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Posted: Tuesday March 22, 2004 12:08 PM
By David Sabino, SI.com
The infield will be among the most dangerous in all of baseball, but with question marks in the outfield and especially on the mound, it's going to be a struggle for St. Louis to keep pace with the Cubs and Astros in the NL Central. Best player
With a strong honorable mention to Edgar Renteria, the choice has to be Albert Pujols, who has had one of the greatest initial three-year stretches in baseball history. Since coming to the majors in 2001, Pujols has averaged 38 home runs and 127 RBIs while batting .359 (1.025 OPS). He led the NL last season in hits (212), runs (137) and doubles (51). And all of that took place before his 24th birthday.
On the decline
Early last season, Woody Williams was a strong candidate for the Cy Young Award with a 12-3 record and 3.00 ERA, but his second half numbers were a pedestrian 6-6, 5.04. Another sign of danger is that Williams has suffered from right shoulder tendonitis this spring, which sapped some of his velocity early in camp. And if that wasn't enough to convince you, Williams led the league by getting 7.0 runs worth of support last year, a rather difficult feat to replicate.
Position up for grabs
Left Field. Battling for the position are Ray Lankford, So Taguchi, Mark Quinn, Steve Cox and the favorite, Kerry Robinson, a speedster with absolutely no power. Look for Robinson to take the job because of the departure of Fernando Vina. The need for a leadoff hitter greatly outweighs a potential power shortage at a corner outfield slot. With Robinson, Jim Edmonds and Reggie Sanders patrolling Busch Stadium's outfield, don't look for too many balls to fall in the gaps.
Cheap source of steals
For whatever reason it seems that Sanders never commands his true value in fantasy leagues. He will be playing for his seventh team in seven seasons, making him a certifiable journeyman, but he's been productive at the plate and on the basepaths at every stop. Over the past six years, Sanders' low in steals is 14, not bad for a guy who will also get you an average of 25 home runs. For an even more thrifty burner, look to second baseman Marlon Anderson, who swiped 19 bags for Tampa Bay last season, or the aforementioned Robinson.
Should something happen to Jason Isringhausen
After Pittsburgh traded Mike Williams last year they tried a slew of closers before settling on Julian Tavarez. Normally a setup man who has bounced all over the majors in his 11 seasons, Tavarez went from unwatchable to unhittable for the Pirates, converting his last seven save chances. Ironically, his worst outing of the year came against St. Louis, in which he gave up seven earned runs in 1/3 of an inning.
Don't believe the hype
Jason Marquis was a big part of the trade that sent J.D. Drew to the Braves. Once Atlanta's top pitching prospect, Marquis was expected to be a mainstay in the Braves rotation since 2001. He flopped miserably the past two seasons, earning him a seat on the Richmond shuttle a couple of times last year. Since the Braves rarely, if ever, give up effective starters (see: Bruce Chen, Damian Moss, Steve Avery, etc.), it's tough to believe that Marquis will bring much to the table in his post-Atlanta years. Look for Danny Haren, former Milwaukee southpaw Luis Martinez or rookie Adam Wainwright to get the call early in the season.
Don't forget
Edmonds, Renteria, Scott Rolen, Jeff Suppan
Don't bother
Bo Hart, Mike Matheny, Jason Simontacchi
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