Re-Evaluating the 2020 Cardinals
2020 was a tough year across the board, but the Cardinals were hit particularly hard within the microcosm of baseball. The team was one of the few that got hit with Covid hard. As a result, they had to juggle the roster more than most teams.
While it was all going on, many were wondering what was going on. Why was Carlos Martinez took so long to get back? Why did Edmundo Sosa never appeared in a game? Why Lane Thomas looked look lost when he got back?
Those questions also are leading to questions about what the Cardinals will do during the season. I’ve asked a lot of these questions myself.
Then I got Covid; my test came back positive December 17th. While the virus itself didn’t take a lot of out me at the time, it did sap my energy. After my 10 day quarantine, plus a few extra recovery days, I started to get back into my routine. But my body struggled to get back to the athletic level it was at. You see, I go to the gym 6 days a week; I lift heavy weights and run 10 to 20 miles per week. My first run was only for a mile, and it felt like I hadn’t run in a few years. The amount of weight I was lifting dropped by a third.
So, imagine how it would be if you were a world class athlete? The Cardinals said Thomas wasn’t right when he got back on the field; it showed in the field. Martinez looked terrible on the mound; maybe he came back a little too quickly. I can’t blame the Cardinals for not rushing Sosa back either. Heck, even Yadier Molina didn’t put up his normal numbers; maybe it was age, or maybe it was recovery from the virus.
Does this mean the Cardinals were a flawless team that got sick? Not at all; the offensive struggles were going to happen with the way the roster was constructed. Besides Paul Goldschmidt, the team struggled to find upper level talent (it looks like it will be an issue in 2021 as well). It’s just that people need to realize not everything was right with this team once Covid struck and we should wait until the new season starts to criticize the play.
