2023 Pre-Season Profile: St. Louis Cardinals

 #7

The St. Louis Cardinals had two of the top three finishers in NL MVP in 2022, but couldn't get out of the Wild Card Round.  Will 2023 see them make a deeper playoff run?

2022 Predictions

#16 - 2nd in NL Central

MIH - Nolan Arenado

MIP - Steven Matz

PTW - Matthew Liberatore

2022 Results

#10 - 93-69, 1st in NL Central, lost in Wild Card Series

Highest WAR (Position) - Nolan Arenado

Highest WAR (Pitcher) - Ryan Helsley

It was hard to call the 2022 regular season anything but a success for the St. Louis Cardinals.  Paul Goldschmidt won the MVP, Nolan Arenado finished 3rd in the MVP voting.  Cardinal legends Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina were sent out with style, with Pujols entering the 700 home run club.  They won the division pretty handily and entered the playoffs as a possible title contender.  Then they run into the buzzsaw that was the Phillies.  Two home wild card games, and it was all over.  It was an anticlimactic ending to a season to remember.

Additions / Subtractions

Off goes Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina into retirement and eventually Cooperstown.  Those are the biggest departures, at least by name from the roster.  Mid-season acquisition Jose Quintana also moved on to the Mets.  The biggest question facing the Cardinals entering the offseason was how to replace Yadier behind the plate.  Enter Willson Contreras on a free agent deal from the Cubs.  Even with that big signing, there really was very little change to the roster this offseason.

Most Important Hitter

Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado has a chance to be an all-timer.  He has won the Gold Glove ever year he has been in the league, also winning the Platinum Glove 6 times.  He is also a 5 time Silver Slugger winner and a 7 time All Star.  He is coming off an 8 WAR season and a third place finish in MVP, his 6th time finishing the top 8.  There's just one problem: for as great as Arenado is, he has never been able to perform at the top of his game on the biggest stage.  In 8 postseason games over his career, he is batting just .152 with 1 home run.  He has struck out 9 times in 33 at bats.  This includes a 1-for-8 performance with 2 strikeouts in last year's Wild Card Series.  It is reaching a point that if Arenado wants to be remembered as one of the best to ever do it, he has to start showing he can be great when the lights are brightest.  He showed that he may be ready for the big stage in the WBC this year, hitting .385 over 7 games.  Now, can he do it in the playoffs?

Most Important Pitcher

Jack Flaherty

If the Cardinals had a weakness last season, it was their starting rotation.  It was such an issue that they made two Trade Deadline deals for starters, one even trading their starting centerfielder for a starter.  Adam Wainwright is still hanging around, but he is nowhere near the level he was in his prime.  They lack a true ace ... that is unless Jack Flaherty is healthy.  Flaherty burst on the scene in 2018 as a rookie, finishing 5th in the Rookie of the Year vote.  Then in 2019, he became a star, finishing 4th in Cy Young, 13th in MVP, a 152 ERA+, and leading the league in WHIP.  The 2020 season was weird for so many, and he had a bad year.  Then he got hurt in 2021.  Battling injuries for most of the last 2 seasons, he has only thrown 114 innings between the 2021 and 2022.  Now it appears he might be healthy, but how much wear and tear have the injuries taken on his body.  He is entering his age 27 season which is also his contract year.  He needs a big season, and the Cardinals need him to have a big season too.

Prospect to Watch

Jordan Walker

The Cardinals always seem to have a deep farm system, and this year is no different, ranking 9th according to MLB.com and 3rd according to Bleacher Report.  The star of their system is the 4th best prospect in all of baseball, Jordan Walker.  Drafted out of high school in the 2020 draft, the 20 year old has done nothing but hit since reaching the minors.  This production includes Spring Training this season, where he opened enough eyes to make the Opening Day roster.  A natural third baseman, Walker is transitioning to the outfield due to Arenado having the hot corner locked down for the foreseeable future.  This kid has all the makings of being a special player, as if the Cardinals need another one.

