The St. Louis Cardinals had a good season, overall. Sure, they didn’t win the title or the whole
thing in 2019, but plenty of doubters had them missing the playoffs, but the
Cardinals were able to get to the postseason this year. Jack Flaherty pitched very well, and he
showed off second half dominance on the mound.
The Cardinals had a surprisingly good bullpen that still had some
hiccups. Though they had some trouble
closing out games in the NLDS, they had some solid relievers that could be
relied upon in critical situations.
Andrew Miller had a down season overall, but he pitched very well in the
playoffs. If only if the pitchers
could’ve gotten some help from the offense in the NLCS, the Cardinals’ season
could have been even better, but they ran out of gas when they squared off
against the Washington Nationals in the postseason.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56525221/usa_today_10253154.0.jpg "(Photo: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports via Minor League Ball)") |
| Jack Flaherty had a stellar 2019 season, as he was absolutely dominant in the second half, the only down note was that he was overworked a bit in the playoffs. (Photo: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports via Minor League Ball) |
SP – Jack Flaherty – A-
2019 (MLB): 11-8, 2.75 ERA, 196.1 IP, 231 K, 6.2 H9, 1.1
HR9, 2.5 BB9, 10.6 K9, 3.46 FIP, 4.7 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 1-2, 4.24 ERA, 17 IP, 22 K, 9 H9, 1.1
HR9, 2.1 BB9, 11.6 K9
Jack Flaherty had a very good second season with the
Cardinals, as he struck out 231 batters in the regular season, was dominant in
the second half of the year, and he was consistently the best pitcher on the
team all year long. The Cards seemed to
have overworked him a bit in the playoffs as there were times where he would
falter late in games, but Flaherty is a terrific talent that could be the ace
of the staff for years to come if managed properly.
2020 Expectations: #1 starter, ace of the staff
2020 Player Rating: 4 stars
 |
| Miles Mikolas had a down 2019 season, but he was still very reliable as a starter in the playoffs. (Photo courtesy of Joe Robbins of Getty Images via Redbird Rants) |
SP – Miles Mikolas – C+
2019 (MLB): 9-14, 4.16 ERA,184 IP, 144 K, 9.4 H9, 1.3 HR9,
1.6 BB9, 7.0 K9, 4.27 FIP, 2.5 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 1-1, 1.50 ERA, 12 IP, 9 K, 7.5 H9, 0 HR9,
2.5 BB9, 5/6 K9
Miles Mikolas had a relatively down season from last year,
as his opponents hit him more so than last year, but he still showed solid
command, and he pitched well in the playoffs.
He’s a steady, reliable veteran pitcher that can consistently get
outs. His regular season wasn’t quite as
hoped, but he was there in the postseason when the team needed him.
2020 Expectations: Middle of the rotation starter
2020 Player Rating: 3 stars
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61772009/1031045508.jpg.0.jpg "(Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images via Viva El Birdos)") |
| Adam Wainwright had a very good 2019 season capped off by a very good playoffs showing from him. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images via Viva El Birdos) |
SP – Adam Wainwright - B
2019 (MLB): 14-10, 4.19 ERA, 171.2 IP, 153 K, 9.5 H9, 1.2
HR9, 3.4 BB9, 8 K9, 4.36 FIP, 2.2 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 0-1, 1.62 ERA, 16.2 IP, 19 K, 7 H9, 0.5
HR9, 1.6 BB9, 10.3 K9
Adam Wainwright had a good season, as he showed good
command, even in old age. He pitched
very well in the playoffs, but he was overworked as he faltered a bit late down
the stretch after throwing so many pitches.
Wainwright had a good season, and he can still produce at a high level
in the majors.
2020 Expectations: 4th or 5th starter
2020 Player Rating: 2.5 stars
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65203244/usa_today_13233256.0.jpg "(Photo: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports via Viva El Birdos)") |
| Dakota Hudson won 16 games as a rookie, but advanced metrics didn't seem to favor nearly as much as they suggested that he received plenty of help on defense, and he had a rough first postseason in the majors. (Photo: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports via Viva El Birdos) |
SP – Dakota Hudson – C+
2019 (MLB): 16-7, 3.35 ERA, 174.2 IP, 136 K, 8.2 H9, 1.1
HR9, 4.4 BB9, 7 K9, 4.93 FIP, 1.0 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 0-1, 9 ERA, 5 IP, 2 K, 18 H9, 1.8 HR9,
5.4 BB9, 3.6 K9
On the surface, it seemed that Dakota Hudson had a fantastic
season. He recorded 16 wins in his
rookie year, had a 3.35 ERA in the regular season, and he also started in the
playoffs.
