St. Louis Cardinals: 2017 Season Review and Offseason Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals forgot the “Cardinal way”, leading to another postseason absence.

During Mike Matheny‘s first four seasons as manager for the St. Louis Cardinals, he made the postseason in all four campaigns, including three NL Central division crowns, a 100 win season, and an appearance in the Fall Classic. That initial momentum seems to have worn off, with the Cardinals missing the playoffs the past two seasons, stirring an uproar and causing panic within Cardinal Nation. Late into September, the Cardinals looked to be hitting full stride but just ran out of gas.

St. Louis Cardinals fans, you can step down from that ledge, with hope on the horizon in 2018. Tommy Pham had a dream season and looks to build on that success, while the team has found their franchise shortstop in Paul DeJong, who seemingly came out of nowhere. If Alex Reyes can come back successfully from Tommy John surgery, then they’ll really be in business.

Have the Birds on the bat forgotten the Cardinal Way, or is the team just victim to the talent of the surging Chicago Cubs? Management hasn’t flat out admitted as much, but the Cardinals are in a mini-rebuilding mode, with a plethora of young talent on the roster. Even though 2017 had a disappointing finish, 2018 gives Cardinals fans much to hope for, with the team destined to make the postseason, if they pay their cards right.

Let’s take a look back on 2017 (sorry to make you all relive that pain) and look ahead to 2018, which will be much brighter, on a team that has a history like none other. They’ll be looking to return as a mainstay late into October, but will need some fine tuning and additions in the offseason to make that dream become a reality.

A few bright spots for the Birds on the Bat

Tommy Pham

Pham is the first St. Louis Cardinals player to achieve the feat of a 20/20 season since Reggie Sanders in 2004, where he ended the campaign with 23 long bombs and 25 bags swiped, to go along with a .306 batting average, winning a bet with Yadier Molina in the process. The Cardinals five-tool emerging star is not satisfied though, looking to add more to his repertoire in 2018:

This hard-nosed, no-nonsense attitude is exactly what the Cardinals need, with more needing to follow suit. If Tommy Pham can stay healthy, keep his vision 20/20 and play an entire 162 game slate in 2018, the sky is the limit for the rising star.

Paul DeJong 

If it wasn’t for Cody Bellinger and his 39 home runs, DeJong would be the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award. Starting this season in AAA Memphis, the shortstop showcased his tremendous power and took advantage of the struggles from Aledmys Díaz, earning that spot without any contest or debate.

Like Tommy Pham, we only got a 3/4 sample size of what the youngster can accomplish, but its enough to know he is destined for great things wearing the Cardinal red. Take a look at this incredible stats from the former college catcher: .285 BA, 25 HR, 26 doubles, 55 runs and 65 RBI in only 108 Major League games. His defense at shortstop was steady, even superb, giving the Cardinals the middle-infield staple they had been looking for (in other places).

Jose Martinez 

Another surprise, coming from AAA Memphis as well, was the outstanding play of (Jose) Martinez. Not known for his defense, the utility man was able to become serviceable, but he wasn’t consistently in the lineup for his glove. His stats rivaled that of the formerly mentioned bright spots, earning him a spot on Matheny’s make-shift daily lineup card: .309 BA, 14 HR, 46 RBI, and 47 runs in only 106 games played. Once Martinez found his way into the Cards rotation, his production skyrocketed. Like Pham and DeJong, Martinez can take one giant leap in 2018 if he can play a full season.

Tyler Lyons 

Once he figured things out towards the middle of the season, the southpaw dominated in a gas-fire of a bullpen. His scoreless streak of nearly a full-game worth of innings out of the bullpen was just flat out impressive to go along with these amazing statistics: 2.83 ERA, 4-1 record, 68 SO, and 20 BB.

Balance

Even though the Cardinals never found that additional bat to aid the steadiness of its lineup, they did have a great amount of balance within their home run hitting. Take a look at their lineup and production across the board among their main contributors:

• Paul DeJong: 25 HR
• Matt Carpenter: 23 HR
• Tommy Pham: 23 HR
• Randal Grichuk: 22 HR
• Jedd Gyorko: 20 HR
• Yadier Molina: 18 HR
• Dexter Fowler: 18 HR (Career-high)
• Jose Martinez: 14 HR

AAA Memphis

Speaking of balance, the St. Louis Cardinals farm system proved to be one of the best in baseball overall, and by far in AAA, with an outstanding season. Single-A Palm Beach won the league, while AA Springfield had one of their best overall regular seasons in its franchise history, barely missing the playoffs, while the AAA Memphis Redbirds had a historic year, winning the Pacific Coast League championship and finishing as national AAA runner-ups.

These players spent a good portion of time in both Memphis and St. Louis, with the former somehow still wining it all with their main studs taking that journey on I-44 north to St. Louis for the playoff run in Memphis:

• Paul DeJong
• Tommy Pham
• Jose Martinez 
• Luke Weaver: Found his way into the starting rotation permanently when Adam Wainwright went down with a back injury and was flat-out dominant. If it wasn’t for two fluke outings to close the season, the right-handed flamethrower would have had an ERA below 2.00, to go with a high count of strikeouts. Nevertheless,  Weaver finished with a remarkable 7-2 record, 3.88 ERA, 72 SO, and only 17 walks
• Luke Voit: The St. Louis native played in some meaningful games in the middle of the season, getting much respect from the local fans. His defense at first base is very good, with the power and bat speed to stay at the Major League level, if given the chance to play every day.
• Harrison Bader: They say speed kills and the shifty outfielder proved that while showing off his power as well. Given maybe one more season in Memphis, Bader could find his way into the everyday lineup in St. Louis.