2023 Prediction

1st in NL Central, lose in NLDS

Possibly the easiest prediction to make entering this season is that the Cardinals would be winning the NL Central.  No one in their division can touch their talent level.  The problem facing the Cardinals is the top of the National League is filled with these superteams that appear to be much more complete than the Cardinals.  I see them struggling to compete with the rest of the NL elites, but they will be right there in the NL final four.

Fearless Prediction

Jack Flaherty wins NL Comeback Player of the Year.

Call it wishful thinking, but I'm a fan of Jack Flaherty and really want to see him be healthy and show that he is back to his elite form.  If he is just a fraction of what he was in 2019, he should easily be the favorite for this award and help lead the Cardinals to the playoffs.

2021 Pre-Season Profile: St. Louis Cardinals

 #1

The St. Louis Cardinals pulled off a blockbuster trade to man the hot corner for the foreseeable future.  Is that enough to get this back to elite?

2020 Predictions

#11 - 2nd in NL Central

MIH - Paul Goldschmidt

MIP - Miles Mikolas

PTW - Dylan Carlson

2020 Results

#12 - 30-28, 2nd in NL Central, lost in Wild Card Round

The Cardinals had a typical Cardinals season.  They were quiet enough that many people forgot about them, but they were still good enough to make the postseason and almost spoil the magical Padres in the Wild Card Round.  They were led in 2020 by Paul Goldschmidt, possibly the quietest of all of baseball's superstars, which makes him the perfect star for St. Louis.

Additions / Subtractions

The Cardinals really only made one move over the offseason, but it was a big one.  They pulled off the blockbuster trade that sent them third baseman Nolan Arenado from Colorado.  Outside of letting second baseman Kolten Wong sign with Milwaukee and trading outfielder Dexter Fowler to the Angels, the Cardinals didn't do much else other than get healthy.

Most Important Hitter

Paul DeJong

Entering his 5th season as the starting shortstop in St. Louis, Paul DeJong got out to a hot start to his career, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year in 2017 and making his first All Star Team in 2019.  However, 2020 proved to be a struggle for DeJong.  If the Cardinals are going to have a dangerous and deep lineup, they need DeJong to bounce back and show he can get back to that All Star level.

Most Important Pitcher

Jack Flaherty

In 2020, Adam Wainwright emerged as the go to ace of the Cardinals' staff.  With Wainwright entering his age 39 season, he can't really be counted on to be that good again in 2021.  That means it is time for Jack Flaherty to emerge as the consistent dominant ace the Cardinals need.  He was outstanding in 2019, finishing in the top 5 in Cy Young voting, but 2020 was a struggle.  With some of the injuries the Cardinals are facing in their rotation to start the season, the 25 year old Flaherty needs to be one of the best pitchers in baseball, which is not a stretch considering his how good he has shown he can be.

Prospect to Watch

Dylan Carlson

When the Cardinals traded Dexter Fowler, they were basically announcing that the outfield would be super young and athletic.  Harrison Bader and Tyler O'Neill can be expected to be out there every day, but the best of the group might be Dylan Carlson.  Ranked the 14th best prospect in baseball, Carlson played in 35 games in 2020 with little success, but the Cardinals believe in him, and his tools show that he can be a star.

2021 Prediction

1st in NL Central, win World Series

Here are my World Series champions!  It is definitely an outside-the-box pick, but with the way the Cardinals always find a way to be better than anyone realized, and the add of Arenado, this team is going to surprise everyone.  Arenado and Goldschmidt are the perfect superstars to play in St. Louis, and they are going to become one of the best combos in any lineup in the league.  Every few years, the Cardinals emerge as one of the best teams in baseball, and they are due.  Also, can you imagine the storylines of a Tony La Russa vs. the Cardinals World Series?  And a World Series win would almost certainly send Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright off into retirement on top.  Perfect!

Fearless Prediction

Jack Flaherty wins the NL Cy Young Award.

Like I said, Jack Flaherty has the capability to be one of the best pitchers in baseball.  He is going to be the surprising star everybody knows from this team by the end of the season.  A Cy Young and a World Series ... sounds like a successful season to me.

2016 Pre-Season Profile: St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals every year seem to find a way to win their division no matter how competitive it is.  Will 2016 continue their dominance?

