Repairing the Redbirds: A 2017 St. Louis Cardinals dynasty

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This is a continuation of the thread Battling the Wee Bears: A St. Louis Cardinals dynasty.
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...s-dynasty.html

The 2016-17 off-season and spring training are part of the original thread. I just felt it would be easier to follow by splitting up the regular seasons.
The format will essentially be the same.

The 2017 season will be a campaign where the Cardinals will try to rebound from a 74-66 season, where they finished in third place in the National League Central, 26 games behind the Chicago Cubs.
That was after standing at 46-38 at the All-Star and in ownership of first place in the wild-card race.
It was the first time St. Louis had missed the playoffs since 2010 and their worst record since the 1997 team went
73-89.
I made a number of tweaks in the offseason, primarily shoring up the defense, in the hopes of fixing two areas (defense and pitching) at once.
But it will also be on the shoulders of a number of players to step up their game, after sub-par showings a year ago.
I don't know if this team will be good enough to hang with the Cubs, who should be one of the top teams in the NL.
But I at least hope to make them work for the division title this season and at least be in the running for a wild card.


Rules:
I will be GM and Manager. I will set my lineup for every game and sim out the first five innings before taking over from there.
Injury Frequency: Variable by month of the season. (Explained in a later reply.)
Trading Difficulty: Hard and Neutral
Playoffs Structure will be traditional.
Three Division Winners and Two Wildcards.


To kind of spice things up, the AI Trading Frequency will be modified throughout the year.
April: Very Low
May: Low
June: Average
July 1-15: High
July 16-31 (Trade Deadline): Very High
August: Low
September: Low

Injury settings by month will be
April: Low
May: Low
June: Normal
July: Normal
July: Normal
August: High
September: High

I did temporarily turn off the ability of veteran players to put the kibosh on moving players to the minors.
For one (reliever Jordan Walden), I did it because he really needed to be in the minors after a poor late 2016 season and 2017 spring training. I was not ready to give up on him, and there also was a young reliever (Sam Tuivailala) I wanted to see pitch at the major league level.
The other, Lance Lynn, missed the entire 2016 season after Tommy John Surgery and did not come back in the week off between spring training and the start of the regular season. I did not feel it was right, or made sense, to have him on the major league roster after having not pitched in 18 months. He will be a starter in Triple A to start the season.
I also reset all the morale of all players. After how last season ended, the team collapsed down the stretch, the entire team hated me.
So I figured, spring training would be a good time for a fresh start. I will try and pay better attention to that this season.

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Preseason predictions

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A few notes before opening day:

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2017 Opening day roster and manager's thoughts:
Starting pitcher
SP1: Carlos Martinez: We will be expected to be staff ace and one of top starters in National League.
SP2: Michael Wacha: Has the stuff, and ratings, to be a top two starter and will need to be. Injuries have always been an issue.
SP3: Jaime Garcia: Has some of the best stuff on the staff, but his mental makeup often becomes his biggest hurdle. In last year of contract, could be trade bait if he struggles or younger pitchers step up their game.
SP4: Adam Wainwright: Former ace, can still perform like top-of-the-line pitcher. Just need to be careful not to leave him out there too long. Has become injury prone.
SP5: Marco Gonzalez: Will be given first shot to be rotation starter. Team has other options in minors, including Lance Lynn who is coming back from Tommy John surgery after 2015 season. If he struggles, will be yanked from rotation quickly.

Bullpen
CL: Trevor Rosenthal: Ranked among NL's top closers in first half of season, but blew, I believe, seven games after All-Star break. Needs to pitch like he did pre-July.
Set-up right: Jake Odorizzi: Traded for during 2016 season to bolster rotation, but failed miserably. Will be given shot to be eighth inning setup guy when right-handers are expected to hit.
Set-up left: Kevin Siegrist: Was not great in 2016, but at times can be dominant. Should have ability to get out lefties and righties.
Middle relief right: Matt Bowman pitched pretty well as long man in 2016, will be used as more of seventh inning guy. Could move into Odrizzi's role if he struggles.
Might relief right: Sam Tuivailala pitched really well in Triple A and spring training. Overall rating is low, but upside is high. May be used in situations, where he will face almost all right-handed hitters.
Lefty specialist: Logan Boone: Will be asked to pitch almost exclusively against left-handers. Although may have ability to get out rightys. Could end up switching with Siegrist if deemed necessary.
Long man: Tyler Lyons: Will take mound if starter has to exit early, but also could be used to get out lefties late in game if fresh.

