5 reasons the St. Louis Cardinals will win the World Series

5 reasons the St. Louis Cardinals will win it all in 2015

Jul 5, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Thomas Pham (60) is congratulated by third base coach Jose Oquendo (11) after hitting his first major league home run against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

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Oct 12, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter (13) hits a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning in game two of the 2014 NLCS playoff baseball game at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Their lineup is built for a playoff run

The St. Louis Cardinals do not have outstanding offensive production.

They rank 21st in runs scored and slugging percentage, 25th in home runs, and 16th in OPS (on-base + slugging). If the season were to end today, they would have the third worst run production of all playoff teams.

And yet despite all of this, they have the best record in baseball by five games.

A large reason why is their pitching staff, which has undoubtedly been the driving force behind their success. But their offense does deserve some credit, regardless of how average they appear on paper.

Injuries have taken a toll on the Cardinals’ offensive production, with star outfielder Matt Holliday and starting first baseman Matt Adams spending significant time on the disabled list, as well as veteran outfielder Jon Jay. Even with these key players sidelined, the Cardinals still have seven starters hitting above .265, including rookie sensation Randal Grichuk.

What will make St. Louis’ offense so dangerous in the postseason is not individual hitting prowess. It is their depth. If Adams and Holliday return healthy, the Cardinals will not have a single glaring weakness in their lineup, along with plenty of experienced talent on the bench.

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