Lance Berkman Inks One-Year Contract Extension

Lance Berkman and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a one-year $12 million contract extension.  The move ensures Berkman will return for the Cardinals next season.

Entering the year, many thought the Cardinals had overpaid for Lance Berkman’s services considering the questions surrounding Berkman’s ability to man the outfield on a day-to-day basis.  Berkman has made his doubters look silly this season and was rewarded for his services today.

Berkman has been ridiculous this season, his first in St. Louis.  Hot from the start, Berkman has posted a line of .300/.412/.555 over his 139 games for the Cardinals, with 31 home runs and 91 RBI’s.  His .967 OPS is good for third best in the National League and 50 points higher than teammate Albert Pujols.

Perhaps more important to the Cardinals, Berkman’s level of play has not dropped off.  With the season coming to its end, Berkman has hit at a clip of .394/.474/.515 in September and has played a large role in St. Louis’s continued Wild Card hunt.

While this level of production may have been what most expected from Berkman during his heyday in Houston, few could have anticipated this kind of monster season following his lackluster showing in 2010.

Before last year, Berkman spent his entire career with the Astros.  Once again finding themselves in the midst of a losing season, Houston decided to ship Berkman off to the New York Yankees.

Making most of his appearances as New York’s designated hitter, Berkman only mustered a mark of .255/358/.349 over the final two months of the season.  Coupled with his numbers in Houston, Berkman finished the 2010 season with an OPS south of .800.  It was the first time he had registered a mark below .896 since 1999, his rookie season.

Berkman did show a glimpse of his old self when the playoffs rolled around (5-16 with 3 extra base hits and 4 RBI’s in 5 games).

As the Cardinals enter Thursday night 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the NL Wild Card, St. Louis is hoping that Berkman will again get a chance to show what he can do in October.

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