It’s that time of year again! Spring Training is wrapping up and soon Opening Day will be upon us! After a disappointing 2016 campaign, the Cardinals were able to fill some glaring holes in the roster this winter with the signing of Dexter Fowler and Brett Cecil. The Cardinals were also able to shed some of the exorbitant contracts belonging to players who are clearly in the twilight of their career like Matt Holiday and Brandon Moss. So what do the Cardinals have to do to return to the familiar spot of playing meaningful October baseball in 2017? Let’s take a look!
Getting Back to the Fundamentals!
The 2016 season was an uncharacteristically awful season when it came to defense for the Redbirda. An organization that takes pride in playing fundamental baseball throughout its rich history, struggled mightily throughout the 2016 campaign with fundamental skills such as defense and baserunning! The Cardinals had the sixth most errors, leading to having the sixth worst fielding percentage in all of baseball! The Cardinals not only struggled in the field, but on the base paths last season as well. Throughout the season, the Redbirds struggled on the base paths, the club had the worst stolen base percentage in all of baseball. This forced the club to heavily rely on the home run ball, which is not conducive when playing in an expansive ballpark such as Bush Stadium. The 2017 Cardinals are significantly more athletic than a season before with an extremely athletic outfield of Fowler, Piscotty, and Grichuk, combined with a significantly slimmed down Matt Adams, the Redbirds are sure to be an improved defensive club from a year ago.
Put the Ball in Play!
The Cardinals were in the upper half of baseball in strikeouts in 2016. In order for the Cardinals to be successful in 2017, it is critical that the club drastically decrease its strikeouts from a year ago. A strikeout is the most unproductive play in baseball as it does not move runners or put pressure on the opposition’s defense. The Cardinals have a good chance of limiting the number of strikeouts and improving the team’s on base percentage in 2017 with the current construction of the roster. Dexter Fowler and Matt Carpenter, who will more than likely hit at the top of the order in 2017, ranked 11th and 17th respectively in On Base Percentage in 2016. This means that there will be significantly more RBI opportunities for the middle of the Redbird lineup for players such as Piscotty, Grichuk, and Molina.
Improved Pitching
The Cardinals certainly weren’t the worst team when it came to pitching in 2016, but there is definitely room for improvement in the upcoming 2017 campaign. The Cardinals ranked towards the middle of the pack in team ERA last season, which is not horrible, but the key to every successful postseason run is pitching! Last season, every playoff team, excluding Texas, ranked in the top ten in ERA in baseball. Throughout an MLB season, a team’s hitting will experience numerous ebbs and flows, but if a team is able to have consistently good pitching throughout the season, they will more than likely find themselves playing October baseball. The return of workhorse Lance Lynn, will undoubtedly improve the Redbird rotation in 2017, combined with the acquisition of Brett Cecil in the winter to bolster the bullpen, and the superstar trajectory of Carlos Martinez, the Cardinals have a good chance of returning to having one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.
If the Cardinals are able to successfully accomplish these three things, I see no reason why the Cardinals cannot return to their familiar place of playing October baseball in the upcoming 2017 season.
