photo: Nolan Arenado (Joe Puetz/USA TODAY Sports)
Star third baseman Nolan Arenado finalized his decision to remain with the St. Louis Cardinals. Same for pitcher Adam Wainwright. The club has multiple finalists for Silver Slugger Awards and two Fielding Bible Award winners. Our history feature recounts Albert Pujols’ home run feats in 2021 and 2022.
Arenado declines opt-out
The long-awaited decision by St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado on his contract status for the 2023 season has finally come. It was reported over the weekend and made official on Sunday that Arenado will not exercise his opt-out clause but instead play out the remainder of his contract in St. Louis.
3B Nolan Arenado has chosen to remain with the #STLCards through the 2027 season and not exercise his opt out clause. pic.twitter.com/5ckz6nFf5W
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) October 30, 2022
The 31-year-old has five years and $144 million remaining on his contract which came with him from Colorado. No changes to the contract were reported to have occurred to incentivize Arenado’s return. President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak flew to Southern California to meet with the third baseman in person to discuss the matter prior to Arenado’s decision to remain.
Mozeliak stated that the discussion centered on the team’s plans for the roster following the departures of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. Arenado wanted to know about the payroll and what the organization was planning in deployment of resources.
Arenado has always made it clear that his desire was to be with a winning organization. One of his goals was to win a division title, something that was not accomplished while Arenado was in Colorado. That goal was realized in 2022. Arenado has stated multiple times that he loves playing in St. Louis and feels like he is a fit with the Cardinals.
Arenado improved his offensive performance in 2022 over his 2021 campaign, raising both his average and his OPS from .225 and .807 to .293 and .891 in 2022. His stellar defense has not diminished, as he is the winner of his fifth Fielding Bible award at third base and is a finalist for his 10th Gold Glove at the position. He is also a finalist for his seventh Silver Slugger award.
Arenado will finish his contract with the Cardinals in 2027 in his age 36 season.
Wainwright returning for 2023
The Cardinals have reached an agreement with pitcher Adam Wainwright for a one-year contract for the 2023 season. The deal was announced to the media on Wednesday.
Adam Wainwright will return for his 19th season with the #STLCards in 2023. pic.twitter.com/lTJW5VFnCZ
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) October 26, 2022
The details of the contract include a base salary of $17.5 million with $10 million of that deferred. The deferred money will be paid out at $1 million increments beginning in 2024 through 2033. Various incentives are also included for number of starts and placement in Cy Young Award voting and other awards. The contract also has full no-trade protection.
Wainwright met with the media via Zoom and when questioned, admitted that 2023 would be his final season. Several personal milestones could be met for the right-hander before he calls it quits, the most reachable being 200 wins. Wainwright currently sits at 195 wins. Wainwright indicated that his target is 210 wins, which would tie him with Jesse Haines for second on the all-time Cardinals list.
Wainwright cited displeasure on how his 2022 campaign ended as the main reason for his wish to return for another season. He struggled during his last month plus of the regular season, and as a result was not considered for a postseason start. He found a mechanical flaw in his stride length that he believes was the cause of his struggles. Wainwright believes the flaw was a result of a ball hit by Austin Riley on August 28 that hit him in the knee.
Wainwright was 11-12 in 32 starts in 2022 with an ERA of 3.71.
Major coaching staff changes coming
Along the heels of the announcement this past week that Cardinals bench coach Skip Schumaker has been named the new manager of the Miami Marlins, came the revelation by President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak of other changes to the 2023 Cardinals coaching staff.
Mozeliak told assembled media in a press conference on Wednesday that hitting coach Jeff Albert and pitching coach Mike Maddux will not be returning in 2023. In addition, bullpen coach Bryan Eversgerd will be reassigned to a different role in the organization.
Mozeliak stated the departures of Albert and Maddux were their decisions, as the Cardinals were prepared to offer them new contracts. They declined for different reasons. Albert’s decision was based on what he considered to be blame placed on him on social media for the hitting woes of Cardinals hitters during different points in the season.
Maddux decided not to return because he wanted a change of pace from being a pitching coach. Just what that particular change might be was not cited, though a consultant role is possible..
Mozeliak now has the difficult task of replacing four coaching positions at the major league level. Speculation has centered on two people, former Cardinal Matt Holliday for hitting coach, and current Major League Pitching Strategist Dusty Blake in the role of pitching coach. There has been no official word from the organization on who they might be considering for any of the open positions. Whether the Cardinals will turn to internal options such as Blake or Stubby Clapp, or look outside the organization is uncertain, though Mozeliak mentioned due diligence in the process.