Catchers
Starter: Yadier Molina: Back for his 13th season as Cardinals' starting catcher. May not hit much anymore, but makes up for it with defense and handling of pitching staff.
Backup: Brayan Pena: Didn't play much last season due to injury and being assigned to catch just the No. 5 starter. Did hit well, though. Look for him to get more starts than in 2016, perhaps three of every 10 games, rather than two.

Infielders
1B: Mitch Moreland: Brought in as a free agent from the Texas Rangers. Should prove to be a defensive and offensive upgrade over Matt Adams. Can also play some corner outfield.
2B: Logan Forsythe: Brought in with a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays midway through the 2016 season. Did not play well, but expectations are for a better showing. Solid defensively.
SS: Yadiel Rivera: The Cardinals landed this defensive-minded shortstop in an offseason trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His play at shortstop should be a huge upgrade over what the team had last season. Any offense he brings would be a bonus, although he does seem to have some skills with the bat.
3B: Matt Carpenter: Probably the team's most consistent offensive performer. Will be asked to bat third, although continues to claim he'd rather lead off, with strong bats in front and behind him he should have a big season. Not great defensively, but can hold his own.
Utility Inf: Jedd Gyorko: Had a disappointing 2016 season, will be asked to provide some pop off the bench and occasional starts at 2B, SS and 3B. Subpar defensively at all three.
Utility Inf: Greg Garcia: Had a decent 2016 season, but probably does not rate as a starter. Has a good glove at 2B, SS and 3B and occasionally has streaks where he gets on base quite often.

Outfielders
RF: Stephen Piscotty: Missed much of the 2016 season with a broken hand, but when he did play was perhaps the most consistent offensive player on the team. A plus defender in right field. He also will play some first base.
CF: Randal Grichuk: Put up impressive power numbers, hitting a team-high 32 home runs, but was mostly a feast or famine player also striking out 169 times. Would not mind to see him sacrifice some of that power for a little more contact. A decent outfielder, may get replaced late in games when playing center by a player with a better glove.
LF: Charlie Blackmon: Acquired in a trade with the Rockies midway through the 2016 season. Blackmon struggled in his two and half months with the Redbirds. He'll be asked to lead off and be a table setter for the middle of the order. It would be tough to ask him to put up Colorado type numbers, but an average in the .285-.300 range with 15 to 18 homers would not be bad. An average outfielder, who can play both center and left field.
OF: Evan Gattis: Brought in as a free agent during the offseason from the Houston Astros. Will be asked to be the team's power bat off the bench from the right side. Will get occasional starts in LF, RF and at 1B.
OF: Brett Gardner: Acquired in an offseason trade with the New York Yankees, he will be the team's top left-handed pinch hitter who can also see time in center and left field if Grichuk or Blackmon really struggle. Good glove, will be late defensive replacement.

Minor leaguers to watch
SP: Lance Lynn: Missed the entire 2016 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery following the 2015 season. Will start the season at Triple AAA Memphis and maybe make a months worth of starts. If deemed ready, will likely be moved into rotation after that in whichever role he might fit best.
RP: Jordan Walden: Has rarely been healthy in his time with the Cardinals and did not pitch all that well late in the 2016 season or spring training. Because of that, Tuivailala was given a spot in the varsity bullpen. Should he, or any other reliever struggle or get injured, Walden would be the first player to get called up.
OF: Charlie Tilson: Played well in a couple of call ups in 2016 and had a good spring training. Late-March trade for Gardner sent him back to Memphis, primarily so he can play every day.