Last Season

My 2015 Prediction: 2nd in NL Central, WILD CARD, lose in NLDS

2015 Result: 100-62, 1st in NL Central, lost in NLDS

Really?  Of all the teams in the league, the Cardinals come out with the best record in baseball?  The NL Central boasted the three best records in baseball in 2015, and the Cardinals found their way on top of the pile ahead of the Pirates and Cubs.  Their season came back down to earth quickly in playoffs though, as the Cubs knocked them out pretty quickly in the NLDS.

2016 Additions / Subtractions

The Cardinals seemed to be connected to most of the high profile outfielders on the market this offseason.  They first wanted to hold on to Jason Heyward, but he chose to sign with the Cubs instead.  They were said to be going hard after Alex Gordon, but he chose to stay in Kansas City.  John Lackey also left, signing with the Cubs also.  When it came down to it, the Cardinals offseason moves really consisted of just one signing and one trade: they signed Mike Leake to replace John Lackey and traded John Jay for Jed Gyorko.  That's about it.  Everything else they plan on handling from within.

Most Important Hitter

Yadier Molina

The Cardinals pride themselves in being able to win with any lineup.  They truly practice the motto, "Next man up."  This is best exemplified by the fact that they won 100 games last year without their ace Adam Wainwright, and they plan on moving forward this year without a big priced free agent to replace Jason Heyward.  With all that said, there is one player on that team that is irreplaceable, and that is Yadier Molina.  He makes this club what it is.  The pitching staff is as good as it is because they throw to Molina.  He is like a coach on the field at all times.  He was pretty banged up last year, and almost didn't start this season due to injury.  He is getting older, entering his age 33 season.  He needs to stay healthy for the team to be great.

Most Important Pitcher

Adam Wainwright

It is weird to say that the most important pitcher is a guy that missed most of a 100 win season last year, but it's true.  Adam Wainwright is the guy that makes this rotation great.  The young kids like Carlos Martinez and Michael Wacha pitched great in his absence, but Wainwright is the proven ace needed at the top of that rotation.  He is getting up there in age, entering his age 34 season.  He is also coming off a torn Achilles injury.  Although it is not an arm injury, it can affect your pitching.  He needs to come back and be the perennial Cy Young contender once again, especially considering how strong their division is.

Player to Watch

Alex Reyes

As if the Cardinals weren't pitching rich already, 5 of their 8 top prospects are pitchers; fresh arms ready to go.  The best of the group is Alex Reyes, a 21 year old kid that should be ready to contribute in time for a playoff push.

2016 Prediction

3rd in NL Central

I think this is finally the year the Cardinals come down to earth a little bit.  Every team around them got significantly better this offseason.  I don't think the same can be said for the Cardinals.  The Pirates and Cubs have passed them up.  There wasn't much separating this group last season.  I think the Cardinals will be at the bottom of the three this time around.  With as much as other teams have improved around the league, I think it is very possible the Cardinals are on the outside of the playoff race also.  Then again, they are the Cardinals.  Maybe they win the World Series this year instead.

Fearless Predictions

Matt Holliday ends the 2016 season as a bench player.

Matt Holliday has quietly been one of the better players in baseball over the last decade.  He has been a model of consistency.  However, last year he was hit with the injury bug in 2015 and started to look old when he was out there.  With the youth movement in St. Louis, and the pressure put on them by division rivals, look for Holliday to end up on the bench by the end of the season if he struggles at all along the way.

2015 Pre-Season Profile: St. Louis Cardinals

There are few things that are certain in sports, but one thing that has become a certainty over the last decade is that the St. Louis Cardinals are going to be really, really good.  Will 2015 keep consistency in the NL Central?

Last Season

90-72, 1st in NL Central, Lost to Giants in NLCS

For the fourth straight year, the Cardinals made the playoffs.  They have garnered a reputation of being fairly unstoppable in the postseason, but if there is anything more unstoppable than the Cardinals in the postseason, it's the Giants on an even numbered year in the postseason.  So they lost out to the eventual champions, but looked geared up for another run in 2015.

