Could the St. Louis Cardinals have made the 2011 playoffs without Lance Berkman?
Could Berkman be the comeback player of the year? He is certainly in the running. During the 2011 season, Berkman concentrated on right field (110 games), but also played left field 16 times, first base 21 times, and was twice a designated hitter. He batted .301, hit 31 home runs (HR), and drove in 94 runs (RBI). ESPN.com reports that in 2010, “Berkman battled a left knee injury and batted a career-worst .248 with 14 homers and 58 RBIs for the Astros and Yankees last year. He briefly considered retiring before resuming training and finding a home in St. Louis, which gave him an $8 million deal for 2011.”
Again quoting ESPN.com, in 2011, “Berkman was one of the biggest draft day steals and delighted owners all season putting up numbers on a nightly basis. With 31 home runs and 94 RBI on the season, Berkman will enter next season as one of the top outfield options.”
After his 2011 season, Berkman was rewarded for his 2012 season with a $12 million contract.
Without Berkman in 2010, the Cards ended in second place in the National League Central division, with an 86-76 record.
mlbcenter.com points out, “At the beginning of 2010, it was predicted that St. Louis has a great outfield, beginning with ballyhooed new signee Holiday (.313, 24 HR, 109 RBI, 14 SB, 94 R, 182 Hits, .394 OBP) patrolling left field for the extended future. He’ll be the definition of lineup protection for Pujols. Right fielder Ryan Ludwick (.265, 22 HR, 97 RBI, .329 OBP) is also a strong power hitter that will compliment the elite bats of Holiday and Pujols. Finally, young centerfielder Colby Rasmus (.251, 16 HR, 52 RBI, .307 OBP) showed a lot of promise as a rookie in 2010″.
Ludwick was traded to the San Diego Padres after playing 77 games in 2010 with the Cards. He played 59 games with the Padres. In 2011, he played 101 games for the Padres, finishing up the year with the Pittsburgh Pirates (38 games). During this time, he batted .242, with a total of 44 HRs and 224 RBI.
Could the Cardinals have made the 2011 playoffs without Berkman?
Maybe not. Maybe. My choice is the latter.
Sources:
ESPN.com:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/4118/lance-berkman
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7004039/st-louis-cardinals-lance-berkman-agree-2012-deal
Baseball-Reference.com:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/berkmla01.shtml
ESPN.com 2010 standings:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/standings/_/year/2010
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Berkman#St._Louis_Cardinals_.282011-present.29
St. Louis Cardinals 2010 outfield:
http://www.mlbcenter.com/articles/mlb-previews/2010-st-louis-cardinals.html
Ryan Ludwick Statistics:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/ludwiry01.shtml