However, most of his success came defense-aided as he still
had trouble limiting walks or homers, and he really had trouble getting outs in
the postseason. Hudson had trouble
missing bats, and he really came unglued when he didn’t have the defense to
bail him out. He was awful in Game 4 of
the NLCS, but so was the defense. But
that shouldn’t overshadow his still good rookie season, but it may also mean
that Hudson might not have as much upside as people think he may have.
2020 Expectations: 4th or 5th starter
2020 Player Rating: 2.5 stars
SP – Michael Wacha - D
2019 (MLB): 6-7, 4.76 ERA, 126.2 IP, 104 K, 10.2 H9, 1.8
HR9, 3.9 BB9, 7.4 K9, 5.61 FIP, -0.2 WAR
Michael Wacha had a disappointing, yet another injury
plagued season, and it’s clear that another “Wacha-mania” is probably never
coming back. That’s a shame, because
Wacha used to be so good. Emphasis on
“used to be,” that is.
2020 Expectations: Back end starter/Long reliever in the
majors
2020 Player Rating: 2 stars
 |
| Carlos Martinez filled in as the closer when Jordan Hicks ended up missing the rest of the season due to injury. He did a decent job in the regular season, but his inability to close out games in the playoffs really raise questions if he can be relied upon in big games. (Photo: Jamie Squire of Getty Images via For The Win.) |
CL – Carlos Martinez – C+
2019 (MLB): 4-2, 3.17 ERA, 48.1 IP, 24 SV, 53 K, 7.3 H9, 0.4
HR9, 3.4 BB9, 9.9 K9, 2.86 FIP, 1.2 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 1-1, 14.73 ERA, 3.2 IP, 5 K, 14.7 H9, 4.9
HR9, 9.8 BB9, 12.3 K9
When Jordan Hicks went down to injury, Carlos Martinez
filled in nicely in the closer role in the regular season. However, Martinez still had many adventurous
saves in which he would almost blow them, and then he really had trouble
getting clean innings in the playoffs.
His lackluster postseason nearly cost the Cards in the NLDS, and it also
probably prevented him from logging more innings in the NLCS.
Martinez is a talented pitcher that can strike hitters out,
but he also would struggle with his command.
But when he’s on his game, he can be a lights out pitcher regardless of
the role he’s asked to be in.
2020 Expectations: Multi-inning reliever in the majors or
set-up man
2020 Player Rating: 3 stars
 |
| Andrew Miller made up for an inconsistent season by absolutely dominating hitters in the 2019 playoffs. (Photo: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images via The Athletic.) |
RP – Andrew Miller – C+
2019 (MLB): 5-6, 4.45 ERA, 54.2 IP, 70 K, 7.4 H9, 1.8 HR9,
4.4 BB9, 11.5 K9, 5.19 FIP, -0.4 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 6 K, 1.8 H9, 0 HR9,
3.6 BB9, 10.8 K9
Andrew Miller was seen as a big get this year, but for most
of the season, he disappointed, as he had regularly struggled to keep the ball
in the ball park as well as to keep himself from walking batters.
But he flipped the switched and put the gear on high, as he
was lights out as a reliever in postseason.
He turned into the Andrew Miller of old, as he would bail out his
teammates and find a way to get out of jams.
Miller’s one of the older players on this team, but if he can pitch as
well as he did in the playoffs, he could have a productive 2020 season.
2020 Expectations: Set up man
2020 Player Rating: 2.5 stars
RP – Giovanny Gallegos – A-
2019 (MLB): 3-2, 2.31 ERA, 74 IP, 93 K, 5.4 H9, 1.1 HR9, 1.9
BB9, 11.3 K9, 3.05 FIP, 1.6 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 0-0, 2.08 ERA, 4.1 IP, 6 K, 6.2 H9, 0
HR9, 6.2 BB9, 12.5 K9
Giovanny Gallegos had a great rookie season. He was asked to pitch in high leverage
situations, and he usually came through, as he is a hard-throwing reliever that
can control his pitches and strike hitters out.
Gallegos pitched very well this year, and he could be ready for a bigger
role next season.
