K.B.'s Baseball Blog

The only guarantee is that #5, Albert Pujols, will be on the first base corner -if he’s healthy. It would be safe to also assume that Yadier Molina will be the starting catcher throughout the season, considering that the Cardinals signed him to a 4-year deal this week.

Yes, little Yadi, the youngest of the three catching Molina bros, will be with the Cardinals until 2011. It was announced last monday that he signed, avoiding arbitration. He will earn a total of $15.5 million, an average of $3.87 million a year. For Molina, that seems like a lot to spend on him, but do note that he is arguably the best defensive catcher in the game and his offense just keeps getting better as hos career goes on.

At 25, Yadier played 111 games in 2007, in which he hit 6 homeruns and had a .275batting average, a rise of .059, compared to his .216 batting average in 2006. He started his career in 2004 when the Cardinals current catcher at the time, Mike Matheny, was injured and Yadier got his chance at the bigs. He immediately impressed coaches with his mature defense. He had and .993 fielding percentage in 54 games that year. In all 4 seasons with the Cardinals, he has a career batting average of .248 and 22 homeruns, with his 8 in 2005 being his career high.

So with Yadier behind the plate, and Albert over on the first base side, the rest of the ‘08 lineup is still anybodies’ guess.

Perhaps the most uncertain part of the lineup is the outfield. But one is certain, the ‘08 lineup will not be what Cardinal fans used to.

For the past 8 seasons, center field has been Jim Edmonds territory. But with him being traded to San Diego for David Freese, and So Taguchi being released, the outfield will be much younger in the upcoming season than past seasons.

The 2005 outfield was Jim Edmonds , Larry Walker and Reggie Sanders, with the average age being 36.

In 2006, with Edmonds still roaming center, and Jaun Encarnacion and So Taguchi in the corners outfield spots, the average age was 34, so the team was getting younger.

In 2007, Jim Edmonds was back for a final year and Chris Duncan and Juan Encarnacion was helping him in the corner outfield, and the average age was 31, a much younger outfield.

But in the upcoming ‘08 season, the outfield could see an even younger trio. With Juan Encarnacion not being available to start on opening day due to an eye injury, that leaves a group of 5 players, Chris Duncan, Skip Schumaker, Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel and Brian Barton, all fighting for jobs.

Ludwick is only 29, and yet is the oldest player in the outfield and has the most expierence, being an outfielder all the way back to his first pro season in 1999. Ankiel is a year younger at 28, but unlike Ludwick, he has only been an outfielder since 2005, when he gave up on pitchng and changed positions. Schumaker, like Ankiel, will be 28 in the upcoming week, and like Ludwick, has been a minor league outfielder for a good amount of time. Duncan, 26, has more major league experience in the outfield then them all with 226 games, beating out Ludwick by two games. And the youngest, Brian Barton, will be 26 in April.

When adding those ages together, the average age comes out to only 27, which is much younger than than outfield from 2005.

Looking at the stats, the obvious choice would seem to be to play Ludwick, Ankiel and Duncan in the outfield, but either Barton or Shumaker would be needed to be in the lineup, for the sole reason that they have speed and could lead off of the top of the lineup, but, second baseman Aaron Miles or Ceasar Izturis could have that spot as well.

If Duncan, Ankiel and Ludwick were to start regularly, the outfield would have some serious power. In 2007, Duncan hit 20 homeruns, Ankiel hit 11 major leauge homeruns + 32 minor league homeruns and Ludwick hit 14 homeruns. So if they played every day, Duncan and Ludwick could give you a solid 25 homerun season, and Ankiel…well, only time will tell.

And thats not even counting the power of Albert Pujols at first base and Troy Glaus third. Glaus can get you 30 homeruns, and Pujols can get 40+ in a healthy season.

So imagine this lineup:

Aaron Miles, 2B
Rick Ankiel, OF
Albert Pujols, 1B
Troy Glaus, 3B
Chris Duncan, OF
Ryan Ludwick, OF
Yadier Molina, C
Pitcher’s spot.
Ceasar Izturis, SS

The reason I put that “or” in there was because the batting order for Ludwick and Duncan would be greatly effected by whether the pitcher is a righty or a lefty, seeing that Ludwick bats right handed and Duncan bats left.

But like any Cardinals season with manager Tony Larussa, spring training will ultimately decide who plays and where.

This story and other can be read at baseballyakker.com

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Yo! Posted by Stardust