The St. Louis Cardinals have been blessed to have two of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball throughout the past seven years. Unfortunately, they rarely got to see that blessing in full effect.

The Cardinals announced Tuesday that Chris Carpenter won’t pitch in 2013, which likely ends his career as a player for the Cardinals. It also ends a very successful era that still could have been exponentially better without injuries to Carpenter and his co-ace Adam Wainwright.

The Cardinals won two World Series titles and made the playoffs in four of the seven seasons Carpenter and Wainwright were both on the roster. That is arguably the most success any franchise has had during that time.

The San Francisco Giants won just as many championships, but they only made the playoffs those two seasons. The New York Yankees made the playoffs in six of those seven seasons, but they won just one World Series.

Still, the Cardinals had all of that success while rarely having Carpenter and Wainwright healthy at the same time. The only years both pitchers were able to be on the mound regularly during the same season were 2006 (although Wainwright was in the bullpen as a rookie), 2009 and 2010. One of the two pitchers was on the disabled list for an extended period of time in those other four seasons.

Most of the injuries happened to Carpenter. He led the Cardinals onto the field on Opening Day 2007 against the New York Mets and gave up five runs in six innings as the Cardinals lost 6-1. They would go on to finish 78-84, good for third place in the NL Central.

Wainwright moved into the starting rotation in 2007 and compiled a 25-15 record over the course of the next two seasons. But Carpenter didn’t return until 2009, which also happened to be the next time the Cardinals returned to the playoffs.

Carpenter and Wainwright combined for a 72-32 record in 2009 and 2010, the first time since 2006 the two pitchers were both healthy at the same time. The Cardinals won 91 games in 2009 and 86 in 2010, but then injuries destroyed the dynamic duo once again.

Wainwright blew out his elbow in the opening days of spring training in 2011 and missed the entire year after having Tommy John surgery. Carpenter picked up the slack that season with an 11-9 record that betrays his 3.45 earned-run average and his leadership that led the Cardinals to the World Series. He won the playoff-clinching game on the final day of the season in Houston, Game Five of the division series in Philadelphia and Game Seven of the World Series against the Texas Rangers.

Coming off the championship season, the Cardinals hopes were high that they could repeat because Wainwright would be back, and the team would have its two best pitchers healthy again.

Then Carpenter started to feel discomfort in his next during spring training workouts. He wouldn’t make his first start of the season until Sept. 21.

The Cardinals still did well last year and came within one win of reaching the World Series again, but Carpenter struggled against the Giants in the National League Championship Series. He didn’t make it beyond the fourth inning in either of his starts, and his arm wasn’t fully healed.

So while the Cardinals’ announcement that Carpenter wouldn’t be able to pitch this season wasn’t terribly shocking, it still closes the book on one of the most successful eras in franchise history.

But despite that success, the franchise and its fans will close that book wondering how great those teams could’ve been if their two best pitchers hadn’t so often fallen victim to injuries.

A cannon of an arm from right field, electric power from the right side of the plate, and a veteran leader in the clubhouse, Kansas City Royals right fielder, Jeff Franceour, is without a doubt a huge component for the Royals in 2012.  Coming off of a couple of less than average years, the Royals took a chance on Franceour last season.  A chance that seemed to pay off for both him and his ball club.  Not only did the Royals get a sound outfielder but also a consistent bat that has the ability to get hot and drive in a lot of runs in a short period of time. Franceour also showed the Royals enough for them to sign him to a contract extension to become the present and future part of a very strong outfield.

Over his career Franceour has shown that he has all of the tools to be a very good hitter.  Though his statistics throughout his career have been up and down he is one of those players that will not get cheated on pitches.  He swings for interstate 70 and shows pitchers that he is not afraid to take a good rip at a pitch that they are just willing to put in the zone.  On the other hand, this kind of mentality has hurt hi, at the plate because of his over 100 strikeouts per season on average throughout his career.  So, at the plate with Franceour what you see is what you get.  A lot of pop at times and a lot of misses at times.  But it is the times that he does connect that he needs to bring up to be a key player for the Royals offensively this season.

