The St. Louis Cardinals emerged from the scrum known as the National League Central with a division title, posting a record of 91-71, taking their first championship since 2015. St. Louis eliminated Atlanta in the National League Division Series but was no match for the Washington Nationals, who swept the Cardinals, 4-0, in the National League Championship Series. The Cardinals saw Marcell Ozuna head to Atlanta in free agency and only added a couple of players, an unusual lull for a team that had been aggressive the past few seasons. However, the top four players on last year’s team were all drafted by St. Louis and came up through their farm system: starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, shortstop Paul DeJong, second baseman Kolten Wong and utility player Tommy Edman. With all that play coming from within, the Cardinals appear ready to stand pat and see what 2020 holds. For those of you who want to include MLB Odds & MLB futures in your sports betting, we have a pre-season look at the 2020 St. Louis Cardinals.
MLB: St. Louis Cardinals 2020 Pre-Season Analysis
St. Louis Cardinals Offensive Analysis
Dylan Carlson has been projected to come up during the summer but may start with the team on Opening Day, depending on the length of the coronavirus delay. Carlson had 26 home runs and 20 steals between Double- and Triple-A. On the defensive side, he is rated as a plus defender in both left and right. However, the offense was not all that great. Matt Carpenter did not live up to his 2018 numbers, and Paul Goldschmidt took a while to catch fire. Outfielder Tyler O’Neill has a big bat but had not managed to crack the starting lineup. There is room for him this year to establish himself.
St. Louis Cardinals Defensive Analysis
The Cardinals ranked third in defensive efficiency and permitted the second fewest runs in the National League in 2019, even though their pitching staff issued too many walks and did not strike out many batters. No team let fewer runners get on base via the ground ball in the senior circuit, which was impressive given the pitching staff permitted the fourth highest groundball rate. According to MLB.com, three Cardinals saved ten or more outs above average: Kolten Wong (10), Paul DeJong (13) and center fielder Harrison Bader (13). Only 22 players in all of MLB had an average of at least ten outs above average saved. Core defense is the key to winning championships.
St. Louis Cardinals Key Offseason Moves
Last year, the Cardinals made the big move to acquire Paul Goldschmidt from Arizona, along with reliever Andrew Miller. The big check to Goldschmidt paid off, but the big check to Miller did not. This year, St. Louis’ biggest acquisition is Kwang Hyun Kim, a lefty who comes to the United States after a dozen seasons in the Korean Baseball League. While pitching there, he put up a record of 136-77, posting over 1,400 strikeouts and a 3.27 ERA. Can he have success in Major League Baseball? Some have prospered here, while others have struggled.
The other additions include signing Brad Miller for infield depth; he split 2019 between the Indians and the Phillies. Matt Wieters comes over from Washington on a one-year deal as a backup catcher. Other than these changes, the Cards are hoping that last year’s team will win the division again.
- St. Louis Cardinals Odds to Win the World Series: 30/1
- St. Louis Cardinals Odds to Win the NL Pennant: 15/1
The Milwaukee Brewers started off last season looking like they would skate to a division title. They ended up with one of the two wild cards, but they had to win 18 of 23 down the stretch to do it. The Chicago Cubs had a similar arc to the Brewers. However, they are under new management this season. So are the Pittsburgh Pirates, who saw Clint Hurdle leave after an underperforming season. David Bell enters his second season in Cincinnati, and he looks like he has transformed the culture and now needs to start getting the talent in place to have the Reds contend. So the Central looks a lot like it did last year — a scrum that will produce a winner, but without an elite team. The Cardinals, Brewers and Cubs are all close in their chances to win this division.
