Fantasy Baseball Preview: The Cardinals

Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.

Meet the ...
Home of the best hitter in baseball. Yes, I'm proclaiming that Albert Pujols is the modern-day (and real-life) Roy Hobbs. Last year, people counted him as a huge injury-risk and he went out and won the NL MVP. I think we should have all learned by now that this man should never be drafted outside the top five overall picks.

The Breakout
Once the Cardinals cut Adam Kennedy, the path was cleared for Colby Rasmus. Rick Ankiel's cannon for an arm makes him a natural fit in right field, and they can easily use Skip Schumaker as their backup jack-of-all-trades. In 2007, Rasmus flashed serious power potential in double-A, before taking a big step backwards last year in triple-A. As long as he adapts well to the lineup in Spring Training, he's going to be a go on the big club when the season starts.

This kid is the type of talent who will be hitting 30 homers and stealing 20 bases a season without hurting you in the batting average category. People in really deep leagues need to grab him towards the end of drafts, while those in shallower leagues should watch his early stat lines while he is acclimated to big league pitching. He has too much potential to ignore.

The Bust
There don't appear to be a bevy of overrated players on this squad, but please make sure you realize Kyle Lohse is not good enough to be a part of most fantasy leagues. He went 15-6 last season, but don't be one of the people fooled by the record. He enjoyed a career-best 3.78 ERA and a moderate 1.30 WHIP as well. His strikeout rate is horrible, and his stuff just isn't good enough to keep the ERA under 4.00 again. You're looking at a low-strikeout guy who is set to win about 11 games with an ERA of 4.25 and a 1.45 WHIP. I'll pass.

The Lineup
1. Colby Rasmus, CF
2. Rick Ankiel, RF
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Ryan Ludwick, LF
5. Troy Glaus, 3B
6. Khalil Greene, SS
7. Yadier Molina, C
8. The freaking pitcher
9. Brendan Ryan, 2B

Glaus will miss the first few weeks of the season. David Freese will likely man the hot corner in the meantime. Schumaker could play any of the outfield spots and lead off, should Rasmus not be ready or disappoint early in the season.

The Rotation
1. Chris Carpenter
2. Adam Wainwright
3. Kyle Lohse
4. Todd Wellemeyer
5. Joel Pineiro

The Bullpen
CL - Chris Perez
CL? - Ryan Franklin
SU - Kyle McClellan

The Skinny
Other than the absurd managing where the pitcher bats eighth, there's good quality to be had here. They have a top five pick, a stud starting pitcher, and a handful of guys who can help offensively.

• You might think Ludwick's year was a fluke last year, but that would mean you haven't examined his past. He has always hit for power. Throughout his long minor league career he went yard at a rate of about 31 homers per every 162 games. In his major league career he had hit 28 home runs in 637 at-bats -- and that was with sporadic playing time. The only thing that changed last season was that someone finally gave him a chance. He exceeded expectations, perhaps because it's easier to get into a groove when playing everyday. I'm sure the presence of Pujols doesn't hurt him, but that's not changing anytime soon. Expect over 30 homers and 100-plus RBI again this season.

• Ankiel's gonna give you power when he stays in the lineup, but you'll need to overcome his low batting average.

• Wainwright partially had a breakthrough season last year, but he couldn't stay on the field. He's got the right amount of stuff, service time, and know-how to put together a season worthy of being a fantasy ace. He's a potential 20-game winner.

• Personally, I won't be taking Carpenter on any of my teams. They may have to eventually pull a Kerry Wood and move him to relief because of his tenuous health. It's not going to hurt to draft him in the last few rounds as a high-reward pick, but a full return to form as a starting pitcher does not look good.

• Greene hasn't been an above average offensive player since 2004. Last year he flat out sucked. His strikeout to walk ratio has gotten worse as he's aged, which means he's not adapting his game as he should be. The one saving grace is that he'll have a lot more power now that he's freed from Petco Park, so you can expect close to 20 home runs. Other than that, though, he'll murder your batting average and won't steal many bases.