by Steve Dunford 

You will see me writing this column every week.  I am doing this on a Friday, but most of the time you will see this during a time where sports has a slowdown.

The main focus of this website will be high school sports, and there will be some things thrown in from time to time covering Morthland, Rend Lake, John A. Logan and SIU. During the summer, there will be a lot of Cardinal baseball and hopefully some Southern Illinois Miners coverage.

Along with this weekly column that I will write, I will be featuring from time to time Scott Wuerz, who writes a blog called A View From the Cheap Seats for the Belleville News-Democrat.  His wife has several relatives in Franklin County.  He was a weekly guest during baseball season, and frequently during the off season when Jim Muir was the host of Saturday Morning Talking Sports on WQRL.

I will also share some things from Bernie Miklasz, from 101 ESPN. As far as breaking Cardinal news, TV stations KMOV and KSDK, are usually two to three hours in front of the Post Dispatch now.

I am entering my 42nd season as being a Cardinal fan.  I fell in love with this team as a five year-old.  I am going to write a piece about this journey, soon.

As a writer, I will never get on a high school athlete.  I only have called out one high school coach in a paragraph of one story for his bench decorm, saying it mildly.

Dealing with the Cardinals, you will see times that I will gripe and belly ache.  I might give you my point of view about certain players.  You will hear me being a recliner Mike Matheny and John Mozeliak from time to time.

This one will be very long.  Most of you know that I have a Facebook blog, called Franklin County Hoops and Gridiron.  season.  It went into discussion and ways very popular.

I wrote a preview a few games into the season last year.  I am going to break down the Cardinal roster.

In this edition I will talk about the position players.  I will also have another piece in the next few days featuring the pitching.

Starting Lineup

C – Yadier Molina – What can you say about #4.  He is in a league of his own.  He is the best defensive catcher, as well as calling a game that I ever have witnessed.

Like Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, Molina has developed himself as a threat at the plate.

He will retire a Cardinal.  During this time, he can mentor and help develop Carson Kelly as Mike Matheny did Yadi.  The few times I watched Kelly in spring training he is close to major league ready.  He just needs some at bats in AAA.

Molina will be the last cardinal to wear number 4.  He will be in Cooperstown one day. I would not be surprised if he will be the Cardinal skipper one day.

It was good to see him locked up so he can end his career in a St. Louis uniform.  You will see his statue outside Busch stadium.

1B – Matt Carpenter –  Here is my first complaint, he needs to still be the everyday 3B.  If Ben Zorbrist can play multiple positions everyday, so can Matt Carpenter.  His versatility can come in very handy in making double switches.

Carp might have the cannon to play 3B but he is no worse than Jhonny Peralta over there.  The Cardinals are missing a middle of the order bat who can drive in runs.  We have that in house in Matt Adams.

I love him hitting in the three hole.  With Dexter Fowler, Aledmys Diaz, and Carp coming up in the first inning, we will have a lot of men on the bases.  i just hope someone steps up to drive in some runs.

2B  -Kolten Wong –  I was not a fan of him being locked up long term.  I was not to trilled when he demanded a trade when it was suggested he might platoon.

Wong has talent.  He is his worst enemy, though.  He struggles with what is between his ears.

I watched him take his best AB as a Cardinal against Cub Closer Wade Davis.  He hit what would have been a double in the corner that was called foul.  Matheny asked for a review, and the umpires declined.  He worked the count, and fouled of several good pitches and hit a double in the gap.

I hope he is back in the lineup tonight, maybe that AB would give him the confidence he needs.

SS – Aledmys Diaz – One thing GM John Mozeliak has done has locked players up long term, buying out the first few years of free agency.  Diaz needs to be locked up soon.

The defense gets better every day.  I would like to see him hitting in the two hole for several years to come.  He is showing much more patience in the plate.  He has the potential to win a National League batting crown.