2020 Expectations: Middle reliever
2020 Player Rating: 3 stars
 |
| Jordan Hicks pitched very well as the closer before going down to an elbow injury, and the Cards could've really used him in the 2019 playoffs. (Photo: Mark Brown/Getty Images via Deadspin) |
2019 (MLB): 2-2, 3.14 ERA, 28.2 IP, 14 SV, 31 K, 5.0 H9, 0.6
HR9, 3.5 BB9, 9.7 K9, 3.21 FIP, 0.5 WAR
Jordan Hicks is the hardest thrower on the team, as he can
throw 105 MPH when healthy. He did a
good job of closing out games and striking hitters out, as he showed
significant growth prior to going down with a season-ending injury. It’ll be interesting to see if he can regain
the skills he had in 2019 and return to form, as people will be looking to see
if there will be a drop off in his velocity when he comes back. If his velocity doesn’t come all the way
back, Hicks may return as a diminished version in 2020, but if he can regain
that 105 MPH fastball, Hicks can return to being a promising, electric reliever
that was building on his 2019 success.
2020 Expectations: Closer
2020 Player Rating: 2.5 stars (4 star potential)
RP – John Brebbia - B
2019 (MLB): 3-4, 3.59 ERA, 72.2 IP, 87 K, 7.3 H9, 0.7 HR9,
3.3 BB9, 10.8 K9, 3.13 FIP, 1.3 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 0-0, 6 ERA, 3 IP, 3 K, 21 H9, 3 HR9, 3
BB9, 9 K9
John Brebbia had a good season as he excelled in his role in
the regular season, but he stumbled noticeably in the playoffs. Brebbia had plenty of good moments, but he
just wasn’t able to come through in the NLCS.
2020 Expectations: Middle reliever
2020 Player Rating: 2.5 stars
RP – Ryan Helsley – B
2019 (MLB): 2-0, 2.95 ERA, 36.2 IP, 32 K, 8.3 H9, 1.2 HR9,
2.9 BB9, 7.9 K9, 4.22 FIP, 0.1 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.1 IP, 8 K, 1.7 H9, 0
HR9, 1.7 BB9, 13.5 K9
Helsley is a flamethrower that has an electric
fastball. He had some bumps in the
regular season, but he really got into a groove and found his stride in the
postseason. Cardinal fans certainly have
to be excited for what he can bring to the team in the future, and his stellar
postseason play could be a very good sign of things to come.
2020 Expectations: Middle reliever
2020 Player Rating: 2.5 stars (3 star potential)
RP – Daniel Ponce de Leon – C+
2019 (MLB): 1-2, 3.70 ERA, 48.2 IP, 52 K, 6.7 H9, 1.1 HR9,
4.8 BB9, 9.6 K9, 4.41 FIP, 0.6 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 2 IP, 4 K, 9 H9, 0 HR9,
4.5 BB9, 18 K9
Ponce de Leon had his ups and downs, but some things are
certain: he can go multiple innings, and he has an electric fastball. He’s a hard thrower that can certainly get
tough outs, but he had some command issues this season. Still, he’s definitely a good reliever for a
major league team to have in their bullpen.
2020 Expectations: Middle reliever
2020 Player Rating: 2.5 stars
RP – Genesis Cabrera – C+
2019 (MLB): 0-2, 4.87 ERA, 20.1 IP, 19 K, 10.2 H9, 0.9 HR9,
4.9 BB9, 8.4 K9, 4.54 FIP, 0.1 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.2 IP, 1 K, 5.4 H9, 0
HR9, 0 BB9, 5.4 K9
Genesis Cabrera also is a young fireballer that has a very
good fastball, and he is a lefty that could be one of the go-to left-handers
out of the bullpen in the future. He had
some command issues in the regular season, but he got outs when he needed to in
the playoffs, and he may likely be a solid bullpen arm next year.
2020 Expectations: Middle reliever
2020 Player Rating: 2.5 stars
RP – Tyler Webb - C
2019 (MLB): 2-1, 3.76 ERA, 55 IP, 48 K, 5.4 H9, 1.1 HR9, 4.8
BB9, 9.6 K9, 4.41 FIP, 0.1 WAR
2019 (Postseason): 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 3.1 IP, 5 K, 10.8 H9, 0
HR9, 2.7 BB9, 13.5 K9
Webb is a left-hander that was relied upon to get other
lefties out, and he may have had his best season yet. He had some command issues, but he also did a
very good job of striking hitters out.
He may be a limited use, bullpen arm, but he’s still useful for a major
league team to fill out the back end of a bullpen.
2020 Expectations: Middle reliever
2020 Player Rating: 2 stars
RP – John Gant – C+
2019 (MLB): 11-1, 3.66 ERA, 66.1 IP, 60 K, 6.9 H9, 0.5 HR9,
4.6 BB9, 8.1 K9, 3.73 FIP, 0.9 WAR
John Gant was the vulture of this team, as he earned a lot
of wins in relief, as he was especially useful early in the season. However, he had trouble with his command, as
he walked too many batters, and he had trouble getting outs in high leverage
situations. He really faltered down the
stretch, so much so that he was left off of the postseason roster. If Gant can get things under control, he
could be the long man once again for the Cards in 2020.
