I know it is hard to believe, but the Kansas City Royals have actually been a very competitive team for the last month and a half. Since starting 3-14 they’ve gone 19-15, against a much tougher stretch of competition than they’re preparing to face. Even at that pace they’d finish the season with 84 victories at the end of the year. In theory, if they do continue playing the same level of baseball, they’ll win many more than 84 games. Why? Take a look at the winning percentages for the Royals past and future opponents:

Last 34 games (19-15 stretch):  .521

Rest of June: .457

That’s a huge difference in quality of opponent. Even after another disastrous start by Luke Hochevar against the worst offense in the American League, the Royals still find themselves in prime position to climb back to .500 by the end of June. Their next 10 games are against teams with losing records, before they face the fading Cardinals on back-to-back weekends. The opponent in between those weekend match ups is none other than the Houston Astros, picked by many to be the worst team in baseball in 2012. In fact, the only formidable opponents the Royals face in June are the Tampa Bay Rays, and they get three against the hapless Twins right after that. All told that leaves 25 games remaining in June, with 22 against teams you could argue the Royals are equal with or better than. Now of course, that only puts the club at .500, does that really even matter?

Yes, when you consider…

-          Salvador Perez is playing in extended spring training games and expected to be back with the club in the next month

-          Jonathan Sanchez is dominating at AAA, looking like his DL stint may have actually helped

-          Wil Myers continues to force the Royals hand, and could be playing center field in Kansas City by the beginning of July

-          Their July schedule is not much tougher as their July opponents currently have a .466 winning percentage

The only good thing about all of the Royals injuries is that they will have a mid season injection of talent without having to trade any of their best prospects. Perez makes this team considerably better, so does Sanchez if he can harness 2010. Does this team look like a contender with those two? Not even close, unless Eric Hosmer wakes up and Wil Myers comes up and mashes. That is the thing about this club, as young as they are, for many of them we are just waiting for the light bulb to switch on. Hosmer could put together a June that almost completely erases April and May. In fact against the teams he is about to face, I would almost be more surprised if he didn’t.

Okay, I’ll pause the hyperbole and get back to math. If the Royals win at a .558 clip against opponents with a .521 winning %, they should in theory play .625 (17-10) ball based on the winning % of their June opponents and .619 (16-9) in July. That would put the Royals at 55-48 on August 1. From August 1^st through the end of the year, the Royals play 29 games against the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago White Sox. At the very least they would control their own destiny; they may even be in the driver’s seat.

As Royals fans we’ve been promised a competitive team “in the future” since before the Allard Baird era, and for the most part, the club has failed to deliver. In my opinion, that future starts right now…in June…it’s our time.

Earlier today we introduced the UCB All Time Cardinal Team Tournament.

This tournament of 64 different Cardinal franchises will start today here on i70baseball and on Pitchers Hit Eighth.

The Buck Region belongs to us and our match-ups follow below.  Please take the time to vote on the various games and help us determine who the best of the best really is.

Voting for this round will close on Saturday, March 17, at 8:00 p.m. Central Time

The 1942Cardinals hold the record for the most wins in franchise history (106). They won the World Series, only losing one game to the Yankees. Enos Slaughter was the team’s top performing player posting a 7.1 WAR.

The 1917 Cardinals finished 3rd in the National League with a 82-70 record. Rogers Hornsby led the team in WAR, posting a 9.2.

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The 1947Cards posted a 89-65 record while finishing second in the National League. Whitey Kurowski was the best on the team, posting a 6.2 WAR.

The 1957 team was also a second place finisher, posting a 87-67 record. Stan Musial would lead the team with a 6.6 WAR.

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 The 2005 team won 100 games, yet lost in the NLCS to the Houston Astros.  Albert Pujols led the team with a 8.2 WAR.

The 2008 team would finish in 4th place while posting a 86-76 record.  Albert Pujols would lead this team with a 9.6 WAR.

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The 1943 team would win 105 games and lose the World Series to the New York Yankees.  Stan Musial led the boys with a 8.9 WAR.

1977 was a sentimental pick.  The year I was born, the Cards went 83-79 and finished 3rd in the National League East.  Ted Simmons led the team with a 6.3 WAR.

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 In 1944 Cardinals won a World Series title after winning a second consecutive 105 win season.  Stan Musial would post a 9.1 WAR to lead the team.

The 14th seed is the 1914 club.  They finished 81-72, 3rd in the league.  Pitcher Harry “Slim” Sallee led the team with a 4.8 WAR.

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 2009 would see the Cardinals finish at 91-71 and lose the NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Albert Pujols would led the team with a 8.8 WAR.

The 1991 Cardinals would finish in 2nd place, their highest finish under Joe Torre.  Ozzie Smith would led the team with a 4.7 WAR.

