UCB Project: February/March Roundtable

Starting at the latter part of February and running through last week, the United Cardinal Bloggers held one of their regular roundtables.  I tend to always take the last slot so that everyone else can get their questions in, but eventually I've got to come up with one as well.  In keeping with the spirit of the season, I asked the following:

"What are you most looking forward to in the season to come?"

After the jump, see what the members of the UCB want to see in the upcoming season.


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Also on the Network: √ Doing It The Hard Way [C70 At The Bat] √ Bobby Jenks Saves Sox's Win Over Seattle [Tremendous Upside Potential] √ Deadline moves [Feeling Dodger Blue] √ Manny's impact [Feeling Dodger Blue] √ Shea Stadium Plays Citi Field [Loge 13] √ Frustration Revisted [C70 At The Bat] √ Not So Fast, T-Mac [Tremendous Upside Potential] √ Payroll breakdown [Feeling Dodger Blue]

Nick (Pitchers Hit Eighth): As one of the most vocal members of the 'Honkin for Jaime' group, that's definitely high on my list - the guy has just been lights out this spring.  Could be one of the better homegrown pitching prospects to come through St. Louis (and stay here for a bit, hopefully) in a while.

Perhaps most importantly when it comes to the Cardinals (or any other team for that matter), I'm looking forward to a relatively injury-free season.  Let's see another great year from Carp, Wainer, and Pujols.  No injuries.  Simple, right?

Steve (Play A Hard Nine): I think I am most excited about seeing the maturation of the younger players.  Can Rasmus become the offensive player we all think he can?  Can Garcia step up and grab the 5th spot, with his eyes on the 3 spot in the next few years?  Can Mitchell Boggs or Jason Motte become legitimate 8th inning shut-down relievers?  Can David Freese be a league average player?  I'm interested in seeing how those questions play out over the next 162.

Chris (Bird Brained): I don't know if the word is necessarily "excited," but I'm definitely intrigued by the players in the Cards' system that appear to be figuring into the big club's 2010 plans and just how good they turn out. With the big Holliday contract and the looming Pujols deal, the farm system will have to fill in a lot of the other positions for the foreseeable future, starting now. So if the highly touted prospects don't pan out in the bigs, this team could be in trouble. I will also be intrigued by how they draft in 2010; these kids should project to make the team in the next 2-4 years, which is right in the heart of the big money deals. Will they go after a top-tier second baseman in case they can't afford to retain Skip? What about a replacement glove/bat for Ludwick? Who is the Cards' next closer?