St. Louis Cardinals: Five questions ahead of Spring Training

5. Can Randal Grichuk be the Cardinals’ power source?

Four years. That’s how long its been since a Cardinals hitter has reached 30 home runs or more. That season it was Carlos Beltran who accomplished the feat with 32, and he was the only one to reach 30 or more.

St. Louis is starving for power, for majestic homers, those moonshots that make your jaw drop. Cardinals outfielder Randal Grichuk just might be the answer. Grichuk blasted 17 homers in just 323 at bats last season, and that has left Cardinals fans excited about his potential and wondering what could be next. 

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Grichuk has thought about his power potential, too. About a month ago, the 24-year old told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that 30 homers “is a realistic goal if we had to set something on there…I feel pretty confident if I can get in a little groove I should be able to get to.”

I like hearing this. Most players give vanilla answers when it comes to statistical goals for a season, but Grichuk stepped right up to let fans know that he is shooting for a specific goal.

It seems that health might be Grichuk’s greatest adversary in achieving his 30-homer goal. The elbow injury he suffered last year seems to be behind him, but you never know when those can flare back up, which is cause for worry.

Still, a big reason why the Cardinals elected not to sign a power bat like Yoenis Cespedes or Justin Upton, is because of the potential and power that Grichuk flashed in 2015. The Cardinals will need him to be a main power source if the offense is going to improve this year.

So, can he do it?

Prediction:

I believe Grichuk will fall short of 30 homers in 2016, let’s say 26. My reason being is that elbow injury. Of course, I hope that the center fielder stays healthy all season, but I won’t be surprised if his elbow barks again and he has to take some time off in 2016. Let’s hope that’s not the case.

If Grichuk can stay fully healthy this season with no major injuries, then I can see him reaching 30 home runs or more. Either way, he should be a staple in the Cardinals offense for years to come.

Bonus question:

Does Jaime Garcia stay healthy?

Did you think I’d forgotten about Jaime Garcia? It’s not a Spring Training piece without this question thrown in there. My short prediction, I believe Garcia makes about 20 starts this season. The left-hander recorded a 3.00 FIP in 129.2 IP last season for St. Louis, proving that if healthy he can be one of the more dominant pitchers in the game. That “if healthy” seems to always be the question for Garcia, though.

For a more in-depth look at Garcia’s 2016 expectations, check out Steven McNeil’s piece here.

Next: Will Cards Rotation Be Tops In the NL Central?

We all know you are excited Cardinals’ nation. So, what do you think about these issues, let us know in the comments section!