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The 1935 Cardinals would finish second in the league despite a 96-58 record.  Dizzy Dean posted a 7.6 WAR.

1989 would give the Cardinals a 86-76 record, good enough to finish third.  Ozzie Smith would lead the team with a 6.3 WAR.

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The number two seed represents the site well, coming from 1985.  The team won 101 games and lost the World Series to the Royals.

The 15th seed comes from the year prior, in 1984.  They would finish 84-78 and third in the division.  Bruce Sutter’s 4.5 WAR would lead the team.

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Please vote and share the brackets with your friends.  The polls will close on Saturday and the winners will move on to next week’s rounds.

The St. Louis Cardinals got Jake Westbrook at the 2010 trade deadline, and he performed well enough down the stretch to earn a 2-year contract with a mutual option on a third year.  Last season he did not perform like the 2010 stretch Westbrook, though to be fair he did pitch to his career averages.  What do we want to to see from Jake in 2012?  More 2010 Westbrook, and less 2011 Westbrook, of course.  How does he get there?

Westbrook historically allows a lot of base runners.  Last year he allowed at least a runner per inning in his victories, and in his no-decisions and losses it was closer to 2 runners per inning.  If Jake was not on his game it was obvious early; he only threw 43 innings in his 9 losses, and allowed almost as many hits, walks, and HR as he did in the 75 innings he threw during his 12 victories.  Opposing hitters hammered him to the tune of a .368 BABIP in games he lost; in his wins, his BABIP was 100 points lower.

OK, if he pitches to less contact he’ll be more successful in 2012, right?  It’s not that simple.  In his 2011 losses, his K/9 was actually higher than in his wins (5.2 to 4.7), and in his no-decisions it was even higher.  The year before they were virtually identical (5.3 to 5.5), although again his K/9 in no-decisions was higher.  Striking out more hitters so there are fewer balls in play does not seem to be a key to Westbrook’s success.

So what can he change in order to return closer to his 2010 Cardinal form?  Take a look at his Fangraphs page, specifically the pitch type section, for a possible answer.  After the trade to St Louis Westbrook essentially ditched his cutter.  He threw a fastball more frequently, threw his slider marginally more frequently, and threw his change-up marginally less frequently than he had while with Cleveland earlier in the year.  In 2011, he threw his fastball slightly less frequently and his change-up with the same frequency as he had the second half of 2010.  He made two major changes:  he threw fewer sliders than in any year since 2007, and he threw more cutters than in any season ever.*

One has to wonder why the drastic change.  Arm trouble?  Inability to get a feel for the pitch that persisted most of the season?  A lack of feel would make sense, because his slider got hammered (based on Fangraphs linear weights) throughout 2011 and no sane pitcher would consistently throw a pitch they knew could cause whiplash while watching it leave the home plate area.

It would seem the key to Westbrook’s success is his slider.  It has been a crucial pitch for him throughout his career and had served him well up to last season.  As we prepare for pitchers and catchers to report to Spring Training 2012, we need to watch Westbrook’s progress with his slider.  If he has a feel for it, look for 2010-type performances this season, with 2011 game play a distant (and hopefully rapidly fading) memory.  If he can’t find it again, maybe we can get Roy Oswalt back on the phone.

*Some of the change in fastball/cutter percentage may be due to refinement in the pitch f/x systems ability to detect the difference, however the change in how often he threw a slider cannot be explained away by a measurement software change.

Mike Metzger is a baseball writer based out of San Diego.  He also blogs about the Padres.  Follow him on Twitter.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte has seen a lot of ups and downs in the early stages of his career, but he might now be set to have many more ups than downs in the foreseeable future.

The Cardinals agreed to a one-year, $1.95 million contract Wednesday with the man who closed out the franchise’s 11th World Series title.

Although the deal is only for one year, Motte looks like he could be the ninth-inning man for the Cardinals for many years.

Why? That might sound overly optimistic, but he could have long-term success because of his pitching style.

Understandably, many people guffawed at Motte’s pitching style when he first came to the big leagues after being switched from catcher to pitcher in the minor leagues. He throws hard, but he doesn’t have much of a secondary pitch. His slider is very much still a work in progress, and he doesn’t really have a change-up (the out-pitch for many elite closers).

However, all of those so-called deficiencies could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Motte, and in turn for the Cardinals.

When a pitcher such as Motte doesn’t have a reliable back-up pitch, he has to live and die by his fastball. Motte has a good fastball, but last year he learned how to locate that pitch. When everything else about a pitcher is stripped away, locating the fastball is what makes any pitcher successful.

Pitchers such as Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright can drop their massive curveballs on hitters all day, but they will still get hit around if they can’t locate their fastball.

That’s why Motte could have some staying power in the back of the Cardinals’ bullpen.

