So, what changes do we need to make for next year?

[Faceman]

So as long as there are those that are equipped with the line, "leadoff isn't a position," there should never be another discussion about who should bat leadoff?

ICE's last 2 posts sum up my thoughts. Batting order should be, at most, an afterthought.

I will remember this when I see people slitting wrists over Molina hitting 6th instead of 7th.

not to speak for others, but i think they mean when constructing a team, lineup "isnt important"...once the team has been "built", then you can worry about the lineup...

Well I think that is what some are saying. But I don't get that at all from withAloe's quote.

[Eephus Speed]

That is, in fact, what I was saying. Batting order isn't meaningless, but you shouldn't construct a team with batting order in mind.

[Swingingbunt]

In the season's final two months, Ryan hit .310, and only Pujols and Matt Holliday had better slugging percentages than Ryan's .432.

Small sample aside, we have to do something about this.

I've gotta think that most of that will take care of itself.

Hopefully, Luddy's norm is somewhere in between 2008 and 2009. IMO, he's not a .600 SLG guy, but there's no reason he can't be a .500. He ended with a .447 this year even with his awful slump midseason.
If DeRosa is brought back, his last 5 years of SLG have hovered around .450. If his wrist is healed, we'll hopefully see that.
Yadi and Skip will probably be in the .390-.400 range again.
Razzle is the big question, IMO. If he's the player we saw in May, June, and October, he should have a better SLG % than Ryan also. If not...well, then I'll worry a little.

Regardless of SLG% throughout, I still think this team should be able to score more runs than they did this year. Our team speed is pretty good with Ryan, Rasmus, and Skip. Pujols is one of the smartest and most aggressive runners in the league. Really, the only station to station guy on the team is Yadier.

Basically, if the offense is brought back as is, I'd be okay with it.

Our lineup's career OBP/SLG:
Yadi - .327/.365
Albert - .427/.628
Skip - .356/.399
Ryan - .333/.373
DeRosa - .343/.424
Holliday - .387/.545
Rasmus - .307/.407
Luddy - .340/.493

Considering that Rasmus should only get better, we have a chance at having two or three guys slugging over .500 and two more slugging over .420. That's a pretty darn good 3-7. Couple that with Skip and Ryan setting the table and throw Yadi on at the end, and you have a lineup that SHOULD score. At some point, the blame has to go on the players for not producing.

[Faceman]

That is, in fact, what I was saying. Batting order isn't meaningless, but you shouldn't construct a team with batting order in mind.

I agree with this, but if "batting order is meaningless" (and I think most people know it makes very little effect on the runs per game) then, batting order is in fact, meaningless. Regardless of whether it is worried about now (pre roster construction) or in April (when we have our roster).

[Eephus Speed]

Even if the optimal batting order is only worth 1 win over a more traditional batting order, batting order isn't meaningless.

[Faceman]

Even if the optimal batting order is only worth 1 win over a more traditional batting order, batting order isn't meaningless.

You are right, it's an afterthought.

[Captain Redbird]

Be sure we have a 3B.

[Swingingbunt]

Not a whole lot of new stuff here, but there are a few things regarding the bullpen and rotation as they start looking toward next year.

Mozeliak said "in a perfect world" the Cardinals won't have to pull from the bullpen to fill two spots in the rotation, meaning would-be starters like Boggs and Hawksworth proved valuable in relief.

"What it's really saying is we have a young bullpen," Mozeliak said. "We have some flexibility there, and we have our specialist roles set. I think when you look at what we take into the season, it's a good situation. ... We expect consistency to also mean improvement."

Brad Thompson, the long reliever, is likely going to be a casualty, as the Cardinals might not offer him a contract, allowing him to become a free agent.

Mozeliak said he expects to scan the minor-league free agents for depth, but there will be no bullpen renovation this winter.

[Hungary Jack]

I am quite comfortable with the thought of Boggs and Hawksworth in the pen. That doesn't hold true for them in the rotation. I think we'll need to sign somebody for the 4th slot (I assume Pinata's gone), and find a fifth starter amongst the likes of Garcia, Hearne, and Lynn.

The thought of Garcia pitching 150 innings in 2010 after throwing 37 innings in 2009 concerns me, and it will be interesting to see what they do with him if he wins a job in ST.

[JL21]

The concern I have with the 'pen is that there's a lot of natural decline set up moving into 2010. I'll be stunned if Franklin duplicates his season; if Miller duplicates his season; if McClellan's peripherals don't bite him in the ass; and if Hawksworth can keep going hard on that beast with some serious swagger.

But I can't blame them for standing pat out there. There are bigger concerns (LF, maybe 3B, one of the SP slots).