The 2nd NL Central team I am covering are the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis finished last year with a 2nd place finish with a 30-28 record. They had a first round exit in the playoffs though, as they were eliminated in the Wild Card Series by the San Diego Padres. But, they saw their performance and the front office made them better simply by trading for the best 3rd baseman in baseball, Nolan Arenado. This move along with the other teams in the division not bettering themselves, easily makes the Cardinals the best team in the division. Let’s see how the rest of the team stacks up.
Projected Starting Rotation
| 1 | Jack Flaherty |
| 2 | Adam Wainwright |
| 3 | Carlos Martinez |
| 4 | Kwang-Hyun Kim |
| 5 | Miles Mikolas |
The rotation is the one part where there are question marks. The only bright spot that has been consistent is Jack Flaherty, the ace of the staff. The question marks include veteran and career long Cardinal Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez and Kwang-Hyun Kim. Wainwright is a question mark because he is getting up there in age and has been on a decline. He is a guy the team can rely on to pitch every 5th day, go about 5 to 6 innings and he will compete his ass off. However, his stats haven’t been that well the last couple years, so he has to get right in order for the team to see him more than just a guy who takes the mound. Carlos Martinez was on a hot streak several years back, prior to having to undergo Tommy John. He was seen as a top prospect, but was derailed by injuries. If the Cardinals stop messing around and just let him be a starter, he will be just fine and will help the team. Lastly, Kwang-Hyun KIm, who is entering his second year. He started in Korea, but was used out of the bullpen last year. Now, they plan to utilize him as a starter and be the only lefty in the rotation. If this guy puts the same numbers as he did in Korea, he will put the team in a good spot. With all that being said, the Cardinals need at least 2-3 more pitchers to perform well other than Jack Flaherty in order to secure being the best team in the division.
Projected Line-Up
| 1 | 2B Tommy Edman | S |
| 2 | 1B Paul Goldschmidt | R |
| 3 | 3B Nolan Arenado | R |
| 4 | RF Dylan Carlson | S |
| 5 | SS Paul Dejong | R |
| 6 | C Yadier Molina | R |
| 7 | CF Harrison Bader | R |
| 8 | LF Tyler O’Neill | R |
| 9 | P Pitcher | – |
The sole acquisition of Nolan Arenado makes this team the best team in the division. That is how good of a player, offensively and defensively, Arenado is. This gives St. Louis a powerful 1-2 punch, along with Paul Goldschmidt. For the lineup, I am going to look at the 1-2 punch. Goldschmidt is an underrated 1st baseman, and I expect him to be the same guy he is every year. He will get on base a lot, have productive at-bats, and be a vacuum cleaner at 1st and picking everything thrown at his direction. Arenado makes them better all around. He is arguably the best 3rd baseman in baseball, and his amazing defense makes the pitchers better as they don’t have to rear back and throw hard all the time. They can let the hitters hit the ball and if its hit to Arenado at 3rd, then its a for sure out. Offensively, he gives Goldschmidt protection and he is a shoe-in to get triple digit RBIs. I decided to compare the two because, much like Goldschmidt, I expect Arenado to sign an extension with St. Louis and finish his career there. Simply because that is what a lot of players do when they get traded to St. Louis.
2021 PECOTA NL Central Projections
According to PECOTA, the Cardinals won’t make the playoffs and they are all hype. I obviously, disagree with this prediction. I think the Cardinals, if their pitching holds up, will be the best team in the division. But even if they are middle of the road, I believe their lineup will carry them to a division title. I absolutely don’t see them finish at 3rd, if anything they will finish 2nd. But for prediction sake, I have the Cardinals finishing in 1st.
