But things have changed in St. Louis as the Cardinals have a new manager in Mike Matheny, a new first baseman in Lance Berkman, and a new pitching coach in Derek Lilliquist.
Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa, and Dave Duncan have all moved on for various reasons. Three of stabling forces of the Cardinals success over the past decade are now all gone. All three of them will be missed in various ways by Cardinals fans.
But who will the Cardinals miss most?
Albert Pujols has been the best hitter in baseball ever since he stepped foot on a Major League Baseball field. Pujols has a career .328 batting average and has averaged 42 home runs and 126 RBI's per season. Some, like our friend over at El Maquino, feel it is just not possible to replace his bat and leadership on the field.
Others may feel losing a future Hall of Fame manager in Tony La Russa to retirement will hurt the club tremendously as the team adjusts to new leadership for the first time 16 seasons.
Finally, Duncan's influence and approach on the pitching staff and his dedication to preparation of opponents can not be discounted either.
So who will be missed most? Vote now!
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Oh criminy people! When did TLR hit 40 homeruns for your team?!
ReplyDeletePut me in the camp that thinks we'll miss La Russa the most. Matheny has ZERO experience in managing anything and won't have Duncan around to help.
ReplyDeleteAlthough El Maquino, I think Pujols is a very close second.