Draft preview: St. Louis Cardinals outlook

Team-by-team outlooks

A Cardinal will go off the board first on Draft Day, Albert Pujols, then Chris Carpenter will go no more than a round later. After that, well, let's just say the Cardinals are a little top heavy in the Fantasy department.

There is plenty of potential here, though, particularly with a rebuilt pitching staff. It's just you will find you can collect your favorite postseason heroes later than usual this Draft Day.

Pitching coach Dave Duncan proved last year he's the best in the business. Really. Anyone who can turn Jeff Weaver into a playoff hero and a world champion deserve a lot more credit that he has been given.

Not to mention, Duncan traditionally makes something out of nothing with his pitchers. Remember when he brought Chris Carpenter off the pitcher scrap heap and turned him into a Fantasy stud?

You should, because he can do similar things with long-time underachiever Kip Wells and elite prospects Anthony Reyes and Adam Wainwright (talk about postseason hero right there). Heck, he's even saying he has an ace -- pun not intended -- up his sleeve in ex-closer Braden Looper.

The Cardinals will win games, even with an aging offense -- if only because they always do. Their unheralded rotation options should be the primary beneficiaries and you should be able to snatch them up late.

Finally, also in the sleeper category, Reyes and outfielder Chris Duncan can outperform their Draft Day price as overlooked sophomores.

Spring position battles

Starting pitchers Nos. 4-5 -- Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper vs. Ryan Franklin, Brad Thompson, Blake Hawksworth, Chris Narveson and Mark Mulder

Wainwright is a sure-fire pick here because he will either be in the rotation or serving as the closer this season. You don't get any more secure Fantasy-wise in a position battle than that. The rest of the starter options -- including Looper trying his stuff as a starter this spring -- are there to merely hold down a rotation spot until Mulder (torn labrum surgery) is ready in June or so. Consider Mulder an injury-risk sleeper in leagues where you can afford to stash him away for a couple of months. Wainwright is a must-have in all leagues, but the No. 5 starter for the Cardinals should be nothing more than a deeper NL-only option. Because Carpenter is the ace to end almost all aces (except Johan Santana), the Cards' No. 5 man stands to be skipped or moved back whenever possible.

Left field -- Chris Duncan vs. Preston Wilson

This isn't a true position battle as much as it is a function of the veteran Wilson fighting for at-bats off the bench. Duncan was a smash hit last season -- although he still has plenty of work to do defensively in left field. Duncan has pop in his bat, obviously, and is a potentially overlooked sophomore sleeper on Draft Day -- in any Fantasy league. Wilson is nothing more than a deeper NL-only reserve at this point, because he's at best a platoon mate with Duncan, who would get the majority of at-bats because there are more right-handed pitchers than lefties.

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