All Star Break report card

This week is the unofficial halfway point of the season and our Cards are looking good. We are in first place in the division and we have the best record in the National League. So how do our players and manager rate at the break?

Catcher: I will start with the easy position and our All Star catcher Yadier Molina. He has been our most consistent player and both an offensive and defensive rock. He is batting .341, 7 home runs, 49 RBIs in 87 games and 323 at bats. That is the line for the National League Most Valuable Player of the first half in my opinion. The key to the second half for Yadi will be more time off to rest his troublesome knee. Tony Cruz is the backup to Yadi and has had limited playing time but is a solid backup to help anchor the pitching staff.

Report Card: A+

First base: First time All Star Allen Craig is also having a great first half. Not only is he playing a solid first base, he is also spelling teammates in the outfield. His batting line is a .333 average, 10 home runs, 74 RBIs in 90 games and 348 at bats. His batting average with runners in scoring position is a phenomenal .489 which leads the major leagues. Matt Adams is the backup to Allen and has done well with his limited playing time. He seems to excel when given consistent playing time whether it is filling the DH role during interleague play or filling in for starters on their off days. He is batting .316 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs in 55 games and 133 at bats. The key to this hard hitting duo is much like the first half with more days off for the outfielders and more at bats for Adams. Report Card: A+

Second base: Another first time All Star Matt Carpenter is also having a great first half. (Are you seeing a pattern here?) He is a workaholic in the baseball sense; by showing up early and working on his swing and also taking extra fielding practice to get better at his new position. He is batting .321, with nine home runs, 45 RBIs in 89 games and 358 at bats. Carpenter has also anchored the leadoff role since he was giving the assignment on March 22. He isn't a fast runner for a leadoff hitter but he works the count and has a very good eye to get a walk. Daniel Descalso is the backup at second base as is also the backup at shortstop. He is a solid defender and a decent bat off the bench. He is batting .275, three home runs, 26 RBIs in 65 games and 167 at bats. Carpenter has simply just taken over the position with his offense. The key to second is allowing Carpenter to stay in one spot and not have to jump between second and third base.

Report Card: A

Third base: Home town hero David Freese is off to a rough start to the season. He injured his back in spring training and has not found his groove yet this year. He plays solid defense at the hot corner and has shown some improvements of late to regain his opposite field power. He is batting .271, with five home runs, 30 RBIs in 74 games and 266 at bats. Carpenter and Descalso are the backups at third. The key to Freese is his health. In order to start driving the ball to the opposite field and hitting some home runs his back has to be strong again. Maybe with the days off this week we will see the Freese we know and have grown accustomed to watching in the second half.

Report Card: B-

Shortstop: Pete Kozma or the Wizard of Koz has had his ups and downs so far this year. He started out strong but really hit a hard stretch going 0 for 28 before breaking out on the last game before the break. Although his offense is down he is not taking it to the field with him and has done very well manning the very important position of shortstop. He is batting . 233, with a single home run, 29 RBIs in 85 games and 287 at bats. Someone once said that it isn't the number of runs a shortstop drives in but how many he saves with his glove is the key to a quality shortstop. Descalso, the man of many hats, is the backup to Kozma. The key for Kozma will be to realize he isn't needed to drive in runs but get on base and to continue his gold glove caliber defense.

Report Card: C+

Left Field: Matt Holliday has also had his ups and downs. He is a strong player and is a force at the plate when he is hitting well. His defense is average at best and I hold my breath when the ball is hit in his general direction. Holliday is batting .268, 13 home runs, 47 RBIs in 83 games and 310 at bats. He injured his hamstring running out a ground ball in Chicago on Thursday so he will hopefully be back to full strength by the end of the break. Allen Craig is the backup to left field. The key to Holliday will be to get healthy and start driving the ball like we know he can. His numbers are down slightly which brings up the question; will new hitting coach John Mabry be able to detect a flaw in his mechanics or is Matt just having a slow start due to the injury bug?

