As the Cardinals head west for the second time in the first month of the regular season, they do so lugging the baggage from one of the least productive lineups in the majors. The Cardinals' rank in the bottom five for many significant offensive categories. Four of the team's home runs have come from the catcher position, none from third baseman Nolan Arenado. He and Paul Goldschmidt, only one full season removed from finishing No. 1 and No. 3 in the MVP voting, have struggled to start the season. So, can it be easily dismissed as small sample sizes? Or, is it right to consider how last season ended and the struggles of spring to search for early warning signs for the Cardinals and their offensive production? KMOX/1120 AM's Kevin Wheeler joins the Best Podcast in Baseball to discussion with Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold the difference between small sample sizes, track records, and warning signs. Consider the JoJo Romero question about the offense. The Cardinals' lefty reliever, off to an impressive start to the season along with the rest of the bullpen, had a strong finish to last season and a strong spring, and that amplifies the April success he's had in limited innings. If that's true for Romero, then isn't the opposite also true? Hitters who struggled toward the end of last season, struggled through spring, and are struggling now cannot be so easily dismissed as small sample sizes. Or can they? This episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball uses a discussion hinged on the lineup to also explore Lars Nootbaar's return from injury, Wheeler's question about the transaction that brings Nootbaar back, how long the Cardinals can run with Victor Scott II in center field, and the power of the left-handed bats on the Cardinals roster to limit what's asked of the pillars, Goldschmidt and Arenado. Also, a point is made about how it's not possible to embrace Dave Duncan's groundball approach for limiting hitters and not see that the pursuit of line drives and balls in the air for hitters is the same idea, just the opposite side of it for enhancing hitters. It's 13 games in and the Cardinals have reached the first true litmus test of their commitment to defense. BPIB is there to explore what comes next. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.
