Cardinals disregard naysayers, believe they can remain the National League gold standard

Exactly how are the St. Louis Cardinals dealing with pundits’ predictions that have them slipping in the National League Central hierarchy?

Basically, they’re ignoring them.

With the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates in position to bump the defending division champion Cardinals from their pedestal, manager Mike Matheny’s players only smirk.

“I have been asked about that a few hundred thousand times,” Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright said of his thoughts on the Cubs’ dramatic turnaround during the last year. “We’ll deal with the Chicago Cubs when we play the Chicago Cubs. First we’ve got to beat all these teams this spring, then we’ve got to beat the Pirates and we’ve got to beat the (Atlanta) Braves and we’ve got to beat a bunch of other teams before we play the Cubs.”

Wainwright anticipates the Cardinals, despite right fielder Jason Heyward and pitcher John Lackey signing free-agent deals with the Cubs and pitcher Lance Lynn being lost for the season with Tommy John surgery, can again challenge their 100-win level of last season.

“I’m very biased. I’m a homer. I’m all those things,” Wainwright said. “I’m optimistically, enthusiastically rooting and expecting us to win the World Series every single year. Anybody who criticizes me for that is exactly right, and I don’t apologize for that.

“I am very excited about this team. Our pitching staff has a chance to be very special, and I know we’ve got some position players that are going to shine.”

Across the room in the Cardinals’ clubhouse at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., third baseman Matt Carpenter finds plenty to like about the Cardinals.

“I’m excited,” Carpenter said. “We’ve got a good group. We’ve got a group of guys we’re confident in. It’s going to be a good year.”

Why?

“It’s just our veteran leadership,” Carpenter said. “We’ve got guys who have been here and know how to win. You can’t do that with a young group of guys. You’ve got to have guys who are experienced. We’ve got some experience over here.”

The offense

Offense was down throughout baseball last year, and the Cardinals were no exception.

St. Louis scored three or fewer runs 69 times and was 32-47 in those games. Pitching kept the Cardinals afloat, helping them go 30-20 in games in which they scored two or three runs.

The Cardinals ranked 11th in the NL in runs (647), 11th in home runs (137) and 11th in stolen bases (69).

Had the offense fired with more consistency, it’s not out of the question that the Cardinals could have won between 115 and 120 games considering the effectiveness of the pitching.

Heyward, one of the Cardinals’ most disciplined hitters and their batting-average leader at .293, will be replaced in right field by Stephen Piscotty.

Piscotty proved a quick study as a rookie last season, batting .305 with 15 doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 39 RBIs in 63 games. He could be in line for a big season with an approach that enables him to make quick adjustments at the plate.

Randal Grichuk replaced the traded Jon Jay in center and the Cardinals hope Grichuk finally will maintain his health. Grichuk missed time with injuries to his back and elbow last season, but still managed to hit .276 with 17 homers and 47 RBIs in 103 games.

Matt Holliday returns to left field, although he also is expected to see significant time at first base as the Cardinals look for ways to play Tommy Pham in the outfield.

Holliday is coming off an injury-marred season that included two injuries to his right quad. When healthy, Holliday was effective, batting .279 with four homers and 35 RBIs in a career-low 73 games. But at 36, the Cardinals must wonder how much more Holliday can offer.

Carpenter and second baseman Kolten Wong head an infield that will also include newcomer Ruben Tejada at shortstop and some combination of Holliday, Brandon Moss and Matt Adams at first base.

Carpenter batted .272 with a career-high 28 home runs, and is the favorite to remain the Cardinals’ leadoff hitter. Wong, who batted .262 with 11 homers and 61 RBIs, expects big things from himself as he begins his third season as a regular.

“I think a lot of that comes from being more confident in myself and having a lot more fun with playing this game,” Wong said. “I’m forcing myself to not get too down or not get too excited. I’ve always been a guy that’s been on a roller-coaster ride the whole time. I’ve learned how to control that and be more of a consistent player whether I’m doing well or not doing well.”

Wong wants to hit leadoff, a role Carpenter has filled.

“He could fit anywhere,” Matheny said of Wong. “He’s still working hard to prove he can put together those great (at-bats) at the top of the lineup. We’re going to keep looking at that, but realizing he has (batted) sixth and seventh before. He can jump out and show some power, so there’s a lot of flexibility.”

The Cardinals traded for Moss at the deadline last year and Moss struggled to a .250 average with four home runs and eight RBIs in 51 games. Intrigued by the power he could provide, St. Louis re-signed Moss to a one-year, $8.25 million contract.