At the end of the game, many pitchers (Jason Isringhausen, for example) try to get fancy by throwing cutters and curveballs to fool hitters and rack up strikeouts. That often leads to trouble. Sure, a fastball down the gut has the potential to get smashed, but a hanging off-speed pitch in the ninth-inning means more often than not that one team will be celebrating at home plate while the other slowly walks off the field.

Motte understands that he is not going to fool anybody when he comes into a game. His job is to pump in fastballs and get outs, no matter how they come. Ryan Franklin had success as a closer for the same reason. He didn’t try to be fancy and fool hitters. Rather, he located his pitches and forced hitters to softly hit the ball into the ground.

But, Franklin’s luck eventually ran out, and he was terrible in 2011.

However, the difference between Franklin and Motte is that Motte has a swing-and-miss fastball. Motte can throw close to 10 mph faster than Franklin could. When a 97 mph pitch is thrown right where the catcher wants it, hitters will have a tough time making solid contact.

Unfortunately the hard fastball gets many relievers in trouble. Pitchers such as Kyle Farnsworth could throw the ball through a wall, but he could never locate the pitch.

If Motte continues to use his fastball and concentrates on pitch location, he could quickly become one of the better closers the Cardinals have had, and that is saying something.

The Cardinals have had some Hall of Fame closers, but none of them lasted very long. Motte doesn’t have to be Hall of Fame worthy to be successful for the Cardinals, but if he is reliable in the ninth maybe the Cardinals could spend a few years without having to worry about that position.

As far as his contract is concerned, even if Motte has a fantastic 2012 season and his price jumps, the Cardinals should still have the money to keep him, especially if catcher Yadier Molina follows Albert Pujols to Anaheim.

Maybe in future years Motte will have to yell “Come get some!” to a different catcher when he closes out a World Series, but if Motte gets that chance it means the Cardinals have continued their run of excellence.

In the end, that’s really what Cardinals fans want.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen came a long way in 2011, beginning with Ryan Franklin’s blown save on Opening Day and ending with Jason Motte’s final pitch to win Game Seven of the World Series.

The squad battled through major ups and downs throughout the season, and the final roster hardly resembled the Opening Day roster. All of those changes turned out to be a blessing, however, as the team went on to win the World Series.

The Opening Day bullpen that included pitchers such as Miguel Batista, Brian Tallet and Bryan Augenstein eventually turned into a bullpen with Fernando Salas, Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel.

The latter group was instrumental in the Cardinals run to the world championship. Manager Tony La Russa used his bullpen more extensively in the playoffs than any manager in the history of the game, and the relievers came through nearly every time in the playoffs.

Veterans such as Dotel and Arthur Rhodes left during the offseason, but the Cardinals picked up left-handed specialist J.C. Romero Dec. 15 and still have a strong core of young arms that will be ready to defend the championship this year.

Plus, the experience those young pitchers got during the stretch run of the 2011 season is sure to help them in future seasons.

After watching Motte nervously bumble his way through relief appearances at times during the previous two seasons, few people could have imagined him all of a sudden shutting down the best teams in the game during the most important stretch of the season, much less coming through flawlessly in the World Series to beat the Texas Rangers.

Yet, there he was on the mound at Busch Stadium throwing some of the most important pitches of the season.
After years of turnover and uncertainty in the Cardinals bullpen, that group could be one of the best parts of the team in 2012.

The Cardinals lost a lot of firepower in the lineup when first baseman Albert Pujols left in December to sign with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and they only brought in players who were Pujols’ age or older. The chances of both shortstop Rafeal Furcal and outfielder Carlos Beltran staying healthy for the entire season are very low.

That means the Cardinals will have to rely heavily on their pitching staff. The good news is this year’s pitching staff could be the best the Cardinals have had since 2004 when four starters had 15 or more wins, and that team went to the World Series.

Adam Wainwright will return this season to join what should be a strong rotation that includes Chris Carpenter, Jamie Garcia, Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook.

However, that rotation can only do so much. The bullpen is also going to have to shut down teams regularly late in games. With a strong rotation, the relievers will likely come into games with a lead, and a bad stretch of relief pitching could quickly demoralize the entire team.

Losing games is one thing, but losing because a reliever blew the game late adds an extra sting.

In any case, Cardinals fans should be as confident in this season’s bullpen as it has been in many years. This group is younger than most of the Cardinals’ bullpens during the La Russa era, and it now has experience that should keep them from getting rattled in tight situations.

After having a bullpen that appeared to be one of the worst in the league less than 12 months ago, the Cardinals could go into 2012 with one of the best bullpens in the game. That is quite a turnaround.