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https://youtu.be/tBeD74f5_6w - Watch this before continuing
April 9, 2017: Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals
At Busch Stadium, St. Louis. Game time: 3:15 p.m.
Weather: 66 degrees. Wind blowing in from right field at 18 mph.
Starting lineups
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Manager: Dave Roberts
2016 record: 92-64 (Won NL West, Lost to Miami Marlins in NLCS)
3B Yulieski Gurriel .284 average/24 HR/71 RBIs
2B: Justin Turner .289/17/68
SS: Corey Seager .272/19/79
CF: Joc Pederson .224/21/54
RF: Yusiel Puig .267/24/81
C: Yasmani Grandal .226/28/76
LF: Wladimir Balentien .183/4/7
1B: Cody Bellinger .274/26/84
SP: Clayton Kershaw 17-8/2.37 ERA

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Manager: Mike Renkes
2016 record: (75-87, 3rd in NL Central)
LF: Charlie Blackmon .260 average/15 HR/54 RBIs
RF: Stephen Piscotty .284/8/34
3B: Matt Carpenter .267/15/63
CF: Randal Grichuk .236/32/81
1B: Mitch Moreland .264/25/85
2B: Logan Forsythe .239/14/51
C: Yadier Molina .248/4/43
SS: Yadiel Rivera .323/0/1
SP: Carlos Martinez 7-12/3.79 ERA

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Game 1: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 0, at Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Rec/Std/GB: 1-0/2nd (tied with four teams/1 GB Cubs
Key moment: The Dodgers broke open a scoreless game in the sixth inning, when Justin Turner led off with a double off Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez. A walk to Corey Seager put runners at first and second and single by Joc Pederson loaded the bases. Turner then scored when Yasiel Puig hit into a double play.
Player of the game: Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw allowed four hits over eight innings. He struck out nine and walked one.
Notes: The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in bottom of the ninth inning against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. But he wiggled out of it, striking out pinch hitter Brett Gardner and getting pinch-hitter Greg Garcia to ground out, to earn a save. ... The Dodgers other runs came on solo home runs by Wladimir Balentein (off Martinez) in the seventh and Yulieski Gurriel (off Jake Odorizzi) with two outs in the ninth. Martinez pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked three.

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Game 2: Dodgers at Cardinals, at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, rained out
Rec/Std/GB:

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Week 1 power rankings

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Game 2: Dodgers 6, Cardinals 4 (Game 1), at Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Rec/Std/GB: 0-2, 4th, 1.5 GB Cincinnati and Chicago Cubs
Key moment: The Cardinals took a 4-3 lead into the top of the seventh inning, only to watch its bullpen let it get away. Corey Seager opened the inning taking a lead-off walk from reliever Matt Bowman. Joc Pederson promptly followed with a home run, putting the Dodgers ahead 5-4. With one out, Yasmani Grandal reached on a dropped third strike by backup catcher Brayan Pena (Yadier Molina had left with an injury earlier in the game). Reliever Sam Tuilailava then got Enrique Herandez to ground out, moving Grandal to second. Cody Bellingen was given an intentional walk. Left-hander Tyler Lyons relieved Tuilailava but pinch-hitter Andre Either came through with a single, scoring Grandal and making it 6-4.
Player of the game: Pederson was 2 for 5 with two home runs and three RBIs.
Notes: Grandal was 1 for 4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. ... Dodgers starter Alex Wood lasted just three innings, allowing four runs on five hits. He struck out four and walked one. ... Six relievers followed Wood to the mound, with Mark Melancon earning the win after pitching a scoreless seventh inning. Kenley Jansen tossed a scoreless ninth inning for his second save. ... Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha pitched six innings, giving up three runs on five hits. He struck out seven and walked three. ... Charlie Blackmon was 1 for 4 with a double and two RBIs. ... Molina and Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals both exited the game with injuries.