Ratings and attendance 

The St. Louis Cardinals finished in the top 5 in Major League Baseball attendance, with their mothership station Fox Sports Midwest finishing in the top three among all MLB teams in local TV ratings. Known as the “best fans in baseball” the Arch City faithful came out in full force once again to support their beloved Cardinals.

Yadier Molina

YADI! YADI! YADI! Last and certainly not least is Yadier Molina. The (almost) certain Hall of Fame catcher had another consistent year, making the All-Star team for the 8th time. Once again, the Puerto Rican born player was the glue that held the team together. He was so dedicated to the team’s cause that he and manager Mike Matheny got into a heated argument during the dog days of summer about his playing time since the catcher refused to take many days off.  Once Molina went down with a concussion the final week of the season, that was the stake within the heart of the St. Louis Cardinals 2017 season. Speaking of which, what lead the Cardinals final collapse in the final few weeks of the season and inconsistent play? I’m glad that you asked!

What went wrong in the Arch City?

Injuries

Spring training kicked off with their top pitching prospect, who shined at the end of the 2016 stretch run, going down with an arm injury forcing him to have season-ending Tommy John surgery. The rotation also took hits sparingly throughout the season, with the final nail in the coffin being driven in when Wainwright missed crucial time down the stretch. These injuries proved to be a blessing in disguise for the future, with many young prospects getting the call much earlier than anticipated, but we are still talking about 2017.

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The bullpen is what lead to the St. Louis Cardinal’s main demise, with injuries and untimely mistakes during the games (we will get to that in a minute). When it seemed like the Cardinals had things all set in the back-end of their bullpen with Trevor Lyons stepping it up several notches, to go with the resurgence of Trevor Rosenthal closing games out, injury struck again. Rosenthal injured his arm and had to receive a Tommy John surgery of his own.

It’s easy to use injuries as an excuse for under performance, but it’s just the God’s honest truth. However, injuries were only one of the reasons for the Cardinals not reaching their 2017 objectives. Inconsistency across the board proved to be the team’s Achilles heel.

Inconsistency 

The Cardinals record in one-run ballgames speaks volumes and says it all about this past season. The Birds were 24-29 in one run contests, while the team they were chasing in the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs, had a reversed fortune going 26-17 in games decided by one run. The Cardinals bullpen had 17 blown saves in 60 chances. That right there is the difference between winning the NL Central (or wild-card) and not achieving that goal.

Oh no!

Seung Hwan Oh had a breakout 2016 campaign, where he even snagged the closer duties away from Rosenthal in the process. 2017 was a nightmare for the former South Korean star, however, where his statistics from both seasons polar opposites:

• 2016: ERA: 1.92, Saves: 19, Holds: 14, Walks: 18, Strikeouts: 103
• 2017: ERA: 4.10, Saves: 20, Holds: 14, Walks: 15, Strikeouts: 54

2018 better look like more like the 2016 campaign, or the Cardinals will repeat their fortunes of the past few seasons.

Status quo 

St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Mike Mozeliak literally stayed pat at the trade deadline, showing faith in his current roster. That paid off for a while, but the team faltered down the stretch. If he pulls the trigger on one more piece for the rotation or lineup, and made the trade for Nicasio, the later acquired closer, the team might have snuck into the postseason.

Matt Carpenter says it all about the St. Louis Cardinals (more than) disappointing season. Speaking of the TCU alum, he battled major injuries and ground out an injury-plagued season. His batting may have been at an all-time low, but he still found a way on base. Major props to “Carp” for being tough as nails this season.

Here’s what they need to do to make it back to October baseball in 2018.

Top Offseason Needs

Power bat

Even with the balance we already addressed throughout the Cardinals lineup, the team was missing that one catalyst that really could have put them over the top.

Giancarlo Stanton: This would cost an arm and a leg, but the right fielder has recently spoken about his displeasure with his current team, the Miami Marlins. Mozeliak would have to fork out the entire estate and farm system. If they would roll the dice and sell the farm, so to speak, here’s what they would be receiving in return: 280 BA, 50 plus HR, over 100 RBI and 100 runs scored, to go with a rocket arm and stellar defense in right field.

He also smashed the hardest hit ball in two seasons. Check that out here.

Josh Donaldson 

With one more season until he hits free agency and the Blue Jays not necessarily holding the cards to compete in 2018, the former AL MVP could ready to move on from Toronto and back into the United States, where he would be a perfect staple within the Cardinals lineup. Even though his stats are nowhere near his 2015 MVP season, he would flourish within the Cardinals lineup.

Re-sign Lance Lynn:

Even though it looks like the career-long Cardinal is moving on, the front office needs to find a way to make it work with the consistent and steady right-hander. Fans will probably focus on and remember that dreadful start in Pittsburgh late in the season, but without Lynn, the Cardinals finish below .500.

Better Coaching

You Mike Matheny haters hold on just one moment. I’m not referring to that, but to his assortment of assistant coaches. The Cardinals took one step in the right direction by firing Derek Lilliquist but John Mabry‘s inconsistency needs to push him out the door as well. With a more consistent approach at the plate, the Cardinals could do some real damage in 2018. The team made critical base-running errors, and just looked lost at times during routine plays and scenarios.

I will admit that I believe Matheny is the man for the job, but he needs to do some soul-searching in some areas. He needs to field more consistent lineups and also use his head and not his heart when making in-game decisions. He does embrace the toughness and compassion of the “Cardinal Way”, but just needs to tweak some areas and fill in the holes of his managerial gaps. Don’t give up or sleep on Matheny just yet.