JUPITER, Fla.—The Baseball Prospectus assessed the 2017 St. Louis Cardinals finishing the upcoming season at 76-86, an exact reversal of their 2016 record.
Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA system, standing for Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm, correctly predicted the five National League playoff teams in 2016.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny was shocked at the release, which places St. Louis in a tie with Milwaukee for third place in the NL Central standings. However, Matheny told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he is not going to stress over the preseason projection.
With motivated players and a new, personalized instruction technique for defense, the Cardinals are looking to play with confidence, regardless of the negative forecast.
