The week of Thanksgiving brings a time for all of us to be thankful for family, friends, health, any a myriad of other things that each of us finds important. Here at I-70 Baseball, we take this time to show some thanks to some players that spent some time wearing both of the uniforms of our two teams, the Cardinals and Royals.

The requirements are that simple: the inducted player had to play for both the Cardinals and Royals in his career. From there, it is pure judgement of I-70 Baseball to say they deserve enshrinement in our “Hall Of Legends”. This year we induct five new legends to join the inaugural group of five from last season. The original five inductees were manager Whitey Herzog, pitchers Dan Quisenberry and Danny Jackson, outfielder Reggie Sanders, and catcher Darrell Porter.

The next inductee is second baseman Mark Grudzielanek.

Grudzielanek’s career began outside of the Missouri borders. In fact, to be more specific, his major league baseball career began outside of the borders of the United States with his 1995 debut for the Montreal Expos. A speedy second baseman with what could only be described as “gap power”, Grudzielanek would propel himself to his first All Star Game during just his second season in the league. That 1996 season would see him achieve over 200 hits for the one and only time in his career. It would also mark his only appearance in the mid summer classic.

After the first three and a half seasons of his career, Grudzielanek would be traded from Montreal out west to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Los Angeles would be home for Grudzielanek until another trade prior to the 2003 season would land him in Chicago with the Cubs.

With 1456 career hits, Grudzielanek would sign a free agent contract to join the St. Louis Cardinals for the 2005 season. His only season in Cardinal red was productive and solid for a franchise that had a revolving door at the position throughout the first decade of the twenty first century. While he was anything but spectacular, he was solid and brought some semblance of normalcy to the position, playing in 137 games and driving in 59 runs over the course of the season. His RBI total that year would be the second highest of his career.

The Cardinals would fail to retain him after that season, however, and Grudzielanek would make the trip across interstate 70 to join the Kansas City Royals for the next three seasons. From 2006-2008, he would provide more of the same, solid play at second base that had defined his career. In 2007, he would be recognized for his defensive prowess with the Gold Glove Award at second base. He would keep his average near the .300 mark, his runs batted in near 50, and his strikeouts below 70 for the three season that he wore Royal Blue.

Grudzielanek would finish his 15 year career with 2040 hits, 391 doubles, 640 runs batted in, 946 runs scored, and a .289 career batting average.

For his consistent play, his Gold Glove defense, and because sometimes you need a player that is dependable over one that is flashy, I-70 Baseball places Mark Grudzielanek in the Hall Of Legends.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch utilized Twitter to showcase the full page ad that Rick Ankiel took out in today’s newspaper.

Classy move by the player affectionately tagged as “Dick” Ankiel by our friends over at Cards Diaspora. In fact, they bid him adieu in 2010 when he left the team.

Important to realize that this, in fact, his first game in the Gateway City since his departure. While playing for the Royals and the Braves in 2010 would allow Rick to face off against his old club, it was as the home team both times. Due to injuries and his status as more of a backup outfielder in that time frame, Ankiel would only come to the plate twice against his former club last year. He would register a walk and a run scored for his troubles.

Over the course of 2010, Ankiel would ultimately struggle for his two clubs. He would only play in 27 games as a member of the Kansas City Royals, slowed by injuries early on. During those 27 games, Ankiel would hit .261 with four home runs and 15 runs batted in, walking seven times and showing that he never has mastered plate discipline by striking out 29 times. The trade deadline would approach and the Royals would flip him to the Atlanta Braves for the stretch run.

Health would not be an issue for Ankiel in Atlanta, but production would be. Over the course of 47 games, Ankiel would only produce a .210 batting average, two home runs, nine runs batted in, 19 walks and 42 strike outs while coming off the bench primarily.

In December of last year, Ankiel would sign a free agent contract to join the Washington Nationals and join a crowded outfield as, once again, primarily a bench player. He would show up early to Spring Training, at least, he would show up to the Cardinals facility to work out with friends and former teammates after being granted permission by both his current club and the Cardinals. Ankiel lives just a short distance from the Cardinals spring training facility. The extra work paid off as the Nationals proclaimed him their starting center fielder as the team broke camp.