Report Card: B

Center Field: Jon Jay seems to be in No Man's Land. Not only did he lose his leadoff spot to Matt Carpenter but he is in danger of losing his starting job in my opinion to Oscar Taveraz. Jay still plays gold glove defense with a team high 235 errorless game streak and has shown life of late with his batting average on the rise. He is batting .250, with five home runs, 38 RBIs in 91 games and 320 at bats. His back up is Shane Robinson who has seen very limited playing time and is batting .238, with two home runs, eight RBIs in 59 games and 63 at bats. The key to Jay will be to to start driving the ball to the opposite field which will keep him more balanced at the plate. His defense his superb now we just need his bat to come around.

Report Card: B-

Right Field: Carlos Beltran is doing damage in a Cardinals' uniform and is an All Star once again. He has handled different batting lineups with ease so far this year. He has batted in four different spots in the batting order and continues to put up solid numbers in his 16th season. He is batting .309, 19 home runs, 53 RBIs in 84 games and 330 at bats. Beltran still plays exceptional defense even though I sometimes cringe at his seemingly nonchalant one handed catches. Allen Craig serves as his backup. The key to Carlos will be to keep him fresh by continuing to give him days off.

Report Card: A

Starting Pitching: Led by All Star Adam Wainwright our staff has been great and with the number of rookies having to step up makes it even more impressive. With Jamie Garcia out for the year and at one point Jake Westbrook being on the DL we were able to see the strength of our minor league system with so many rookies debuting. Lance Lynn and Westbrook are both having a solid start while rookie Shelby Miller started well for his rookie year but has struggled of late. The key for our starting rotation is staying consistent and getting some extra days of rest for Miller who will far exceed his usual number of innings this year and might hit a wall like Lynn did last year. Another key to the rotation is adding another starter to the mix via trade or what the Cards and Cardinal Nation is hoping for, a return of Chris Carpenter. Carpenter made a rehab start in Springfield on Monday and has 30 days to either join the club or go back on the DL. I for one am hoping Carp can come back. Anyone else a Carp fan?

Report Card: A-

Relief Pitching: Let me start off saying that trading Mitchell Boggs to the Colorado Rockies brought me great joy. A struggle to say the least early on to be consistent, our relief corp is getting better. Some of the blame to be on Boggs who just wasn't able to get anybody out. Maybe the surprise of the Cardinal club is the emergence of Edward Mujica as the new closer after losing Jason Motte to season ending surgery. Trevor Rosenthal has stepped into the eighth inning set up role and has been very sharp with his overpowering fastball. Seth Maness and Joe Kelly have both been solid and are having good years. Maness is the double play guy with his ability to get some ground balls seemingly when he needs to. Kelly has been the long inning guy and has stepped in to the rotation at times to fill the void. The key for our relief corp is to stay sharp by pitching on a consistent basis but not too much, yeah it is confusing to me too.

Report Card: B-

Manger: First let me say that I am a huge Mike Matheny fan and have enjoyed watching him control the game whether behind the plate or now being the manager. With that said I have to wonder and maybe even second guess some of his decisions. I think as a fan we are entitled to have an opinion and second guess as long as we are respectful. I like the way he is more consistent with his lineups and doesn't change them as often as his predecessor. Yes the lineup were shuffled around earlier in the year to find a leadoff hitter but Matheny has been true to leave Matt Carpenter in that role now that he shows he can handle it. Some concerns I have are his decisions to sometimes pull a starter too soon, like pulling Wainwright in the ninth inning in Anaheim when he was not struggling. Now I understand that from my point of view I don't know the whole story and therefore may be complaining just to complain. Another question: Is it the manager who decides to rest a player or is it the player who decides he wants to rest? I have beat this one to death but will say it again... Matheny has to know when to rest his players and to keep the guys on the bench sharp with playing time. The keys for Matheny going forward is to rest his horses more consistently, stay with a lineup that works, and to continue on being a great leader of this club.

Report Card: B+

The St Louis Cardinals are looking good at the half way point with solid pitching, good managing and superb hitting. I think it is outstanding to have four of the top 10 hitters in batting average, five of the top 10 in batting average with runners in scoring position and many other quality stats. The key for the Cards to stay on top is consistency and hopefully staying healthy. The thing that should come out as a positive at the break is that we aren't hitting very many home runs... yet. Is that a change in approach by new hitting coach John Mabry or are they just not driving the ball yet and waiting for the hot days in Busch Stadium to do so? Stay tuned because the second half will be exciting. Any predictions out there?

Team report card: A