National League Central: The Cardinals Are Very Good
The St. Louis Cardinals missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season in 2018, but they should have better luck in 2019.
The Cardinals enter this new year as a very good baseball team. The acquisition of Paul Goldschmidt will pay massive dividends as he should help tie together a deep Cardinals’ lineup. I can even see the club extending their new slugger. Could he even be the NL MVP?
Marcell Ozuna and Matt Carpenter should benefit from the protection that Goldschmidt will provide and you can’t forget about the talented bat of Paul DeJong and the emergence of Harrison Bader.
The Cardinals also have the makings of a solid pitching staff. A healthy Carlos Martinez will be huge for the club in 2019, but they should also be able to rely on Miles Mikolas and Jack Flaherty. The club will then be able to round out their rotation by mixing and matching between Michael Wacha, Alex Reyes, Adam Wainwright, and Jon Gant, who are all quality starting pitchers.
The Cardinals’ bullpen leaves a little to be desired, but the acquisition of Andrew Miller should help strengthen its effectiveness. Miller will likely serve as the bridge to Jordan Hicks, the Cardinals’ flame-throwing youngster.
The Cardinals, Brewers, and Cubs should all be highly competitive teams in 2019, which will likely make the National League Central a fun story to follow. Deciding the winner of the NL Central always seems to come down to the wire…