The success has not carried over to the season, however, and MLB Trade Rumors is reporting that the Nationals are in the market for a full time option in center field due to Ankiel’s struggles against lefties. So far this season Ankiel is hitting .211 with one home run and four runs batted in over 57 at bats. He has walked six times but the strikeout bug is still biting as he has wiffed 13 times on the young year.

Expect Rick Ankiel to receive two ovations today, one when he walks to the plate for the first time and another when he strikes out for the first time as a visitor.

Ankiel has always been a favorite in St. Louis and many fans will hope to see a little bit of St. Louis put Rick back on the right track in 2011.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

In this third and final part to the series looking back at opening day starting pitchers, we turn our attention to the Tony La Russa era (1996 – 2010).

Andy Benes (1996) 1 no decision

The Tony La Russa era got off to a great start when an old friend stepped into the batters box at Shea Stadium, just before 1pm on April Fools Day. Willie McGee had spent the last few years with Oakland, San Francisco and Boston, but had come home when he signed a free agent contact with the Cardinals in the off-season. Even though he grounded out to start the game, something was right when we saw Willie wearing the Birds on the Bat. That enthusiasm was short-lived when Royce Clayton stepped up to the plate following the McGee groundout. That was a clear signal that Clayton would be La Russa’s shortst0p in 1996, not Ozzie Smith – even though the Wizard seemed to have plenty in the tank at age 41.

The Mets starter, Bobby Jones, struggled terribly in his short outing, not making it out of the fourth inning. He wasn’t fooling anybody and the Cardinals hit him hard, and often. A pair of home runs by John Mabry and Willie McGee in the fourth inning forced Mets manager Dallas Green to go to his bullpen early. At that point the Cardinals had a commanding 6-0 lead, but that would disappear in a hurry. Blas Minor, Jerry DiPoto, Doug Henry and John Franco would combine for 5 1/3 scoreless innings.

Pitching at a brisk pace, as you should with a big lead, Benes got into a bit of trouble with a pair of long balls from the bats of Todd Hundley and former Cardinal Bernard Gilkey. Gilkey’s homer in the sixth woke up Benes as he struck out the Mets 3-4-5 hitters to end his day. He left the game with a 6-3 lead. If the bullpen could just hold it.

They didn’t and it all happened in the span of about 10 minutes. Rick Honeycutt would retire the first two batters he faced, but then two consecutive singles brought the tying run to the plate. And it brought Tony La Russa out of the dugout. Cory Bailey would face just one batter, Chris Jones who was pinch hitting for Jerry DiPoto. Jones would single, driving in a run and putting runners at the corners. Again, Tony La Russa makes the trip to the mound, this time calling on Tony Fossas. A dribbler down the 3rd base line and a line drive barely over the head of the second baseman tied the game at six. The winning run would score on a sacrifice fly that the Cardinals would turn into an inning ending double play when Bernard Gilkey didn’t anticipate the throw home being cut off, ending up in a rundown.

That’s where the game would end with the Mets taking the season opener, 7-6. Tony Fossas would take the loss in relief.

Not a good way to start the Tony La Russa era, 88 wins later, the Cardinals found themselves in first place in the newly formed NL Central. They would sweep the Padres in the NL Divisional Series, but lose the NLCS to the Atlanta Braves, after being up 3 games to 1 in the series.

Todd Stottlemyre (1997-1998 ) 1-0 1 no decision

Todd Stottlemyre would get the 1997 season opener in Montreal. He would face Jim Bullinger in a pitchers duel. Both men were sharp early. A leadoff single in the third inning by Shane Andrews would give the Expos their first run in the game when he would be sacrificed into scoring position, and then scored on a single by Mark Grudzielanek. The Cardinals tied it in the sixth when Delino DeShields led off with a triple, and scored on a wild pitch.

The Expos would take a 1-1 tie into the bottom of the ninth inning when the Cardinals bullpen failed, as they had in the previous season. And the victim would again be Tony Fossas. Rich Batchelor would start the inning after pitching a rather uninteresting eighth. A dribbler of a hit would put a runner on first base. In comes Fossas and bad things happened quickly. A single and intentional walk would load the bases. Initially this would seem to be working out when Fossas coaxed an infield ground out, forcing the runner at the plate. But then a bit of wildness ended the game as Fossas walked in the winning run. Batchelor would take the hard luck loss in this one.