Moss pointed out that he has hit 30 home run in a pitcher-friendly park in Oakland and believes he can do it again in Busch Stadium, an equally difficult site for hitters.

“It’s a big ballpark,” Moss said. “But you also get to play in Cincinnati and Milwaukee and Chicago. There’s some good hitter’s parks. Busch is not one of them. It plays as big or bigger than any park I’ve ever played in, which is a surprise to me. I had never known it was so big. Last year, I found that out quick.

“But I hit 30 in Oakland. I would like to (hit 30 in St. Louis). However many I hit is however many I hit. I know I have power. That’s what I’m in here to do and that’s what I’m going to do.”

The Cardinals signed the light-hitting Tejada on March 19 after Tejada was placed on waivers by the New York Mets. Tejada, a steady defender, is expected to hold down shortstop until Jhonny Peralta returns in July from surgery on his left thumb.

Yadier Molina, 33, returns at catcher, although he could open the season on the disabled list following two surgeries on his left thumb ligament. Molina isn’t the offensive player he once was, but he remains one of the top defensive catchers in the game.

Outfielder Pham, newcomers Jedd Gyorko (infielder) and Brayan Pena (catcher), and Greg Garcia (infielder) head a bench that could on any day include Moss and Adams. Prospect Jeremy Hazelbaker also could get his first big-league exposure.

“If we worry about and take care of what we can, I think we’ll be right there,” said Gyorko, acquired from San Diego for Jay. “Pitching has always been good around here. The winning tradition is the thing that stands out the most.”

The pitching

The rotation of Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez, Mike Leake and Jaime Garcia ranks among the best in the NL. Leake was signed to a five-year, $80 million contract.

“Leake brings a lot of stuff,” said backup catcher Brayan Pena, who was with Leake last season in Cincinnati. “He brings a lot of energy. He brings a lot of desire and passion to win. He wants to be that leader. That’s a good thing. Mike Leake goes out there and gives you everything he’s got. He’s not afraid of any challenge. He goes out there and competes and gives you six, seven, eight strong innings. That’s exactly what you ask from a guy like that.”

The Cardinals predict big things for Martinez, who was 14-7 with a 3.01 ERA in 31 games, including 29 starts, before being shut down in late September because of shoulder fatigue.

“He’s looked extremely good,” Matheny said. “Just his live sessions and his sides, he’s been very sharp. The life, the stuff, we know that’s there. He’s matured even more over the winter, and that’s something we need him to continue to do. It helps him with consistency.

“That’s the key for him. We’ve talked to him about (finding) that balance between enthusiasm and aggressiveness and emotion. That’s what’s keeping him from being consistent. I think he’s been taking positive strides and figuring out what that looks like.”

Trevor Rosenthal anchors the bullpen after setting a franchise record with 48 saves last season. He has plenty of help around him with Jonathan Broxton, Seung Hwan Oh, Tyler Lyons, Jordan Walden, Kevin Siegrist, Seth Maness, Sam Tuivailala, Miguel Socolovich and Mitch Harris. Some of them will begin the year in Class AAA Memphis.

Rosenthal said losing Peralta until after the All-Star Game is a blow, but it’s nothing with which the Cardinals aren’t accustomed.

“That’s a gap to fill, for sure,” Rosenthal said. “But we faced challenges like that all year last year. We have a team that doesn’t give in to things like that. It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re all looking forward to them, seeing who’s going to step up. That’s what makes this team special, for sure. It’s exciting to be a part of.

“Last year, we had a ton of key guys go down and we still trucked right along without them. We’re going to continue to do that.”

The defense

The Cardinals committed 96 errors last season. Only four other teams were charged with more, including the Cubs and Pirates. All three teams made the playoffs.

Grichuk and Piscotty are solid defenders, as is Tejada. Molina remains a weapon behind the plate, deterring most teams’ running games and managing a pitching staff better than anyone. Holliday is below average in left, and is a work in progress at first base.

“Every time he goes out there, there’s going to be something unscripted that he’s going to have to be able to react to,” Matheny said of Holliday. “Every time he does that, he’s going to be better after he experiences it in real time. For us, it’s just getting Matt a little more acclimated to that different spot.”

Carpenter, Wong and Adams are capable defenders. Moss is more polished in left field than at first base.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 4:30 AM with the headline "Cardinals disregard naysayers, believe they can remain the National League gold standard."