TEAM TO BEAT
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
The Cardinals return the core of their 93-win division-champions, with a few notable exceptions. MVP first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado return to anchor the lineup. Free agent Willson Contreras replaces Yadier Molina behind the plate. A host of young players could step forward, including Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman and Juan Yepez, while 21-year-old rookie sensation Jordan Walker could impact the lineup. The Cardinals' key question remains pitching. St. Louis' starters had the lowest strikeout rate among postseason rotations last year. A full season from Jordan Montgomery will help, as would healthy, effective seasons from Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz.
TOP PLAYER
NOLAN ARENADO, 3B, CARDINALS
Fans can set a metronome to Arenado's offensive and defensive production. He has been a regular third baseman for 10 seasons and has won 10 Gold Gloves. Since his 2013 debut, Arenado leads all hitters with seven 100-RBI seasons and is tied for the lead with seven 30-homer seasons. The 32-year-old is coming off a third-place finish in National League MVP balloting-his sixth top 10 finish and is on the short list of favorites to win the award this season.
TOP PITCHER
CORBIN BURNES, RHP, BREWERS
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Baseball America.
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This story is from the April 2023 edition of Baseball America.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
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