Not much has to be said about how he plays out in right field.  he is as solid as they come when it comes to being able to get to balls, reading the plays and knowing where to throw the ball, and then throwing that ball on a line to whomever the receiver is.  In his seven seasons in Major League baseball Franceour has averages just under 14 outfield assists per season.  This is a stat that throughout his career may be his most consistent stat.  The guy just has a knack for cutting down runners on the bases. He did flash a little bit with the leather last season but it was his arm that had and has everyone excited for future years for him in Kansas City.

The biggest part that Francouer will play for the Royals in both 2012 and future years is his experience.  Though he is still considered young by many accounts he has been through it all.  He was a highly sought after draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2002, where he and Dayton Moore, Kansas City Royals General Manager, first began their relationship. Then he became one of the top prospects in the game along with then Royals third basemen Alex Gordon. Both of whom have gone through the struggles of being a young and upcoming ballplayer but seem to be turning it around just in time for a big push the Royals seem to be making.  After Atlanta, he signed the huge deal with the New York Mets and fell of the face of the Earth a little bit.  His most important experience, which will be essential to the Royals success now and in the future, is when he was traded to the Texas Ranger and was able to get experience in not only postseason play but also in the World Series.  These experiences all add up to being the clubhouse leader for this ball club.  He will be able to help with the highly touted prospects in the Royals system of which he used to be.  And also when the Royals are able to take that next step into October and November he will be able to calm guys down and show them how to be a a postseason player.

So all this being said, at the plate he may not be the best guy at his position but his consistency is key for both him and the Royals this season.  He needs to continue with his hose of an arm out in right field which he has not lacked his entire career.  But he needs to be the guy in the clubhouse.  He needs to be the guy to step up when the team in hot and also when they are losing.  He has solidified right field at Kauffman Stadium as “The French Quarter” but what else will he conquer as the Royals make their run towards championship seasons in the future.

ROYALS SIGN UTILITY INFIELDER Yuniesky Betancourt TO A ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

KANSAS CITY, MO (December 20, 2011) — The Kansas City Royals announced today that the club has signed utility infielder Yuniesky Betancourt to a one-year Major League contract for 2012. Consistent with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. With the signing, the Royals’ 40-man roster stands at 39.

“We have been looking for a utility infielder who could play short, third and second base and we feel Yuni is a great fit,” said Royals’ General Manager Dayton Moore. “He brings a right-handed bat with some power and is a guy we know fits in well in the clubhouse.”

Betancourt, 29, was the starting shortstop for the National League Central Champion Milwaukee Brewers in 2011. The 5-foot-11, 204-pounder hit .252 with 27 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 68 RBI and 51 runs scored during the regular season for the Brewers; then batted .310 with three doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBI in 11 postseason games as Milwaukee advanced to the NLCS before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in six games.

Betancourt hit .253 with 20 home runs and 105 RBI in 222 games for the Royals in 2009 and 2010 after being acquired in a trade from the Seattle Mariners on July 10, 2009. Kansas City then traded him and pitcher Zack Greinke to Milwaukee on December 19, 2010 in exchange for shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and pitchers Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi. Betancourt is a career .268 hitter with 189 doubles, 60 home runs and 375 RBI in seven seasons for the Mariners (2005-09), Royals (2009-10) and Brewers (2011). Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, he now resides in Miami, Fla.

Royals re-sign Lisson, add RHP Castro
Lisson is Naturals’ franchise runs, homers, RBI leader

SPRINGDALE, AR – Baseball America reports that the Kansas City Royals have re-signed Naturals’ infielder Mario Lisson and also added reliever Yeliar Castro on minor league contracts for the 2012 season.

The 27-year old Lisson spent all of 2011 with the Naturals after being sidelined for the 2010 season with injury, appearing in 89 games and batting a career-best .293 with 15 homers, also a career-best, and 45 RBI’s.

A Natural for all of 2008 and part of 2009 as well, the Caracas, Venezuela resident has hit more regular season home runs (31) than any other player that has suited up for Northwest Arkansas. Lisson also sits atop the Naturals’ franchise leaders in games played (255), doubles (48), RBI’s (127), and runs scored (135). Originally signed by the Royals as a non-drafted free agent in April 2002, Lisson owns a career .258 batting average with 78 homers, 389 RBI’s, and 159 stolen bases in 761 games over eight seasons.