A week later, the same two teams would meet for the St. Louis home opener. Alan Benes, the younger brother of Andy Benes, would get the start for the Cardinals and would pitch extremely well. He would allow just a single run in five innings of work. Jeff Juden of the Expos was just as good in his six innings. This game would be in the hands of the relievers, and the Cardinals Mark Petkovsek would the hero of this game. In four innings of relief, he would allow just two hits, while striking out three and walking nobody. As with the season opener, the game would go into the bottom of the ninth, tied at 1 run apiece. Until Willie McGee stepped up to the plate with 2 outs. He would send the big crowd home happy when he hit a walk-off home run off Ugueth Urbina.

Todd Stottlemyre would get one more opening day start when the Dodgers visited St. Louis on March 31, 1998. The big right-hander was brilliant, throwing seven shutout innings. For the first three innings, Dodger starter Ramon Martinez matched Stottlemyre, pitch for pitch – but then came the fourth inning. Gary Gaetti would lead off with a double, followed by a Tom Lampkin single. The Cardinals played for a big inning and held Gaetti at third. Martinez would toughen as he strikes out Todd Stottlemyre and Royce Clayton. With two men now out, the pivotal moment of the game would come as Delino DeSheilds works a walk out of Martinez, loading the bases. Up to the plate stepped Mark McGwire and it was very quickly 4-0. The only noise louder than Big Mac’s contact of the baseball was the cheering of the huge crowd.

The Dodgers bullpen would give up two more runs late, but the game was well over by then. Stottlemyre would pitch into the eighth inning, and Lance Painter, John Frascatore and Braden Looper would finish the game, not allowing a Dodgers run.

Donovan Osborne (1999) 1 no decision

A former number 1 draft pick, and top minor league prospect, the troubled lefty would get the opening day start in 1999. In case you are wondering why, the remainder of the rotation was Kent Bottenfield, Darren Oliver, Kent Merker and Jose Jimenez. Since a hot start to his rookie season in 1992, Osborne had struggled. He also had injury troubles that cost him at least a year of his career, and in another month, they would come back to take away the remainder of his 1999 season.

The Milwaukee Brewers would open the 1999 season in St. Louis, and it was one ugly game.

Troubles for the Cardinals started in the third inning when Osborne had to be taken out of the game. You don’t expect your starter to throw a complete game right out of spring training, but you also don’t expect to be into your bullpen after just two innings.

The first man in was Mike Busby. After one quiet inning of work, he got lit up like a Christmas Tree in the fourth inning. The Brewers would send eight men to the plate, and then the smoke finally cleared, they had a 5-1 lead. They would extend that lead to 7-1 when Manny Aybar gives up a 2 run homer to Jeremy Burnitz the next inning.

The lone Cardinals highlight would come in the home half of the sixth inning. David Weathers was in to pitch and Mark McGwire would step up to the plate. We know that Albert Pujols likes to hit home runs off of Weathers, and so does Big Mac as he launches a moon shot.

The Cardinals actually pulled to within two runs, thanks to an eighth inning meltdown by Brewers reliever, Chad Fox. Sadly, the hopes of a ninth inning miracle would quickly fade. Juan Acevado would retire the first two Brewers to start the ninth inning, but a pair of two out walks would prove disastrous when Sean Berry launches a three run homer to break the game open. Those three runs turned out to be significant because the Cardinals managed to score three runs themselves in the bottom of the ninth. Instead of a thrilling 8-7 comeback win, the Cardinals fall to the Brewers, 10-8.

After just six starts, injuries would end Osborne’s season, and Cardinals career. Garrett Stephenson would replace him in the rotation. Osborne would resurface for a few appearances in 2002 with the Cubs, and finally in 2004 with the Yankees.

Darryl Kile (2000-2001) 1-1

Tony La Russa and the Cardinals fortunes improved significantly in 2000. After a few years of struggling, a new pitcher came into St. Louis to terrorize National League hitters. Darryl Kile had been a good pitcher for Houston, and then signed a monster free agent deal with the Colorado Rockies. Somewhere in Denver, Kyle learned how to master the curveball, and it had become one of the best in the game. That was largely lost thanks to the thin air at Coors Field, but in the muggy St. Louis summers, it turned into solid gold. Kile would go on to win 20 games in 2000 for the only time in his career. That started with with a brilliant 6 inning performance in the 2000 opener against the Chicago Cubs.

