St. Louis Cardinals As a Model for the Astros

Matt Carpenter (Eileen Blass-USA TODAY Sports)

Even though the St. Louis Cardinals lost the World Series, there is still a lot to be envious about here. Going back to 2004 and 2005, the Cardinals and Astros were equals and took part in an entertaining rivalry. They are now in separate leagues, but in a few years they should be on equal footing.

And the reason for that, is Jeff Luhnow. There is already proof that he is bringing the philosophy that he helped implement in St. Louis to Houston. We know it works and the proof is there.

Aside from all of the rhetoric that has been swirling around the Astros since the sale of the team to Jim Crane, I really do think the Astros are on the right path, with the majority of that being attributed to the aforementioned Luhnow.

The main lesson to take from this, is that it doesn’t matter what round someone is drafted in. Just accumulate as many good players as you can regardless of their position or whether they are a starting pitcher or a reliever. Simply draft quality players, let them progress, and then let team needs dictate player’s roles. Trevor Rosenthal and Matt Carpenter are two very good examples of this.

Luhnow is already two years removed from the Cardinals, but it is staggering the amount of credit, albeit it well deserved,  he gets for their success from both inside the game and from the media.

That tells you all you need to know about this plan working. Now it just needs to be executed.