2015 Additions / Subtractions

The Cardinals front office had to deal with a very delicate situation this offseason.  During the World Series, their 22 year old phenom and rightfielder of the future Oscar Taveras was killed in a car accident.  They felt a need to honor the memory of their fallen teammate who had so much still in front of him, but they also needed to make accommodations for the hole his death left in their 2015 lineup.  So in a year where their lineup looked set, they pulled off a blockbuster trade, bringing over Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden from the Braves, giving up starting pitcher Shelby Miller and prospects.  On a personal side, this was a move the Cardinals didn't want to make.  On a baseball side, they replaced one of baseball's top prospects with an established borderline All Star.  By trading Miller, they took advantage of the stockpile of pitchers they have stored up in their system.  So they gained Heyward without really losing anything.

Most Important Hitter

Matt Carpenter

In 2013, Matt Carpenter burst on the scene as the latest Cardinal to come out of nowhere and be amazing.  He hit .318 and was a 6.0 win player according to WAR.  In 2014, they moved him to third base and his production dipped some.  His batting average fell to .272 and his WAR total was cut in half.  He went from being one of the best hitting middle infielders in the league to an average hitting third baseman with none of the traditional power we have come to expect from third basemen.  The Cardinals need Carpenter to be the steady consistent hitter in that lineup that is always on base.  He needs to return to his 2013 form for the Cardinals to be elite.

Most Important Pitcher

Michael Wacha

In any deep postseason run, there is always a young prospect or two that come out of nowhere to be impact players in the stretch run before their first full season in the league.  Last year, it was Brandon Finnegan for the Royals and Joe Panik for the Giants.  In 2013, it was Michael Wacha for the Cardinals.  The way he pitched in the postseason had everybody buzzing, winning NLCS MVP.  He was to become a two-headed monster with Adam Wainwright at the top of the rotation in 2014.  I predicted him to win Rookie of the Year in the NL last year.  His 2014 instead became an injury-shortened season that never lived up to any of the hype he had built for himself.  Now that he is healthy, he is being counted on being that phenom that announced his presence with authority in 2013.

Player to Watch

Carlos Martinez

Like I said earlier, the amount of talent the Cardinals have stockpiled in their system should not be allowed.  The pitcher that seems destined for a breakout year this time around is Carlos Martinez.  Short in stature but mighty in power, many compare his stuff and style to recent Hall of Fame inductee Pedro Martinez.  He spent most of the 2014 season in the bullpen, but he is competing for a rotation spot this year.  If he makes the rotation, he could be one of the players everyone is talking about by mid-season.

Prediction

2nd in NL Central, WILD CARD, lose in NLDS

One certainty in baseball right now is the Cardinals are going to be very good.  I have them just short of winning their division this year, but they do make the playoffs once again and cause trouble on their way through.  The Cardinals right now remind me some of the Atlanta Braves teams of the 1990's.  They were so good so often, it was easy to take them for granted.  I am probably vastly underestimating them with this prediction.  It will be interesting to see what happens as core pieces like Matt Holliday, Jhonny Peralta, Adam Wainwright, and Yadier Molina continue to age, what the front office decides to do.  It looks like those decisions are still a couple years off.  Right now, they will continue to be one of the consistently best teams in baseball.

MLB Year in Review: ASG-to-ASG 2014

Growing up, I watched a lot of ESPN and SportsCenter.  It was one of the primary viewing choices of my childhood.  This made this mid-July week somewhat of a downer growing up since nothing happens in the sports world outside the MLB All Star Game.  SportsCenter is always looking for interesting topics for this lackluster sports week.  Nowadays, this doesn't change the SportsCenter programming at all since all they talk about now is the NFL and LeBron James all year anyways.  When I was a kid, believe it or not, SportsCenter still considered baseball as a relevant sport worth covering.  So while baseball was taking a break, they still worked to find baseball stories to talk about.  One of my favorite baseball pieces they did every year during the All Star Break was determine who had the best last 162 games.  They would calculate stats from the last All Star Break to the current All Star Break and compare them as full season stats.  Unfortunately, SportsCenter is too busy debating the first pick in next year's NFL draft to waste time on this fascinating premise.  So I have decided to compile all these stats on my own and determine who would has had the best last full season.