Just over 30 years ago the Kansas City Royals were embroiled in one of the best rivalries in baseball with the hated Yankees. It had everything a great rivalry needs; success on both sides, regular and postseason match ups, incredible stories, fights, and most importantly a general disdain for the other team. The Yankees got the better of the Royals during the rivalry, but you could never say the Royals did not put up a fight. Whether it was George Brett jumping up to punch Craig Nettles at third base, the 1980 ALCS when the Royals finally prevailed, or the Pine Tar Game, the Royals did their part to keep the rivalry interesting and relevant.

I bring this up because unlike that moment in time, today the Royals seem to be without a rival altogether. The Yankees have long since moved on, winning championship upon championship as the Royals dreamt of mediocrity. The division has not been much help, either, as it is harder to have a rival (at least one that takes you seriously) when you have been as bad as the Royals have been. Over the past 20 years the team has been competitive with no one and has really not given any team a chance to genuinely dislike them while every team in the AL Central has taken their turn at being good, and appeared in a World Series. With the infusion of young talent the team has seen over the past 18 months, we are expecting that part of the equation to change.

The other major impediment to forming a rivalry for the Royals has been the lack of consistency in their roster. Just three regulars from the Royals 2007 team figure to be on the Royals 2012 roster. That 2007 team featured only 1 significant part from the 2002 team 5 years before. It is hard to develop, and especially maintain, a rivalry when you are turning over 90-95% of your roster every 5 years. With a team full of talented players that the Royals mostly have several years of control over, that part of the equation should change, too.

So, with the Royals seemingly ripe for improvement, while at the same time developing some long term consistency in their lineup, it seems they are more than ready to develop a rivalry. Who should that rival be? Well, you would think anyone in the division would be a candidate, but it is hard to consider the Twins. For one, the Royals seem to be aspiring to be just like the Twins and seem more complimentary than anything. For two, with the health of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau figuring to be in question for the many years they have left on their contracts, it is hard to see them as a contender.

The only team you could even consider outside the division as a rival would be the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals. Ask Royals fans and they will probably tell you that the Cardinals are their biggest rival, but Cards fans are pretty clear that the Cubs, or even Brewers, are much more of concern for them. As much as KC may dislike the Cardinals and their fans, it is hard to have a rivalry with a team from another league that does not consider you a rival.

That basically leaves us with the Tigers, Indians and White Sox. The Sox are just beginning their rebuilding project, and just lost their most controversial part, Manager Ozzie Guillen. The chances of them being at the top of the division race, or even in the middle, seem pretty small right now. The Indians are right where the Royals are, if not a little ahead. That being said, there is just something about the Tigers that makes them the favorite to me.

The Royals and Tigers have quite a history of brawls, including the beating that Mike Sweeney laid on Jeff Weaver. Maybe that is shaping my opinion, but what had more to do with it is the Tigers position. They are much older than the Royals or the Tribe and they are the established favorite in the division right now. For either young upstart to take over the division, they will have to go through the Tigers and that could spark a rivalry more than any fight from a decade ago.

Honestly, I do not really care who it is, I would just like for the Royals to be relevant enough for someone to consider them a rival. Maybe if they start winning enough those Cardinals fans will change their mind. Maybe if I find a way to mention Don Denkinger every week that will help?

Today, we will take one last look back at 2011.

The season was full of ups and downs, ins and outs, and highs and lows for the St. Louis Cardinals. A season that took a turn for the worse before a single pitch was thrown ended up at the pinnacle of the sport. Over the course of the season, there were some major stories, moments, and thoughts that captured the audience.

Today, as part of the United Cardinal Bloggers December project, take a look back and what were the top five stories from the 2011 calendar year in St. Louis.

Number Five: The Return Of The Puma
or The Death of Fat Elvis
The signing of Lance Berkman happened in 2010, but the arrival of a slimmer, healthier and more determined Puma showed up at Spring Training. The “Fat Elvis” nickname no longer seemed to apply and Berkman quickly set forth into erasing any thought that he was a broken down player that could not produce.

Berkman quickly made a difference in the clubhouse and on the field, establishing strange rituals for the rookies while on the road and tearing up opposing pitching between the chalk lines. Berkman would find himself in the All Star Game and in the Most Valuable Player discussion to the tune of a seventh place finish in the voting. When it came to discussions of Come Back Player awards, he walked away with the award hands-down.

Number Four: Colby Rasmus Sent North
or How The Cardinals Built A Winner In One Deal
As the non-waiver trade deadline approached, the Cardinals felt they needed to make a few improvements to make a run at the division or playoffs. In the midst of shopping for a rotation upgrade, an additional arm or two for the bullpen and some bench help, the relationship between Colby Rasmus and Tony LaRussa flared up as a problem once again. This time, action was taken, and in one fell swoop, John Mozeliak answered the Cardinals issues.

