We have many great articles planned leading up to the 2010 Fantasy Baseball season including sleepers, busts, rookies, strategy, full player rankings and projections all wrapped up into a nifty draft kit to help you win your league next year. Stay tuned for more, but for now, here's a team preview for you.

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2009 RECORD: 91-71, 1st in NL Central, NLDS losers 3-0 (LAD) 

The Cardinals won the NL Central in 2009, but the season ended in disappointment, when the Cards were swept out of the playoffs by the Dodgers in the NLDS. The Cards and their fans are hoping to make another run at the World Series in 2010.

Stat table note: The better the ranking number, the better the stat, in all categories. For example, for the SO cat for hitting, a #2 ranking means that the team tallied the second fewest strikeouts. For the BB and SB cats for pitching, the #1 teams allowed the fewest bases on balls and steals.

LINE-UP

1. Schumaker, Skip 2B
2. Rasmus, Colby CF
3. Pujols, Albert 1B (elbow, should be ready for spring training)
4. Holliday, Matt LF
5. Ludwick, Ryan RF
6. Molina, Yadier C
7. Freese, David 3B
8. Ryan, Brendan SS (wrist, should be ready for opening day)

The Cardinals offense finished in the middle of the pack in most offensive categories in 2009. Pujols and Holliday made up one of the best offensive duos in the league, but their supporting cast left a lot to be desired. However, things should be better in 2010, with Holliday in the line-up for a full season and Rasmus, an elite prospect, a year older and wiser. The only change in the Cards line-up for 2010 is the addition of David Freese, who will replace the departed Mark DeRosa. Freese has the skills to develop into a solid everyday third basemen. The Cards did not run much in 2009, a trend that is likely to continue in 2010. The Cards bench doesn't offer too much, although Julio Lugo could play a big role should Ryan or Schumaker struggle or get hurt. The Cardinals do not have anyone down on the farm who should have an impact in 2010.

STARTING ROTATION

1. Carpenter, Chris RHP
2. Wainwright, Adam RHP
3. Lohse, Kyle RHP
4. Penny, Brad RHP
5. Hill, Rich LHP
6. Garcia, Jamie LHP
7. McClellan, Kyle RHP
8. Boggs, Mitchell RHP
9. Walters, P.J. RHP

The are only a hand full of teams in the league who have two aces in the hole. Carpenter and Wainwright give the Cardinals exactly that. Furthermore, the Cards excel in the secondary pitching stats. They allowed the fewest walks and second fewest home runs in the league. They also allowed the fewest stolen bases in the majors, a testament to Yadier Molina, more than anything. However, with Joel Pineiro off to Anaheim, the Cardinals rotation gets very iffy after the big two. Lohse is coming off a terrible 2009, Penny struggled for most of last season, and Hill has been hurt for the better part of the past two seasons. That's were Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan comes in. Duncan is unarguably the best pitching coach in baseball, and has a long history of turning around pitchers' careers. Therefore, whomever ends up in the rotation immediately needs to be on your radar. Lohse, Penny, and Hill will get plenty of competition from young guns Jamie Garcia, Kyle McClellan, and perhaps Blake Hawksworth. John Smoltz also appears to still be on the Cardinals wish list. If he signs and earns a rotation spot he could be a huge sleeper.

BULLPEN

1. Franklin, Ryan RHP (CL)
2. Motte, Jason RHP
3. Reyes, Dennys LHP
4. Miller, Trevor LHP
5. Hawksworth, Blake RHP
6. Kinney, Josh RHP
7. Ottavino, Adam RHP

The Cardinals entered 2009 with a lot of question marks in the bullpen. Ultimately, Franklin won the closer's job over Motte and excelled in the role. Franklin is back in the closer's role in 2010, but many are not convinced that he is the real deal, despite his excellent 2009 season. If Franklin does stumble, Motte is the most likely candidate to seize the role. The Cardinals pen is deep and should be a strength in 2010. Reyes and Miller are both excellent left-handed options, and Hawksowrth and McClellan, assuming they aren't starting, give the Cards two more quality options to turn to.

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