Silver Slugger Award finalists include four Cardinals
The finalists for the Silver Slugger Awards, which honor the top offensive players for each position in each league, were announced on Thursday. Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Tommy Edman, and Albert Pujols were among the finalists.
The winners will be announced on November 10 on MLB Network beginning at 5 pm CT. The finalists are the top vote-getters by MLB coaches and managers, who vote on regular season records only. The winners are already set but not yet known to the public.
Goldschmidt is a finalist at first base, along with Freddie Freeman (LAD), Pete Alonso (NYM), Matt Olson (ATL), and Christian Walker (ARI).
Goldschmidt led the NL (all positions) in SLG (.578), OPS (.981), OPS+ (180), and led all NL first basemen in ISO (.260), and wRC+ (177). OPS+ is OPS that is normalized across the league and adjusted for ballpark. It works like many other advanced stats, in which 100 is league average. ISO measures raw power and only takes into account extra base hits. The stat wRC+ is an advanced stat that measures runs created adjusted for external factors like ballpark. Like OPS+, 100 is league average. Goldschmidt slashed .317/.404/.578 in 651 plate appearances.
Arenado joins Manny Machado (SDP), Austin Riley (ATL), and Justin Turner (LAD) as a finalist at third base.
Arenado led all NL third basemen in SLG (.533). He is second to Machado in OPS, wRC+ (151 to Machado’s 152), OPS+, and second to Riley in ISO. Arenado slashed .293/.358/.533 in 620 plate appearances.
Edman, along with Brandon Drury (SDP), Thairo Estrada (SFG), Jeff McNeil (NYM), and Chris Taylor (LAD) for Silver Slugger as a utility player. The Silver Slugger at the utility position is new for 2022. There is no utility player category in either Fangraphs or Baseball Reference that combines stats among multiple positions, so it is difficult to compare these finalists by stats. The only basis for comparison is WAR which is not isolated to offense. Edman leads the other four finalists in rWAR (Baseball Reference) and is second to McNeil in fWAR (Fangraphs). Edman slashed .265/.324/.400 in 630 plate appearances.
The finalists for designated hitter along with Pujols are Josh Bell (SDP), Luke Voit (WSH), Justin Turner (LAD), Charlie Blackmon (COL), and Bryce Harper (PHI). Despite being a finalist, Harper is ineligible to win because he fell short of the 100 game minimum requirement at the DH position.
Pujols led the NL at the DH position in SLG (.550), OPS (.895), ISO (.280), and wRC+ (150) and OPS+ (154). Pujols slashed .270/.345/.550 in 351 plate appearances.
Arenado and Edman win Fielding Bible Awards
The winners of the 2022 Fielding Bible Awards were announced on Thursday. This award is given every year for the best defensive players at each position regardless of league. The winners are voted on by a 15-member panel of statistical analysis experts. The award is given to 10 players, one at each position plus a multi-position winner.
Two Cardinals were among the ten winners across MLB. They are Nolan Arenado (third base) and Tommy Edman (multi-position). Arenado is a five-time winner of the award, the most for a third baseman, and one shy for most overall, behind Andrelton Simmons and Cardinals teammate Yadier Molina. Edman is a first-time winner.
This is the first win for Arenado as a Cardinal. Other present and former Cardinals to win the award while a Cardinal are Molina (6), Albert Pujols (5) Kolten Wong (3) and Tyler O’Neill (2). Paul Goldschmidt has won the award three times, once as a Cardinal (2021) and twice with the Diamondbacks (2013, 2017).
Arenado won the award by two points over Ke’Bryan Hayes, who won the award in 2021. Arenado finished second in Defensive Runs Saved (19) and Outs Above Average (15) to Hayes. The difference was Arenado received only first and second place votes from the panelists, while Hayes received a third and fourth place vote.
Edman, who played both second base and shortstop for the Cardinals in 2022, won the award by a sizable margin over second place finisher Daulton Varsho. Edman received 146 points, while Varsho received 117 points. Edman received 11 first place votes from the 15 panelists. Brendan Donovan finished in fifth place in the multi-position category with 71 points.
Other Cardinals to receive votes were Paul Goldschmidt (3rd place, 87 points), Yadier Molina (7th place, 46 points), Dylan Carlson in CF (8th place, 38 points), Tyler O’Neill in LF (9th place, 32 points) and Lars Nootbaar in RF (10th place, 28 points). Edman also received votes at SS, he came in 10th with 36 points. Adam Wainwright didn’t place in the top 10 but received 12 points. Former Cardinal Harrison Bader, who played the majority of his injury-shortened season with the Cardinals, came in ninth in center field with 26 points.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
There are no transactions to report.