Colby Rasmus was shipped to Toronto along with Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters in exchange for Octavio Dotel, Edwin Jackson, Corey Patterson and Marc Rzepczynski. Jackson would shore up the rotation, adding Kyle McClellan to the bullpen along with veteran Dotel and young Rzepczynski. Patterson would add some depth to the bench, though he would be overshadowed by youngsters already in the Cardinals system.

The trade gave the Cardinals the pieces they needed to make the run down the stretch and a brighter future. Though they gave up some pieces, Jackson and Dotel will yield them draft picks in the upcoming amateur draft and Rzepczynski projects to be a part of the Cardinals’ future for a considerable amount of time.

Number Three: Adam Wainwright Goes Down
or The Team Loses An Ace Before A Single Pitch Is Thrown
2011 looked promising for the Cardinals as Spring Training came closer and then Adam Wainwright left the practice field with some discomfort. Early news came from all involved stating a fear of the worst. The worst was confirmed and the Cardinals found themselves minus the best pitcher on the staff.

Adam took to the internet, writing blogs about his progress and his faith during one of the toughest times in his life or career. His faith was inspiring, his presence with the team as a supporter was surprising, and his smile never seemed to fade. The Cardinals proved that the sum is greater than value of the parts and Wainwright proved that life is bigger than baseball.

Number Two: Albert Pujols Breaks St. Louis Fans’ Hearts
or Further Proof That Six Is Greater Than Five
The subject of our number five story was quoted during his own contract negotiations as saying “It is always about the money”. No one wanted to believe that Albert Pujols would feel the same way. But, at the end of the day, whether it was a desire to earn more money or if it was the feeling that more money was what respect was all about, Albert Pujols left the Cardinals.

Albert had been quoted as saying that he wanted to stay with the Cardinals, claiming he wanted to “be like Stan The Man”. His departure based on money reminded the city just how special Stan Musial truly is and reminded mathematics everywhere that six is greater than five.

Number One: What A Team, What A Ride
or Wow, Did That Just Happen
A 2011 season that was surrounded by contract concerns and injuries ended in a fashion that no one could predict. The team was far to behind in the standings to make the playoffs. Then they were matched up against far too good of an opponent to make it past the Division Series. Then the Brewers were too strong at home to lose the League Championship Series. Down to their last strike in the World Series. Unlikely heroes, unlikely stories, and a historic run reached the pinnacle as the team put their eleventh championship banner in the rafters.

The subplot was the delivery from the booth of Joe Buck. The use of his father’s call as David Freese sent a ball out of the park in walk off fashion at the end of game six, a slow and perfectly delivered “We will see you…tomorrow night” followed by the now instant classic “What a team, what a ride” at the conclusion of game seven, Joe Buck captured an audience of fans and delivered.

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.

Saturday December 10, 2011 is an historic day. For on this day, at about 1:30 PM Central time, St. Louis Cardinals fans will be able to turn on their TVs or fire up their computers and get their first look at Albert Pujols wearing another teams’ uniform as the LA Angels hold a press conference to introduce their newly-signed slugger. For many who are loyal to the Birds on the Bat, this image will conjure emotions like anger, disappointment, sadness or maybe even physical illness. But let it also be that sweet relief we all need in a moment like this: closure.

Now it’s really real. Once that familiar figure appears in that unfamiliar jersey, your mind will finally grasp what has happened. Many of us have said we understand it, and some even claimed to be comfortable with it. But only after the face of Albert Pujols smiles above the word “ANGELS” plastered across his chest and that image is burned into all of our brains forever can the healing truly begin.

It is just like a break-up. Break-ups come in all shapes and sizes: divorce, job loss, moving across the country, a pet running away, etc. Anytime a comfortable mainstay in life departs, no matter how significant, it sucks in one way or another. But then one morning you get up and the sun is a little brighter, the coffee is a little richer, and the realization that “everything is going to be just fine” takes hold.

The Cardinals did a good thing by not turning right around and signing the first big name they could reel in after getting the news on Thursday. John Mozeliak said something in his press conference about avoiding a knee-jerk reaction to sign anyone just for the sake of signing someone. That is a great move. Sleep on it. Wait until the emotion settles a little. After all, the Cardinals are still a pretty stout team. Adam Wainwright comes back into a rotation that already features Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse, and Jake Westbrook. The young arms in the bullpen—Lance Lynn, Marc Rzepczynski, Fernando Salas, Eduardo Sanchez—they’re all back to support closer Jason Motte. Yadier Molina is still behind the plate. David Freese, Matt Holliday, Jon Jay, and Lance Berkman will be ready to go. And Allen Craig should be good as new by May after surgery on that banged-up knee. The middle infield is in a state of flux, but at this point can anyone question Mo’s ability to make the necessary moves to shore up that or any position?

