Our lineup is unfinished...
It would be unacceptable for the Cardinals to finish the offseason without another major pickup and expect to still be considered contenders. Several projections rank the Cardinals around 4 games behind the Cubs and the Brewers are gaining speed. It is about time the front office opens up their wallets and face the facts that neither the fans nor the stats themselves have been relinquished with what they have done. In my opinion, the below lineup would be the best chance for us to win this year and beyond.
1st: Matt Carpenter, 3B
Matt Carpenter has proven himself more than once that he is the leadoff hitter. It's understandable that it isn't the desirable position for him, but it is the overall best spot for the team.
2nd: Tommy Pham, CF
Not changing here, his good OBP, good BA, and great speed makes him an amazing star to bat second. If his power bursts out as he expects it to, he could be moved to a better role to produce runs.
3rd: Eric Hosmer, 1B
There are a lot of people that are against the acquisition of Hosmer, and trust me, I see his downside. But, in today's baseball, I don't see Kolten Wong as a viable option as a starter. With the addition of Hosmer, moving around the infield will give better hitters more at bats.
4th: Marcell Ozuna, LF
We have all seen him, we all know him. Not much to say other than there is no better place for his bat then right here.
5th: Paul Dejong, SS
Assuming he doesn't regress as we all hope to god he doesn't, Dejong will be a fearful middle of the order bat that I predict will have on the upper side of 30 home runs in 2018.
6th: Dexter Fowler/Jose Martinez, RF
You may ask why the heck I put Martinez up there... that's acceptable. Last year, Jose seemed to hit everything, even with his insane stance. I hope that Dex will be better after his freshman year with the Cardinals, and I hope that the overall team success drives him as a leader.
7th: Yadier Molina, C
Assuming the goat doesn't get injured, I see him as a .270 hitter with around 15 homers. If he gets injured, I want to see Carson Kelly or Andrew Knizner step up.
8th: Jedd Gyorko/Kolten Wong, 2B
I want to see Jedd play more here. He seemed to be on a bounce back season last year, but just lacked the playing time to show it off. I'm fine with sacrificing the defense for the offense. If Kolten would of ended the year with a higher batting average, I would feel different, but I'm just not a fan of his subpar offense.
9th: The Dinger King: Adam Wainwright
enough said.
I know that some of these moves are outrageous, but it is just my personal opinion, what is yours?