Castro is a 23-year old right-hander from Panama City, Panama who has spent the first seven seasons of his professional career in the Atlanta Braves’ organization. In 2011, Castro missed some time with injury and posted a 2-0 record and a 4.15 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 39 innings over 28 appearances (one start) split between Double-A Mississippi, Advanced Class-A Lynchburg, and the Braves’ Gulf Coast League rookie club in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Signed by the Braves as a non-drafted free agent out of Panama in July 2004, Castro has made a total of 29 Double-A appearances for Mississippi over the past season and has yet to appear at the Triple-A level. Primarily a reliever, Castro owns a career 21-20 record with a 4.71 ERA in 125 appearances, including 25 starts.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

Edwin Jackson has pitched better than any reasonable expectation. His emergence has created a conundrum for Cardinals GM John Mozeliak. How does he build the 2012 Cardinal rotation?

A quick look at next year’s rotation shows four of the 5 slots already filled.

• Kyle Lohse is under contract and will make $11.875M.
• Jake Westbrook is under contract and will make $8.5M.
• Jamie Garcia is under contract and will make $3.25M.
• The Cardinals announced last week they will pick up Adam Wainwright‘s 2012 and 2013 options. Wainwright will work for $9M in 2012.

The two most likely pitchers to take the last slot are Jackson and Chris Carpenter. Jackson is a free agent at the end of the season. St Louis holds a club option on Carpenter, who they can either retain for $15M, or buy out for $1M.

Does Mozeliak sign Jackson, or pick up Carpenter’s option?

The Case for Carpenter. This is Carpenter’s eighth year in St Louis. His previous seven season run has been one of the best in baseball history. His 141 ERA+ average for his age 29-35 seasons is the tenth-highest since 1901. You may have heard of the guys ahead of him. He won the Cy Young award in 2005 and finished in the top 3 in CY voting on two other occasions (2006, 2009). Chris Carpenter has had a fabulous career with the Cardinals. He is, however, 36 this season, and has the well-documented history of arm trouble. Basically retaining Carpenter becomes a loyalty question, and a gamble. Does St Louis reward him for his years of superior service? How many pitches does he have left in that right arm?

The Case for Jackson. Jackson throws hard, averaging a mid-90s fastball. He gets a lot of ground ball outs, but also gives up a lot of line drives. His FIP- numbers are below average the past 3 seasons. Out of curiousity, I ran some numbers through Baseball Reference to see how Jackson’s career to date measures up historically. For those comps, I looked at players 28 or younger as of 30 June 2011, who have started 80% of their games (Jackson’s started 85% of his), thrown more than 1000 innings, have at least 100 decisions, and an ERA greater than 4.25. You can find the complete list here. It’s a pretty unremarkable set of names, and none of the guys on it became elite pitchers.

Jackson’s past performance does not prognosticate to a lot of future success. He likely will remain a slightly below average major league pitcher. Then again, Carpenter was 49-50 when he came to St Louis from Toronto and look how that turned out.

Politics. The elephant in the room listening to this discussion is, of course, Albert Pujols‘ impending free agency. Most (this writer included) think the Cardinals will have to break a bank to retain Pujols in 2012. The amount of money it will likely take to re-sign the first baseman – widely expected to be north of $25M a season – may necessitate declining Carpenter’s option and using that $14M to pay Pujols.

The other issue is the Colby Rasmus trade. If Mozeliak lets Jackson walk away, he will have traded an elite, young prospect playing a premium position for a left-handed relief pitcher (I have assumed that Octavio Dotel and Corey Patterson do not remain with the club past this season). That will not sit well with the fan base, nor should it. The Cardinals will have sold Rasmus for pennies on the dollar.

The four options open to Mozeliak are:

1. Pick up Carpenter’s option, wave good-bye to Jackson;
2. Decline Carpenter’s option, sign Jackson to a new deal;
3. Decline Carpenter’s option, try and re-sign him to a new deal at a lower price, let Jackson go;
4. Decline to sign either, insert someone from Memphis into the Cardinal rotation, use the money saved to sign other free agents.

It is a tough choice. I do not envy Mozeliak. Cardinal Nation looks forward to how this will play out.

Mike Metzger is a life-long Cardinals fan who currently blogs about the San Diego Padres. Follow him on Twitter @metzgermg.