There were many new faces on the Cardinals 2000 roster, and some of them made a big impression in this game. Shawon Dunston and Craig Pauquette would each homer in their Cardinals debut. Eric Davis would also add a homer. Newcomer Fernando Vina would go 3-5, including a triple in his first at-bat. Perhaps the most important thing about the 2000 opener is the debut of new center fielder, Jim Edmonds.

Things would not be so kind for Kile in 2001. He would again draw opening day duties, but it would be back in Denver, where the thin air messes with his curveball. And it didn’t fool many Rockies batters in his five innings of work. He would face left-hander, Mike Hampton, who retired from Major League Baseball earlier this week. Hampton had followed Kile by signing a big free agent contract with the Rockies. And like Kile, he would see him numbers balloon at the higher elevation of Denver.

Hampton would pitch into the ninth inning, ironically giving way to former Cardinal Jose Jimenez, who was part of the Darryl Kile trade a year earlier. Hampton and Jimenez would combine to shut out the Cardinals, but don’t feel too badly. 93 wins later, the Cardinals would capture the NL Wildcard and battle the Arizona Diamondbacks for a full five games in the NL Divisional Series, falling just short of playing for the NL title.

The 2001 season opener has one more memorable moment. In the second inning, left fielder Albert Pujols takes his first major league at-bat.

The same two teams would meet a week later for the St. Louis home opener. Denny Neagle would get the start for the Rockies, Andy Benes for the Cardinals. Both pitchers were sharp. Each pitcher would surrender a two run homer, and little else in their six innings of work. The two homers ? Albert Pujols and future Cardinal Larry Walker.

In an eerie reprise of the 1997 season opener, this game would be decided by bases loaded walk. This time it would be in the Cardinals favor, as former Cardinal, Jose Jimenez walked Eli Marrero to give the Cardinals the win.

Matt Morris (2002-2004) 1-1 1 no decision

Matt Morris would get opening day duties to start the 2002 season. His opponent would would be Mike Hampton of the Colorado Rockies. This game got out of hand early as the Cardinals scored runs in all but two innings. Albert Pujols was a wrecking crew at the top of the order with a pair of doubles and three RBIs, but it was the bottom of the batting order (Mike DeFelice, Edgar Renteria and Tino Martinez) that did most of the damage. Steve Kline and Jason Isringhausen would close out the game, preserving the win for Matt Morris. Mike Hampton would take the loss.

With the sudden passing of Darryl Kile in 2002, there was little question who would be on the mound when the Milwaukee Brewers game to town to start the 2003 season. Matt Morris would get the start for the Cardinals, Ben Sheets for the Brewers. It would be a back and forth battle until the bottom of the 8th inning when the Cardinals would explode for 6 runs. The big blow was a three run homer off the bat of Scott Rolen, who had been obtained in a mid-season deal in 2002.

The bullpen was shaky in the last two innings, but Russ Springer would earn the win and Steve Kline would pick up the save.

Ben Sheets and Matt Morris would again hook up in the 2004 opener. Neither pitcher was particular effective. Sheets would be gone in the fourth inning. Morris would pitch six innings, but give up seven runs, thanks to some iffy defense. The story would be the Brewers bullpen who keep the Cardinals at bay for nearly five innings. Matt Morris would take the loss and Dave Burba would pick up the win in relief.

Chris Carpenter (2005-2007, 2010) 3-1

Two of the best right-handers in the National League would meet in the 2005 season opener in Houston. Chris Carpenter would take the mount for the Cardinals and Roy Oswalt for the Astros. Home runs were the play of the day as Jim Edmonds, Larry Walker and Reggie Sanders each went deep. With Chris Carpenter only allowing a single run in seven innings or work., the game was over long before the game was turned over the to bullpen.

Mark Mulder would earn the home opener three days later against Cory Lidle and the Philadelphia Phillies. Mulder would struggle early, giving the Phillies a 5-1 lead before turning the game over to the bullpen. Fortunately for the Cardinals, they would start mounting a comeback in Lidle’s last inning of work. That comeback would be complete as Ryan Madsen would walk the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth. That gave no margin for error for incoming reliever Aron Fultz, who walked both Larry Walker and Albert Pujols, forcing in the tying and go-ahead runs.