The remainder of the Hot Stove season should be fairly exciting as a result. Maybe Rafael Furcal and Nick Punto come back to platoon with Tyler Greene and Skip Schumaker at shortstop and second; that sure seemed to work out OK in 2011. Another name being tossed around is Carlos Beltran. That’s right, Beltran. Cardinal Killer-turned-batter frozen by Wainwright as Molina jumped past him to celebrate the Cards’ win over the Mets in the 2006 NLCS. Can you imagine that guy wearing the Birds on the Bat, patrolling the outfield at Busch Stadium?

Also, as if anyone needed a reminder, the Cards have a new manager for the first time in 16 seasons. It is impossible to know what kind of job Mike Matheny will do in his first year as skipper. But it should be fun to watch regardless. Remember, this guy played for Tony La Russa for a number of years and had Dave Duncan at his side then, too. He is also the guy who taught Yadi everything he knows at the professional level. That is clout, my friends.

Did you forget about old what’s-his-name for a second there? Not too hard, is it…

Cardinal fans have plenty to be excited about for the rest of this offseason and in 2012. This weekend may suck, but the feeling is temporary. Remember the old saying “It’s always darkest just before the dawn.” Right now, Cards fans are in that dark period. The dawn is just around the corner. In fact, it seems to be getting a little light already. Is that coffee I smell?

Chris Reed is a freelance writer who also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and at Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter @birdbrained.

The St. Louis Cardinals are headed to the National League Championship Series after Chris Carpenter stymied the Philadelphia Phillies by hurling a three-hit shutout in Game 5 of the Division Series Friday night.

Try re-reading that lead sentence without smiling from ear to ear.

The Cards’ remarkable 2011 run culminated—yet again—with a do-or-die, back against the wall situation and the Redbirds never flinched. Set aside contracts and injuries and turtles and squirrels; these Cardinals can flat-out play. Everything else is icing on the cake.

It really is hard to believe this team has been able to do what they’ve done without Adam Wainwright and after essentially holding a closer clinic/tryout throughout most of the season. One of the oldest adages in baseball reads “Pitching wins championships.” But it doesn’t mandate how that is accomplished. Sometimes a team like the Phillies can stack up a stellar rotation and not make it out of the first round of the playoffs. And sometimes a team like the Cardinals can go with what they have, make in-season moves, and work guys into roles on the fly to make it all come together at the right time.

Normally, a one-run playoff win would sound like a typical Tony LaRussa substitution fest with match-ups being played to the hilt and a new pitcher coming in to face each batter that hit from a different side of the plate. But none of that was necessary Friday night; Carpenter was masterful, the defense was stellar, the offense scratched out a small ball run, and the bullpen got another night off. It was a typical St. Louis Cardinals ballgame historically, but pretty much atypical for this season. Great defense? Great starting pitching? Scoring the game’s only run on a triple and a double while the home run hitters take an 0-fer? Unheard of throughout most of 2011. But much changed as the season wore on, and this Cardinals team is not the same one that took the field back on Opening Day.

So the Cardinals—the team that was left for dead late in August before a ridiculous charge helped them overtake the Atlanta Braves and give them a Wild Card berth on the last day of the season—move on to face their NL Central nemesis Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. Does it get any better than that?

Before this year, the last time the Brewers won a postseason series was the 1982 ALCS. And we all remember how that season turned out. So get ready to see Bruce Sutter strike out Gorman Thomas about 100 times between now and the end of this series, especially on the big screen at Busch Stadium. But this series is much more than a rematch of long ago postseason foes; this could be the biggest rivalry week for the Cardinals since the 2005 NLCS against the Astros, if not the infamous fight series in Cincinnati in 2010.

Does it matter that the Cardinals and Brewers split their season series 50/50? Probably not. Does it matter that the Cards swept the last series in Milwaukee after the Brewers were so unbeatable at home all year? Maybe in terms of showing that games can be won there, but again both teams were in very different places then. This series has the potential to be a classic or a bust; one thing it definitely will not be is uninteresting.

The Cards certainly have their work cut out for them, but that’s as familiar to this team as their opponent in the next series. They’re hot, they just beat arguably the best team in the National League, and they are not afraid of any opponent. Their never-say-die attitude has served them well, and should continue to do so in the NLCS. Once more, the Cardinals have pushed their way into more baseball than almost everyone gave them a chance to have. Bring on the Brew Crew.

Chris Reed also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter @birdbrained.

Another year is in the books for the Kansas City Royals.

They had ups and downs, highs and lows, and many, many growing pains.

2011 was judged a success from many within the organization, and more outside of the organization. Having a record of 71-91 isn’t normally looked at as a good thing. However, the progress made by the young players on this squad is more than anyone could have hoped for at the beginning of the year.

