2010 Rewind: The Cardinals finished the year with its fourth winning season in five years, but their 86 wins was only good enough for a second-place finish in the N.L. Central.  The team went in the tank at the end of the year blowing a first-place lead after going 3-20 against teams with a losing record after August 13. Tony LaRusa’s bunch finished 52-29 at home, but mustered just a 34-47 mark on the road.

The Good: Albert Pujols produced his typical stellar numbers in 2010 by batting .312 with 42 HR and 118 RBI.  Outfielder Matt Holliday also continued his steady bat by knocking in 103 runs and producing a .312 average. Colby Rasmus led all NL Central fielders with a .498 slugging percentage and is an emerging star. Right hander Chris Carpenter has gone 33–13 with a 2.78 ERA over the last two years.

The Bad: Brendan Ryan stint with the Cardinals was short after he managed to hit just .223 while committing 17 errors at shortstop. Kyle Lohse boasted a career-worst 6.55 ERA while going 4-8 in 18 starts before suffering an injury.  Catcher Yadier Molina was stellar behind the plate, but watched his batting average dip nearly 30 points down to .262.

Biggest Loss: After failing to reach an extension with Pujols, the Cardinals’ offseason got even worse when ace Adam Wainwright was shelved for the 2011 season due to Tommy John surgery. Wainwright was a 20-game winner a year ago and his void will not be able to be filled.

Best Addition: The Cardinals brought in former Astro Lance Berkman on the cheap and plan to use him in right field. Fed up with Ryan at shortstop the team brought in veteran Ryan Theriot to take up the middle. George Laird was added to help spell Molina and keep him fresh.

Fantasy Slant: Pujols is the No. 1 pick in any format. Holliday, Rasmus and Carpenter are can’t miss additions to any team. The sleeper picks could very well prove to be Berkman and third basemen David Freese, who was having a breakout rookie campaign before suffering a season-ending injury a year ago. Closer Ryan Franklin isn’t flashy, but he’s a good source of cheap saves.

Final Take: With the rest of the division improving, the Cardinals’ domination of the N.L. Central has come to an end. They’ll still compete, but without Wainwright the Cards are stacked against St. Louis. Don’t expect them to fare much better than last season’s win total…2011 Record: 85-77, second place NL Central.

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