After Adam Dunn’s recent signing with the White Sox, I pulled up his career stats, and could hardly believe his home run totals from the last seven seasons: 46, 40, 40, 40, 40, 38, 38. The consistency is stunning, but being a Royals obsessive, something else struck me: Adam Dunn has out-homered the Royals single season record for seven straight years. (The only other player I’ve been able to find with such a streak is Babe Ruth, who hit at least 41 for seven consecutive years, 1926—32.) Dunn’s incredible stretch prompted me to delve deeper into just how pitiful the Royals lack of home run power has been.

Steve Balboni

Royals fans have enjoyed some great players over the years, but the team has somehow never had a hitter bust out with even a 40 home run season. They are the only current franchise without a 40 homer hitter. The team mark is an embarrassingly low 36, set by Steve “Bye-Bye” Balboni in 1985. Barry Bonds’ all-time record of 73 is more than twice the Royals record.

Only ten times has a Royals player reached 30 homers:

Some of the lack of power is explained by the home run graveyard that is Royals/Kauffman Stadium. In recent years, the Royals inability to hang on to power hitters has also helped keep the record intact: Carlos Beltran had 15 home runs with KC in 2004 before he was traded to the Astros—he finished the year with 38, and then peaked at 41 with the Mets in 2006. Ex-Royal Jermaine Dye knocked 44 in 2006. Health problems have also played a role: had Bo Jackson and/or Mike Sweeney been able to stay healthy, they may have taken a run at the record.

Only the Twins join the Royals in failing to have a player hit more than 36 home runs in a season since 1985. The Twins do at least have the memory of some huge home run years: Harmon Killebrew alone had nine seasons over the Balboni line.

Some astonishing numbers:

The average home run record for the 29 non-Royals franchises: 53
Average number of 37+ home run seasons per franchise: 15
Times a Yankee has hit 37+: 38
Number of individual seasons of 37+ home runs since 1985: 244
Average number of seasons of 37+ per team since 1985: 8 (In other words, if the Royals had kept pace with home run hitters around the bigs, Balboni’s mark would have been surpassed eight times in the last 25 years.)

I posted a few of these stats on Twitter recently, prompting this response from Jeff Parker of Royally Speaking: “You are bumming me out.” So, hey, how about some hope: I asked Greg Schaum of Royals Prospects what he thinks the chances are of someone currently in the Royals system breaking the record. Greg feels Mike Moustakas has the best shot: “Moose should have 3-4 peak years where he could break that record…But he still needs to prove he can handle big league pitching (especially breaking stuff). But he would be the guy with the best chance.” Moustakas’s final home run tally last year in the minors was…36.

Entrenched at first base for the last seven seasons in St. Louis has been Cardinal mainstay Albert Pujols. The year in and year our MVP candidate has been producing at such a high clip for such a long time, Cardinal fans are shocked when they don’t see him in the line-up.

The production is impressive. What is perhaps more impressive is the ability to put up the numbers at such a consistent rate. At the beginning of 2010 though, onlookers were wondering if there was something wrong with Albert. He entered into one of his worst droughts at the plate in his career this summer, was swinging at more pitchers outside the zone, and overall did not look like he was totally locked in at the plate. All that being said, Pujols still had people talking Triple Crown as he and Cincinnati slugger Joey Votto were hunting for it in August.

It may seem have seemed like a down year for Albert. He did strikeout at a 12.9% clip, his highest since his rookie year but still has some of the best plate discipline in the league. His power was right in line with his career averages. He led the National League in home runs (42), runs batted in (118), runs scored (115), and intentional walks (38). He even socked his 400^th career home run on August 26^th. Just for kicks, you can see a tracker of every home run Pujols has hit here.

Pujols did have a career low .312 batting average in 2010 but had his best year in fielding percentage only making 4 errors and is a candidate for his second gold glove award. Pujols only took 5 games off this season. In his stead, Allen Craig played 5 games (17 innings) and Mark Hamilton played 4 games (21 innings). Neither player can count on seeing much time at the bag in the future as long as Albert stays healthy. They both have proved themselves at the AAA level and do serve as serviceable back-ups or perhaps trade bait for other clubs. Hamilton hit .298 with 18 HR and 60 RBI at Memphis in 2010. Craig saw more time with the parent club, playing more in the outfield, in his first 124 Major League at-bats he hit .246 with 4 HR and 18 RBI, in his other 350 at-bats at AAA, Craig produced at his normal clip of .320/14/81. With his versatility to play the outfield and more major league ready bat Craig seemed to establish himself as the back up at the first base slot for the Redbirds in 2010.