There would be little relaxation though as Jason Isringhausen closed out the ninth inning wth troubles of his own. He managed to escape without allowing a run – we’re still not sure how he did that. Alberto (not Anthony) Reyes would earn the win in relief.

Carpenter and Mulder would again share opening day duties in the 2006 World Championship season. Carpenter would beat the Phillies in Philadelphia in a laugher. Mulder would pitch 8 strong innings in the home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Chris Carpenter would again throw out the first pitch in 2007. His opponent would be Tom Glavine and the New York Mets. A bad pitch to Carlos Beltran in the third inning, and a pair of seeing-eye singles in the fourth were the difference as Carpenter would be tagged for 5 of the 6 Mets runs. Glavine was strong in six innins, and the Mets bullpen kept the Cards pinned. It would be the only opening day loss for Carpenter ….. so far.

After missing nearly two years to injury, Carpenter would follow up his amazing 2009 season with an opening day start against the Cincinnati Reds in 2010. The story of the game would be the long ball – specifically two off the bat of Albert Pujols plus one each from Yadier Molina and Colby Rasmus. The Cardinals would win this game easily, although the bullpen was a bit shaky. Chris Carpenter would earn the win, his third opening day victory. That would give him the most of any Cardinals pitcher in the last fifty years, including Hall of Famer, Bob Gibson.

Adam Wainwright would get the home opener against Wandy Rodriguez and the Houston Astros. As he would do most of 2010, Wainwright was masterful as he shut down the Astros for 8 innings. He would not allow a run and would strike out 7 along the way. Jason Motte would pitch a scoreless ninth inning in a non-save situation as the Cardinals shut out the Astros, 5-0. David Freese, Ryan Ludwick and Albert Pujols did the offensive damage for the Cardinal, mostly coming against Rodriquez.

Kyle Lohse (2008) 1 no decision

Poor weather conspired to take away Adam Wainwright’s first opening day start when the first game of 2008 was postponed. That assignment would fall on Kyle Lohse, who just two weeks earlier had signed a free agent contract with the Cardinals. His opponent would be former Cardinal, Kip Wells. This doesn’t quite create the mental imagery of “Clash of the Titans”, does it ?

Surprisingly, both pitchers would do well in their 2008 debuts. Lohse could only go five innings, due to missing nearly half of spring training, but left the game without giving up a run. On the other side of the diamond, Wells was cruising until a Chris Duncan walk followed by an Albert Pujols single in the sixth inning caused him an early shower. The only run of the game thus far was a Yadier Molina solo home run.

Kyle McClellan and Russ Springer would each follow Lohse with an inning of scoreless baseball. Unfortunately, there were still two innings to go, and one of those would prove problematic for the Cardinals. Ryan Franklin and Randy Flores had a tough time getting out of the eighth inning. Franklin started things off with a leadoff walk to Troy Tulowitzki. We know about leadoff walks, right ? A ground rule double off the bat of Todd Helton followed by a Troy Glaus error tied the game at 1. Franklin then walked Matt Holliday to load the bases – leading to another early shower. Randy Flores would strike out the first two men he faced, but coming in with the bases loaded in a tie game left no margin for error. That would hurt the Cardinals when Flored walked Jayson Nix, forcing in what would eventually be the winning run.

It was a disappointing loss to be sure, but at the same time, there was a lot to like in what we saw out of Kyle Lohse. He would be one to keep an eye on as 2008 unfolded.

Adam Wainwright (2009) 1 no decision

After getting denied his opening day start due to weather in 2008, Wainwright took the ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates to open 2009. Wainwright pitched well, but a high pitch count in the sixth inning led to a pair of walks and an early exit for the tall right hander. A rare bad outing by Trever Miller allowed the Pirates to tie the game and gave Wainwright a no-decision on the night. When Ryan Ludwick led off the bottom of the 8th inning with a go-ahead home run, the huge home town crowd erupted. When David Freese tacked on an insurance run later in the inning, the crowd noise grew to a cacophony of cheering. But we still remember how the game ended – the one day experiment with Jason Motte as the closer. Motte gave up 4 runs in his first save chance since winning the spot in spring training. He would take the loss on the night, and that would eventually lead to the Chinzilla (Ryan Franklin) taking over as the new Cardinals closer.

