Fantasy Baseball DOs and DON'Ts: St. Louis Cardinals Edition

Just because Daniel Shoptaw is on vacation doesn't mean you still can't get your daily dose of Daniel. Aubain, that is. I was honored to be invited to guest post and bring a little of what I do to a whole new audience. I write a fantasy baseball blog, Colorado Springs Fantasy Baseball Addict, and will be bringing you some Cardinals fantasy baseball "DOs and DON'Ts". Be sure to follow me on Twitter @COSFBA, too.

Here are some St. Louis Cardinals fantasy baseball "DOs and DON'Ts" up to this point in the 2011 season:

• DON'T worry about Albert Pujols' numbers being down. He's still on pace for 34 home runs, 97 RBI, 111 runs and 12 stolen bases. It merely proves he's purely human rather than a demigod. Feel free to continue worshiping him, though. Oh, and keep an eye on how many games he plays at 3B, too. He's much more valuable as a fantasy third baseman than a first baseman.
• DO expect Matt Holliday to pick up right where he left off once he returns from the DL. His .342 batting average is tied for tops in the majors.
  
• DON'T call Lance Berkman "Fat Elvis". "Big Puma" is back with a vengeance. His 5x5 line of .317/40/16/46/0 ranks him as the 17th-best offensive fantasy player and on pace for 39HR/111 RBI. Plus he's 1B/OF eligible which is really nice for roster flexibility.
• DO embrace Jon Jay and Allen Craig as valuable fantasy assets. Combined, they are batting .320 (83/259) with 32 runs, eight home runs, 37 RBI and nine stolen bases.
• DON'T worry about not having a true Closer in the bullpen. After a rough start of the season with veteran Ryan Franklin in the role, young guns Eduardo Sanchez and Fernando Salas have been getting the job done.
• DO worry about Chris Carpenter's struggles. Despite eight of fourteen quality starts, he's only produced a 1-6 record with a 4.47 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. Not the kind of numbers you want from a pitcher who was drafted as a fantasy ace.
• DON'T forget about Adam Wainwright when drafting your team in 2012. He should be back throwing in the spring and ready to go in the early part of next season barring a setback.
• DO appreciate how good Jaime Garcia has been over the last two seasons. In 41 starts, he's gone 19-10 with a 2.87 ERA and 204 strikeouts in 245 innings pitched.
• DON'T underestimate the value of a good-hitting catcher in fantasy baseball. Yadier Molina is currently the 7th-ranked catcher with his .307/21/3/25/1 line.
• DO realize that the St. Louis Cardinals rank second only behind the Boston Red Sox with both a team batting average of .274 and a team on-base percentage of .347. Those types of offensive numbers should keep the Cardinals in the mix for the NL Central title while giving the starting pitching and bullpen a chance to straighten things out.

So now you have some fantasy baseball "DOs and DON'Ts" when it comes to Cardinals' players. For more general fantasy baseball coverage, pop over to COSFBA for articles and information geared towards helping you succeed in your leagues.

NOTE: All statistics quoted are from games played through June 13, 2011.

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