Lance Berkman to the Cards

“He’s a winning player, he brings tremendous leadership and respect to the club house. I think he has a great appreciation for the game of baseball and for the history of it… He looks at the St. Louis Cardinals as one of the premier places to put on a uniform.”

Before explaining anything else about the acquisition of the Lance Berkman, John Mozeliak speaks about a baseball player’s mental game. The Big Puma is here, and his role will have a large influence on the success or failure of the 2011 season.

J-Mo states, that Lance has “a great appreciation for the game…” This statement alone shows the great weight of responsibility that is being placed upon Berkman’s shoulders. To have an appreciation for the game, you have a certain passion that is hard to fulfill. You understand the positive and negative events that occur over the course of a season, and you know how to find a balance. This point of mental equilibrium is what the 2010 St. Louis Cardinals collectively could not find.

The mainstream media is all over Berkman’s past injuries, worried that he will not be able to play everyday. Well, The Big Puma will not play everyday. But he will play the bulk of the season but it will be around 120 games. This will allow younger outfielders to get some at bats and allow player development at the major league level. If the Cardinals can stay generally healthy through the dog days of summer, Berkman will be able to sit and rest for when his bat will be in highest demand, in the divisional race, or series.

But you then ask, well isn’t 8 million for one year a bit expensive for this type of role? There is no price limit that can be set on an active player to come into a younger organization to share his theories of the game. Colby Rasmus will understand this on the first day of spring training.

Throughout my blogs, I will not base my entries upon stats. This method of writing about baseball is over done. It simply makes me dizzy. It takes the rhythm of the game out of focus. With the current methods of T.V. broadcasting, and the mass amount of numbers available on the Internet, if you want stats, go find them.

If you are looking for a clear, crisp point of view for the St. Louis Cardinals organization you have found a great read. With reading this blog over the course of the 2011 season, you might be able to find the flow of the game. And with finding this flow, you will be one step closer to fully understanding what it means to have “a great appreciation for the game of baseball…”