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Game 3: Dodgers 4, Cardinals 3 (Game 2 of DH), at Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Rec/Std/GB: 0-3, 4th (tied w./Pittsburgh), 2 GB Cubs
Key moment: Down 3-2, the Dodgers tied it with a run in the top of the eighth inning and won it an inning later. Wladimir Balentein got it rolling with a two-out double off reliever Jake Odorizzi in the eighth inning. He scored when Geovany Soto followed with a single. In the ninth, Andre Either greeted reliever Boone Logan with a lead-off double. He scored when Evan Gattis dropped a fly ball hit by Joc Pederson.
Player of the game: Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Madea pitched six innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out nine and walked two.
Notes: Three relievers followed Madea to the mound, going an inning apiece. Brett Cecil earned his first save with a scoreless ninth inning. ... Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia pitched 6.1 innings, giving up two runs on eight hits. He struck out 10 and walked one.

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Preview of series with Diamondacks

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Game 4: Cardinals 4, Diamondbacks 2, at Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, Ariz.
Rec/Std/GB: 1-3, 3rd (tied w./Milwaukee), 1 GB Cubs and Cincinnati
Key moment: Stephen Piscotty staked the Cardinals to an early lead with a two-run home run off Diamondbacks starting pitcher Robbie Ray in the top of the first inning. St. Louis never trailed after that, later getting solo homers from Jedd Gyorko and Yadiel Rivera.
Player of the game: Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright went 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out five and walked none.
Notes: Three relievers followed Wainwright to the mound, with Trevor Rosenthal setting the D'backs down in order in the ninth for his first save. ... Piscotty was 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs. ... Ray pitched 6.1 innings for Arizona, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked three.

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Both Yadier Molina and Matt Carpenter are expected to miss five weeks after suffering injuries during the second game of the season-opening series of the Dodgers.
They will be replaced by catcher Eric Fryer and infielder Jacob Wilson, who will be called up from Memphis.

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Game 5: Diamondbacks 14, Cardinals 4, at Bank One Ballpark, in Phoenix, Ariz.
Rec/Std/GB: 1-4, 4th, 2 GB Cubs
Key moment: Tied 2-2, the Diamondbacks took control with a four-run bottom of the third inning against Cardinals starting pitcher Marco Gonzalez. Paul Goldschmidt drove in the first two runs with a home run. Wellington Castillo and Paul Gosselin and followed the HR with consecutive singles. Socrates Brito hit a third straight single, scoring Castillo. Nick Ahmed 1 chased home Gosselin with the inning's fourth run, hitting a sacrifice fly.
Player of the game: Brito was 3 for 3 with a three-run home run off Tyler Lyons in the fifth inning. He finished with five RBIs and two runs scored.
Notes: Jake Lamb was 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored. ... A.J. Pollack was 1 for 3 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs. ... Goldschmidt was 3 for 5 with a homer, three runs scored and two RBIs. ... Castillo was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI. ... Gooselin was 2 for 5 with two runs scored. ... Ahmed was 1 for 3 with three RBIs. ... Arizona starting pitcher Randall Delgado went four innings, giving up three runs on five hits. ... Four pitched followed him to the mound with Mike Blazek earning the win after holding the Cardinals scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings. ... Gonzalez lasted just three innings for St. Louis, giving up six runs on seven hits. He struck out one and walked two. ... The Cardinals' Randal Grichuk was 3 for 4 with a double, a run scored and two RBIs. ... Stephen Piscotty was 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.

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Game 5: Diamondbacks 4, Cardinals 1, at Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, Ariz.
Rec/Std/GB: 1-5, 4th, 3 GB Cubs
Key moment: Tied 1-1, the Diamondbacks took the lead for good in the bottom of the second against Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez. Pitcher Zach Greinke did the honors, reaching on a two-out single and scoring when Socrates Brito followed with a double.
Player of the game: Greinke pitched seven innings, allowing one run on five hits. He struck out six and walked none.
Notes: Three relievers followed Greinke to the mound, including left-hander James Russell who pitched a scoreless eighth before allowing the Cardinals to load the bases with two outs in the ninth. But he struck out Yadiel Rivera to end the game and earn his first save of the season. ... Brito was 2 for 4 with two RBIs. ... Martinez pitched six innings for St. Louis, giving up four runs on 11 hits. He struck out eight and walked none.