The Redbirds currently have one who will be no doubt be recorded as the best Cardinal’s first basemen of all-time. Albert Pujols continues to produce and overall enjoyed another great year in 2010.

As you know, this entire week is being dedicated to the 1985 “I-70 Series” that Cardinals and Royals fans will, for positive and negative reasons, never forget. It was a series full of headlines, and I won’t even get into the obvious one.

The series is one that most Cardinal fans would like to forget, but nobody aside from Don Denkinger (oops – I said it) had a worse seven games than Ozzie Smith.

Fortunately, I was not around to experience the frustration of that unforgettable series for the Cardinals. I was born in 1992, and actually was in attendance for Ozzie Smith’s final MLB game in 1996. I was three years old and did not know the significance of that game until later on in my life.

Since I was not around to watch the majority of his career, most of my memories of “The Wizard” come in the form of his emotional Hall of Fame speech in 2002. Of course I know him as the remarkable shortstop he was, but I was not lucky enough to get the privilege of watching him play baseball in the prime of his career. His 13 consecutive Gold Glove Awards, 15 All-Star selections, 2460 hits, and 580 stolen bases clearly speak volumes, but I have a feeling that Smith’s play was far more than that. I cannot say for certain, but I bet if you ask anybody alive in Ozzie’s playing days, they’ll tell you that his performance on the field was more than numbers can indicate.

The Wizard was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 and immediately made an impact. He made his second All-Star appearance in that first season with the Cards, but I doubt many fans knew what they were going to get out of Smith in the next 15 years. While his first three seasons in St. Louis were impressive, especially in the field, it was in the 1985 season when Ozzie became an offensive threat as well.

In Smith’s first seven seasons leading up to the memorable ’85 campaign, he hit an awful .238 in over 1,000 Major League games. Then, all of a sudden, Smith decided to make his presence felt at the dish as well. In 1985, he went .276 with a .355 OBP, six home runs (career high), 54 RBI, and 31 stolen bases in 158 games.

Although it was not publicly known until after the season, Smith did all of that even after sustaining an impingement in his right shoulder during July of ’85. As the season progressed, it developed into a torn rotator cuff, which typically requires surgery and extensive rehab. Instead, The Wizard let it heal “naturally” and he continued to play. Not only did he play, he played 158 games, plus a historic postseason.

The play most often thought of when Ozzie Smith comes to mind is the game-winning “Go crazy, folks!” home run in Game 5 of the NLCS. Smith batted left-handed against Tom Niedenfuer with one out. He had never hit a home run in his previous 3,000+ left-handed MLB at-bats, but The Wizard pulled a fastball down the right-field line for a walk-off home run.

His defense was, as always, rock-solid in that series against the Dodgers, but it was his offense that surprised most. In 27 plate appearances, Smith had a slash line of .435/.500/.696 with four runs, one double, one triple, one home run, three RBIs and 16 total bases. He was automatic. Smith was named the Series MVP, but it all quickly changed.

Even though his offensive game was probably the best it has ever been in that ’85 NLCS, Smith suffered a drastic drought in the World Series against the team on the other end of Interstate 70. While he seemed to hit anything that came his way in the Championship Series, Ozzie went 2-for-22 in the World Series with only two total bases, compared to 16 in the NLCS.

As Ozzie Smith fell apart and seemed to disappear (at the dish at least) in the World Series, so did the Cardinals. Maybe there’s something more to this than meets the eye. Ozzie Smith was the life force of the entire club, and what happens when that is taken away?

Despite his usual defense play, Smith had a disastrous seven games at the plate, and so did the Cardinals. You can blame Denkinger all you want, but he cannot be held accountable for the entire series. The Cards didn’t show up when it mattered most. I am by no means saying the series was lost because of Smith. It definitely was not. I just find it interesting how, as Smith fell, the team fell. Ozzie Smith was the St. Louis Cardinals, and he wasn’t his normal self in that series. Neither were the Cardinals.

Coincidence?

Justin Hulsey covers the Cardinals for i70baseball and his blog, Rising Redbirds, that is also dedicated to Cardinals baseball and their minor league system. You may follow him on Twitter @JayHulsey by clicking here.