* Tyler Hissey and I are doing division-by-division breakdowns on BlogTalkRadio.com. To complement the radio show, we will be putting what we cover in writing for you as well. Check out the NL Central and NL West podcasts here. The NL East is next up Monday, 12/29 @ 1 PM EST.

St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 86-76

Division Rank: 4th

Offense

Runs: 779

Runs Per Game: 4.8

OPS+: 111

Run Prevention

Runs Allowed: 725

Runs Allowed Per Game: 4.5

ERA+: 101

Recap:

A respectable record wasn't enough for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008 as the Birds were ten games over .500 but still finished fourth in their division. Albert Pujols continued to be Mr. Everything in 'The Lou' en route to his second National League MVP Award, and Rick Ankiel fully emerged from him broken dreams of being a starting pitcher to become a solid hitter and one of baseball's best defensive outfielders; no offense to Brad Lidge, but how did Ankiel not at least share the Comeback Player of the Year Award? In the end, though, injuries depleted the pitching staff and the Cardinals were left only to dream of the wild card.

Offense:

There are absolutes in life. The Pacific Ocean is vast. Christmas comes on the 25th of December. Coffee is brewed hot. Albert Pujols hits. Pujols had arguably his best season in 2008, all while playing with an elbow that many think will require Tommy John surgery at some point to repair. The All-Star first baseman hit .357/.462/.653 with 37 home runs, 100 runs scored, and a 1.114 OPS. I would make the case that Pujols is the best hitter in baseball when we consider those numbers and the fact that the man only struck out 54 times in 524 at-bats.

That's less than Jimmy Rollins, Jose Reyes, and Derek Jeter, all outstanding players who build their games around making contact and getting on base. Ryan Howard struck out almost four times more than Pujols. It's pretty simple in the Midwest; where Pujols goes, the Cardinals go. There is no other guy in baseball that can elevate an offense like he can. Not A-Rod, not Ortiz, not Utley, not even Manny. Think Pujols then think Barry Bonds because that's about the only recent guy who comes from the same rawhide-crushing ilk.

Of course, St. Louis wouldn't have scored the fourth most runs in the National League and posted the highest team batting average on the Senior Circuit if it was only about Pujols. The aforementioned Ankiel proved to be a threat from the left side in the middle of the order, hitting 25 home runs and posting a .506 SLG in 413 at-bats.

The biggest surprise for the Cardinals was Ryan Ludwick. Ludwick, 30 years old, showed enough pop in 2007 to be asked back to spring training in 2008 and was told by manager Tony La Russa that he would be given every chance to win a starting outfield job, and Ludwick didn't look back. The right-handed hitter played all three outfield spots but spent the majority of his time in right field - 124 games - while hitting .299/.375/.591 and teaming up with Pujols to create a 1-2 punch that rivaled anybody's best duo. Ludwick matched Pujols' 37 home runs and drove in only three less while scoring four more runs than Prince Albert. What separates the two are strikeouts; Ludwick is a more prototypical power hitter, striking out 146 times in 538 at-bats.

Troy Glaus had a comeback season after the Toronto Blue Jays swapped him for Scot Rolen last winter. Glaus, who has battled a myriad of injuries, managed to played 151 games for the Cardinals hitting .270/.372/.483 and adding 27 home runs from the fifth spot in the lineup. Skip Schumaker brought his .302 batting average and .359 OPB to the top of the lineup to jumpstart the offense.

Run Prevention:

The Cardinals' pitching staff was supposed to be led by Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder, but neither of them was around long to make any sort of mark on the 2008 season. Carpenter has pitched just over 21 innings in the last two seasons and had to undergo Tommy John Surgery while Mulder has had multiple bouts with a balky shoulder. Add in the fact that Adam Wainwright spent a portion of the season nursing a bum wing, and the rotation was led by a list of unexpected heroes.

Wainwright is the ace of the future in St. Louis, but other guys had to carry the load as Wainwright was limited to only 20 starts in 2008. Kyle Lohse, signed during spring training, pitched wonderfully on a one year contract and parlayed a successful season into a 4-year deal with the Cardinals. Lohse pitched 200 innings exactly, posting a 3.78 ERA and winning 15 ballgames by throwing strikes and allowing the offense to do its job. Lohse is not a frontline starting pitcher, but he has good stuff and he won't beat himself, thus making him a huge asset to a club like the Cardinals who were relying on a multitude of young pitchers.

Pitching coach Dave Duncan thought it would be a good idea to try Braden Looper in the starting rotation after the 2006 season, and Looper has responded by consistently improving. Looper pitched better than his 12-14 record in 2008. The right-hander tossed 199 innings with a 4.16 ERA and was a solid option behind Lohse.

A pleasant surprise to the Cardinals' rotation was Todd Wellemeyer. Wellemeyer was a virtual unknown heading into the season, but there is nothing unassuming about his arsenal. Wellemeyer lives on a mid-90's fastball and impressed many as the season wore on. Wellemeyer took hold of the No. 3 spot in the rotation, throwing 191 2/3 innings with a 3.71 ERA and 134 strikeouts. Wellemeyer is a young 29-year-old in terms of pitching experience, but he should be back in the middle of the rotation in 2009 and has a chance to establish himself as a solid major league pitcher.

The bullpen was patched together with the young and the old, but there are two arms that stand out among the relief corps. Ryan Franklin shared the closer job in St. Louis with Jason Isringhausenat the outset of the season, but he proved to be the rock of the '08 pen. Franklin had 17 saves but was more valuable than that statistic shows. Franklin pitched 78 2/3 innings over 74 appearances and posted a 3.55 ERA. He is only holding down the fort, however, until St. Louis takes the reigns off of young phenom Chris Perez. Perez is the closer of the future and struck out 42 batters in 41 2/3 innings.

Looking Ahead:

St. Louis has enough talent on their roster to contend in 2009, but they could add a couple pieces in particular that would pay big dividends for them. It would be extremely beneficial for the Cardinals to bring in another reliever, possibly Brian Fuentes. Fuentes appears to be in negotiations with the Angels, but the Cardinals are a team he would be interested in, and it would be great fit for both sides.

Having Fuentes close would allow St. Louis to keep Perez in the set-up role for a couple more years, allowing them to use his big arm in high leverage situations in the seventh and eighth innings. Improved depth in the bullpen would automatically make the starting rotation better because Tony La Russa  would be able to shorten the game and alter his game strategy with his starters.

Carpenter is expected to be back and healthy for next season. Couple that with a full season from Adam Wainwright, and St. Louis has the makings of a very good starting rotation. The Cardinals didn't offer arbitration to Looper, so Lohse, Wellemeyer, and Joel Piniero will round out the starting rotation. The offense is going to be back in full force and St. Louis will benefit from acquiring Khalil Greene from San Diego, a slight upgrade over Cesar Izturis at shortstop. It will all come down to health in the starting rotation for the Cardinals in 2009. If Carpenter and Wainwright stay off of the DL, those Cubs-Cardinals series late in the season may be more meaningful than we once thought.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com

www.teddysportblog.blogspot.com