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| Holliday, left and Berkman, right have carried St. Louis into first place. |
Holliday, who chose to resign in St. Louis with a seven-year contract prior to last season, was brought back solely to provide protection for Pujols in the middle of order for years to come. The four-time All-Star has done just that and that has been never more apparent than in '11.
Holliday is currently leading the National League in batting average at a .357 clip, adding 5 home runs and 28 RBIs to the mix. The 6-foot-4 outfielder is no stranger to this type of success after winning the National League batting title back in '07 for the Colorado Rockies, helping them reach their first World Series in franchise history. Only 31, Holliday is in the prime of his career and Cardinal fans can continue to expect this type of this production for years to come.
As for Holliday's counter part in the outfielder, Berkman might be the biggest steal of this years offseason. A Texas native, Berkman had spend his entire major league career playing for the division rival Houston Astros before being traded to the New York Yankees at last years July 31st trading deadline. The former Rice University standout was coming off offseason knee surgery and had a poor first half for Houston, only batting .245. The Astros decided it was time for a change and shipped the last "Killer Bee" to the Big Apple.
Berkman's second half with New York was not much better batting .255, and leaving the yard only once. The switch-hitter suffered an ankle sprain in August and was put on the disabled list, but could have been the key to his current success. Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long tweaked Berkman's swing, having him use his lower half more effectively then before and it yielded immediate results.
Berkman hit .312 in the five postseason games he appeared in for the Yankees, while driving in four runs. The success has carried over in this season. Berkman, who signed a one-year contract in the offseason, is currently second in the National League in batting behind only his teammate Holliday, at .349. After hitting only 14 home runs all of '10, Berkman has already launched 11 in his first 39 games for the Cardinals. He trails only Milwaukee's Ryan Braun for the National League lead, who currently sits at 12.
The success of these two red birds have helped make the struggles of Pujols look minimal. Pujols is a .329 career hitter during his eleven seasons and is well of that through the first quarter of the season at a dismal .269. Since bursting onto the scene as a twenty-one-year old rookie in 2001, Pujols has recorded ten straight seasons with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, that streak is now in jeopardy.
He has only hit 7 home runs thus far, including going almost 90 at-bats without a home run, by far the longest drought of his career. Pujols couldn't have picked a worse time to get off to such a sluggish start, being in the final-year of his current contract. Good season or not, Pujols will still be the hottest free agent target on the open market this offseason.
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| Pujols is experiencing unfamiliar territory in '11. |
Holliday and Berkman both left Wednesday nights game against the Astros due to what are being called minor injuries. Holliday is expected to return to the lineup Friday after suffering tightness in his left quadricep. It could be a little longer for Berkman and his wrist, but neither are expected to land on the DL. St. Louis can ill afford to lose either of one of their sluggers for an extended period of time, with the reigning division champion Cincinnati Reds breathing down their neck.
As long as Pujols is struggling, LaRussa will need his other two red birds to soar above the rest.
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