Positively Thinking About 2008

Spring is the time for optimism, for somewhat escaping the realism of the game and thinking about what could be. So, in that vein, let's look at five reasons why it is conceivable that the 2008 season will be better than the rough 2007 season.

1) Starting Pitching

I took a look at the starters recently and the numbers they put up last year were ghastly. Just by the law of averages, you'd think that they'd improve in the coming season.
Kip Wells, though I defended him on this blog most of the summer, is gone to Colorado. Mike Maroth is gone as well, though he's unsigned as of now. So there is some improvement right there.
The Cardinals are encouraged by the rehab of Mark Mulder. Even if he's a league-average pitcher for the season, that's better than what he did last year and what he'd be replacing in the rotation.
Adam Wainwright has grown into an ace. While he could slip back in his second full season as a starter, it's as likely that he'll take a step forward. He did have a very rough start to the season last year.
Joel Pinerio had a good season in the NL. If that was an accurate representation of what he can do and not because the league wasn't familiar with him, that's a step forward.
And then there is Matt Clement. We've seen what he can do in the NL, especially the NL Central. The health factor is big, of course, but the talent is there.
So, there are a lot of ifs. But even if only half of them break the Cardinals way, they should improve pitching-wise over last year. And that could be enough to get the Cardinals over .500.

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2) The Hot Corner

Look, I'm on record as not being a big supporter of the Rolen/Glaus trade. And it still wouldn't shock me to see Rolen outproduce Glaus on an overall basis this season.

That said, the '07 statistics from the hot corner should be dwarfed by a healthy Glaus.  With Rolen's shoulder acting up, sapping his power and swing, and no solid backup on the roster, there was a big hole in the lineup last season.  If nothing else, Glaus should bring 30 HR power back to the position and even if his average isn't as high as Rolen's career numbers, it should beat the 2007 incarnation.
3) Superman Again
I don't think anyone would really complain about Albert Pujols's numbers from last season.  A lot of players would give a year's salary to have a year like that.  But, assuming that the elbow holds out, it's reasonable to expect closer to his career norms than just scraping by to get his 100 RBI.  It's just boggling to imagine that he was around .200 in May last year.  Is it really likely that happens again?
4) Outfield Play
Last year's outfield really got bogged down with injuries.  Jim Edmonds wasn't himself, Juan Encarnacion missed the last month with his eye injury, Chris Duncan played the second half hurt.  With the number of outfielders in the mix this year, it seems reasonable to think that a return to health plus some youth and things will be better in '08.
It's hard to remember that Duncan basically carried the team early in the season last year.  If he's able to stay healthy, he could put up 30-40 HR.  The jury is still really out on Rick Ankiel, but the power seems real if he can make adjustments to the way teams pitch to him.  Brian Barton will be playing to keep a job, as will Skip Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick, so that always helps raise your game.  We don't know what we'll get out of Juan Gonzalez, but if he makes the team that means that there's probably something there.  (That may go down the tubes in his first at-bat, but hey, it's there.)
And the shadow of Colby Rasmus will also be out there, looking to give the team a mid-season boost.
5) The NL Central
There have been some moves made in the Central in the offseason, but I'm not convinced that there still is a dominant team or two that will make life miserable for the rest of the division.
The Brewers still have to probably be considered one of the frontrunners, and they did help their defense out a lot by signing Mike Cameron and moving Ryan Braun to the outfield (much as the Cardinals have done with Duncan But Cameron misses a month with a steroid suspension and the pitching staff is heavily reliant on injury-prone Ben Sheets.  If he goes down again, it could really be a rough road for them.
The Cubs added Fukudome and Lieber, but they still have holes.  The meat of the order is not bad, but outside of the middle four, there are problems.  As for the rotation, if Zambrano is on they'll be tough, but if he melts down again that's a big hole.
I think the Reds are going to be a surprise team, but they still need a #3 behind Harang and Arroyo.  Getting a fairly reliable closer was a good move for them and they'll have their own young phenoms making waves as well.
Houston and Pittsburgh still are works in progress.  Houston got Tejada, but they gave up a lot of youth to do it.  They moved Lidge (which hurts the Cardinals) but they still need pitching.  Pittsburgh—well, they need a lot of things.
I'm not saying the Cardinals will finish ahead of all of these teams.  I'm just saying that each of them has noticeable weaknesses as well.
I know there are a lot of ifs.  It's just as likely that more arms go down, Ankiel regresses, none of the second-tier outfielders step up, Albert's elbow goes out and the season is pretty much over by June.
But in the spirit of the season, I'm going to see the glass half-full and think this team can have a competitive campaign in 2008.