1982 Cardinal WAR

[sikeston bulldog2]

Good morning.

Here is a nice stat to add to your bar room trivia sessions.

The 1982 Cardinals starting position players all had a positive WAR. All eight.

Total WAR of 30.7- led by Lonnie Smith at 6.2

Team included Smith, Keith Ozzie Herr Willie Hendricks Porter and Oberkfel.

That’s not all. Of the 11 reserves, only three had a negative WAR, and all nine reserves were over lowest at -1.0. That’s right. 19 position players, 3 negative WAR.

Pitchers hit too, led by Andujar. Total pitchersWAR was -1.4 for a total team War of 28.6

Just fun facts on a cold, 41, rainy day.

[HorseTrader]

Wish we had 41, it's 29 and cloudy. Snow coming later

[sikeston bulldog2]

Wish we had 41, it's 29 and cloudy. Snow coming later

Funny how you and I for decades faced that cold north wind as a young man. Now the chill wipes me out. Cant stand to be cold.

[Basil Shabazz]

For the season, the 1982 Cardinals posted a 7.3 defensive bWAR, an enormous number driven primarily by the four infielders — Hernandez, Herr, Ozzie, and Oberkfell. Interestingly, Hernandez accounted for only 0.3 of that total, but first basemen rarely rack up defensive WAR, so even that figure is actually quite solid for the position.

For reference, the 2004 Cardinals, who won 105 games, finished with a 2.4 defensive bWAR. Their offensive production, however, was far greater, posting 28.8 offensive bWAR compared to the 21.1 put up by the 1982 squad.

In summary — as those of us who experienced both teams remember — the 1982 team was built on speed, defense, and timely hitting, while the 2004 team was an offensive juggernaut, driven by the MV3 and big complementary seasons from Sanders, Renteria, and Womack. And of course, the late-season arrival of Larry Walker essentially turned the lineup into an MV4 during the second half.

[NYCardsFan]

For the season, the 1982 Cardinals posted a 7.3 defensive bWAR, an enormous number driven primarily by the four infielders — Hernandez, Herr, Ozzie, and Oberkfell. Interestingly, Hernandez accounted for only 0.3 of that total, but first basemen rarely rack up defensive WAR, so even that figure is actually quite solid for the position.

For reference, the 2004 Cardinals, who won 105 games, finished with a 2.4 defensive bWAR. Their offensive production, however, was far greater, posting 28.8 offensive bWAR compared to the 21.1 put up by the 1982 squad.

In summary — as those of us who experienced both teams remember — the 1982 team was built on speed, defense, and timely hitting, while the 2004 team was an offensive juggernaut, driven by the MV3 and big complementary seasons from Sanders, Renteria, and Womack. And of course, the late-season arrival of Larry Walker essentially turned the lineup into an MV4 during the second half.

Player/TZ/MLB positional rank
Hernandez: 13 (#2)
Herr: 14 (#1)
Smith: 21 (#1)
Oberkfell: 8 (#3)