Expensive acquisition Matt Holliday might currently be on the Disabled List, but that doesn’t prevent the St. Louis Cardinals from continuing to have the highest producing outfield in all of MLB. Very few expected the aging, but now slimmer downed Lance Berkman to be a seriously game-changing addition, but his numbers (including a 1000+ OPS) tell the story- he’s one of the best pick-ups of the off season.
And it seems like Berkman’s hitting has spread throughout the entire unit. Four of the five outfielders are hitting above .320; the depth in the Busch Stadium outfield has indeed been something to write home about. Holliday has been extremely solid when healthy, Colby Rasmus has been the team’s top run producer, and John Jay (not to be confused with one of the three authors of “The Federalist Papers” has added offensive depth off the bench, much like Allen Craig.
If it weren’t for the Cardinals’ pitching injuries, more people would be believing in the Cards right now. Sure they’re in first place in the AL Central by two games, but it doesn’t seem to “feel that way.” Here are the Cards OF #s:
*Stats current through June 4th
Matt Holliday/LF .342/.975, 31 R, 13 DBL, 6 HR, 31 RBI in 44 games.
Colby Rasmus/CF .271/.819, 38 R, 10 DBL, 6 TRPL, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 5 SB in 56 games.
Lance Berkman/RF .329/1.043, 35 R, 9 DBL, 12 HR, 40 RBI in 51 games.
Jon Jay/OF .331/.861, 15 R, 6 DBL, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 5 SB in 56 games.
Allen Craig/OF/2B .343/.953, 16 R, 8 DBL, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 4 SB in 38 games.
Wow!
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook