The 2016 Cardinals Home Run Leader will be... ? - A Hunt and Peck

The Cardinals are not known for their home run prowess. Part of this might be due to an organizational philosophy of not only  acquiring a certain type of hitter - line drive hitters - but also coaching hitters to hit to all fields. Maybe. Another factor is the stadium the team plays half its games in, Busch Stadium III, to be precise, seems to suppress home runs due to reasons I am not able to explain. Combine all this with the fact that offense as a whole has been on the decline for years and you have team that lacks a deep threat. This might explain why the Cardinals have had four different leaders in home runs  the past five years. Here is the breakdown:

So where does that leave the team for 2016? New legitimate power threats like Randal Grichuk have emerged, but will he make enough contact? Newly acquired Jedd Gyorko has been praised for his power, but will he get enough at bats and be able to adjust to a stadium that suppresses right-handed power? Matt Carpenter transformed into a power hitter last season, but having seemingly become a different type of excellent hitter every year, can we expect him to repeat 2015? Benjamin Hochman of The St. Louis Post Dispatch shares his opinion as well as some others from around the web in his article up on STL Today:

Rotochamp.com suggests that Moss, who isn't yet guaranteed a starting job, will lead the Cardinals with 24 home runs...

Dan Szymborski also said Moss will lead the Birds in homers, but with 21...

And Baseball-Reference.com has Moss leading with 22...

I say that Grichuk, not Moss, will lead the Cardinals in homers, finishing with 26...

It looks like the smart money is on Moss, which is why this girl is going with a dark horse candidate. Stephen Piscotty has been known as a gap-doubles-type of hitter, but much has been made of his newly developed power. In 256 plate appearances, Piscotty hit seven home runs. I will be looking for him to continue that pace into 2016.

But I am usually terribly wrong so sorry for jinxing you, Stephen.

Hochman: Who will lead the Cardinals in home runs? : Sports | STL Today

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