Cardinals Maintain Model of Consistency

Achieving long periods of consistency in professional sports is perhaps the toughest thing to do. With salary caps, free agency and the possibility of failed trades or bad drafts, it is difficult for a team to maintain consistency for decades at a time. Some teams (think Spurs, Yankees, Patriots) have been near the top of the standings every year since the millennium hit, but others (think Pirates, Browns, Bobcats) have been historically bad. Both are models of consistency, but there is one club who has achieved a consistency that trumps the rest. The St. Louis Cardinals are, once again, at the top of the National League standings and it shouldn't come as a surprise if history tells us anything.

The Cardinals are different than other perennial powerhouses in the sense that it hasn't been easy to maintain their winning ways. They have lost superstars to free agency, seen their best players spend months on the DL and have endured coaching changes. However, one thing remains the same and that is the fact that the St. Louis Cardinals are one of the top teams in baseball. No longer is Tony LaRussa in the dugout and no longer does Albert Pujols terrify opposing pitchers in the middle of the lineup. St. Louis has dealt with Adam Wainwright's Tommy John surgery and now is moving right along without Chris Carpenter who most likely won't pitch at all this season. How do they do it?

The Cardinals are not the Yankees. They do not have the money to go out and lure in big free agents with fat contracts. St. Louis is not a terribly large market, but the Cards are good enough year in and year out to attract a handful of superstars such as Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran. They also draft well and have the top farm system in the league. That farm system has come in handy this season as a bevy of young arms has led St. Louis to a 42-22 record which is the best record in baseball.

St. Louis has won ball games in a variety of ways throughout the years. Some years they hit home runs at a high rate, but other years they simply just hit the baseball. Take this year for example. St. Louis is the best hitting team in the National League, batting .277 as a team with 326 hits. However, they are 10th in the NL in home runs hit with 56. In today's game hitting that few home runs usually doesn't translate to the best record in baseball. Then again, when the pitching staff's ERA is the lowest in the league at 3.17 that certainly helps. Cardinal pitchers also are second in the league in strikeouts, but last in walks issued. Put it all together and that is the recipe for success.

It's hard to watch St. Louis and not marvel at their success. Since 2000, every team in the Central Division besides the Pirates has had a period of success, but none have matched the Cardinals consistency. It doesn't matter who suits up for them, they will be near the top of the standings. They have not had a losing season since the mid-nineties and this season they are surprising yet again with the best record in baseball. It's a consistency that should be appreciated because it's a rarity in any professional sport these days. "The Cardinal Way" truly works.