Here is the process I went through.  I went through the league leaders from Post All Star 2013 stats and the 2014 first half stats.  For the hitters, I compiled the top 50 leaders in both time frames in hits, doubles, home runs, RBI's, and runs.  This gave me 160 hitters I compiled stats for from the last year.  For the pitchers, I went through the same process with wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, and saves (only calculated the top 30 in saves).  I realize this left out the always-overlooked middle reliever, but oh well.  They are always overlooked anyways so one more time won't be too tragic.  This resulted in 151 pitchers to compare.  Let's look at some top lists.

AL Batting Average

Victor Martinez – DET	.343
Robinson Cano – NYY / SEA	.333
Adrian Beltre – TEX	.327
Mike Trout – LAA	.316
Jose Altuve – HOU	.315
JD Martinez – HOU / DET	.322

not enough AB's

It turns out the amazingly hot starts this year from Victor Martinez and Jose Altuve actually started last season.  This is also not the last time you will see Mike Trout's name.

NL Batting Average

Andrew McCutchen – PIT	.330
Scooter Gennett – MIL	.325
Troy Tulowitzki – COL	.323
Freddie Freeman – ATL	.311
Charlie Blackmon – COL	.310
Michael Cuddyer – COL	.327
Casey McGehee – MIA	.319

not enough AB's

Much like Martinez and Altuve, Charlie Blackmon's hot start this year was foreshadowed by a strong finish last year.  Freddie Freeman is turning into one of the best all-around hitters in the league.  Also, Scooter Gennett has to be the best player nobody has heard of.

AL Home Runs

Edwin Encarnacion – TOR	37
Brandon Moss – OAK	35
Mike Trout – LAA	34
Nelson Cruz – TEX / BAL	33
Chris Davis – BAL	31
David Ortiz – BOS	31

What I noticed from this list is most of these players have been quite inconsistent.  Either they ended last year strong or started this year strong, with the exception of Trout.  By the way, Jose Abreu almost made this list without playing at all last season.

NL Home Runs

Giancarlo Stanton – MIA	35
Paul Goldschmidt – ARZ	31
Troy Tulowitzki – COL	30
Anthony Rizzo – CHC	30
Andrew McCutchen – PIT	28
Justin Upton – ATL	28
Todd Frazier – CIN	28

There are a few players on this list that just don't get the credit they deserve.  Anthony Rizzo will be a centerpiece of the Cubs latest attempt to rebuild (which might actually work with his bat leading the way).  Also, Paul Goldschmidt is a beast.  I give him 2 more seasons before he gets traded out of Arizona so people actually recognize how good he is.

AL RBI

Miguel Cabrera – DET	117
Mike Trout – LAA	111
Brandon Moss – OAK	109
David Ortiz – BOS	102
Edwin Encarnacion – TOR	102

Here is the first appearance by Miguel Cabrera, which shows that he hasn't been at his Triple Crown level since pre-All Star 2013.  Also, looking at his numbers, how wasn't David Ortiz an All Star?  Also, as a Mariners fan I refuse to give Brandon Moss any credit.

NL RBI

Paul Goldschmidt – ARZ	109
Jayson Werth – WAS	103
Adrian Gonzalez – LAD	101
Freddie Freeman – ATL	100
Giancarlo Stanton – MIA	98

There's Goldschmidt's name again.  I was surprised to see someone like Jayson Werth putting up these kind of numbers.  No one talks about him, but he has been one of the best run producers of the last year.

AL OPS (On-Base + Slugging)

Mike Trout – LAA	1.014
Victor Martinez – DET	.956
Edwin Encarnacion – TOR	.952
Miguel Cabrera – DET	.929
Brandon Moss – OAK	.911
Jose Abreu – CWS	.968
JD Martinez – HOU / DET	.942

not enough AB's

OPS has become one of the top stats for a hitter's overall production so this is a great one to look at.  No one quite appreciates just how good Jose Abreu has been this first half.  He is already one of the greatest hitters in the league after just half a season.  Here you can also see just how ridiculous Mike Trout is.  Once again, he is from another AL West rival so I hate giving credit, but Trout is impossible to ignore.  Also, over the last year Miguel Cabrera hasn't even been the best hitter on his team.

