These NL Central Players Feel Need For Speed

When Draft time comes around, guys with elite speed tend to get first-round looks -- for good reason.

St. Louis Official Site

Five NL Central Sluggers With A Wallop

The Major League power surge over the past five years has provided the game with a new generation of sluggers who can captivate sellout crowds with one swing. The National League Central is no exception, and the division's hitter-friendly ballparks provide the perfect environment for the big bats.

St. Louis Official Site

The Best Batting Eyes In The NL Central

In an era when strikeouts are prevalent, having a great eye at the plate becomes all the more important. So who are the players on each National League Central team with the best batting eyes? With the help of all five NL Central beat writers, we answer that question here. These are the guys you can count on to make pitchers work harder to try and get them out:

St. Louis Official Site

Best Pure Hitters In NL Central? Here Are Five

While many aspects go into the making of a complete player, one thing is indisputable: It's hard to forget the ones who swung a mighty stick. Babe Ruth. Willie Mays. Ted Williams. Ty Cobb.

St. Louis Official Site

First, Matt Carpenter Says He Must 'Earn A Job,' But His Goal Is To Finish Spring Hitting Second

From on-base percentage titan to pull-side slugger, as Matt Carpenter morphed from one style of hitter to another, he could line up his seasons with traditional typecasting for spots in the batting order.

Post-Dispatch

Christian Yelich On Contract Extension: 'A Natural Fit'

It’s official. Christian Yelich is a Milwaukee Brewer for life.

Milwaukee Official Site

Paul DeJong Has The Power To Stop Cardinals' Cleanup Carousel

Considering that Mike Shildt was still fine-tuning the wording of his wedding vows the morning before his big day, it should come as no surprise that the Cardinals manager sees plenty of time to sort through his cleanup quandary.

BenFred

Marcell Ozuna Says He Would Have Welcomed One-Year Deal From Cardinals; It Just Wasn't Offered A Second Time

If he knew then what he knows now, Atlanta Braves cleanup hitter Marcell Ozuna would have answered one of the Cardinals’ biggest questions of spring way, way, way back in mid-November.

Birdland

Closer Casting Call: Cardinals Throw Open Ninth For Competition, Hoping One Emerges From Many

The job opening isn’t posted on the corkboards inside the Cardinals’ clubhouse this spring, but every day the candidates are — and by now they know the qualifications.

Post-Dispatch

Braves Hope Marcell Ozuna Can Reclaim Power, Prowess

When Marcell Ozuna arrived at Braves camp on Sunday, he took another step toward attempting to prove his 2017 season was more a sign of his tremendous potential than it was an outlier.

Atlanta Official Site

Lorenzo Cain Hoping Diet & Exercise Spark A Rebound

How did Lorenzo Cain get into shape for the start of what he hopes is a bounce-back season?

Milwaukee Official Site

What Do Cardinals' Moves Mean For Yairo Munoz In 2020?

Where have you gone, Drew Robinson?

Hochman

Cardinals Lineup Is Scaring The Wrong People

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said during Winter Warm-Up that he’s started toying with a 2020 lineup in his head.

BenFred

Max Scherzer Named To 2019 All-MLB Team, Jack Flaherty Named To Second-Team

Baseball had never before had an official star squad that salutes a full season's worth of work the way other major professional sports do. But the results of the voting for the first All-MLB Team finally arrived Tuesday at the Winter Meetings.

MLB Official Site

Is This The Year Baseball Makes Winter Meetings Interesting Again?

Good news first.

BenFred

Baseball Must Regain Competitve Balance To Save Its Business

Our national pastime is recovering from its most unbalanced season in modern times. Too many teams tried to lose on purpose, so the industry needs reform.

Gordo

The NL Central's Most Attractive Trade Chips

In January 2018, the Brewers were ready to build. They had prospects to deal and money to spend. In one swift stroke, they turned both of those assets into Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain. Nine months later, Milwaukee was in the National League Championship Series.

St. Louis Official Site

Which Marcell Ozuna Will A Future Team Acquire?

“Was the Marcell Ozuna trade a bad deal?” is a really interesting question, and I think the answer to that is the same as whether you think the Christian Yelich deal was a poor one, too. Sure, of course you would argue that it wasn’t, on account of the two top-two MVP finishes.

Beyond The Boxscore

With The Cardinals Content To Sit On The Sidelines, Let's Hope The Brewers & Cubs Tank

While it doesn’t seem that the Cardinals are interested in making a splash this winter, at least it appears that some of their division rivals are taking a step or two backwards over the offseason. Hopefully, that will be enough to allow St. Louis to make an encore appearance in the playoffs.

Cheap Seats

Andrew Miller Seeks Return To Dominance In 2020

When the Cardinals signed Andrew Miller to a two-year deal last offseason, they hoped they were signing a veteran left-hander whose high-leverage experience would give the back of the bullpen a boost.

St. Louis Official Site