Shout out to Harrison, my least favorite Cardinal in large part because he's below average with a bat and YET my friends kept yelling "HYDRATE WITH BADERADEEEEE" every (rare) time he got a hit last summer
LINEUP: The Cardinals lineup starts off the only way a St. Louis lineup possibly could -- an all-around solid card featuring good on-base, good speed, and a proclivity for extra base hits without gaudy HR numbers... I.E. the card/player/team that does better than it should have any right to do upon first glance!!! But seriously, Heyward is a fantastic leadoff man and sets the table for FIVE consecutive OB 10 hitters after him. I seriously contemplated putting Matt Carpenter in the leadoff spot, but he's too good of a #2 hitter and Heyward helps them extend the lineup more naturally... I love his OB 10, 2B at 14, HR at 18 with awesome fielding, but people will underestimate him because he walks at 7. Hitting third is a guy that no one will underestimate, arguably the best hitter of the decade, Albert Pujols!!! He's a BEAST with an OB 10, HR at 17 with a 2B at 14 and (16) speed. Three solid OB 10 guys follow in Holliday (who had basically the exact same card in 2011-14), Berkman near the end of his career (lots of OB, not much speed/power), and Molina (see Berkman haha). The bottom three are a weird bunch to sort, but I put Wong in the 7 hole with his swiss army knife card. Honestly he could hit second and extend the lineup more, but he's almost duplicative of Heyward... just slightly worse at the plate. DeJong gives great defense and lots of pop, but the OB 7 is glaring in this league. Rounding it out is the AWESOME Edman, who also could be the leadoff guy but as an OB 8, I like him starting things off again and being the "second leadoff guy" at the bottom. His 24 speed is going to be deadly. Overall, this is a team with the perfect +14 infield, which will appeal to many managers, and lots of speed at the top and bottom.
ROTATION: Absolutely nothing to complain about here, the Cardinals are going Tier 2 starters all the way. Waino is a TANK in the vein of original Curt Schilling and definitely will contend for the NL's IP lead when it's all said and done. He's backed up by a very good C6 Michael Wacha, back in his glory days on the 100 win 2015 squad that the Cubs beat (and the Cardinals haven't really recovered from that beatdown imo... even if they did just luck their way to ANOTHER division crown in 2019 and a NLCS berth). 2019 Jack Flaherty comes in third and, boy oh boy, it's a shame he didn't just have a second half card after his blistering 0.79 ERA would've made him a Bob Gibson clone! Finally, in a hotly contested final spot, we've got Carlos Martinez's 2015 card -- he's another Tier 2. St. Louis put together great teams from 2013-15, so we get to see a lot of Matthew P's beautiful cards in this group!
BULLPEN: The Tier 2 pitching parade continues in the bullpen, where 4/5 pitchers are Tier 2 studs. Oh, and they mix in Tier 1 Pat Neshek too!! Maybe the strongest thing about St. Louis' bullpen is all the Control 6 arms they have... definitely a great neutralizer in this All Decade league's mega lineups. Really, really got to be pleased with this backend if you're one of the best fans in baseball!
Overall, the Cardinals come in at a mere 6710 points. Largely, this is because they've got two IP 5 starters and no IP 2 relievers, as well as a less powerful lineup than other squads. But make no mistake -- this squad (much to my chagrin) is going to contend in the Central. UGH they're just so frustrating, especially since I won't manage as ineptly as Matheny or Schildt!! After 20 teams (WOW!), here's the point total standings!!
- Dodgers 8010 points
- Yankees 7920 points
- Red Sox 7770 points
- Nationals 7670 points
- Astros 7420 points
- Reds 7220 points
- Phillies 7200 points
- Blue Jays 7140 points
- Rockies 7090 points
- Rays 7060 points
- Indians 6880 points
- (T12) Mariners 6880 points
- Orioles 6830 points
- Giants 6800 points
- Marlins 6750 points
- Tigers 6710 points
- (T16) Cardinals 6710 points
- Athletics 6670 points
- Royals 6570 points
- Padres 6510 points
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