St Louis Cardinals

Spring training is in full swing and the St. Louis Cardinals are creating plenty of buzz. The reigning National League champions have a stacked roster at the major league level. It is the continued improvement of the players in the farm system that keeps the fans coming back for more early in spring.

The 2013 St. Louis Cardinals scored 18 more runs than in 2012 despite hitting 34 fewer home runs. A season after being ranked No. 7 in homers in the National League, they plummeted to No. 13.

Five Cardinals blasted 20 or more long balls in 2012 compared to two last season. And one of them—Carlos Beltran—left via free agency.

It’s doubtful the St. Louis Cardinals would have finished with the best record in the National League and reached the World Series last season without the contributions from their rookie pitchers.

Using 12 different rookies during the regular season, the Cardinals’ collection of promising young arms posted a 36-22 record with a 3.17 ERA, 8.79 K/9 and 2.99 BB/9 in 553.2 innings.

Oscar Taveras was widely regarded as the top offensive prospect in baseball headed into the 2013 season and was expected to make an immediate impact upon reaching the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals.

With the Super Bowl now in the past and trucks already being shipped to Florida and Arizona filled with baseball gear, it’s time to officially start thinking about baseball season again.

While spring training will be filled with all of the usual suspects—Yadier Molina, Matt Holliday and Adam Wainwright to name a few—there will also be a number of new faces.

With four World Series appearances in the last decade, the St. Louis Cardinals are baseball’s closest thing to a dynasty. 

However, rather than procuring talent during the offseason like most large-market franchises, the Cardinals continue to produce winning teams the old-fashioned way: by developing players.

That being said, a strong case can be made that the Cardinals would not have reached the postseason—let alone the World Series—if not for their impressive young arms.

The St. Louis Cardinals represented the National League in the World Series in 2013. They put together the best regular season record in the National League to get there. Since the close of the season, they have improved their roster by making moves by both trade and in free agency.

Along the way, there have been some headlines worth noting. Combined, they form a subscript of the calendar year and help to define the current state of the franchise.  

I'm sure I am not alone when it comes to the excitement I have about the 2014 season and what it holds for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Coming off their second World Series appearance in three years, the Cardinals appear primed to make a deep run into October in 2014.

Their roster is pretty loaded, and they actually reduced payroll heading into next season. However, no matter how loaded a roster may be, there are always injuries, slumps and unforeseen circumstances.

With the end of a year comes the final chapter of the season that nearly was. For the second year in a row, the St. Louis Cardinals were inches away from their 12th world championship.

The arrival of 2014 means it is time to put the season fully in the past and move forward to the future of the organization.

The 2013 season brought to the forefront many new faces within the organization that made an impact on 2013 and will in all likelihood continue to do so next season.

As the New Year rings in, the St. Louis Cardinals have a lot to look forward to.

They are stocked up on talent at almost every position, are coming off a trip to the World Series and are poised to contend against the National League Central, all with a lower payroll.

Yeah, times are pretty good. But every team has room for improvement and the Cardinals are no exception.

Here are some New Years' resolutions for the birds from St. Louis.