Is the Cardinal Way the right way? This question should be very easy to answer. But first, what is the Cardinal Way? The Cardinal Way of running a franchise is having a really good Minor League System, having a not so high budget, and not signing all the huge, big name players, but instead signing one or two good, under the radar players.
For example, in the past years the Los Angeles Angels went out and signed Pujols, traded for Hamilton, brought up Trout, and people thought they were the best because they had the so called “best” players. On paper they looked good, but having a really high budget, with the so called “best” players, with a not so good Minor League System, obviously hasn’t worked out for them. On the other hand we have the Cardinals, a not so high budget, a really good Minor League system, and a whole team full of “good” players, not stars. No one can tell me that the Cardinal Way has totally failed, because they have been to the playoffs for the past 5 years, and 12 times in the past 16 years.
Why don’t people like the Cardinal Way? This is easy, because the Cardinals don’t go out and make all this action in the offseason and get all the “best” players, or star players, and that is what the majority of baseball fans want to see. Fans want to see the super long homers, and the big offseason contracts, but what people don’t see is that hitting long homers and making big offseason trades or signings doesn’t win you ballgames. The Cardinals have one of the worst offenses in the MLB and they won 100 games in 2015. Obviously, their pitching was a factor in all the games that they won, but when you look at their rotation or even their bullpen, they don’t have a Kershaw type guy, they have 5 good pitchers, not 5 of the “best” pitchers! The Cardinals were the only team in the MLB in 2015 to have a team ERA below 3.00, to me that is fascinating because not one of the guys that was in their rotation last year would be brought up in conversations of one of the “great” players in the MLB.
Hopefully, from what you read above, you understand a little bit of what the Cardinal Way is. Maybe you don’t think it is the right way to run a franchise, but you can’t tell me that it is terrible. Who wouldn’t like to have a small budget, with a lot good players, and win 100 games, as well as have a minor league system full of guys that will be ready to play in years to come? My goal with writing this, was to help people understand that even if you don’t sign all the big names players, it doesn’t me that your going to be terrible, as well as let people know that even if you do sign all the big name players it doesn’t mean you will be the best team. For example, the 2015 World Series Winning Kansas City Royals, their not a team with huge contracts or “stars” either, they have a whole team full of really good players.
Do you think the Cardinal Way is the Right Way? Click here to answer the poll.
Thanks for reading.
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Click here to check out Howard Megdals’ new book “The Cardinals Way”.
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