MLB St Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals Should Retain Peter Bourjos This Offseason

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By @DrewJenkins77

Peter Bourjos St. Louis Cardinals

Steven Bisig- USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals acquired Peter Bourjos from the Los Angeles Angels prior to the 2014 season, and they were hoping they were getting an everyday outfielder. After all, Bourjos hit a respectable .262/.321/.401 from 2011-2013, and he did so while playing great defense in center field.

In his first season with the Cardinals, however, Bourjos disappointed. He hit just .231/.294/.348 with an 82 wRC+, all of which were below his career averages. By the end of the year, Bourjos was relegated to mainly playing as a late-inning defensive replacement, and he only started 18 of the team’s games over the final two months of the season.

Bourjos is set to hit arbitration for the second time this offseason, but after his disappointing offseason, many are calling for him to be non-tendered, meaning he would become a free agent. However, the Cardinals should keep Bourjos around regardless.

Despite his offensive struggles, Bourjos remained a stellar defender, posting an 20.0 UZR/150, which was 11th among outfielders in baseball with a minimum of 600 innings played. Because of his defense, Bourjos was still worth a solid 1.6 fWAR even though he played just 119 games and had just 294 plate appearances. Bourjos’ defense makes him a valuable player in a backup role even if his offense does not rebound in the future.

Given the Cardinals’ outfield configuration, they need to keep Bourjos around as a defensive-minded backup. Left fielder Matt Holliday is not a great defender, center fielder Jon Jay has received mixed defensive marks in his career, and Randal Grichuk is regarded as simply an average defender. Also, the Cardinals could sign a right fielder this offseason to give their lineup a much-needed boost, but the problem is that potential targets like Nelson Cruz and Michael Morse are not particularly well-regarded on defense. Having Bourjos around would give them a defensive presence that would help offset the uninspiring defense of their other outfielders.

Plus, Bourjos still has some upside with the bat. In fact, in two of the last four years, Bourjos’ wRC+ indicates that he has been a slightly above-average hitter, though the other two years say he has been a below-average hitter. Still, Bourjos has shown the ability to at least hold his own with the bat, and there is a chance he could do a little bit more than that. Giving up on that upside after one season would not be smart of the Cardinals.

The Cardinals retaining Bourjos this offseason would the right move. Though his bat struggled in 2014, he has shown some ability at the plate in the past, and he still plays great defense. Given the Cardinals’ outfield configuration, keeping those talents around is what the team needs to do.

Drew Jenkins is an MLB writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DrewJenkins77, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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