The Cardinals would soon recover from the opening day meltdown, and they would go on to win the NL Central. Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter turned in the best 1-2 pitching performances since John Tudor and Joaquin Andujar in 1985.

Chris Carpenter (2011) ?

In a few days we will know how Chris Carpenter fared in his 2011 debut. Until then, we can look back at the last 50 years and marvel at some of the names that took the baseball on the opening day. Bob Gibson, Curt Simmons, Joaquin Andujar, John Tudor, Darryl Kile, Matt Morris – but the best record belongs to the man who will start against the Padres on March 31. Chris Carpenter.

Bob Netherton covers Cardinals history for i70baseball.com and writes at On the Outside Corner. You may follow Bob on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

The United Cardinal Bloggers group features various projects that the members collaborate on throughout the year. Some of the most popular of these projects is the February round-table discussions.

Day One of these discussions was kicked off by the great site Cardinals GM. You can read that first discussion regarding the membership’s trust of the 2011 Cardinal bullpen by clicking here. Of course, you can always keep track of all the discussions, and the upcoming schedule, by dropping by the official site located here.

Day Two of these discussions belongs to I-70 Baseball and I asked the membership to give me some predictions on four key players on the Cardinals roster this year. I asked for slash line predictions and a short paragraph if they so desired on the following:

Potential MVP – Albert Pujols
Potential CYA – Adam Wainwright
Needs a good year – David Freese
Was he worth it – Lance Berkman

Here is what the faithful had to say:

Mark, Retrosimba

Albert Pujols: .325/40/115.

He’s either playing for a big free-agent contract or playing to justify a huge contract extension.

Adam Wainwright: 17-7/2.95.

If the elbow is good, so is Wainwright.

David Freese: .290/15/70.

He can produce if healthy.

Lance Berkman: .280/24/80.

Seems motivated to show he still has something to offer.

J.D., Bleed Cardinal Red With Me

Albert Pujols: .323 BA/.440 OBP/38 HR/122 RBI

Keeps up Pujols numbers and walks away to the Mets or Dodgers in FA

Adam Wainwright: 22-7 W-L/2.60 ERA/1.05 WHIP/230 IP/210 K’s

Has better numbers than Halladay and Lincecum, but gets 2nd or 3rd in CY again

David Freese: .285 BA/.350 OBP/15 HR/75 RBI

Just hoping for health.

Berkman: .290 BA/.390 OBP/25 HR/95 RBI

Becomes our 1st baseman on a 2 year contract after Pujols leaves

Daniel, C70 At The Bat

Albert Pujols .315/36/115

Age gets to AP a little bit, but not enough to effect his earnings potential (if he is indeed a free agent at the end of the year) or to make us regret a huge contract (if he’s signed before the season starts).

Adam Wainwright 16-8, 3.12 ERA, 200 K

Two superb years in a row, so I’m thinking maybe a small step back. Still the ace of the rotation, though.

David Freese .285/18/72

Hopefully Freese will be out there on a regular basis, staying healthy and all that. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t have at least one stretch where he sits on the bench nursing something sore, but isn’t hurt enough to go on the DL.

Lance Berkman .282/21/84

Depending where he winds up hitting, he could be a major force in the lineup. Figure he’ll get replaced often in the seventh inning of games, but I think the bat won’t be an issue.

Dennis, Pitchers Hit Eighth

Albert Pujols – .320 AVG, .435 OBP, 38 HR, 120 RBI

I envision AP consciously taking a few less pitches this year to avoid pitcher’s counts. More aggression, fewer strikeouts to compensate for a slightly slower bat. Same phenomenal stat line.

Adam Wainwright – 20-10, 2.65 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 205 K

I believe he’s already one of the top 10 starters in the league, and he won’t do anything in 2011 to change that opinion. If anything, he may suffer from trying to be too fine at times. Even so, an ERA in the mid 2′s is nothing to scoff at.

David Freese – .305 AVG, .360 OBP, 14 HR, 85 RBI

When healthy, Freese may be one of the most efficient run producers on the team. If he gives the team 600+ plate appearances, I have a lot of faith that the team will be fine. When you consider what was lost when he went down, it’s impressive that the team stayed in the race as long as it did last season.

