Call to the pen
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St. Louis Cardinals 2016 Year in Review

By Tim Haberin

Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

What Went Wrong?

While the St. Louis Cardinals’ bats were more than potent enough to win games, their pitching was far more ordinary. Their rotation was middle-of-the-road, managing a 4.33 ERA as a unit, good for 13th in MLB. Interestingly enough, their bullpen also ranked 13th with a 3.62 ERA.

Of all Cardinals hurlers to make at least 10 starts, only one finished the year with an ERA below 4.50. That was 25-year-old Carlos Martinez with a 3.04 ERA and 16 wins under his belt. The most expensive disappointment in the rotation was Mike Leake, the big offseason free agent signing. In one of last winter’s more questionable moves, the Cards inked the veteran right-hander to a five-year, $80 million contract. He proceeded to go 9-12 with a 4.69 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.

After a torn Achilles wiped out virtually all of his 2015, former ace Adam Wainwright struggled this year. The 35-year-old posted a 4.62 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 2.73 K/BB. Though he did manage to log a healthy 198.2 innings, he also had the dubious distinction of leading the NL in hits (220) and earned runs (102) allowed.

The Cards also won’t feel too good about Michael Wacha‘s performance this season. After posting a 3.21 ERA over his first three major league campaigns, the 25-year-old sputtered to a 5.09 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 24 starts and three bullpen appearances.

St. Louis’ defense didn’t do them many favors this year. According to Fangraphs, they ranked 13th in MLB with four Defensive Runs Saved and 24th with a -4.9 UZR/150. They also placed 24th in Fangraphs’ Defensive Runs Above Average (Def) metric with a rating of -32.8. The loss of Jason Heyward‘s speed and glove in the outfield likely played a role in that, along with some deterioration of Yadier Molina‘s skills behind the plate.

The injury bug also bit the Cardinals harder than most other teams. Matt Adams, Kolten Wong, Jhonny Peralta, Aledmys Diaz, Randal Grichuk, Matt Holliday, Brandon Moss and Jedd Gyorko each missed at least 30 games.

Next: The Future

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