Maximizing the Cardinals' lineup construction as they return to full strength

The Cardinals' position player group is basically at full strength now after the returns of Lars Nootbaar and Nathan Church within the last week and the demotions of Victor Scott II and Thomas Saggese. Out of the 13 position players manager Oliver Marmol has at his disposal right now, four were not on their Opening Day roster, and this revamped mix that Chaim Bloom has given Marmol gives him options in terms of how he structures his lineup and deploys his bench.

We'll see how Marmol's lineups shape up over the next few weeks, but I wanted to take a look at how he can maximize the Cardinals' offense and defense day in and day out.

Currently, the Cardinals have four distinct lineup templates based on Ivan Herrera's catching schedule. When Michael McGreevy or Andre Pallante are on the mound, Herrera is behind the plate, and that opens up the designated hitter spot, which Marmol can shift depending on whether there is a righty or a lefty on the mound. When Herrera is the designated hitter, one of Jimmy Crooks or Pedro Pages starts behind the plate, which shifts around how the lineup looks as well.

There are other factors that will always factor into Marmol's lineups: who needs an off-day, the opposing starter's strengths, who is hot or cold, their desire to ease Nootbaar back into the fold, etc. While I honestly would love to just geek out and give 10 different lineups based on a variety of factors, I am going to focus in on those four templates, and show how the Cardinals can structure their lineup in a way that both maximizes their shots as the starting pitcher, and then also allows Marmol to use his bench creatively late in games.

Cardinals lineups vs. RHP

vs. RHP (when Herrera is catching)
1. 2B JJ Wetherholt
2. C Iván Herrera
3. 1B Alec Burleson
4. RF Jordan Walker
5. LF Lars Nootbaar
6. SS Masyn Winn
7. 3B Nolan Gorman
8. DH Jimmy Crooks
9. CF Nathan Church
Bench: DH/LF Nelson Velazquez, UTL Jose Fermin, UTL Bryan Torres, and C Pedro Pages

When Herrera is behind the plate against a right-handed pitcher, I fully expect Crooks to draw the most starts at designated hitter, though these are days that Bryan Torres could get into the lineup or Nootbaar could get off his feet as the designated hitter.

I know many people are frustrated seeing Gorman's name in the lineup, but until the Cardinals prove otherwise, they seem committed to running this with Gorman for the time being. Now, they've already proven they are willing to make changes when necessary if another option arises, so Gorman shouldn't feel secure in that starting role. In fact, against lefties, I'm already going to suggest the Cardinals make a shift.

Looking at this lineup, the 1-6 spots seem to be pretty set. But there is also intentionality in how the seventh, eighth, and ninth hitters in the lineup are situated.

Having Gorman bat seventh means that if the opposing manager goes to their bullpen to bring in a lefty to face him after Winn bats, Marmol has two options for how he can respond. If the situation calls for a fly ball or extra-base hit power, he can bring in Velazquez, and then either have Fermin or Torres replace him in the next half-inning as the third baseman. Or, if contact stills are needed, Fermin can pinch-hit for Gorman and then play third base the rest of the game.

Following Gorman, Crooks is the designated hitter, so if there is still a lefty in the game, Marmol can then go to whoever he did not use, Velazquez or Fermin, for that DH spot. Then, that player will stay in the order for the rest of the game. If Velazquez comes in to pinch-hit for Crooks and his spot faces a righty later on, Marmol could call upon Torres for a pinch-hitting opportunity.

The Cardinals have also shown they are willing to move Fermin, Torres, or Nootbaar into center field, so if a big spot comes up for Church and they need to go to a righty, they can also pinch hit for him with either Velazquez or Fermin, and then have one of those three move to center for the rest of the game.

See how the Cardinals' bench is already far more useful than it had been?

vs. RHP (when Herrera is the DH)
1. 2B JJ Wetherholt
2. DH Iván Herrera
3. 1B Alec Burelson
4. RF Jordan Walker
5. LF Lars Nootbaar
6. SS Masyn Winn
7. 3B Nolan Gorman
8. C Jimmy Crooks
9. CF Nathan Church
Bench: DH/LF Nelson Velazquez, UTL Jose Fermin, UTL Bryan Torres, and C Pedro Pages

It's the exact same lineup as before, but there is a new wrinkle here that brings a bit of utility to Pages' spot on the roster.