Lance Berkman – .275 AVG, .330 OBP, 20 HR, 80 RBI

This stat line is more of an expectation than a prediction. It’s really hard to get value out of an $8M deal for a rightfielder.

Steve, The Outfield Ivy

Albert Pujols: .322/40/119 and lets tack on 12 steals.

Always dominating and just playing his game. Big Al posts another incredible MVP-worthy season and further cements himself as a Hall of Famer.

Adam Wainwright: 18-9/2.83/192Ks

A little regression after his stellar 2010 season. But still gets to pitch in the NL Central with a lineup that includes Pujols, Holliday,
& Berkman.

David Freese: .267/10/62

He had a great start last year and will be dependable at 3rd. But I don’t see him developing more power in the majors and posting 20-25 homeruns with 90+ RBIs as he did in high A and triple A ball.

Larry Walker, um I mean Lance Berkman: Yes. he was worth it. .272/22/82

He can still hit. Whether he needs the occasional day or half day off (late inning, pinch-hitting duties) he was worth it. What would you rather have in right field; Berkman at 1yr/$8M or Kosuke Fukudome at 1yr/13.5M

Christine, G9 Sports

Albert Pujols .329 avg/45 HR/123 RBI

Adam Wainwright 18-7, 3.05 ERA, 211 K

David Freese .285 avg/17 HR/72 RBI/145 games played (seems a relevant number)

Lance Berkman .292 avg/35 HR/107 RBI

I will keep with the optimistism during my January headlines prediction

Aaron, El Maquino

Albert: .320/48/130, NLMVP

Waino: 21-9/2.90/210, NLCY

Iceman: .315/15/75

Berkman: .275/25/80

Dustin, Welcome To Baseball Heaven

Albert Pujols – .323 AVG, 43 HR, 132 RBI, .432 OBP

Whether this is an audition year or year one of a new mega deal with the Cardinals I expect a motivated Albert Pujols.

Adam Wainwright – 18-8, 2.74 ERA, 225 K, 1.20 WHIP

The ‘Ace’ of the rotation will put together another fantastic season. I’m leaning towards the strikeouts and walks escalating due to a mindset of a slightly downgraded defense. Maybe trying to do too much at times instead of pitching to contact.

David Freese – .292 AVG, 16 HR, 78 RBI, .358 OBP

I’m basing this outcome on a healthy season. I try and take the optimistic approach with anything Cardinals. If David can stay on the field I look for a very solid campaign.

Lance Berkman – .278 AVG, 24 HR, 84 RBI, .390 OBP

I really do think we’ll see an energized and refreshed Berkman. He’s only 1 year removed from a similar stat line. The thing that really worries me is him playing a full season in the outfield. Good communication will be needed between himself and TLR about him getting off days when needed. I’m sure he’ll also cover Albert’s 3 off days at 1st as well.

Bob, The Outside Corner

Albert Pujols – .328 32 HR 105 RBIs. For only the 3rd time in his career, his OPS drops below 1.000

Albert does indeed sign a long term contract, and in doing so, plays extra hard to prove to the fans and ownership that he is worth it. He will try to run down a ball in foul territory and have a run-in with the tarp, slipping and injuring his leg. He will miss nearly a month of the season, but will return as it nothing had happened. He will rally late, and maintain his streak of 100 RBIs.

Adam Wainwright – 22-8 2.85 ERA. Cy Young Award winner

For all of the talk of the Phillies rotation, Wainwright will be the star pitcher in the National League in 2011. He will lead the league in wins and be third or fourth in ERA, that that will be enough to earn him the Cy Young Award he deserved in 2009.

David Freese is hit by a piece of the International Space Station while taking batting practice in Jupiter, Florida and will miss the entire 2011 season. OK, maybe that was an exaggeration.

David Freese – .305 15 HR 105 RBIs

On paper, the starting 8 of the 2011 Cardinals remind me a lot of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers. They had unbelievable production up and down the batting order. This team may not hit home runs with the regularity of Harvey’s Wallbangers, but the high on-base percentages the heart of the order will put up will give ample RBI opportunities for Freese. His production will look more like a 5th place hitter than the 6th that he will actually hit.