NL OPS

Andrew McCutchen – PIT	.995
Troy Tulowitzki – COL	.966
Paul Goldschmidt – ARZ	.950
Freddie Freeman – ATL	.904
Giancarlo Stanton – MIA	.904

This top five shouldn't be surprising.  If you ask anyone for the best top five hitters in the National League, these five names should be the first ones said ... unless you run into some of those ignorant idiots that try to say Yasiel Puig or Bryce Harper.

AL Wins

Max Scherzer – DET	19
Rick Porcello – DET	19
James Shields – KC	18
Jared Weaver – LAA	18
Mark Buehrle – TOR	17

How is Detroit not the best team in the AL?  They have two of the best hitters in the league and the only two 19-win pitchers in the league.  And neither of them are named Verlander.  James Shields doesn't get the respect he deserves either.

NL Wins

Clayton Kershaw – LAD	19
Adam Wainwright – STL	19
Zack Greinke – LAD	18
Jorge De La Rosa – COL	17
Hyun-Jin Ryu – LAD	17

After looking at these stats, it is hard to argue against the Dodgers having the best pitching staff in the league.  They have three of the top five in wins.  You expect Wainwright to be on this list, but De La Rosa?!?  Since when does a pitcher for the Rockies have quality stats?

AL ERA (150 IP Min.)

Hisashi Iwakuma – SEA	2.58
Jon Lester – BOS	2.62
Anibal Sanchez – DET	2.63
Chris Sale – CWS	2.71
Felix Hernandez – SEA	2.74

Even with his injury and recent struggles, Hisashi Iwakuma has the best ERA over the last year.  It's easy for him to not get the credit he deserves when King Felix had the best first half in the league this year.

AL ERA Overall

Koji Uehara – BOS	1.07
Greg Holland – KC	1.22
Casey Janssen – TOR	1.79
Zach Britton – BAL	1.82
Joe Smith – LAA	2.07

The numbers and names at the top are to be expected.  The last two names on the list might be surprising though.

NL ERA (150IP Min.)

Clayton Kershaw – LAD	1.68
Johnny Cueto – CIN	2.02
Andrew Cashner – SD	2.25
Zack Greinke – LAD	2.34
Tanner Roark – WAS	2.53

Kershaw, are you kidding me?!?  If he goes on a couple more scoreless runs, he might challenge that Bob Gibson record of a 1.12 ERA this year.  Also, stop talking about Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez, and Doug Fister.  Tanner Roark is the Nat's fifth starter and the best one they have had over the last year.

NL ERA Overall

Huston Street – SD	1.06
Craig Kimbrel – ATL	1.43
Clayton Kershaw – LAD	1.68
Jose Fernandez – MIA	1.81
Johnny Cueto – CIN	2.02

The most underrated player in the league is by far Huston Street.  He is the best closer in the league, and he doesn't even make the All Star Team.  His ERA is even lower than Koji's.  I find this whole list interesting as only two closers made the list.  The rest are the top starters including Jose Fernandez who would be challenging Kershaw in every stat category if he hadn't gotten hurt.

AL K's

Yu Darvish – TEX	262
David Price – TB	248
Max Scherzer – DET	234
Felix Hernandez – SEA	230
Jon Lester – BOS	208

This is another top five that is exactly who you would expect it to be.  No surprises here.

NL K's

Stephen Strasburg – WAS	231
Clayton Kershaw – LAD	219
Tyson Ross – SD	211
Zack Greinke – LAD	207
AJ Burnett – PIT / PHI	207

You might be surprised to see the old man, AJ Burnett, on here, of whom I heard recently from an analyst is the most overpaid player in baseball history.  At least he strikes guys out.  The other noteworthy thing here is Tyson Ross.  This is the second Padres starter to appear on one of these lists which shows that they are working their way in the right direction.  They just need some hitting.  Some familiar, Seattle?

