St. Louis Cardinals team outlook

The Cardinals are the closest thing to a lock for the postseason every year, and despite the loss of Jason Heyward this offseason, they are equipped for a return trip, according to Scott White.

With 12 playoff appearances in the last 16 years, the Cardinals have earned a reputation as the steadiest organization in baseball.

And there's little reason to doubt them in 2016. Whenever they lose a player, they always seem to be ready with a replacement. This year, Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty are expected to become mainstays for them after getting their feet wet last year, and both have breakout potential in Fantasy. With 36-year-old Matt Holliday back to full health, the Cardinals didn't need to re-sign Jason Heyward. And though they'll be without Lance Lynn, who's recovering from Tommy John surgery, free agent signee Mike Leake should fill the void as a mid-rotation anchor.

Overall, this starting rotation should be better than last year's because up-and-comer Carlos Martinez is better equipped to handle a full workload and because longtime ace Adam Wainwright is ready to resume his role. He made only four starts last year before tearing his Achilles. Those two, along with Michael Wacha, give the Cardinals arguably their best top three since the start of this 16-year run.

Of course, these days their star player -- and likely the first drafted in Fantasy -- is third baseman Matt Carpenter, whose contributions vary from year to year. He always gets on base a lot, which is arguably the most important skill and keeps his value high in Head-to-Head leagues, but last year, he demonstrated middle-of-the-order power for the first time, more than doubling his previous career high with 28 home runs. It came at the expense of his batting average, but it still made him an elite option at the position. If he can deliver the best of both worlds, watch out.

Depth is again a strength for this team and should make it a source of sleeper material in NL-only leagues. If Holliday goes down or Grichuk or Piscotty doesn't live up to expectations, Tommy Pham is an intriguing power-speed guy who might already have an everyday job if he wasn't such a late bloomer. The Cardinals also acquired power-hitting middle infielder Jedd Gyorko, presumably to play a utility role. Matt Adams, one of the rare misfires for their farm system, is still in the mix, allowing them to play the hot hand between him and the equally flawed Brandon Moss at first base.

2016 projected lineup

1. Kolten Wong, 2B
2. Matt Holliday, LF
3. Matt Carpenter, 3B
4. Randal Grichuk, CF
5. Jhonny Peralta, SS
6. Stephen Piscotty, RF
7. Brandon Moss, 1B
8. Yadier Molina, C
Bench: Jedd Gyorko, IF
Bench: Matt Adams, 1B
Bench: Tommy Pham, OF

2016 projected rotation

1. Adam Wainwright, RHP
2. Michael Wacha, RHP
3. Carlos Martinez, RHP
4. Mike Leake, RHP
5. Jaime Garcia, LHP
Alt: Tim Cooney, LHP
DL: Lance Lynn, RHP

2016 projected bullpen

1. Trevor Rosenthal, RHP
2. Kevin Siegrist, LHP
3. Seung Hwan Oh, RHP
4. Jordan Walden, RHP
5. Jonathan Broxton, RHP

At this time a year ago, Wainwright was a player many Fantasy owners were scared to draft, but the truth is their fears weren't realized. The injury that cost him most of the season wasn't to his elbow despite his bout with inflammation late in 2014. No, he tore his Achilles running out of the batter's box in late April -- a freak event. He made a few relief appearances late in the year, including the playoffs, and looked as spry as ever, compiling a 1.61 ERA in 28 innings overall, so he shouldn't have any concerns of either the elbow or Achilles variety this year. It's possible that he begins to regress at age 34, but the more likely scenario is that he simply picks up where he left off. He's a probable ace who you could potentially get as your third starting pitcher in a standard mixed league.

You like power? Of course you do. You know who provided it with greater efficiency than Josh Donaldson and Nelson Cruz, to name a couple, last year? None other than Grichuk, whose .272 ISO would've ranked eighth among all hitters if he had the at-bats to qualify. It wasn't all home runs either. His doubles pace would have made him one of eight players with 30 of one and 40 of the other last year -- again, if he had the requisite at-bats. So what's stopping him from getting them this year? There's always a chance his elbow flareup last September could require intervention, but it's not like you'd be drafting him as more than your third outfielder. Seeing as he was averaged more Head-to-Head points per game last year than Matt Kemp or Jason Heyward, he's a bargain in Round 10 or later.

This isn't to say I'm down on Wong after a disappointing sophomore season or that I don't think the 25-year-old could have a 20-20 campaign someday (and with a high batting average to boot, given his low strikeout rate), but the Cardinals acquired Jedd Gyorko for a reason -- and it's not to spell Matt Carpenter at third base. Wong, a left-handed hitter, hit only .229 against left-handed pitchers last year, and maybe the Cardinals have reached a point, after cutting it so close with the Cubs and Pirates, where they no longer feel like they can cater to Wong's development. Or maybe Gyorko is nothing more than depth. It'd be hard to believe given how much the Cardinals are paying him over the next four years, but hey, it's possible. Just don't count on Wong being your primary second baseman this year, not with the newfound playing-time concerns.

Prospects report

The pride of the Cardinals farm system right now is Alex Reyes, whose 50-game suspension for a positive marijuana test likely ends his chances of a second-half callup. Judging by his 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings between two stops last year, though, he's arguably the most talented pitcher in the organization -- major leagues included -- and may be the most hyped prospect in Fantasy a year from now if he can get his walks under control.

Tim Cooney and Marco Gonzales aren't nearly as high-end, but both could step into the starting rotation today. Gonzales is the more familiar of the two to Fantasy owners but took a big step back last year and now profiles as more of a back-of-the-rotation guy with his high-80s fastball. Cooney is probably ahead of him in the pecking order after impressing with a 3.16 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning in six big-league starts.

Jack Flaherty and Luke Weaver are two other pitchers who figure into the Cardinals' long term plans, but both are at least a year away and don't have the type of velocity expected at the top of a big-league rotation these days.