With that being said, it’s time to hand out some awards:

Best Player
The award for Best Player isn’t an easy one to give out for the 2011 Royals. Several players had stellar seasons, especially the top 5 hitters in the Royals lineup (Alex Gordon, Melky Cabrera, Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer, and Jeff Franceour). Each of those players had at least 18 Homeruns, 78 RBI’s, a .285 average, and a .799 On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS). With the exception of Hosmer, who was called up a month into the season, they all had at least 44 doubles.

At the end of the day, I have to give the award to Alex Gordon. He said he was going to “dominate” after the 2010 season, and he did not disappoint.

Gordon put up career highs in HR’s (23), Doubles (45), RBI’s (87), Runs Scored (101), and Batting Average (.303). He did all of this from the leadoff position for most of the year, which was a brand new spot for him in the batting order.

Not only did Gordon have a career year with his bat, he also got it done with his glove. This was the first full season of playing Left Field for Gordon in his career, but you would have never known with how smoothly he did it.

He recorded an MLB-best 20 outfield assists, which also set the Royals’ franchise record. He only committed 3 errors all season and his .991 fielding percentage was tops for American League Left Fielders.

Overall, Gordon’s numbers on both offense and defense were too much to ignore when selecting the Royals’ Best Player. He should also be considered for a Gold Glove this year and perhaps the A.L. Comeback Player of the year.

Honorable Mentions: 2)Hosmer 3)Butler 4)Cabrera 5)Francoeur

Best Pitcher
A lot of people will surely disagree with my choice for the Best Pitcher on the 2011 Royals: Luke Hochevar.

Of course, Bruce Chen was the fan favorite and had the Royals’ best win total (12) and ERA (3.77) among starting pitchers. He also battled injuries early in the season. Joakim Soria had a decent year notching 28 but he also had 7 blown saves. Aaron Crow was the Royals’ representative at the All-Star Game, but faded after the break. Greg Holland turned out to be the best bullpen arm and was the guy who the Royals used as their “fireman” throughout the season. However, I had to go with Hochevar for a couple different reasons.

Hochevar’s numbers weren’t anything special, but his Post-All Star Break numbers showed that he finally figured something out. He improved greatly throughout the season and gave Royals fans a look at a good Number 3 (maybe a Number 2) starter in the rotation.

Before the break, Hochevar went 5-8 with a 5.46 ERA. After the break, he was 6-3 with a 3.52 ERA. His numbers in all aspects were much better after the break and he rarely had the “big inning” that fans were accustomed to seeing at the beginning of the year. Also, he lasted 6 innings or more 11 times in his 12 starts post-break.

When Ned Yost gave Hochevar the ball for Opening Day, he showed a ton of confidence in the 27-(now 28)-year-old. He wanted Hoch to be the leader of the rotation and, in my mind, he was for the entire year. If you wanted somebody to give you the absolute best chance to win, with the best “stuff,” it had to be Hochevar.

Honorable Mentions: 2)Chen 3)Holland 4)Felipe Paulino 5)Soria

Rookie of the Year
I’m going to go ahead and rename this one as “Rookie of the Year-Not Named Eric Hosmer.” Obviously, Hosmer wins this award for the Royals. Hands-down. No vote needed. He is one of the top candidates to win A.L. Rookie of the year, and should in the minds of every Royals fan out there.

Hosmer’s final numbers look like this: 19 HR’s, 27 Doubles, 78 RBI’s, 66 Runs Scored, 11 Stolen Bases, .293 Batting Average, and .799 (OPS).

Stud. Absolute stud. Everybody knows about him and how good he his, so let’s get to the “Rookie of the Year-Not Named Eric Hosmer.”

For this award, I have to go with Greg Holland.

There were a lot of good choices for this award just like all the others. Mike Moustakas’ last couple months were what fans were ready to see when he was called up in early June. His power finally came around in the last month of the season, but it wasn’t quite enough to give him this award.

Aaron Crow’s ridiculous start to the season was overshadowed by his struggles after the All-Star break. Tim Collins and Louis Coleman were good, but inconsistent throughout the season. Johnny Giavotella and Salvador Perez made an instant impact when they were called up, but they didn’t play enough to solidify themselves as candidates for this award. (Although Perez’s offense and defense were much better than expected).

In the end, it had to be Greg Holland. If there was one pitcher you had to pick to get one out this year, it would have to be Holland. When any other young bullpen arm would come into the game, most fans had to be at least a little nervous that run might be given up. Not with Holland. I felt more comfortable every time he was on the mound than any other reliever.

He finished with a 1.80 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched. If he can keep this up next year, he could become an even more important of the pitching staff.

