Tag Archives: Yadier Molina

2018 MLB Season Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

For the second time since 2010, the St. Louis Cardinals found themselves sitting at home watching the playoffs. They still won 83 games, but fell four games shy of the second Wild Card spot in the National League.

The Cardinals come into this season with a youthful rotation and starting lineup. They keep adding talent from their farm system…and they keep getting better as they gain experience. Which new faces will come up big for the Cardinals this season?

The St. Louis do enough this offseason to contend with the Chicago Cubs?

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the St Louis Cardinals.

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2018 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 50 Catchers

It’s time to kick off our yearly preseason fantasy baseball rankings.

The catcher position is quite intriguing. Many of the top catchers are young. You still have guys like Yadier Molina, but the position has gotten younger. There are catchers you can get late in the draft that still have upside.

Defense is en vogue, but teams will still lean on an offensive-minded catcher over a guy who can frame pitches well, but bat doesn’t have much pop.

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Gary Sanchez – New York Yankees – The guy is hitting homers at an alarming rate. He knocked 33 last season in only 471 at-bats. He was right up there with Mike Trout and Josh Donaldson in home run per attempt last season. It’s hard to believe anyone else would even rate any other catcher #1 this preseason.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

For the first time since 2010, the St. Louis Cardinals found themselves sitting at home watching the playoffs. They fell a single-game short of a Wild Card spot. St. Louis knew they had to make some changes if they were going to keep up with the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals.

The Cardinals needed to get some new faces on the team, so they let outfielder Matt Holliday and pitcher Jaime Garcia both walk via free agency. That freed up a spot to sign Dexter Fowler, who is fresh off willing the World Series. Also, Garcia’s departure opens up a rotation spot for a young arm.

Do the Cardinals stand their ground or do they try to make a big move in an attempt to stay with the Cubs?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the St Louis Cardinals.

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2016 MLB Season Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals had an interesting offseason. They saw their rivals steal away two big free agents they hoped to re-sign.

The Cardinals didn’t pout and lick their wounds from losing John Lackey and Jason Heyward to the Cubs. They signed one of the top starting pitchers in free agency, Mike Leake. Also, let’s not forget that they get ace Adam Wainwright back this year.

The NL Central race will be cutthroat this season. Do the Cardinals veterans like Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday have enough left in the tank for another run?

Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the St Louis Cardinals.

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What Makes the St. Louis Cardinals So Good?

The San Francisco Giants have won three of the last five World Series Championships. If not for that, the St. Louis Cardinals would likely be considered a dynasty in this era. St. Louis won the Series in 2006 and in 2011. They appeared in the World Series in 2004 and again in 2013. It seems they are always in contention for the championship and have been for about as long as anyone can recall. So how do they stay on top?

The cynical among us can say they’ve been cheating based on information that their front office has been hacking into other team’s computers. But this has nothing to do with the players on the field. It seems like putting on that red uniform turns ordinary players into super heroes. The Cards lose one of the game’s great hitters after their World Championship run in 2011 in Albert Pujols, but the team keeps rolling while Pujols has a couple of down years in Los Angeles Angels red.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals had a rough offseason. They had to mourn the death of Oscar Taveras while trying to conduct business. They didn’t sign any high-priced free agents, but they did make a big trade with the Braves (which I’ll discuss later).

The Cardinals have a nice mix of veterans and youth. Matt Holliday, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina are the leaders in the clubhouse while Kolten Wong, Michael Wacha and Matt Adams are the future of the franchise. St. Louis looks set to contend for the next decade. They never seem to be in rebuilding mode. They just retool and win championships.

Can St. Louis hold off Pittsburgh and win their third-straight NL Central division title?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the St. Louis Cardinals.

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2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 30 Catchers

It’s time to kick off our yearly preseason fantasy baseball rankings.

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Buster Posey – San Francisco Giants – Posey is possibly the most consistent fantasy catcher since Yadier Molina in his prime. I thought about mentioning Joe Mauer, but he had that one crazy power year. Posey gives you average, power and plenty at-bats to stack your roto categories. Enjoy him at catcher while you can. I have a feeling the Giants will move him to first base before he hits 30 years old.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

As a Cubs fan, I really hate seeing the St. Louis Cardinals do well. They’re so stacked and seem to have a bottomless pool of elite pitchers they can call up from the minors.

Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha could both be at the top of the rotation for the next decade. Also, Matt Adams, Kolten Wong & Oscar Tavares could all be future All-Stars. They pick at the bottom of first-round in every MLB Draft. How do they always have one of the best farm systems?

The NL Central will be one of the most competitive divisions in the Majors. The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates both have playoff-caliber teams. Can either team knock off St. Louis?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the St. Louis Cardinals

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2014 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 30 Catchers

It’s time to kick off our yearly preseason fantasy baseball rankings.

The catcher position looks fairly top-heavy this year in fantasy baseball. You have a young group on their way up and a few prominent catchers that look to be transitioning to first base (Joe Mauer), so this may end up being their last season with catcher-eligibility.

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Buster Posey – San Francisco Giants – Posey had a down year by his standard, but he’s still the #1 overall fantasy catcher. He gives you average, power and plenty at-bats to stack your roto categories.

2. Yadier Molina – St. Louis Cardinals – The once defensive-minded catcher has turned into one of the most consistent fantasy catchers in baseball. You know what you’ll get and he’s a safe pick.

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2013 MLB Team Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals did the impossible last season. They lost Albert Pujols to the Angels and their longtime manager Tony LaRussa retired. Most people wrote them off, but they scratched and clawed their way into a Wild Card spot.

The Cardinals didn’t do much this offseason. Was standing pat a poor decision? Can they catch lightning in a bottle for a second year in a row?

Here is the 2013 MLB season preview for the St. Louis Cardinals.

(Yes, that is Nelly wearing some Cardinals gear….excuse me while I go listen to “Air Force Ones”.) Continue reading →