After taking a look at some 2019 expectations for the Cardinals’ potential first four hitters earlier this week, it’s time to take a look at the last four. This portion of the lineup isn’t as predictable as the former, as far as positions go. However, the players that will make it up are all but set, barring any late offseason additions.
This is by no means a prediction of batting order. It is possible that the 5-8 part of the lineup could shape up the way it is laid out here, but it’s difficult to say at this point. Moreover, the players below are simply placed in an order so expectations can be examined one guy at a time.
5. Dexter Fowler
John Mozeliak has made it known that the Redbirds intend on Dexter Fowler being their everyday right fielder, despite him not doing anything on the field in 2018 to earn the position. Nonetheless, the Cardinals are going to need more out of him this season than a .180 average and a 62 wRC+.
According to the team, Fowler is having a nice offseason. It seems like it would be hard to know that at this point, but that’s the word on the street. Still, his projections for 2019 aren’t much better than his numbers in ’18. Depending on where you look, Fowler is expected to hit between nine and 12 home runs, drive in 34-43 and post an OPS in the .730 – .742 range. \
For his both own sake and the Cardinals’ sake, Dexter needs to outperform his projections. He seems more likely to fall right in line with them, though. If he does, he could find himself spending a lot of time on the bench again this season. That’s not really where Mozeliak wants his $80.5 million man.
6. Yadier Molina
Molina could very well be the fifth place hitter, depending on how Shildt wants to stack the right handers agains the lefties, but again, that’s not the point of this article. Last season, Yadi had a very solid year behind the plate and standing next to it.
Despite missing right around a month with a particularly painful injury that required surgery to heal, Molina still hit 20 homers, drove in 74 and posted a 103 OPS+. Oh, and he won his ninth Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
Going into the 2019 season, Yadi will be 36 years of age. He’s still expected to have a solid year at the plate, though. His projections show he will hit 15 homers, drive in 62-64 runs and post an OPS of .731-.733. Across all platforms Yadi’s expected numbers are nearly the exact same. They appear to be about right, too. It’s reasonable to think he will hit enough doubles to push his OPS closer to the .750 range, but other than that, it’s hard to argue with what the forecasts.
7. Kolten Wong
2018 was Kolten Wong’s strongest season defensively, by far. However, his bat was somewhat MIA. He’s yet to have a breakout year at the plate and last season was no different. He only hit nine home runs with 38 RBI and a .720 OPS. Clearly he’s not expected to produce a lot of power and drive in runs, but he also only scored 41 and only stole six bases.
Hopefully, now that he has his defense seemingly figured out, Kolten will give up on trying to be a power hitter. He may have thought hitting home runs was the only way he could stay on the field before, but his glove has now solidified his spot on the infield.
In this case, Wong’s expectations are really based around his approach going into the new season. He’s projected to hit 8-11 home runs, drive in around 45 and post an OPS between .725 and .748. That said, if he changes his attitude at the plate, draws more walks and tries to hit more singles the other way, there’s no reason he can’t hit close to .285 with an OBP of around .360.
8. Harrison Bader
Like Wong, Harrison Bader had a great season defensively in 2018. He burst onto the big league scene with his speed and glove this past season, posting the highest number of DRS among all MLB outfielders, in limited time. Also like Wong, though, Bader never figured it out at the plate. He showed some promise at times but wasn’t very consistent. However, this could be attributed to the fact that last year was his first in the majors.
The projections say Bader will have an identical year at the plate in 2019, and that’s probably what we should expect. He could show some improvement, but most guys, a current example being Paul DeJong, tend to take a step back in their second season, not forwards. It’s been dubbed the ‘sophomore slump,’ and anywhere you look, it’s predicted that Bader will be no exception.
He’s forecasted to hit between 12 and 16 homers, drive in 41 to 61 and have an OPS between .706 and .746. Despite a potential hike in home run total, his over-arcing numbers are all projected to be slightly lower than in 2018. As long as his defense remains at the level it was last year, though, he’s still the best option the Cardinals have for center on their current roster.
Featured Image by the Associated Press
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