St. Louis Cardinals

Team Preview 2020

The St. Louis Cardinals look to win the NL Central division again in 2020. They came out on top in 2019 with winning the regular season division over the Milwaukee Brewers by two games. The Cardinals went on to lose the NLCS to a good Washington Nationals team. The Cards hope to get back there this year and get different results. But St. Louis may have to wait a bit longer. The regular season for MLB was postponed due to the global pandemic and the spread of the Coronavirus. The season will start at a later date yet to be determined. This pandemic also put a hold on the last couple weeks of spring training. Just when teams were getting the rosters narrowed down, MLB commissioner announced that no more spring training games would be played and the start of the season would be postponed. But I am going to give you a look at what the Cardinals had up to that point and where it looked like they would be for the start of the 2020 regular season.

Catcher

Yadier Molina would get the for sure start behind the plate for the Cardinals. It is the last season in the 34-year-old’s contract but he hopes to play beyond 2020. He has been a staple behind the plate for the Redbirds and is one of the best defensive catchers to ever play the game. Backing him up, the Cardinals will have Matt Wieters. He adds a good bat to the bench for St. Louis. A third catcher, Andrew Kizner, who is a highly regarded prospect in their system, would look to add support if there is an injury, but will most likely start in Triple-A where he can be an everyday starter.

First Base

Superstar Paul Goldschmidt will no doubt be the Cardinals Starting first basemen. He is playing his second year in St. Louis and the Cardinals are going to look for him to have a good year. The Cardinals will most likely not carry a backup and look at guys from other positions to step in if needed.

Second Base

Kolten Wong is going to be St. Louis’s starting second basemen. Wong is coming off of one of his best years in his career after winning a gold glove at second base. He adds great defense and a nice left-handed bat to the lineup. Behind Kolten, the Cardinals will most likely use Tommy Edman or newly acquired Brad Miller in a backup role. Both players will be a utility player for the Cardinals playing many different positions and wherever they are needed.

Short Stop

Starting at short stop for St. Louis will be Paul DeJong. Coming off a 30 home run season and an All-Star appearance in 2019, DeJong will look to have another good year. The Cardinals are going to rely on him for a big bat in the lineup after Marcell Ozuna signed with the Braves in the offseason.

Third Base

Matt Carpenter will hope to have a bounce back year for St. Louis after struggling in 2019. The Cardinals know Carpenter can do more than he showed in 2019. Carpenter will start most of his games at third, will possibly trading on and off with Tommy Edman. The Redbirds will utilize whichever guy is hot at the time. They hope Carpenter can have a good year and be an everyday starter.

Outfield

Two of the three starting outfielders for the Cardinals will most likely be Harrison Bader and Dexter Fowler. Bader will start in center for St. Louis. He adds stellar defense and amazing speed to the lineup. They look for Bader to contribute a little more at the plate this year. In right field, Dexter Fowler will most likely get the most starts. While some fans may disagree, the Cardinals are hoping for him to have a better year. Fowler struggled at the plate in 2019, but can hopefully get back to the potential the Cardinals are hoping for when they signed him. Right field and the bench outfielders are still up in the air. Dylan Carlson is the Cardinals number one prospect in their system and he may be looked upon to fill in the third outfield spot. St. Louis also aqquired Austin Dean who has bounced around between Triple-A and the major leagues. Tyler O’Neil, Lane Thomas, and Justin Williams will also be in the outfield mix.

Starting Pitchers

Jack Flaherty will be the Cardinals ace in 2020. He was set to start on Opening Day. Behind Flaherty, is Dakota Hudson, Adam Wainwright and Miles Mikolas. Mikolas sat out the second half of spring training with right forearm soreness, but with the season being pushed back, he should be ready to go by the start. This past off-season, the Cardinals signed a Korean pitcher, Kwang-Hyun Kim, who will compete for the fifth spot in the rotation. Also battling for the fifth spot is Carlos Martinez and Daniel Ponce de Leon who both added starts in 2019.

Relief Pitchers

In the bulllpen for St. Louis will be Andrew Miller, Giovanny Gallegos, Ryan Helsley, John Brebbia, Tyler Webb, Jordan Hicks, and John Gant. The Cardinals hope to have Jordan Hicks back to his hard throwing ways after missing the second half of the season in 2019 with Tommy John Surgery. He will add an anchor in the back half of the bullpen. It is also hopeful that St. Louis can get Alex Reyes in the bullpen sometime in 2020. Reyes is coming off multiple injuries that have kept him from reaching his potential. The young Reyes was regarded as a top prospect in the organization. After rehabbing in 2019, the Redbirds hope he can add some firepower to the bullpen in 2020.