The Cardinals never had to worry about offense when Albert Pujols played first base. Plug in "The Machine," write his name in the lineup card, and sit back and watch him overpower pitchers from coast to to coast.
Pujols departed as a free agent after the 2011 season. And while it's ludicrous to expect anyone to replicate Pujols' Cooperstown-caliber offense, the Cardinals managed to do pretty well for a time
In 2012, with Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter handling most of the at-bats, the Cards got 21 homers, 109 RBIs and a .