In St. Louis JJ Wetherholt will be asked to lead the offense. The rookie hit .306 in two minor league seasons. He has 30 homer, 30 stolen base ability. He could be one of the game’s future stars. Jordan Walker, Iván Herrera, Masyn Winn, Nathan Church, Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese and Victor Scott are all 25 years old or younger. Scott in particular has struggled. Ramón Urías, Alex Burleson, and catcher Pedro Pagés are the “grizzled” vets who also look to be easily replaceable. 

On the mound, Andre Pallante has been good one year, really ineffective the next. Kyle Leahy was good in relief (3.09 ERA last year). Can he make the move to starter? Some guys can… Dustin May cut off the red locks and started growing them out of his face instead. Once a can’t-miss prospect, injuries have threatened to derail his career. He could be the ace if he can find his form. He did not look good upon his return last year. Matthew Liberatore’s ERA has improved every year of the four he’s been in the league. Michael McGreevy’s ERA in the minors was 4.08. Forgive me if I don’t call him the next Bob Gibson after a decent 21 games in the big leagues. 

Forecast: This team is the result of four years of drafting and trading at the minor league level. There are so many questions. The price of experience will be steep. A 70-win should be considered a success