Constructing the St. Louis Cardinals’ Best 25-Man Postseason Roster

Sep 28, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny (26) checks his line-up card in the dugout before playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

If it wasn’t already hard enough for St. Louis Cardinals to receive a sweep on behalf the Atlanta Braves and be held without a single run in their final regular season series, it could be just as difficult for manager Mike Matheny to prepare a playoff roster for a team known for positional depth throughout the season.

Before opening up the National League Division Series on Friday, the Cardinals must announce their 25-man playoff roster, which may not include players who have played a pivotal role in the team’s ninth 100-win season.

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Many of these tough decisions could depend on the outcome of Wednesday’s National League Wild Card Game between division rivals Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. But there are several other undermining factors to consider, such as postseason experience, recent accomplishments and physical readiness. 

While the Cardinals have a 30-22 record against the National League’s playoff contenders in 2015, some tough choices must be made soon to overcome recent struggles that nearly threatened their chance at a third straight division title. Considering that the team sticks to the 13-12 position player-pitcher format commonly used in postseason, the Cardinals have plenty of viable options to explore for the NLDS and possibly further into October.

May 18, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher John Lackey (41) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

STARTING ROTATION

1. John Lackey

2. Jaime Garcia

3. Michael Wacha

4. Lance Lynn

After Carlos Martinez was shut down for the remainder of the season with a shoulder strain less than two weeks ago, the postseason rotation instantly solidified itself. Even though the starting rotation finished the season with 72 victories and a 2.99 ERA collectively, a few recent issues have overshadowed the run strung together by pitching staff occasionally hyped as one of the best in baseball’s modern era.

Most notably, Michael Wacha faced command issues in September, sporting a subpar 2-3 record with a 7.88 ERA over the final month. Lance Lynn faced similar adversity with a 6.29 ERA against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, but only surrendered one run in his last 14 innings.

John Lackey and Jaime Garcia tossed quality starts in over 70% of their outings this season, helping both veterans make a strong case to start St. Louis’s first postseason game on Friday. Considering that this quartet of pitchers has over 225 innings worth of postseason experience, a few adjustments could go a long way in setting up the rotation for similar success in the postseason.

Sep 30, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (50) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eighth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

BULLPEN

Closer- Trevor Rosenthal

LHP- Kevin Siegrist, Tyler Lyons

RHP- Seth Maness, Carlos Villanueva, Steve Cishek, Jonathan Broxton, Adam Wainwright

Had one try to guess the October bullpen in April, it’s hard to imagine that only three relief pitchers from the Opening Night roster might make the postseason roster. Despite leading the National league with 62 saves, the bullpen still presents some flaws heading into the postseason.

Perhaps the most controversial debate would be Lyons over Choate, but a lot of this falls on the proclaimed lefty specialist’s inability to record outs against the heavy left-handed hitters. Choate failed to retire a batter in 20 outings, making it difficult to line him up against Anthony Rizzo, Pedro Alvarez or other potential left-handed hitting power threats.

Lyons features an improved breaking ball that provides similar specialist qualities to Choate, not to mention he has provided flexibility throughout the season as a starter and a long reliever in 2015.

The thought of Adam Wainwright pitching in October seemed like an unrealistic timetable after his Achilles injury in April, but the 3-time All Star has retained arm strength and showed strong poise, which could help him earn a postseason role and possibly be stretched to multiple innings over time.

Many of the other bullpen selections come as no surprise, especially after Kevin Siegrist led the MLB with 81 appearances and Trevor Rosenthal finished with the most single-season saves (48) in the Cardinals’ franchise history.

Aug 29, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter (13) celebrates his run on a wild pitch in the fifth inning of their MLB baseball game with the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

Catchers/Infielders

Catchers: Yadier Molina, Tony Cruz

Infielders: Mark Reynolds, Kolten Wong, Jhonny Peralta, Matt Carpenter, Greg Garcia, Brandon Moss

The largest assumption here is that Yadier Molina will be ready to return from a late season left thumb injury once postseason baseball rolls around for the Cardinals. One report from STL Today emphasized that the 33 year-old backstop has made tremendous progress and shows optimism that Molina could return by Friday. Tony Cruz has received the bulk of time since Molina’s injury, therefor figures to make the roster regardless of Molina’s status.

Wong, Peralta and Carpenter will inevitably earn a spot because of their starting roles, but first base remains an intriguing option for the Cardinals. St. Louis had four different players with double digit starts at first base in 2015, but frankly enough the odd man out could be the one they anticipated for a breakout year in Matt Adams.

It’s not easy to leave off a hitter who arguably provided the biggest hit for the Cardinals in the 2014 playoffs, but the problem is that Adams’s recovery from a quad injury could limit the Cardinals power game that otherwise exists with multi-position players Mark Reynolds and Brandon Moss.

Greg Garcia also makes a strong bid for a postseason sport given his ability to play sound defense from multiple infield positions and his recent production as a pinch-hitter. This would likely leave 2012 NLDS hero Pete Kozma off the playoff roster, who failed to record an extra base hit in 99 at-bats this season.