[MizzouRah]

Tough start.. and tough injuries early!

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Game 7: Cardinals 9, Brewers 0, at Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Rec/Std/GB: 2-5, 2nd (Tied w./Cincinnati and Milwaukee), 2 GB Cubs
Key moment: Stephen Piscotty hit a two-run home run in the opening inning and Logan Forsythe did the same in the second off Milwaukee starter Jimmy Nelson, staking the Redbirds to a quick 4-0 lead.
Player of the game: Michael Wacha tossed seven shutout innings. He allowed two hits while striking out 11 and walking five.
Notes: Three relievers combined to pitch the final two innings. ... The Cardinals' Brett Gardner was 1 for 4 with a run scored and two RBIs. ... Yadiel Rivera was 2 for 5 with a double and three runs scored. ... Piscotty was 2 for 5 with a home run,a run scored and two RBIs. ... Forsythe was 2 for 4 with a home run, two runs scored and a pair of RBIs. ... Nelson lasted just two innings for Milwaukee, allowing four runs on three hits.

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Game 8: Brewers 3, Cardinals 1, at Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Rec/Std/GB: 2-6, 4th, 2 GB Cubs
Key moments: The Brewers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, when Ramon Flores triple with one out off Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia and scored on a Derek Norris ground out. Milwaukee made it 2-0 in the seventh inning, Norris reaching on a one-out single. He moved to second on a wild pitch and took third on a Justin Morneau single. Brett Lawrie scored Norris with the Brewers third single of the inning. After the Cardinals scored a run in the bottom of the eighth, Milwaukee picked up an insurance run in the top of the ninth, when Flores doubled off reliever Kevin Siegrist. Flores scored on a one-out double from Chris Coulter off Matt Bowman. Although they scored one run the Cardinals scored in the eighth, they left the bases loaded as reliever Jake Petricka struck out Charlie Blackmon to end the inning. St. Louis loaded the bases in the ninth with no outs against Will Smith. But Smith got out of it unscathed, striking out Brett Gardner and enducing Yadiel Rivera to hit into a double play to end it.
Player of the game: Brewers starter Taylor Jungmann pitched seven scoreless innings allowing just three hits. He struck out eight and walked three, but was forced to leave the game in the top of the eighth with an injury.
Notes: Four relievers combined to finish the game for Milwaukee, including Smith who earned his second save of the season despite loading the bases in the ninth. ... Flores was 2 for 4 with a triple and two runs scored. ... Garcia pitched 6.2 innings for St. Louis, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out three and walked one.

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Week 1 power rankings
Note: For some reason, series are currently not ending on Sundays, but on Mondays. I will post standings and leaders after the third game of the MIlwaukee series, which is scheduled for April 17.

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Game 9: Cardinals 6, Brewers 5, at Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Rec/Std/GB:3-6, 3rd (Tied w/Milwaukee), 1 GB Cincinnati and Cubs
Key moment: The Cardinals let a 5-3 lead get away in the late innings, but won it in the bottom of the ninth when Evan Gattis led off with a pinch-hit home run off Brewers reliever Josh Hader.
Player of the game: Gattis earns the award with his big hit in his only at bat of the game.
Notes: Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright last 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits. He struck out seven and walked one. ... Four relievers followed him to the mound with Tyler Lyons earning the win despite allowing the tying run in the top of the eighth inning. Lyons did pitch a scoreless top of the ninth. ... St. Louis' Randal richuk was 2 for 4 with two doubles and two runs scored. ... The Brewers' Justin Morneau was 2 for 4 with a run scored and two RBIs. ... Brewers starter Jorge Lopez pitched four innings, giving up five runs on seven hits.