If Crooks is pinch hit for late in the game, Pages would then sub in for his spot defensively following that at-bat. Marmol will have the same optionality to pinch hit for Gorman, Crooks, or Church late in games. We'll just have to be more creative with how he deploys them since Crooks either needs to remain in the game, or the pinch hitter for him will be replaced by Pages.

I would not be shocked to see Torres or Fermin play some third base if Gorman continues to struggle. But for now, he's slotted in there.

Now it's time to look at the lineups vs. a left-handed starter.

Cardinals lineups vs. LHP

vs. LHP (when Herrera is catching)
1. 2B JJ Wetherholt
2. C Iván Herrera
3. RF Jordan Walker
4. DH Nelson Velazquez
5. 1B Alec Burleon
6. SS Masyn Winn
7. LF Lars Nootbaar
8. 3B Jose Fermin
9. CF Nathan Church
Bench: C Jimmy Crooks, 3B Nolan Gorman, UTL Bryan Torres, and C Pedro Pages

As the season has gone on, Marmol has shifted Burleson down to the fifth spot in the order when a lefty is on the mound due to his .219/.256/.288 slash line (.544 OPS and 54 wRC+) against them this season. For his career, Burleson is a 67 wRC+ against southpaws, and that includes last season, where he was almost league-average against them.

I heavily considered bumping Burleson down even further to the seventh spot and having Nootbaar in the fifth spot, who has a 99 wRC+ and .700 OPS against lefties for his career, presenting Marmol with a far better option than Burleson against lefties if those trends remain. But when considering the late-game management, I see how Burleson being higher in the order is probably wise.

Burleson has a 162 wRC+ against righties this year, which is 12th-best among all qualified hitters, and has been one of the Cardinals' best hitters with runners in scoring position (153 wRC+). He's perfect protection for the right-handed lane of Herrera, Walker, and Velazquez, and if the opponent brings in a lefty to face Burleson, he'll have Winn and Nootbaar behind him. On the season, Winn is batting .296/.355/.389 (112 wRC+) against southpaws.

This is where the Cardinals do need to heavily consider sitting Gorman, as his .176 average and 49 wRC+ against lefties is such a buzzkill for the lineup. Fermin has been above-average against lefties this year, and he's been swinging a hot bat as of late. He slots in eighth here, could be pinch-hit for with either Gorman or Torres later in the game, and then Church bats ninth, and the Cardinals should shift Fermin, Nootbaar, or Torres to center if they wanted to pinch-hit for Church at any point.

vs. LHP (when Herrera is the DH)
1. 2B JJ Wetherholt
2. DH Iván Herrera
3. RF Jordan Walker
4. LF Nelson Velazquez
5. 1B Alec Burleson
6. SS Masyn Winn
7. 3B Jose Fermin
8. CF Nathan Church
9. C Pedro Pages
Bench: CF Lars Nootbaar, C Jimmy Crooks, UTL Bryan Torres, and 3B Nolan Gorman

When Herrera is the designated hitter against lefties, Pages will likely start behind the plate, presenting Marmol with a very interesting decision. Does he sit Nootbaar or Velazquez? Or will he sacrifice some defense in center field?

For the next few games and probably even weeks, I would imagine this is a day where the Cardinals try to get Nootbaar an off-day, and potentially have him available later in the game to pinch hit and even play center if needed (like he did in his second game back). At some point, a conversation may need to be had about him starting in center field, but that does get tricky when Velazquez is out in left field.

So in this scenario, Church now bats eighth and Pages bats ninth, with all three of Fermin, Church, and Pages being guys the Cardinals could pinch hit for, depending on what's needed. Nootbaar becomes the true weapon off the bench, but Torres, Crooks, and Gorman can all be deployed as well.

Marmol has a lot of ways he can slice his lineup now, which feels a lot better than where things were at even just a few short weeks ago.

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