SI's fantasy preview of the Cardinals

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heyzeus
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SI's fantasy preview of the Cardinals

Post by heyzeus »

remember, it's not real baseball, it's fantasy baseball!

St. Louis Cardinals Fantasy Preview



Projected Lineup (2006 stats)
Pos. Player Avg. HR RBI SB
SS David Eckstein .292 2 23 7
LF Chris Duncan .293 22 43 0
1B Albert Pujols .331 49 137 7
3B Scott Rolen .296 22 95 7
CF Jim Edmonds .257 19 70 4
RF Juan Encarnacion .278 19 79 6
C Yadier Molina .216 6 49 1
2B Adam Kennedy .273 4 55 16

Projected Rotation (2006 stats)
Starters W-L WHIP ERA K
Chris Carpenter 15-8 1.07 3.09 184
Anthony Reyes 5-8 1.38 5.06 72
Adam Wainwright 2-1 1.15 3.12 72
Kip Wells 2-5 1.85 6.90 20
Braden Looper 9-3 1.31 3.56 41
Mark Mulder* 6-7 1.70 7.14 50
*injured until midseason

Projected Closer
Player W-L WHIP ERA Saves K
Jason Isringhausen 4-8 1.46 3.55 33 52

When looking at the Cardinals projected starting rotation on paper, it's hard to believe these are the defending World Series champs. However, Dave Duncan and Tony La Russa have transformed pitchers in much more dire looking situations into winners before (see Jeff Weaver last season), so if you have to take a leap of faith with a pitcher or two on your staff, St. Louis isn't a bad place to look.
Irreplaceable

There's no one I'd rather have on my fantasy team than Albert Pujols. Last season he placed third in the majors in home runs and tied for second in RBIs despite missing 19 games with a strained right oblique that likely cost him his second MVP award. (He's been in the top five in voting each of his six seasons.)

Extrapolate his numbers over 162 games and he'd have 55 homers and 155 RBIs while placing third in the NL in batting average, .001 off his career mark. The only possible fantasy negative for Pujols is his dip in steals from 16 in 2005 to only seven last season. Now fully recovered from a laundry list of injuries, you can expect his speed numbers to rebound.
The Next Big Thing

When last we saw Adam Wainwright he was filling in for a sidelined Jason Isringhausen, winning Game 4 of the World Series before closing out the clincher in Game 5. He pitched 9 2/3 postseason innings, allowed no runs and struck out 15 after a regular season campaign in which he led NL rookies in ERA. But last year's rotation is now without Jason Marquis, Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver. So Wainwright, one of the NL's top relievers in 2006 but long a top prospect as a starter, is being thrust back into his original role. He's being counted on to stabilize the second spot in the rotation, at least until Mark Mulder returns from his rotator cuff rehab sometime around the All-Star break. With his electric fastball and tough slider, curve, and changeup, Wainwright's in prime position to take the next leap into stardom. A little added bonus, he helps his own cause by being a lifetime .500 hitter (3 for 6 with a HR).
Danger!

There's no doubt that David Eckstein is a winner, having played shortstop on two of the last five World Championship teams. He's one of those players who does all of the little things, the intangibles that every team needs to be successful, and he was rewarded with the World Series MVP. However, he's the poster boy for someone whose real value does laps around his fantasy worth. Eckstein has hit .293 in his two seasons as a Cardinal, but with an average of five home runs and nine steals. Last year he drove in just 23 runs, which placed him 301st overall. You'd be better off drafting a utility player with shortstop eligibility than burdening yourself with an unproductive 500 at-bats.
Do You Feel Lucky?

Just when you thought Preston Wilson's career was coming to an unceremonious close, the former NL RBI leader staged a nice comeback last year for St. Louis after being released by the Astros. In just 111 at-bats, Wilson hit eight home runs, slugged .486 and stole six bases, doubling his total in 390 at-bats for Houston. Set to platoon with Chris Duncan this year, Wilson won't garner much attention in your draft, but remember that since he can play center, he's also primed to grab at-bats given away by the often injured Jim Edmonds.
Steals Come From...

Newly acquired second baseman Adam Kennedy, Eckstein's old running mate in Anaheim and a former Cards' farmhand, will be the team leader, although his numbers (35 over the last two seasons) might be held down by him hitting before the pitcher in the lineup. Pujols, Wilson, So Taguchi, Eckstein and right fielder Juan Encarnacion all will chip in with a few steals, but generally none should be counted on.
If Something Should Happen To Jason Isringhausen

Last year's replacement for Izzy, the aforementioned Wainwright, did as good a job as anyone could, but now he's in the rotation. Another former closer, Braden Looper, is also being given a chance to earn a spot in the rotation, leaving the bullpen undermanned in case of emergency. Given that the Cards have more starting options (Ryan Franklin, Randy Keisler) than closer choices, it'll likely be Looper getting the call.

You Need Them Too:

Chris Carpenter, Chris Duncan, Yadier Molina, Anthony Reyes, Scott Rolen

Better left as someone else's problem:

Ryan Franklin, Aaron Miles, John Rodriguez, Scott Spiezio

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Leroy
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Post by Leroy »

I was gonna ask if the bonebrains just used last year's numbers.

Turns out they're not the bonebrains.

MDCardsFan
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Re: SI's fantasy preview of the Cardinals

Post by MDCardsFan »

heyzeus wrote: You Need Them Too:

Chris Carpenter, Chris Duncan, Yadier Molina, Anthony Reyes, Scott Rolen
That's a bit of a shock on fantasy team, heh?

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valley_card22
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Post by valley_card22 »

Wainwright has been going in alot of drafts i've been doing. No one has taken Eck, Reyes, Wells, Duncan (unless its me with my last pick)

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