With the Cardinals sporting a ten-game lead in the division and seemingly destined for postseason baseball, it no longer feels taboo to discuss the accomplishments of some of the unexpected figures that ushered this club into its current lofty position. The accolades of Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright are well documented, but Cardinal Nation expected Pujols to be the best player on the planet, Molina to provide the game’s best defense behind the plate along with timely hits and Wainwright to anchor this staff and pitch like an ace. But let’s not forget that coming into this season there were a lot of question marks, and to say that the success of this team was an uncertainty would be an understatement. Several players stepped up in a big way and raised eyebrows on a level no one thought they would. Here is an overview of this year’s most surprising success stories.
Skip Schumaker
The former Cardinal outfielder did what few baseball players have ever been able to do. He transitioned to a completely new position at the highest possible level – where there is such little margin for error – and did it without so much a groan or a second guess. His move from left field to second base was vital to a club that was very thin on
infielders and cursed with a glut of outfield bodies. Skip not only adapted to his new role and passed with flying colors, but he did it with just six weeks of practice in spring training. And most importantly he didn’t let it affect his production at the plate. The pesky leadoff man is currently hitting .295, has roped 30 doubles, scored 69 runs and has been on base at a .354 clip. Not exactly a liability. In any capacity.
Brendan Ryan
The Cardinals never realized that they had their best defensive shortstop since Ozzie Smith stashed neatly away within the organization for the last several years. Ryan has turned out to be a wizard of the middle infield as well, and has won the club several games with his sterling (and possibly golden) defense. His efforts are reflected in the minuscule ERAs of a starting staff that relies heavily on inducing groundballs, and all it took was for Tony LaRussa to have some faith in a youngster for once and give him the gift of regular at-bats. That and the fact that Khalil Greene’s brain betrayed him this season. Oh, and Ryan’s also hitting .293 this year and is thriving in the two-hole.
Chris Carpenter
The Cardinal ace and only Cy Young winner since 1968 has surprised local and national pundits alike this season. It was never a question of Carp’s ability or desire, but a litany of injury woes that instilled doubt in Cardinal Nation and across the baseball world. Few if any thought that the big right-hander could rebound from surgery on top of surgery and regain his former award winning form. But that’s exactly what happened. Aside from a five-week hiccup caused by a faulty swing, Carp has been a model of good health and is pitching like he’s ready to take home some more hardware in 2009. Little Timmy Lincecum will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of the season, because Carpenter’s 14-3 record, 2.20 ERA and 0.97 WHIP are enough to bump the diminutive Giant out of the top spot.
Ryan Franklin
The Cardinal closer has truly been a sight to behold this season. After struggling and eking his was through 2008 as a make-shift stopper, Franklin has reinvented himself and blossomed into one of the game’s best and most reliable relievers. Last year he blew eight of 25 save opportunities en route to six losses and a bloated 3.55 ERA, but without the distractions of former closer and friend Jason Isringhausen’s future with the team weighing on his conscience Frankie has been nearly unhittable. He leads the National League with 35 saves, owns the best ERA (1.05) of any reliever in the game and has solidified a revamped bullpen that was the deciding factor in last season’s disappointing fourth place finish. It just goes to show 
you what a clear head can do for a ball player. The ability has always been there. Franklin just needed to get in the right frame of mind and concentrate on getting hitters out.
John Mozeliak
The Cardinal General Manager is quite possibly the biggest surprise on this list. Once thought to be a puppet under the thumb of Owner Bill DeWitt and Manager Tony LaRussa, MO proved that he is his own man this season and is willing to get things done to improve this club. His sudden spending spree and “win now” attitude has been the catalyst for the Cardinals recent sting of success that has landed them in first place and produced baseball’s best record since July 24th. His invaluable acquisitions of slugger Matt Holliday, versatile super utility man Mark DeRosa and surging infielder Julio Lugo have turned this team into a contender. Not to mention the addition of a certain future Hall of Famer to the pitching staff. His unloading of the poisonous bat and lumbering outfielder that was Chris Duncan has landed him in the doghouse with the pitching coach, but don’t overlook it’s significance. That deal took a lot of courage and changed the dynamic of this team. The GM laid himself on the line with that gutsy and controversial –within the clubhouse – maneuver, but it helped turn this team into a World Series contender. The Cardinals are now a force to be reckoned with and fans will be collectively singing Mozeliak’s praises come October. Even if Dave Duncan is not.