McBrayer's Top Five Cardinal Stories for 2010

Well, its 1-1-11 and its 2:00am. I just got home and I felt I need to write my five top stories of 2010 in regards to the Cardinals. So here we go!

                                                                              

5.  Zack Cox was the Cardinals Top Draft Choice in the 2010 Draft. He was called the best pure hitter in college baseball and even compared to Cards Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter. Cox has been described as a “baseball rat” and a throwback player. At this point Zack is a complete player. He took batting practice at Busch Stadium after signing and sent balls deep into the seats with ease. I am looking forward to seeing him brought up to the big league soon.

4. The Cardinals rookie left-hander Jaime Garcia went 13-8 with a 2.70 ERA.  He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Buster Posey and Jason Heyward. The 23-year-old was praised throughout the season by pitching coach Dave Duncan for his presence on the mound. Garcia kept the Cards in nearly every game he pitched. What a great story Garcia was in 2010.

3.  Brendan Ryan's trade to Seattle for a A level broken down pitcher was just horrible. It makes my list as being a strong water cooler story at work. Ryan was also embarrassed on national TV when Chris Carpenter gave him an earful during that Reds series in August after he was late to his position in the first inning. He was a very popular player during his years with the Cardinals.

2.   Matt Holliday signing the biggest contract in Cardinals history. I was a deal worth $120 million over seven years. Holliday performed at an All-Star level all season. He even tied Albert Pujols for the team lead in batting average with a .312 clip. Holliday also hit 28 home runs, drove in 103 runs, and scored 95 times. He even earned a Silver Slugger Award at the end of the season.

1. Whitey Herzog being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Whitey won the 1982 World Series title with his style of managing that the fans loved, known as Whiteyball. Herzog and the Cards reached the World Series again in 1985 and 1987, but came up short. Herzog was responsible for bringing Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith and Bruce Sutter to the club and created a family atmosphere in St. Louis. This was my best top moment in 2010.