Infield Report
February 24, 2003
For a Sneak Preview as to my feelings on the Cardinals pitching situation, check out The Hook's NL Central Breakdown, and be sure to check out our hitter's column where our Dodgers Correspondent, Chris Wang, previews the hitters throughout the NL Central team by team, including his in-depth look at the Cardinals in his column, On Deck
For the purpose of predictions, all numbers will be given in the following order: Batting Average-Runs-Home Runs-RBI-Stolen Bases
Infield Report
While it makes little fantasy impact on the offensive side of the ball, three of the four Gold Gloves won by infielders last season were won by Cardinals: Fernando Vina (2b), Scott Rolen (3b), Edgar Renteria (SS). Rolen and Renteria were each arguably the best hitters at their respective positions in the National Leauge as well, while Vina and 1b Tino Martinez struggled to make an impact at the plate last season. We'll start out with the guy who made the biggest impact defensively on the team, and the least offensive impact.
Catcher: Mike Matheny
Matheny has a long and storied history of being incapable of hitting his weight. At one of the lightest-hitting fantasy positions, he's about as light a hitter as you'll find. Although he missed his career high in homers by only one in 2001 with the Cardinals, Matheny tried to focus on hitting over .230 last season (which he did, finishing with a .244 average), which destroyed any source of power. He has no speed to speak of on the bases, but may be the best defensive catcher in the league right now. He should work well with the usual cast of veterans toeing the mound this season, but he shouldn't be near a fantasy team.
Prognosis... Negative: .230-35-6-40-0
First Baseman: Tino Martinez
Tino Martinez was brought in to get this team over the hump in the playoffs, but hit a miserable .080 in 25 postseason at bats last season. This, of course, followed the trend of a disappointing regular season offensively that saw 12 points shaved off of his batting average, 39 shaved off of his slugging percentage, and his lowest RBI total (by far) since 1994. At 35, Martinez shouldn't quite be over the hill, but he certainly looked it as he changed leagues last season. Look for a slight rebound, but don't expect his Yankee Stadium numbers. Just like the rest of the infield, Martinez is an above average defensive player, so that will help him stay in the lineup.
Prognosis... Late Gamble: .270-70-24-85-0
Second Baseman: Fernando Vina
Fernando Vina must step up this season and prove that he's not completely on the decline. Considered one of the top leadoff men in the National League as recently as three years ago, Vina has watched his On-Base-Percentage drop over 20 points in each of the last two seasons. While Vina is fleet of foot and will approach the 20 steal plateau again this season, he's a sabermetric nightmare who has been successful on just 63% of his steal attempts in the past three seasons. Vina brings little to the table as a power hitter, so if he's not getting on base and is handing the opposition a free out every time he runs, he's doing nothing but hurting the club offensively. That said, Vina has one of the flashiest gloves in the league and almost always seems to save a run against the team.... too bad fantasy leagues don't count that stat.
Prognosis... Backup 2b/MI: .280-85-4-45-16
Third Baseman: Scott Rolen
Scott Rolen gives the team stability in a few different ways. For starters, he's the premier defensive third baseman in all of baseball, and won his third consecutive Gold Glove in 2002. More importantly, though, Rolen brings a big bat along with him. Over his 6+ year career, Rolen has averaged 27 homers per season, despite missing almost 100 games between 1999 and 2000. He's a career .281 hitter with great pop and good speed for a third sacker, who plays extremely smart ball in all aspects of his game. He should be considered the top 3b in the National League in most drafts.
Prognosis... Star: .290-95-33-110-12
Shortstop: Edgar Renteria
Edgar Renteria slipped off the radar of many a fantasy owner after a poor first half in 2001, but has re-established himself as the top Shortstop in the National League. Just entering his prime, Renteria posted career highs last season in Batting Average (.305) and RBI (83) while finishing with a respectable 11 homers. After Tony Larussa held him back on the basepaths a bit in 2001, Renteria let fly again in 2002 as he stole 22 bases and was caught just 7 times. Perhaps the most telling stat of his breakthrough 2002 season was his strikeout to walk ratio, which improved to 57-49 after he'd struggled with his plate discipline in the past few seasons. Look for him to improve his power numbers a bit this season. Now, if only the Cardinals would give him a more prominent spot in the order.....
Prognosis.... Above Average Starting SS: .295-90-18-80-25
Infielder: Miguel Cairo
Cairo surprised a bit last season, leading the National League in pinch hits. He's solid as a defensive replacement at any of the four infield positions, but is nothing more than a part-time player. Cairo has little power or speed to speak of, but is quality in the clutch.
Prognosis... Avoid: .250-10-1-20-1
Catcher: Joe Girardi
Girardi was the head-scratcher of the year. While the Cardinals have possibly the best receiver in the game who can't hit his weight, they decided to sign an older version of Matheny in the offseason to spell him from time to time. Girardi's defensive skill is quality, but his offensive ability leaves much to be desired. While he hit well for average earlier in his career, even that seems to have left him as he enters the twilight of his career. On the positive side, he has more speed than Matheny, but his power numbers are just as woeful.
Prognosis... Avoid: .240-15-3-20-2
Infielder: Wilson Delgado
Delgado is basically a career bench player who is already nearing the end of his prime at 31. Even if there's an injury to Edgar Renteria or a trade, he's not worth a look even in deep NL-only leagues.
Prognosis... Negative: .220-6-0-8-0
Other Qualifiers
Eli Marrero * - Catcher
Albert Pujols * - 1b/3b
Steve Torrealba - Catcher
* = Will be covered next week when we preview the Outfield
Be sure to check back next week when we take a look at the Cardinals Outfield. I'll also be coming up with my own individual chat schedule in the next few weeks, which will be posted both here and in our Cardinals Forum. Feel free to send me any specific questions or comments at royalcards@fantasyinfocentral.com or post your questions as well.
