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Old 01-04-2012, 10:08 PM  
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***Offical 2012 STL Cardinals World Champions Thread ***

St. Louis Cardinals: 7 reasons fans should feel good about 2012

Posted Wednesday, October 24, 2012, at 9:26 PM

St. Louis Cardinals fans are likely feeling deflated after the collapse that put an end to the team's dreams of a World Series repeat, but there is good reason to be excited.

With all of the odds against them, the Cardinals managed to push their 2012 season beyond any anticipated boundary.

Given all of the season's changes and the adversity the team had to fight through, the fact that they played in October at all was an anomaly in itself. On paper, it made sense for the Cardinals to be in the playoffs, but few saw them as a true threat.
As the season continued, even fans began to doubt as they watched the team seemingly crumble in June and July. When the Cardinals finally came to life in September they went 11-5 in the last 16 games of the season to lock up the second Wild Card position in its inaugural year.

That run, despite it's crushing end in Cincinnati in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, lots of good came from the Cardinals' season and playoff run.
Following in no particular order are 10 reasons Cardinals fans have to be excited about the 2013 season.

Trevor Rosenthal
When rookie fireballer Trevor Rosenthal made his first trip to St. Louis, it was obvious almost instantly that he was something special.
Between his 100 mph fastball and the general inability for almost anyone to hit off of him, he became a huge part of the Cardinals playoff run.

He pitched in a total of 19 regular season games before the 22-year-old rookie from Lee's Summit, Mo. got his first taste of postseason baseball and he put on quite a show.
In 8.2 IP over seven postseason appearances, Rosenthal held opponents to only two hits and no runs.
It's possible that down the stretch he may have already earned his spot in the rotation for 2013.

Shelby Miller
The long-coveted fastball pitching prospect Shelby Miller also made his first trip to St. Louis in 2012 and put on a good show.
In 13.2 IP over six regular season games, Miller surrendered only two runs on nine hits. His postseason performance was more of the same with two runs on four hits in 3.2 IP.

Despite a dismal first half of the season in Memphis, Miller got himself together and still managed to make one major league start before the end of the season -- a very impressive start at that.
Against the Cincinnati Reds in the final game of the regular season, Miller posted 5.2 hitless innings. He gave up no runs and collected his first major league win.

Expect to see a lot more of Miller in St. Louis early in 2013.

Joe Kelly
When Joe Kelly made his major league debut on June 10, few could have guessed the importance he would play throughout the remainder of the 2012 season.
Kelly started 16 games for the Cardinals this season filling in for Jaime Garcia and Lance Lynn, but it was the postseason when he really came through for his teammates.

When starting pitchers struggled time and again in October, it was Kelly who came to their rescue.
In seven postseason appearances, Kelly threw 7.2 innings and surrendered only two runs on six hits. Kelly came through for the Cardinals from the bullpen.
There's a good chance that could be his home in the future.

Mike Matheny
When the Cardinals hired Mike Matheny to take over for Tony LaRussa, many question bringing in a manager with no experience to such a storied franchise.

He had a few hiccups and growing pains along the way, but for a rookie manager to get his team where Matheny did this year speaks volumes.
His players have a strong respect for Matheny and credit his positive style with being a driving force behind their 2012 success.
True, he didn't get them through the NLCS, but the team made it to an all or nothing Game 7. That's good experience for the players obviously, but also for Matheny. Not only did he learn a lot about managing in the media pressure cooker that is postseason baseball, he also got a taste of what it felt like to win as a manager.

NLCS loss means more drive to win
While the NLCS loss was a good lesson for a young manager, it's an even more important lesson for a young player.
The 2011 championship lit a fire under young players like Lance Lynn and Jon Jay. That fire helped drive them to extremely successful sophomore seasons.

What happened in 2012 will likely do the same for Rosenthal, Miller and Kelly. Their 2013 season may not be like Jay or Lynn's 2012, but now they've gotten a little taste of what it feels like to be a winner.

Both the excitement and the public humbling can be a great experience for any young player.

The run was without several key components
In a season riddled with injuries, none were as crucial as those late in the season.
The loss of Lance Berkman and Rafael Furcal significantly weakened the team's bench. Instead of having Pete Kozma, Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter to pinch hit, the team wound up having to use them in the lineup.

The loss of Jaime Garcia and Jake Westbrook also rocked the Cardinals. Instead of having Lynn and Westbrook also available from the bullpen, Lynn was pushed back into the rotation after a very successful NLDS bullpen stint.

Having gotten as deep into the playoffs as the Cardinals did in spite of the injuries is quite the accomplishment.

They did it without Pujols, LaRussa and Duncan
Few in the world of sports gave the Cardinals a fighting chance when Albert Pujols left the team to play on the west coast. Surely this team couldn't be as good as they were?

Few gave them a chance after longtime manager Tony LaRussa decided it was time to retire.
Few gave them a chance after pitching coach Dave Duncan left the team.
The Cardinals did it despite all of that. That's something any fan should be proud of.

No, they didn't hoist a trophy. There will be no parade or tickertape.
What there is, though, is hope for next year and that will come sooner than you may think.
After all, pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in just four short months.

