St. Louis Cardinals: Can they defend their title?
The St. Louis Cardinals never cease to stun the fans and critics alike when it comes to winning. However, equally interestingly, they keep the pundits conjecturing over the next possible move the ballclub intends to put into action when blocked off
It is this knack to outmaneuver the rivals that brought them glory during the past season, with the splendid win over the Texas Rangers. But, admittedly, this season there are fraught with few difficulties they might not have foreseen.
I have in these spaces argued how significantly the departures of the Cardinals’ big names have impacted the outlook of the team. It will be completely off the mark to suggest that Albert Pujols, Dave Duncan and Tony La Russa had but little influence on
the team’s position.
Starting from Tony La Russa, the former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1996 to 2011, in a period spanning over one and half decade, he oversaw the team’s two World Series titles, something very few managers in the history of the game have achieved.
Similarly, he had a winning percentage of .536 in the 5,097 games that he supervised as the manager. It was in the aftermath of an amazing win against the Texas Rangers in the World Series that he announced his retirement.
Dave Duncan, the pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals remains one of the undisputed and influential figures in the team’s history. Having in his career remained a part of four World Series Championship teams in 1972, 1989, 2006 and 2011 in different
capacities, he took charge as pitching coach for the team in 1996.
Up until the last year he was an active part of the Cardinals, helping the rotation and bullpen attain the skills requisite for victory. However, while he was able to capacitate the team, he has now taken an indeterminate leave to spend time with his ailing
wife Jeanine, a cancer patient.
As if the departure of these two key figures were not enough. Reports had already surfaced that Albert Pujols was considering signing a deal with the Los Angeles Angels. The report initially seemed a rumour, but as the Cardinals free-agent slugger looked
for a big contract, he finally signed a deal with the Angels for 10-years.
All three are not the part of the St. Louis Cardinals anymore. A broader look at this brings to fore the fact that those who had a pivotal role in strengthening the team will require substitutes within the club.
That might not be an easy process. It is an undeniable fact that the likes of Albert Pujols have no adequate substitution given his majestic record throughout the career as he served the Cardinals for over a decade.
Tony La Russa, on the other hand, will not have any likely substitute easily available. As for Dave Duncan, the team might be able to bring a replacement, but how effective he can be is something that can only be judged in the wake of the team’s performance.
Important, for now, is the team’s ability to defend the title. Given the alteration recently witnessed, the team still has their hopes attached to the players who, while recognising the crucial factor of the legends absence, will make the same winning combination
that routed the best of teams in the past season to bring glory to the Cardinals.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: