The Team: St. Louis Cardinals
The Year: 2046
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W/L Record: 111-51
Run Differential: 988 RS vs. 584 RA +404 Runs
Awards: NL RBI Leader: James Lamattina (153), NL Stolen Base Leader: Dylan Moffat (56), NL ERA Leader: Trent McKegherty (2.66), NL Strikeout Leader: Aaron Pitman (224), NL Win Leader: Shawn Gilreath (21), NL MVP Award: Jim Davis, NL Gold Glove: C Chad Douglas and CF Dylan Moffat
All Stars: 1B James Lamattina, 3B James Seiffert, SP Aaron Pitman, SP Trent McKegherty, C Chad Douglas, RP Rodger Mason, SP Jay Danenfields, 1B Jim Davis
League Leading Stat Categories: .296 Team Batting Average, 3.22 Team ERA, 60 Home Wins, .360 Team OBP, .799 Team OPS, .232 Opponent Batting Average, .349 Opponent Slugging Percentage, 71% Team Quality Starts, 2.91 Starter ERA, 988 Runs Scored, 584 Runs Against, 21 Shutouts, 237 Stolen Bases
Lineup/Bench Rotation/Bullpen
CF Dylan Moffat Aaron Pitman
RF Kyle McCoy Trent McKegherty
1B James Lamattina Shawn Gilreath
DH Jim Davis Ben Ward
SS Nate Hensley Jay Danenfields
LF Chris Martins CL Randy Lesley
C Chad Douglas SU Paul Devine
3B John Seiffert SR Rodger Mason
2B Fletcher Aylett SR Gabriel Smollet
MR Jim Reilly
LR Chris Holehouse
2B Arturo Brache
C Stewart Cochrane
IF Richard Potticary
OF JC Pannell
IF Ty Bunch
The Key Players: The 2046 Cardinals are a worthy first appearance for the vaunted St. Louis franchise. This team compares favorably with many of the all-time great squads and managed to dominate the league in 2046 like few others. This was a team that both scored the most runs and allowed the fewest. It was a team with excellent balance and maybe the ultimate prototype of what their GM loves in his teams. It's also a team that sports 5 likely HOF players sprinkled throughout the pitching staff and the lineup.
Let's start with the most recent entrant to the HOF that donned a St. Louis cap: Aaron Pitman. The 3 time Cy Young winner went on to post 224 wins in his career with a 3.17 career ERA and 11 trips to the all-star game. In 2046 Pitman had won his first Cy Young just two years before and his 2046 campaign was something of a bounceback after a slightly sub-par 2045. During this season he pitched 215 innings with 224 strikeouts, a 2.81 ERA, an 18-7 record, and a .222 OBP against. He also managed to make 5 postseason starts and went 4-0 to help lead the team within just one win of taking the World Series title. (They ultimately lost in 7 games to the Mariners after sporting a 3-2 series lead heading back to Seattle)
Helping out Pitman in the St. Louis rotation was a very deep and talented group of arms. Second year starter Trent McKegherty was a 2046 all-star and rightfully so - he sported a 2.66 ERA in 220 innings along with 159 strikeouts and an 18-7 record. His biggest downfall in 2046 was the fact that he went 0-3 in the playoffs and became a very unreliable option for the team in the heat of trying to win another title. The NL's win leader was Shawn Gilreath who posted a 21-7 record in 202 innings to go with a 3.17 ERA and 180 strikeouts. Gilreath managed to make his third stop that season, having started it with Colorado before being flipped for the great Horacio Aguilar on May 16th, but just two weeks later he was back on the move again. This time he was on the move for a 1st round pick and OFs Isaac Mackiggan and Demarkis Davis. He was a big time performer during the season for St. Louis but ultimately started and got shelled in Game 7 of the World Series.
Rounding out the rotation were Ben Ward, Jay Danenfields, Jim Reilly, and Chris Holehouse. The four of them shuffled in-between the final two starter roles, the mop up role, and middle relief. War pitched 117 innings for the Cards, struck out 104, went 10-5, and posted a 3.53 ERA. Danenfields managed to make the all-star team and pitched 145 innings with 102 strikeouts, a 12-4 record, and an impressive 2.55 ERA. Jim "g$'s favorite player" Reilly pitched in 170 innings for them and fanned 139 hitters with a 12-11 record and a 4.66 ERA. Chris Holehouse threw 44 innings with 35 strikeouts, 4 saves, a 2.47 ERA, and a 2-0 record.
The bullpen was very good for the team at the back end. Closer Randy Lesley pitched 68 innings for the team and saved 39 of his 45 opportunities. He also had a sterling .194 OBP against with a 5-4 record and 64 strikeouts. He also made 7 appearances in the playoffs, saving 6 games without allowing a single run against and only 2 hits in 8 innings.
Supporting him was future hall of famer Rodger Mason who would have over 450 saves in his career despite spending four seasons as a setup man for Lesley. In 2046, in that setup role, Mason pitched 79 innings with 84 strikeouts, a 6-4 record, 2 saves, and a 2.17 ERA. Setup man Paul Devine pitched 100 innings for the team with a 3.59 ERA, a 6-3 record, 7 saves, and 83 strikeouts. Lastly was Gabriel Smollett who pitched 90 innings with 61 strikeouts, a 3-1 record, 12 saves, and a 3.70 ERA.
Offensively is where this blog entry gets its name - the 2046 Cardinals knew how to swipe some bags. With 237 stolen bases as a team, that averages to 28 stolen bases per starter in their lineup. That's an absolutely insane amount of stolen bases, though not the league's all-time record, but impressive nonetheless. The leader of that effort was likely FCM future HOFer Dylan Moffat. Back in 2042 the Cardinals traded a staring pitcher (Wayman), an outfielder (MacGulish), and a prospect (Picard) to land the first overall pick and take Dylan Moffat. Moffat had all the makings of an impact CF from the get go - huge speed, great defense, and an ideal leadoff hitter. Now in 2056 he's piled up over 2300 hits and nearly 600 stolen bases and that effort has largely been at the disposal of the Cardinals franchise. In 2046 he slashed 332/406/460 on way to an .866 OPS, 135 runs scored, 25 doubles, 10 triples, 10 home runs, 67 RBI, a 74-52 BB to K ratio, 56 stolen bases in 63 attempts, and very solid defense.
The rest of the St. Louis Thieves Guild was composed of Kyle McCoy, Chris Martins, and catcher Chad Douglas. McCoy hit second in the lineup behind Moffat and put up almost as much production as his outfield teammate. He hit .301 with 10 home runs, 46 stolen bases, 38 doubles, 109 runs scored, 115 RBI, and a .354 OBP as a rookie in 2046. It's actually pretty amazing he didn't win rookie of the year with that kind of production. (He last that to a very good rookie campaign by an outfielder named Pola from New York) Chris Martins made up the third outfielder on this speedy quartet and again showed off a hallmark of St. Louis team building - cover every inch of outfield grass. The "nothing drops" approach, even at the expense of normally power-hitting positions like the corner outfield spots. Martins was the lefty of the bunch and put up a .274 batting average with 6 home runs, 51 stolen bases, 85 runs scored, 54 RBI, and a .329 OBP.
Lastly was switch hitting catcher Chad Douglas. A former first round pick, Douglas was the rare speedy catcher straight out of the Jason Kendall mold. He was an excellent defensive catcher who threw out 40% of stolen base attempts in 2046. (The running game swing for this team was HUGE, the best at taking bags and the best at stopping them) Douglas also scored 80 runs, hit 23 doubles, 2 triples, drove in 70 runs, stole 35 bases, and slashed .316/371/368.
Speed wasn't the only factor for this team's success. They also had some serious power in the middle of their lineup. HOF player Jim Davis anchored the fourth spot in the lineup in one of many super productive seasons he managed in his illustrious career. Davis slashed .324/.411/.565 for a .976 OPS en route to scored 111 runs, hitting 46 doubles, 32 home runs, driving in 132, walking 92 times to only 79 strikeouts, and getting intentionally walked an additional 27 times. He also managed an insane amount of production during the World Series - posting a 1.208 OPS and driving in 10 runs in just 7 games.
Supporting him in the middle was former fourth round pick Nate Hensley, an OF and SS that wasn't particularly good at either, but could bring some offense to the table. He hit .319 on the year with 21 home runs, 4 steals, 71 runs, 80 RBI, and a .394 OBP. Hitting in the third spot was first baseman Jame Lamattina. Lamattina has had a wonderful career - one of the best contact hitters the league has ever seen. In 2046 he had one of his most productive seasons, scored 109 times, hitting 43 doubles, 22 home runs, driving in 153 of his teammates, and slashed .306/.351/497 for an .848 OPS. He is still in the league but with his career reaching it's apex in 2046, it's arguable whether he has done enough to earn his HOF spot, but for a short stretch he was one of the most dynamic bats in the league.
Rounding out the lineup was 3B John Seiffert who hit just .237 but managed 16 home runs, 86 runs, 79 RBI, and a .336 OBP. Lastly was a 2B platoon between Fletcher Aylett and Arturo Brache. Between the two of them they hit .270 with 3 home runs, 27 stolen bases, 101 runs scored, 97 RBI, and a .340 OBP.
Interview with the Owner: gd's thoughts
What Sets Them Apart: Speed kills in mogul, it's a belief I hold very true to my own team building and one which gd clearly does as well. The 2046 St. Louis Cardinals were nearly World Series champions, but they fell just short. Through the larger sample size of the regular season, it was clear who the best team in the league was. They scored the most runs. Allowed the fewest. Dominated the running game. Had a huge number of all-star selections. Lead the league in many individual and team categories. They're here because in 2046 they kicked the crap out of the rest of the league in a way few were capable of matching.
Coming Next: 6th Best Team in FCM History: The Four Horsemen
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