Lance Berkman – .290 18 HR 110 RBIs OBP will approach .380

Berkman will cut down his swing significantly, due to his new role with the Cardinals. The result will be fewer home runs, but a couple of trips to Minute Maid Park will give him some chances to make a statement. Because of hard base running and astronomical on-base percentages of Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols ahead of him, the RBI numbers will rise unexpectedly.

John Mozeliak will look like a genius when Lance Berkman takes over at first base during the Pujols injury.

Dathan, Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night

Pujols: .328/41/136

Waino: 19-9 Top 3 CY voting (w Halladay, 1 other)

Freese: If 125+ games, he’ll rake. In the lineup with Pujols, Holliday, Berkman? Yeah, he’ll get some pitches to drive–if he doesn’t produce, it won’t be due to lack of opportunity.

Berkman: .271/16/65 – Decent. Not $8MM (unless you compare his salary to good ole #26), but decent. How about I characterize this way: Less than Ludwick would’ve done in the same situation, but more than Ludwick will do, now that AGon IS Gone…from SD.

Mike, Stan Musial’s Stance

AP: .310/.400/.590, 45HR, 120 RBI.

Every time Albert’s HR production has dropped from the previous year – like his 42 in 2010, down from 47 in 2009 – he has bounced back to hit at least 5 more HR the next season. I’m going with 3 more given he’s 31 this season.

Wainwright: 230 IP, 215K, 1.200 WHIP, 18-11, 3,25 ERA.

I think Adam will suffer from weaker defense up the middle and in RF. He’ll be top 5 in the Cy Young voting.

Freese: 120 G, .285/.350/.420, 15HR, 75 RBI.

Still not convinced Freese will play more than 100 games in 2011, but let’s be optimistic shall we?

Berkman: Where does he hit in the order – 2nd? 5th? Lower? There’s no way he hits between Pujols and Holliday; I’d rather have Rasmus and his speed hit second. So assuming he hits fifth: .285/.340/.440, 15 HR 105 RBI.

I’m not convinced his power will return, but with Rasmus/Pujols/Berkman (and hopefully Theriot) on in front of him he’ll have a chance to drive in a lot of runs.

Andy, Gas House Graphs

I trust the projection systems already in place than my own knee-jerk guesstimate. In that spirit, I’ll provide the most pessimistic and optimistic predictions from the leading projection systems (Pecota, Bill James, Marcel, ZIPS, and Cairo). These systems take many things into account, but at the most basic level, they consider at least three years worth of data, the player’s age, and regress towards some mean. Each individual system follows its own model (you can find specific information about them pretty easily by conducting a Google search), but they universally take into account more than I could off of the top of my mind, and are definitely more objective, eliminating the bias of my fandom.

(AVG/OBP/SLG, HR, RBI)
Pujols:
Marcel – .312/.413/.581, 34, 103
Bill James – .327/.436/.625, 42, 118

It doesn’t really matter which projection system you consult, Albert Pujols’ numbers are always impressive.

Berkman:
Cairo – .262/.374/.445, 19, 78
Bill James – .275/.393/.486, 22, 79

I’d be thrilled with that line from Bill James, but to be honest, I’d take the projection from Cairo too. I’m actually quite surprised that this is the harshest prediction I found for Berkman after last season. That should remind us just how productive he was with the bat pre-2010. He’ll be a butcher in the field, but he’ll take a lot of walks and I expect his slugging to regress positively in 2011.

Freese:
Cairo – .257/.323/.399, 10, 50
Bill James – .295/.353/.452, 16, 85

That’s quite the discrepancy. Bill James has notoriously optimistic offensive projections, but some of the difference here can be attributed to playing time. Most of the other projection systems are more conservative with Freese’s estimated plate appearances. Personally, I’d take the under on James’ prediction and over on Cairo’s.

(ERA, WHIP, BB/9, K/9)
Wainwright:
Bill James – 3.37, 1.21, 2.52 BB/9, 7.46 K/9
ZIPS – 2.85, 1.13, 2.3 BB/9, 8.13 K/9

Adam Wainwright is really good. For James, that would be Wainwright’s highest ERA since 2007, his first year as a SP. He should be better than that considering his steady progression over the past few years.

Big Thank You’s to everyone who took the time to answer the question today.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
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