder and foot surgeries he underwent to repair those injuries. He is yet to play in a single 2007 spring game. The Cardinals insist, however, that he will be ready for Opening Day.
Looking past the big three, St. Louis also hopes to get solid seasons out of Scott Spezio (.272, 13 HR and 52 RBI in 2006) and Preston Wilson (.263 BA, 17 HR, 72 RBI).
This 2007 Cardinals Baseball Preview just couldn’t be complete without mentioning David Eckstein. He’s pesky. He’s scrappy. He’s a gamer. Eckstein truly is the ‘X Factor.’ This season, the little guy who won the 2006 World Series MVP will continue to do what he does. And that’s ‘get on, get over and get in.’ And maybe, just maybe, get the 2007 St. Louis Cardinals back to the postseason.
The 2007 St. Louis Cardinals Bullpen . . .
Is a bit of a mess. Two of their best relievers are now starters. Their veteran closer, Jason Isringhausen, has not thrown an inning yet this spring, and some question if he can be effective at all for the 2007 St. Louis Cardinals. After Izzy, there are a plethora of pitchers competing for work. The competitors include Ricardo Rincon, Josh Kinney, Tyler Johnson and Josh Hancock. Not a bad group. Not a great group, either.
2007 St. Louis Cardinals Predictions
86-76 (2nd in NL Central). The 2006 Cardinals only won 83 games, and this team does not appear to be as good. So, why 86 wins? Because of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, David Eckstein, Chris Carpenter, and especially because of Adam Wainwright.
And that’s your 2007 St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Preview.
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Take a look at other 2007 MLB Previews for the Cubs, Mets, Phillies, Giants and Yankees.
