1960 St. Louis Cardinals Season Preview: Strengths and Challenges
The St. Louis Cardinals, finishing seventh in the previous season, showed offensive promise with Joe Cunningham hitting .345, Ken Boyer at .309, and Bill White at .302. Boyer stood out with a 29-game hitting streak, amassing 28 home runs in his best season. Cunningham was the sole player to challenge Hank Aaron for the batting title. However, pitching was the team's Achilles' heel, with averages ranking last in 1959. Key pitchers like Jackson, McDaniel, and Mizell had mixed results, while the team's reliance on Stan Musial faltered as his average dipped to .255 at age 39. The roster saw significant changes; shortstop Daryl Spencer and outfielder Leon Wagner joined, along with Bob Nieman from the Orioles, expected to bolster the right-hand power. Newcomers included catcher Carl Sawatski, pitcher Ron Kline, and promising rookies Bob Blaylock and Jim McKnight.