From a blog I was sent on twitter: http://www.dailystatesman.com/blogs/...es/entry/50051

Last edited by BigRedChief; 10-24-2012 at 08:57 PM..
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:12 PM   #331
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I would rather get Craig to play 1st than Adams but thats just my opinion.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:14 PM   #332
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I would rather get Craig to play 1st than Adams but thats just my opinion.
nada chance. Adams is a stud and could be an all-star within a few years. He could hit 30 homers a year and bat .300. Craig can;t do that, Adams has done it at every level in the minors and is tearing up AAA this year.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:18 PM   #333
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nada chance. Adams is a stud and could be an all-star within a few years. He could hit 30 homers a year and bat .300. Craig can;t do that, Adams has done it at every level in the minors and is tearing up AAA this year.
Huh? Craig can absolutely do that. I like Craig's swing much more than Adams' at the major league level. Adam's has a little bit of a loopy swing and brings his hands down in a manner that should give him fits against power pitchers (if he has to respect their breaking stuff).

Adams, if he can iron out his swing mechanics, has a little more upside than Craig does, IMO. But Craig's floor is significantly higher and he absolutely has the ability to be a .300 hitter with 25-30 HR pop.

Don't get too crazy about Adams until you see him play a little bit. He's a bad body 1b with a long swing. There's a long line of guys like him that have been dissected at the ML level. I'm not saying that Adams will fall into that same group, but I'm damn sure not going to shit on Allen Craig in favor of him until we've seen him do something against big league pitchers.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:25 PM   #334
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Seems odd that our minor league strengths seem to mirror our major league strengths. Can't wait for Wong to be ready as he is the exception to that statement. You can never have too much pitching.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:25 PM   #335
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Huh? Craig can absolutely do that. I like Craig's swing much more than Adams' at the major league level. Adam's has a little bit of a loopy swing and brings his hands down in a manner that should give him fits against power pitchers (if he has to respect their breaking stuff).

Adams, if he can iron out his swing mechanics, has a little more upside than Craig does, IMO. But Craig's floor is significantly higher and he absolutely has the ability to be a .300 hitter with 25-30 HR pop.

Don't get too crazy about Adams until you see him play a little bit. He's a bad body 1b with a long swing. There's a long line of guys like him that have been dissected at the ML level. I'm not saying that Adams will fall into that same group, but I'm damn sure not going to shit on Allen Craig in favor of him until we've seen him do something against big league pitchers.
I've been a big backer of craig's for a long time in these threads. I'm just saying that Adams has potential to be one of the best players in the whole league. Perennial All-Star etc. Of course he could fall flat on his face at the MLB level.

It's a moot point. The Cardinals organization has decided that Craig is a 3B/OF position player. Matt Adams is the 1B of the future.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:27 PM   #336
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If Carpenter keeps hitting like this, he's probably going to continue to find himself in the lineup.



So far, I'm liking that Matheny is letting the young guys play. Kinda felt like LaRussa stuck with his guys a little too often.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:30 PM   #337
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Seems odd that our minor league strengths seem to mirror our major league strengths. Can't wait for Wong to be ready as he is the exception to that statement. You can never have too much pitching.
3 World Series trips in 7 years, 2 WS wins and cover is not bare. No rebuilding from scratch, no losing seasons to rebuild. You have to give Mo credit. His decisions are starting to favor the positive more and more.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:38 PM   #338
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I've been a big backer of craig's for a long time in these threads. I'm just saying that Adams has potential to be one of the best players in the whole league. Perennial All-Star etc. Of course he could fall flat on his face at the MLB level.

It's a moot point. The Cardinals organization has decided that Craig is a 3B/OF position player. Matt Adams is the 1B of the future.
Slow down now, turbo.

He does not have the batspeed to be who you think he can be.

He can be a very nice player that steps into his share of HRs, but he's limited defensively and while he isn't immune to taking walks, he's not exactly fond of them either. His upside is probably Adam LaRoche in his early years.

Now that's a damn nice player to have, but did you ever have LaRoche on your list of 'best players in the league'?
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:40 PM   #339
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:41 PM   #340
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The Cubs are really bad.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:42 PM   #341
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Man, the last name "Carpenter" seems to work out pretty well for the Redbirds! I'm totally stoked about the team this year.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:44 PM   #342
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The Cubs are really bad.
As it should be.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:45 PM   #343
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The Cubs are really bad.
I love it when they get off to a bad start. I love that feeling that I don't have to worry about them making a run in the playoffs. Nothing is worse than a mob of Cub fans when they are doing well. Cubs fans are the most delusional fans in sports. Bunch of knob-shlobbers.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:49 PM   #344
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I love it when they get off to a bad start. I love that feeling that I don't have to worry about them making a run in the playoffs. Nothing is worse than a mob of Cub fans when they are doing well. Cubs fans are the most delusional fans in sports. Bunch of knob-shlobbers.
I work in Chicago, and couldn't agree more. Stomp the life out of them, early and often.
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Old 04-15-2012, 02:50 PM   #345
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Glad to get 2 convincing wins after they spoiled the home opener.

Haven't lost a series yet, bring on the Reds.
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