2020 Expectations: Multi-inning reliever/Long man in the
majors
2020 Player Rating: 2 stars
RP – Junior Fernandez - C
2019 (MLB): 0-1, 5.40 ERA, 11.2 IP, 16 K, 6.9 H9, 1.5 HR9,
4.6 BB9, 12.3 K9, 5.27 FIP, -0.1 WAR
2019 (AAA): 2-1, 1.48 ERA, 24.1 IP, 6.3 H9, 0
HR9, 4.1 BB9, 10 K9
2019 (AA): 1-1, 1.55 ERA, 29 IP, 5.6 IP, 0.0
HR9, 3.4 BB9, 13.0 K9
Fernandez is a hard thrower that zoomed up the
minors to get a call up to the majors, and he excelled at getting outs out of
the bullpen in both AA and AAA. In the
big leagues though, he often struggled with his command, as he had trouble
getting outs in critical situations.
He’ll need to control his pitches better, but Fernandez has the stuff to
be in a major league bullpen.
2020 Expectations: Middle reliever
2020 Player Rating: 2 stars (2.5 star potential)
 |
| Oh, Alex Reyes....your season was just terrible, and.... why did you break your pitching hand by punching that wall? WHY??? (Photo: Jeff Curry of USA Today Sports) |
 |
| This was basically how Alex Reyes' 2019 season went in a nutshell. (Photo courtesy of GIPHY.) |
2019 (MLB): 0-1, 15.00 ERA, 3 IP, 2 K, 6 H9, 3 HR9, 18 BB9,
3 K9, 12.88 FIP , -0.3 WAR
2019 (AAA): 1-3, 7.39 ERA, 28 IP, 8.7 IP, 1.6
HR9, 7.7 BB9, 12.2 K9
2019 (A+): 0-1, 1.93 ERA, 9.1 IP, 8.7 H9, 0 HR9, 2.9 BB9, 10.6 K9
2019 (A+): 0-1, 1.93 ERA, 9.1 IP, 8.7 H9, 0 HR9, 2.9 BB9, 10.6 K9
The former prized pitching prospect had a
rough 2019 season after returning from an oblique injury. Reyes had a frustrating season overall as he
was abysmal in his short stint in the majors as well as in AAA, and then he
ended his season abruptly by foolishly punching a wall in frustration.
The once highly touted prospect that appeared
to be the next Felix Hernandez did not pitch well at all in 2019, and one thing
now seems certain: Reyes is no longer the ace of the future, and he may need to
find a way to reliably get back to the majors as he may be wasting his
potential away. Nowadays, any means to
salvage his future would be a plus for the Cardinals at this point, or if they
can trade him for something of value, that also could be the next move for the
Cards in dealing with him in 2020.
2020 Expectations: AAA starter, maybe come up as a September
call-up in the majors
2020 Player Rating: 1.5 stars (2.5
star potential)
RP – Dominic Leone - D
2019 (MLB): 1-0, 5.53 ERA, 40.2 IP, 46 K, 8.6 H9, 2.0 HR9,
4.9 BB9, 10.2 K9, 5.45 FIP, -0.3 WAR
Leone did not have a great season, as he really struggled
with his command in 2019. He did strike
hitters out at a solid rate, but for a veteran bullpen pitcher, he did not
pitch nearly as well as he should have this past season, and he was left off
the postseason roster.
2020 Expectations: Middle reliever
2020 Player Rating: 1.5 stars
RP – Mike Mayers – D-
2019 (MLB): 0-1, 6.63 ERA, 19 IP,16 K, 9.9 H9, 1.4 HR9, 5.2
BB9, 7.6 K9, 5.48 FIP, -0.1 WAR
Like Leone, Mayers also did not have a great season, as he
really struggled with his command in 2019.
For a veteran bullpen pitcher, he did not pitch nearly as well as he
should have this past season, and he was left off the postseason roster. On the other hand, he was injured for a good
portion of this season, but he still pitched poorly this year.
2020 Expectations: Middle reliever or AAA pitcher
2020 Player Rating: 1.5 stars
RP – Luke Gregerson – D-
2019 (MLB): 0-0, 7.94 ERA, 5.2 IP, 2 K, 17.5 H9, 1.6 BB9,
3.2 K9, 3.04 FIP, 0.1 WAR
Gregerson did not have a great year, as he allowed a lot of
hits when he was in the majors, and he had an injury-plagued 2019 season.
