This was such a strange year for the Cardinals. They didn’t clinch the NL Central until the final day of the 2014 season. They didn’t take sole possession of first place until September 1st. Yet, the Cardinals still won 90 games, beat Clayton Kershaw twice in the NLDS, and advanced to the NLCS. For most teams, that end to their season would be considered an accomplishment. For the Cardinals, it’s a disappointment.
Preseason Prediction: The Cardinals won 97 games in 2013, and frankly probably should have won more. They haven’t gotten noticeably worse. With the Reds and Pirates losing some significant pieces, the Cardinals should win the NL Central fairly easily. It’s always hard to predict just how far into October a team will go, but given recent history and their status as one of the two clear favorites in the NL, it’d be a surprise if they didn’t win at least one postseason series. (Jaymes Langrehr, March 14th)
What Went Right: Jhonny Peralta quieted all concerns about his abilities following a 2013 PED suspension, hitting .263/.336/.443 with 21 homers and Gold Glove caliber defense at short. Matt Carpenter lost 41 points off his BABIP and his power fell off a cliff, but he was still very valuable at third base. Matt Holliday struggled in the first half, but still finished with 22 homers. Adam Wainwright was his usual marvelous self, finishing with a 2.38 ERA in 227 innings. Lance Lynn was also quite good in 33 starts, pitching to a 2.74 ERA. Pat Neshek had a phenomenal first half before coming back to earth in the second half (though still not walking anyone). Seth Maness pitched quite well in relief. John Lackey was adequate, but his acquisition allowed the Cardinals to dump Allen Craig’s contract on the Red Sox.
What Went Wrong: Yadier Molina played in a career-low 110 games, and his offensive statistics diminished to their lowest point since 2010. Peter Bourjos was terrible offensively, and lost a bulk of the playing time in center field to Jon Jay. Matt Adams hit fewer homers this season than last season, despite logging more than 200 extra plate appearances. Allen Craig was a disaster before being shipped off to Boston for John Lackey. Oscar Tavares wasn’t given consistent playing time, and couldn’t hit when he did take the field. The bench as a whole was pretty brutal aside from Bourjos’s glove. There wasn’t much of an answer in right field all year. Michael Wacha struggled after a breakout 2013, and threw just 33 2/3 innings of 4.81 baseball after May. Closer Trevor Rosenthal was erratic, and that might be a kind description of his year. Jaime Garcia made just seven starts before being shut down after shoulder surgery. Justin Masterson was a disaster after coming over from Cleveland at the All-Star Break. Jason Motte was brutal in his return from Tommy John surgery. There’s also the issue of Mike Matheny, who earned the ire of analysts and fans following his seemingly endless parade of questionable moves.
Most Surprising Player: Pat Neshek was dumped on waivers by the Twins in 2010, outrighted by the Padres in 2011, sold by the Orioles in 2012, outrighted by the A’s in 2013, and signed by Cardinals days before Spring Training began in 2014. So naturally, he was named to the NL All-Star Team, pitched to a 1.87 ERA in 67 1/3 innings, struck out 68, and walked just nine. Yeah, that’s exactly what the Cardinals expected from a 33-year old that spent time with four organizations over the last four seasons. Neshek never might not even have a season like 2014 again, but he can hang his hat on this one for a long time.
Most Disappointing Player: Allen Craig looked like a building block for the Cardinals after a breakout 2010 Postseason and a very good, injury-shortened 2011. Hell, he even still hit in 2012 and 2013, posting an .876 OPS in 2012 and an .830 OPS in 2013. But then…the wheels fell off in 2014. In 97 games with the Cardinals, he homered just seven times, hitting .237/.291/.346 while dealing with a foot injury that first arose in 2013. Eventually, that became too much to bear for the Cardinals, and they shipped Joe Kelly, Craig, and the $26.5 million left on his contract to the Red Sox for John Lackey. Hey, on the bright side, the Cardinals cleared a lot of money from their future payroll and have a very attractive, league minimum club option on Lackey for 2015. On the downside…well, they still don’t have an answer in right field, given the disappointing performances given by Randal Grichuk and Oscar Tavares after the deal.
The Future: In 2015, the Cardinals will contend once again, because that’s what they do. They’re the Cardinals, dammit, and it would take some sort of massive event for them not to compete in the NL Central. Their biggest weakness may be Matheny, who has managed the team to three straight NLCS appearances, and come away with just one pennant and a keg full of outrage and disappointment. The Cardinals have no significant free agents next year (unless Lackey retires), and I’d imagine that the same general roster will be back to compete once again in 2015.
