Tony LaRussa is a good manager but the Cardinals expect him to get deeper in the playoffs than he has lately. LaRussa led the Cardinals to a 91-71 (56.2%) record before bowing out to the Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs last year. LaRussa has now managed the Cardinals 14 years in which he has a 1,232-1,034 (54.4%) record winning two N.L. Pennants and 1 World Series Championship. In his 31 years as a major league manager, LaRussa is 2,552-2,217 (53.5%) with 5 League Pennants and 2 World Championships. For the Cardinals this season it’s World Series or bust.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE MANAGER IN 2010: A

The Cardinals had a lot of pitchers really step up in 2009 and they need them to maintain it in 2010. 37-year old righty Ryan Franklin is back as the closer and he had a “career” year in 2009. Franklin pitched in 62 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he was 4-3 with 38 saves, a 1.92 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. In his three years with the Cardinals, Franklin has pitched in 205 games (0 starts) in which he is 14-13 with 56 saves, a 2.91 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He is pitching the best ball of his career in St. Louis and the Cardinals need him to keep it up in 2010.

25-year old righty Kyle McClellan lost out on making the rotation for the Cardinals this spring but they will likely need him as a set up man in 2010. McClellan pitched in 66 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he was 4-4 with 3 saves, a 3.38 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. he only gave up 56 hits in 66 2/3 innings last season so he has the stuff needed to succeed in his new role.

32-year old Dennys Reyes will likely be the late lefty for the Cards in 2010. Reyes pitched in 75 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season in which he was 0-2 with 1 save, a 3.29 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He has really been a dominant reliever the last four years after failing as a starting pitcher. Reyes has pitched in 266 games (0 starts) in his last four years in the majors and he is 10-3 with 1 save, a 2.42 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

36-year old Trever Miller will be the lefty specialist for the Cardinals in 2010. Miller pitched in 70 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he was 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He whiffed 46 batters in 43 2/3 innings last season while only allowing 31 hits showing that Tony LaRussa knew exactly how to use him. Look for Miller to have another good year for the Cards in 2010.

27-year old righty Jason Motte started last season as the closer but he quickly lost the job without saving any games due to the longball. Motte pitched in 69 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he was 4-4 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Motte whiffed 54 batters in 56 2/3 innings as he has a great fastball, but, he also gave up 10 homers which is way too many. Look for the Cardinals to baby Motte by using him early in games in 2010 to try to restore his confidence.

27-year old Blake Hawksworth will also likely work the middle innings for the Cardinals in 2010. Hawksworth pitched in 30 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he was 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He only gave up 29 hits in 40 innings for the Cardinals last season showing the potential to pitch late in games for them down the road.

30-year old righty Josh Kinney will likely be a long man out of the pen if he makes the team. Kinney pitched in 17 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season in which he was 1-0 with a 8.80 ERA and a 2.22 WHIP. He has now pitched in 45 games (0 starts) in his three years with the Cardinals in which he was 1-0 with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2010: B

The Cardinals have released righty knuckleballer Charlie Zink after only one appearance in spring training. He was 0-1 with a 27.00 ERA and a 4.80 WHIP this spring for the Cardinals. He only worked 1 2/3 innings for the Cardinals this spring and he gave up six hits while walking 2 batters. The team decided that they saw more than enough out of him this spring.

The Cardinals have returned 27-year old righty reliever/starter Ben Jukich to the Reds. He was a Rule 5 Pick over the winter so the Cardinals lost $25,000 bucks on the deal. The Cardinals tried to work a deal with the Reds who weren’t buying what they were selling.

No team can match the top of the Cardinals’ rotation with Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. 34-year old Chris Carpenter will be the Cardinals’ #1 starter in 2010. He started 28 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 17-4 with a 2.24 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. In his six years with the Cardinals, Carpenter has pitched in 126 games (125 starts) in which he is 68-24 with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. If Carpenter is healthy in 2010 he will win at least 15 games.

28-year old righty Adam Wainwright really took his game up a few notches last season. He started 34 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. In his five years with the Cardinals, Wainwright has pitched in 149 games (86 starts) in which he is 46-24 with 3 saves, a 3.17 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Wainwright has turned into a true horse at the top of the Cardinals’ rotation.

31-year old righty Kyle Lohse will try to rebound from a sub-par 2009 season for the Cardinals. He pitched in 23 games (22 starts) for the Cardinals last season in which he was 6-10 with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. The Cardinals are hoping that pitching coach Dave Duncan can get Lohse back on track as he was solid for them in 2008. In 2008, Lohse pitched in 33 games (all starts) and he was 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

31-year old righty Brad Penny is the perfect kind of pitcher for the Cardinals as pitching coach Dave Duncan is a expert as fixing talented guys like him. Penny started 30 games for the Giants & Red Sox last season in which he was 11-9 with a 4.88 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He has pitched in 255 games (251 starts) in his 10 years in the N.L. and he is 98-76 with a 4.01 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Penny’s game didn’t play well in the A.L. but he will not have to worry about pitching to DHs this season.

25-year old righty reliever Kyle McClellan is in the lead to become the #5 starter for the Cardinals this season. He pitched in 66 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he was 4-4 with 3 saves, a 3.38 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He only gave up 56 hits in 66 2/3 innings last season but he walked 34 batters and that is a tad too many. If anyone can shift McClellan into the starting rotation from the bullpen it’s Dave Duncan who has succeeded with guys like Wainwright and Looper.

30-year old lefty Rich Hill has the talent but not the know how to be a good starting pitcher. He has come to the right place to learn. Hill pitched in 14 games (13 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 3-3 with a 7.80 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP. Hill has now pitched in 78 games (70 starts) in his major league career and he is 21-20 with a 4.87 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Hill has only given up 359 hits while whiffing 355 batters in 395 1/3 career innings in the majors but he has also walked 177 which is way too many. Hill could be a dominating pitcher if he just threw more strikes.

26-year old righty Mitchell Boggs will have to pitch better than he did last season if he wants to earn a job in the Cardinals’ starting rotation this year. Boggs pitched in 16 games (9 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he was 2-3 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. Boggs gave up 71 hits and walked 33 batters in only 58 innings for the Cardinals last season and that is just not good enough to get the job done.

23-year old lefty Jaime Garcia could be the wild card for the Cardinals this season. He is the Cardinals’ #2 rated prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. Garcia pitched in 9 games (8 starts) in Rookie+A+AAA ball last season in which he was 2-2 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He only allowed 25 hits in 37 2/3 innings last season in the minors while whiffing 41 batters showing off his arm. Garcia pitched in 10 games (1 start) with the Cardinals in 2008 and he was 1-1 with a 5.62 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. If the need arises in the rotation for the Cardinals I think that Garcia will get a shot in 2010.

24-year old righty Adam Ottavino is the Cardinals #11 rated prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. He started 27 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 7-12 with a 4.75 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. He has now pitched 4 years in the minors appearing in 92 games (all starts) in which he is 26-32 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. I would doubt that Ottavino gets a chance in 2010 with the Cardinals unless he gets off to a really good start in the minors.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE ROTATION IN 2010: A-