AL Innings Pitched

David Price – TB	254 1/3
James Shields – KC	224 2/3
Justin Verlander – DET	221 1/3
RA Dickey – TOR	221
Jon Lester – BOS	216 2/3

I find this an interesting list because it shows who might be due for a disappointing second half simply for being overworked.  David Price has thrown 30 more innings than everyone else in the league over the last year.  Buyer beware for those looking to trade for him.

NL Innings Pitched

Adam Wainwright – STL	233
AJ Burnett – PIT / PHI	222 2/3
Wade Miley – ARZ	213
Zack Greinke – LAD	211 1/3
Kyle Lohse – MIL	210 1/3

Here are some great innings eaters in Wainwright, Greinke, and Lohse.  Again, I don't see how people hate on AJ Burnett.  I'm also impressed with Wade Miley as he has needed to step up and the ace after Corbin went down in Spring Training.

AL Saves

Greg Holland – KC	50
Fernando Rodney – TB / SEA	42
Glen Perkins – MIN	37
Joe Nathan – TEX / DET	32
Koji Uehara – BOS	31

Few would argue that Holland has the most dominant stuff in the AL at closer.  Looking at these numbers, it was totally justified that Glen Perkins closed out the All Star Game.  Also, for all his struggles, Joe Nathan has still racked up a respectable amount of saves.  (Honorable Mention - Addison Reed has 37 saves over this time, but has played for both leagues.)

NL Saves

Craig Kimbrel – ATL	53
Kenley Jansen – LAD	46
Huston Street – SD	42
Rafael Soriano – WAS	40
Sergio Romo – SF	39

Craig Kimbrel might be the most automatic three outs in league history.  Once again, look at the number of saves for Huston Street for a team that never reaches the .500 mark.

Looking at these stats, here are the top 5 hitters, starters, and closers ASG-to-ASG.

Hitters

		Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	1B	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Mike	Trout	LAA	155	564	109	178	36	6	34	102	111	116	161	22	.316	.432	.582	1.014
Andrew	McCutchen	PIT	160	594	98	196	40	9	28	119	96	99	120	22	.330	.426	.569	.995
Troy	Tulowitzki	COL	151	524	102	169	29	1	30	109	82	80	99	2	.323	.412	.553	.966
Victor	Martinez	DET	146	554	74	190	36	0	27	127	88	55	41	2	.343	.402	.554	.956
Paul	Goldschmidt	ARZ	161	607	109	182	49	4	31	98	109	105	157	14	.300	.403	.547	.950

Starters

		Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	AVG	WHIP	K/BB	K/9
Clayton	Kershaw	LAD	19	5	1.68	27	27	0	0	187	134	38	35	9	30	219	.193	0.88	7.3	10.5
Adam	Wainwright	STL	19	8	2.59	33	33	0	0	233	189	68	67	13	47	204	.213	1.01	4.3	7.9
Max	Scherzer	DET	19	5	2.99	32	32	0	0	211	169	73	70	18	60	234	.211	1.09	3.9	10.0
Jon	Lester	BOS	16	9	2.62	32	32	0	0	216 2/3	200	78	63	12	51	208	.235	1.16	4.1	8.6
Felix	Hernandez	SEA	13	8	2.74	31	31	0	0	210	164	72	64	9	45	230	.207	1.00	5.1	9.9

Closers

		Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	AVG	WHIP	K/BB	K/9
Craig	Kimbrel	ATL	2	2	1.43	71	0	53	58	69 1/3	34	14	11	2	23	106	.140	0.82	4.6	13.8
Greg	Holland	KC	1	2	1.22	68	0	50	52	66 2/3	43	9	9	4	17	96	.177	0.90	5.6	13.0
Huston	Street	SD	3	1	1.06	60	0	42	44	59 1/3	32	7	7	5	13	62	.152	0.76	4.8	9.4
Koji	Uehara	BOS	7	3	1.07	71	0	31	33	75 2/3	36	9	9	6	7	98	.137	0.57	14.0	11.7
Kenley	Jansen	LAD	2	3	2.48	72	0	46	50	69	48	19	19	4	22	108	.188	1.01	4.9	14.1

To check out all the stats I compiled, click the link below.

2013-2014 ASG-TO-ASG STATS