2020 Expectations: Middle reliever or AAA pitcher
2020 Player Rating: 1.5 stars
RP – Chasen Shreve – D-
2019 (MLB): 1-0, 9 ERA, 2 IP, 2 K, 9 H9, 4.5 BB9, 9 K9, 4.21
FIP, 0 WAR
Like Leone, Shreve also did not have a great season, as he
really struggled with his command in 2019.
For a veteran bullpen pitcher, he did not pitch nearly as well as he
should have this past season, and he was designated for assignment after a
short stint with the Cardinals.
2020 Expectations: AAA pitcher
2020 Player Rating: 1 star
RP – Adalberto Mejia - F
2019 (MLB): 0-0, 9 ERA, 3 IP, 2 K, 24 H9, 3 BB9, 6 K9, 2.88
FIP, 0 WAR
Like Leone, Mejia also did not have a great season, as he
really struggled with his command in 2019.
For a veteran bullpen pitcher, he did not pitch nearly as well as he
should have this past season, and he was designated for assignment after a
short stint with the Cardinals.
2020 Expectations: AAA pitcher
2020 Player Rating: 1 star
Pitching Coach – Mike Maddox - B
2019 Team (MLB): 91-71, 3.80 ERA, 52 SV, 8/0 H9, 1.2 HR9,
3.4 BB9, 8.7 K9
2019 Team (Postseason): 3-6, 3.42 ERA, 0 SV, 8.5 H9, 0.8
HR9, 3.1 BB9, 10.3 K9
It seems that the pitching coach did a good job of getting
the starters and bullpen ready for games, as the team excelled at striking
hitters out and limiting hits. They did
have some command issues at times, but the pitchers stepped it up a notch in
the postseason. If only if they could’ve
gotten some offense in the NLCS, maybe the Cardinals would be playing in the
World Series right now. But Maddox did a
good job of managing and utilizing his pitchers.
2020 Expectations:
The starters and relievers will have a solid season in 2020, and they
will get the Cardinals to another playoff berth.
Manager – Mike Shildt – C+
President of Baseball Operations – John Mozeliak – C+
Team MLB (2019): .245 AVG, 210 HR, 714 RBI, 116 SB, .322
OBP, .415 SLG, .737 OPS, 23.0 K%, 4.01 P/PA
Team MLB (Postseason): .201 AVG, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 4 SB, .266
OBP, .322 SLG, .588 OPS, 28.9 K%, 3.83 P/PA
2019 Team (MLB): 91-71, 3.80 ERA, 52 SV, 8/0 H9, 1.2 HR9,
3.4 BB9, 8.7 K9
2019 Team (Postseason): 3-6, 3.42 ERA, 0 SV, 8.5 H9, 0.8
HR9, 3.1 BB9, 10.3 K9
Shildt and Mozeliak were successful in getting the Cardinals
to the 2019 postseason, but the team fell short as they were badly swept in the
NLCS against the Washington Nationals.
The offense really faltered as they failed to string together many hits
against them, and though they acquired some big pieces to improve their
hitting, the team’s woeful hitting and abysmal hitting approach in the postseason
will be significant sources of concerns.
The 2019 St. Louis Cardinals’ Overall Grade: B-
The Cardinals did find a way to make it to the playoffs, as
they exceeded some people’s expectations, but they met mine. However, they fell short as they were swept
in the NLCS by the Washington Nationals, and the Cardinals had trouble scoring
runs despite having a revamped offense that included Paul Goldschmidt. Jeff Albert’s launch angle revolution
approach yielded mixed results. The
Cards’ offense would have binges and droughts, but they produced very little in
the NLCS. The Cardinals didn’t win the
title, and their postseason ended in a disappointing fashion, but the Cards did
come away with being the NL Central Division champions, as well as a memorable Game
5 of the NLDS this year.
Recommendations:
The St. Louis Cardinals need another elite, high-end
starting pitcher to add to their pitching staff in order to strengthen their
rotation. They may also need an elite,
high-end outfielder that has a sound hitting approach, but also would be one
that fields well. In addition, the Cards
will need a solid backup infielder that can come through on a regular
basis. Most of all, they may need to
upgrade over their current hitting coach, which will be unlikely, so the
Cardinals’ hitters will just need to improve their hitting approach and field
better in the postseason.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62334161/1011122346.jpg.0.jpg "Picture courtesy of Justin Ber of /Getty Images via Viva El Birdos")
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64132540/1150841604.jpg.0.jpg "Photo courtesy of Dilip Vishwanat of Getty Images via Viva El Birdos")
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