NLDS Preview: Cubs vs. Cardinals Part One

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Shortstop 

Cardinals: Jhonny Peralta – Peralta was clearly the first half MVP of the Cardinals and finished the year with a slash of .275/.334/.411 and an OPS of .745. Peralta had a dismal second half and was clearly a little sluggish as he had a .245 average and only five homers in the second half.

Cubs: Addison Russell – Russell had a slightly better second half with eight homers and a .255 average and is a bit better defensively than Peralta.

Advantage: Right now at this point in these two players’ careers the advantage goes to the veteran Jhonny Peralta and the Cardinals. Peralta has the slight edge here with his experience and his overall wRC+ of 105 which is above average. With a week of rest, I really expect Peralta to return to form. If you are a Cubs fan foaming at the mouth, because of Russell’s better second half. Chill out, Addison Russell is going to be really really good and probably will be better than Jhonny Peralta in a few years. Peralta is actually a good model for Russell in the future.