Cardinals Notes: Base Running, Prospects, Beltran, 2011 Pitching Review

Catching up with the St. Louis Cardinals, where Rob Neyer at Baseball Nation finds a glaring weakness not-named Pujols-is-no-longer-on-the-team, Viva El Birdos surveys the prospect field and is somewhat encouraged, and fans ask how much they should expect from Beltran:

• The Cardinals And Their One Big Weakness - Baseball Nation
  "The evidence does not suggest the Cardinals were bad baserunners; they were plenty good at going first to third, second to home, first to home. They didn't run into a bunch of outs while trying to take extra bases. They just hit into a ton of double plays, and weren't any good at stealing."
• When do the Cardinals' prospects have prospects? - Viva El Birdos
  The St. Louis Cardinals have more depth than they used to, and it's more exciting, too. As depth goes.

• Surely Beltran is more than a time-share player, right? - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  "I would imagine that Beltran will ultimately play more games – whether in CF or RF – than Jay and Craig. However the games are managed and the playing time disbursed, Jay and Craig will be doing more time-sharing as the season goes on. But with Beltran now 35 years old, Mike Matheny will no doubt make sure to give Beltran enough time off to keep him fresh all season."
• Ranking the Cardinals' Top 11 pitching performances of 2011
  "The Cardinals' improbable run to the 2011 World Series Championship featured an unforgettable regular season filled with highlights, lowlights and everything in between. Before we move into 2012, here's a final look at the Cardinals' Top 11 pitching performances of the 2011 season."