Honorable Mentions: 2)Moustakas 3)Crow 4)Perez 5)Giavotella

Play of the Year

Jeff Francoeur, Jeff Francoeur, Jeff Francoeur. Right?

When you think of the Royals’ top plays this year, you think of Francoeur. His cannon of an arm was second to none in the Majors this year.

However, with all of Frenchy’s awesome defensive plays, Alcides Escobar has been greatly overshadowed. Maybe it’s because we were spoiled all year by Escobar’s unreal defensive prowess. Maybe it’s because of Frenchy’s constant smile that makes him look like a 10-year-old playing in Little League.

Those two guys would be the main attraction in the Royals Top 10 plays of the year.

For the best of the best, I have to give this award to FrencHy Gunning down Jhonny Peralta of the Detroit Tigers at 3^rd base on August 7^th. On this play,l Francoeur had to run to his left, field a base hit, square up his body towards 3^rd and make the throw. He did all of those things and the throw was on a line right to Mike Moustakas’ glove. The Royals were up 4 to 3 and instead of having runners at 1^st and 3^rd with one out, the Tigers then had a runner at 1^st with two outs. Unreal.

Honorable Mentions:

2)Alcides Escobar’s diving stop and throw on former Royal Alberto Callaspo on June 1^st. Escobar robbed Callaspo with a dive deep in the hole between 3^rd and short. He got up, made the throw, and Hosmer made an incredible scoop on a double hop. The score was 0-0 in the top of the 8^th with 2 outs and the bases loaded.

3)Francoeur makes the rare 9-3 putout against the A’s on September 7^th.

4)Francoeur robs Dustin Ackley of a homerun on September 9^th. Frenchy climbed the wall, and made the catch with his back towards homeplate.

5)Giavotella to Escobar to Hosmer for the double play against the A’s on September 5^th. Gio dove to his left, caught the ball on one hop, threw it to Escobar who caught it bare handed, and made the throw to hosmer for the 4-6-3 double play.

Game of the Year
Again, there are a ton of choices for this award. At the beginning of the year, it seemed like the Royals’ first 20 wins came on walk-offs. During the middle of the year, the team was struggling but still fighting back to win games. At the end of the year, the Royals had their 2012 lineup in full effect and showed flashes of greatness.

My Game of the Year Award goes to Royals vs. Rays on July 23^rd 2011.

The Royals fought back from a 2-0 and 4-2 deficit to win the game 5-4 in 10 innings.

This game was Mike Moustakas’ breakout game as he went 2-3 with a double and 3 of the Royals’ 5 RBI’s.

Down 4-3 in the bottom of the 9^th, the Royals were facing Kyle Farnsworth. Farnsworth pitched for the Royals the previous two years and was not loved by fans, to say the least. Down to their last out, the Royals had Alex Gordon coming up to the plate with Alcides Escobar on 1^st. Gordon doubled to deep right center to score Escobar and hand Farnsworth his 4^th blown save. It was really nice for fans to watch Farnsworth melt down like he did so many times for the Royals.

Then came the top of the 10^th. Aaron Crow came in, walked two batters, and was pulled from the game. Soria came in and gave up a single to load the bases. With no outs, everyone in Kauffman Stadium was nervous about what would happen next.

Soria, who was shaky all season, got a comebacker and two strikeouts to get out of the jam. The score was still 4-4 going into the bottom of the 10^th.

With Mike Aviles on first base, Eric Hosmer smacked a double to deep left center. Aviles got on his horse and scored all the way from first.

This game was the game of the year because of:

A)Rallying back from 2-0 and 4-2 deficits

B)Alex Gordon with the game-tying double with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9^th against Kyle Farnsworth

C)Soria getting out of a no-out bases-loaded jam

D)Hosmer with the walk-off double in extras

Honorable Mentions:

2) Royals 2, Angels 0 June 1^st

Butler with a walk-off HR, Escobar saves the game with his glove in the 8^th

3) Royals 7, White Sox 6 September 16^th

Bullpen blows 3-run lead, Hosmer walk-off double

4) Royals 2, Twins 1 July 15^th

Hosmer game-winning 2-run HR in the top of the 9^th

5) Royals 3, Red Sox 1 (F/14) July 25^th

Great pitching all night from 6 Royals pitchers, Mike Aviles with the botched squeeze bunt over Adrian Gonzalez’s head to score Hosmer in the 14^th

That does it for this year’s awards. Each one of these was difficult to pick and an argument can be made for each pick.

The best thing about these awards is that there were so many great players, plays, and games this year. In past years, awards would be much easier to hand out because of the lack of talent and passion that has plagued the Royals before.

2011 was the start to a new era in Royals baseball. The entire organization has taken a step forward so look forward to next year’s awards being even tougher to pick.

Please share your thoughts and let us know who your awards would go to.