Furcal to Have Tommy John; Where do the Cardinals Go From Here?

A third option would be Daniel Descalso, who has started 31 games at shortstop. Descalso is steady on defense, but has a smaller range than the other candidates.

It’s likely, though, that the job will be Pete Kozma‘s to lose. Kozma, if you’ll recall, had the game-winning hit in game 5 of the NLDS last year against Washington, part of a strong 2011 season which saw him slash .333/.383/.569 in 26 games during the regular season. Kozma has been having a torrid spring training so far, hitting .429 with a pair of home runs in 28 at-bats.

Kozma was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2007, and he’s still just 24. Given his career minor league stats (career slashline of .236/.308/.344), it doesn’t seem likely he’ll hit .300 at the major league level. Still, if he can find a way to hit .260 or better while providing solid defense, he could provide a viable stopgap until the Cardinals can develop a stronger prospect.

Down the Road?

There aren’t a whole lot of prospects in the minor league system. Jackson is considered to be the Cardinals’ best prospect, and he hasn’t seen a lot of playing time with the parent club.

Greg Garcia, the one-time college teammate of second base prospect Kolten Wong, has had a solid hitting career in the minors thus far, posting a career OPS of .799, but he hasn’t played above the AA level. He’s likely to begin the season at Memphis.

The shortstop the Cardinals acquired for Skip Schumaker, Jake Lemmerman, has shown some pop as well, hitting 29 home runs in 306 career games, none above the AA level. The Dodgers experimented with him at second base last year, so it’s possible he could make the shift to second as well.

The Bottom Line?

This year could be a pretty weak one for the Cardinals at the shortstop position. If the Cardinals are still contending but the middle infield is a liability (see: 2011, 2006) come July, look for Mo to make a move to acquire some stability in the push for the pennant race. If the team can stay reasonably healthy, given their offensive firepower, it’s likely the team will contend, even with turmoil at short.