Injury Report
There are no new injuries to report.
Looking Ahead
At the end of the postseason, the offseason begins with free agency becoming official five days after the conclusion of the World Series.
The Cardinals have two potential free agents. Pitcher Jose Quintana, and outfield Corey Dickerson will be free agents as of the fifth day following the end of the World Series.
Adam Wainwright has signed a new one-year contract with the Cardinals, and Nolan Arenado has declined to exercise his opt-out clause, so both are out of the free agent pool.
The Cardinals can negotiate for the return of their free agents during the five-day window following the completion of the World Series. It is possible that the Cardinals may attempt to re-sign Quintana, though the organization has been silent about their intentions toward the left-hander. It is also unknown whether the team has any desire to sign Dickerson.
Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina will also be free agents, but both have announced their intention to retire and will not be returning.
During the aforesaid five-day window, teams must also make the Qualifying Offer to eligible free agents. That offer is set at $19.65 million for a one year contract. Quintana is not eligible because he has not been with the Cardinals for a full season. Dickerson is eligible but it is highly unlikely that he will be offered. Once the offer is made, the player has 10 days to accept or decline.
Blast from the Past
In the final installment of our series on the career home run record of Cardinals great Albert Pujols, we review his 2021 season with the Angels and Dodgers, and 2022 season with the Cardinals.
Pujols played for two teams in 2021, beginning the season with the Los Angeles Angels and ending it with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Albert signed with the Cardinals for his final season in 2022.
Following is each season with totals for each and further details about the home runs hit.
2021 season
This was Albert Pujols’ 21st major league campaign. Pujols hit 17 home runs in 2021. Five of the long balls were hit as Albert finished his decade with the Angels. Twelve of the home runs came after he was released by the Angels and signed with the Dodgers. He had one game with two home runs.
Pujols’ first of five home runs with the Angels during the 2021 season (#663) was hit on April 2, 2021, against the Chicago White Sox at Angels Stadium. The Angels lost to the White Sox 12-8. The long ball was a three-run shot in the fourth inning against starter Dallas Keuchel.
The final home run hit by Albert in 2021 (#679) was a Dodger, hit at Busch Stadium off Cardinals starter J.A. Happ on September 7. It was a solo home run in the first inning. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 7-2.
Further details on the 17 home runs hit by Pujols in 2021.
- Thirteen of the 17 home runs were hit against left-handed pitchers. Four were hit off right-handers.
- Of the 17, 10 were hit at home and seven on the road.
- Albert hit four home runs against Arizona Diamondbacks pitching.
- Pujols hit two home runs each off Jake McGee (SFG) and Alex Young (ARI).
- Albert hit two home runs at Minute Maid Park.
- Locations of the 17 home runs were, Pulled (9), Up the Middle (6), and Opposite Field (2).
- Long balls by month: April (5), May (3), June (3), July (2), August (2), September (2).
- Type: Fly Balls (15), Line Drives (2).
2022 season
In his 22nd and final major league season, Albert hit 24 home runs as a member of the Cardinals. These 24 home runs put him at 703 for his career, fourth all time in in MLB history, behind only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth. Albert had four games with two home runs.
The first 2022 home run (#680) was hit on April 12, 2022, against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium. It was a solo home run in the first inning against starter Daniel Lynch. The Cardinals beat the Royals 6-5.
Pujols’ final home run of 2022 (#703) was hit at PNC Park on October 3 in the sixth inning against Pirates starter Mitch Keller. It was a two-run home run. The Cardinals lost to the Pirates 3-2. The milestone 700th long ball was hit at Dodger Stadium on September 23 off Dodgers reliever Phil Bickford in the fourth inning. It was a three-run shot. Pujols hit #699 in that same game off starter Andrew Heaney, a two-run shot. The Cardinals beat the Dodgers 11-0.
Further details on the 2022 home runs.
- Pujols hit 13 home runs against left-handed pitchers and 11 against right-handers.
- He hit 14 home runs on the road and 10 at home.
- Albert blasted seven home runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Pujols hit two home runs each off Aaron Ashby (MIL), Madison Bumgarner (ARI), Austin Gomber (COL), and Chase De Jong (PITT).
- Five long balls were hit at PNC Park.
- The locations of the home runs were: Pulled (15), Up the Middle (8), and Opposite Field (1).
- Long balls by month: April (2), May (2), June (0), July (3), August (8), September (7), and October (2).
- Type of the home runs: Fly Ball (20), and Line Drive (4).
This is the final installment on the Albert Pujols career home runs series.
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