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The Washington Nationals will make their first postseason appearance since moving south from Montreal.

St. Louis is trying to hold on to a sizable lead in the Wild Card standings against the LA Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers. Atlanta who is right ahead of them, is trying to steal some thunder from the much-hyped Nationals at the end of the season.

Cincinnati is out to prove that they are just as good in October as their regular season record reflects. With Aroldis Chapman stealing headlines and Todd Frazier being favored to win the rookie of the year, the Reds want their fair share of media coverage. 

With the regular season storylines coming to a close, it’s time to reflect upon guys with a “been there, done that” resume who will try to help their team win it all. 

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Remember Colby Ramsus?

Ramsus was hailed as the next Jim Edmonds, a franchise center fielder who was to bring championships with his bat at well as glove.

The Cards’ former top prospect was a vital piece in the Cardinals‘ championship year, but not because of what he did for the team, but rather what he was able to bring back in a trade involving him and the Toronto Blue Jays.

While young Colby was impressive in his early stint with the Cardinals, it was clear that he was not going to be around very long when he and then manager Tony La Russa were not seeing eye to eye on Rasmus’ issues. 

So what does each team have to show for the trade that went down before last year’s deadline?

Well for one, the Cardinals decided to hold on to lefty reliever Marc Rzepczynski. Although he has not performed as admirably as he did in the postseason, Rzepczynski is only twenty-six years old and has plenty of room to improve. 

St. Louis will also receive two first sandwich round compensation draft picks as a result of letting Edwin Jackson and Octavio Dotel go to the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers respectively. 

Meanwhile, in Toronto, Ramsus is hitting just above the .220 mark with only 13 RBIs and is on pace to break his previous record of 148 strikeouts, a mark he set during the 2010 season. 

The Blue Jays aren’t doing too well as a team either.

While their overall team record might be considered a success at this point in the season, once again it looks like the AL East will provide a few playoff teams, and with the Jays sitting at fourth place, they will have the arduous task of overtaking the always-favored New York Yankees, battling their way through the young upstart Tampa Bay Rays, and dethroning the ultra-surprising Baltimore Orioles, who hold the division lead. 

How goes it in St. Louis’ center field, you might ask? 

Very well actually. John Jay is out batting everyone on the team, getting on base with a .426 OBP and scoring runs. 

The Miami native is doing everything asked of him following a great postseason run. 

While he might not have the mystique or pedigree of Colby Rasmus, Cardinal fans have accepted Jay into their homes and wouldn’t take back that trade in a million years. 

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Shelby Miller might need another year or two in the minors before he’s ready for a big league rotation. 

The Cardinals‘ 2011 Minor League Pitcher of the Year has struggled this season in Triple-A in Memphis. The former first-round pick sports a 3-2 record with a 4.45 ERA, giving up half an earned run per inning played. 

In his short 2012 season, Miller has given up four runs in five innings or less three times. 

Despite the less than stellar numbers, the positive win-loss ratio is nice to be on the right side of, and the youngster’s SO to BB ratio is great. Shelby currently sits at 37:15.

The fact that the Memphis Redbirds are the worst hitting team in the Pacific Coast League allows Cardinals’ fans to exhale. After all, if you don’t get the run support you need, you’re not going to win a lot of games, no matter who you are. 

Recent spring training reports reveal the Cardinals’ concern over Miller’s weight. The top prospect decided to recreate his physique and lose some weight. 

Baseball Prospect Nation’s assessment of Miller is a little more generous with praise. Miller has all the tools to move up the ranks if he works on his control—although expecting the next Jaime Garcia out of the 19-year-old is a bit premature and is wishful thinking. 

The Cardinals won the World Series last year in large part to Garcia’s contributions. Having young pitchers step up and perform under the most clutch circumstances on baseball’s biggest stage is not something that happens every season. 

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