3B –  Johnny Peralta – I have already stated that I think Carp needs to be the everyday 3B to get Adams bat in the lineup.  Peralta will not be in Cooperstown, but he has had a very solid MLB career.  I just think his bat would be more effective playing twice a week or so.  He would be a big pinch hitting threat.

There are ten million reasons why he is playing everyday.  In fact, even though his contract is back loaded, I do not think he would be a Cardinal if there wold have been a taker on his big contract.

LF – Randall Grichuk – There is a definite upgrade defensively from Matt Holliday with him sliding over from CF to make room for Dexter Fowler.

Holliday was one of my favorite Cardinals.  I would have loved to see him come back to get a couple of starts a week, even at a high price tag.  I wish him well in the American Leauge as a DH.

I expect Grichuk to have a break out year.  It would not be one bit surprised to see his average around .275 with 25 HRs and 80 RBI’s.

CF – Dexter Fowler – I have wanted to see him in a Cardinal uniform for a long time. He will be patrolling CF in St. Louis for the next few years.

I am not trashing Matt Carpenter at all.  He gets on base.  He is in the middle of the order where he belongs.  Fowler is a true lead off hitter, and is a plus defender in CF.

He will help in so many areas, and I hear he is a good clubhouse guy.  I got a kick of him pointing to fair territory when Lance Lynn hit a foul ball toward him when he was on deck.  I look forward to watching you patrol center for the next few years.

RF-  Stephen Piscotty – Yes he had a terrible spring, and the ball found him like a magnet Monday night, but I am glad Mo locked him up for the next several years.

He will be a great one.  He has the mental toughness to have a long big league career. Obtaining an engineering degree from Stanford proves it.

He might not be the typical cleanup hitter.  He might not have the big home run total in that spot, but he can be a good RBI man with Fowler, Diaz, and Carpenter hitting in front of him.

He has a cannon for an arm.  This could be the best Cardinal defensive outfield in years.

Bench

INF – Jedd Gyorko – Let me first say, this is one of the best Cardinal benches we have had in a long time.  Second when Gyorko was in a Padre uniform, and the Cardinals has such a weak bench, I said the either he or Sean Rodriguez would be a great addition to the bench.

He provides some right handed pop off the bench.  Hopefully I am wrong but I do not see him hitting 30 home runs again this year.  You can not project him as a starter, but he will be in there a lot.  He will play somewhere when a left-hander is on the mound because he knocks the cover off the ball against them.

He made starts at all four IF positions last year.  I see him spending most of his time at 2B or 3B.  If Diaz needs a day off, I see Peralta sliding over to SS, or Greg Garcia getting the start.

I love his gritty play.  He is in the tradition of beloved Cardinal utility men such as Jose Oquendo, Rex Hudler, and Joe McEwing.

Matt Adams- 1B/OF – Playing LF has been added to the sluggers resume.  I have shared my thoughts about him playing everyday.  In a bench role, he sure provides a left handing thunderous bat off the bench.

I am afraid defensively we might have the second coming of Chris Duncan in LF.  He looked ugly on that one ball yesterday.

As a bench player or as a starter, I look for him to put up some monstrous numbers this year.

Greg Garcia – INF –  He has a little pop in his bat and he has improved defensively.  He is a good backup at 2B-SS-3B.  The Cardinals have two very good backup infielders on their bench.  He has excelled as a pinch hitter.  He will be a starter someday.

Jose Martinez-  1B-OF.  He was a September call up last season and excelled as a PH.  He provides some pop off the bench and plays adequate defense at first and the corner outfield positions.

He is this year’s Jeremy Hazlebaker.  He is 28 and this is his rookie season.  He played for the Rockford Aviators in the Frontier League in 2014.  His performance led to a contract with the Kansas City Royals system which he played in AAA.

Eric Fryer – C  Being the backup to Yadi, you will not get much playing time.  He is more than adequate behind the plate.  He calls a decent game.  He also can swing the bat some.

His speed can lead to pinch running for Molina in the late innings.  He played the corner OF spots in the minors and made some appearances for the Pirates.