Opinion

Baseball is a game with many faces. Pitchers, catchers, big bats, managers...There are so many intricate parts to a great team, and the St. Louis Cardinals are historically one of the greatest teams.

Making one's mark as a player is not easy, and unfortunately some slip through the cracks, never truly getting the attention they deserve.

In no particular order, I've picked out 5 players from Cardinals history who I would consider underrated.

Pitcher Anibal Sanchez set a Detroit Tigers franchise record on April 26 by throwing 17 strikeouts in a win against the Atlanta Braves. In setting the record for most strikeouts in a game by a Tiger, Sanchez proved how valuable he can be to the Tigers this season.

If Major League Baseball is interested in speeding up the pace at which games are played, it should take some cues from the Atlantic League.

What the heck is an Atlantic League, you ask?

In the old days, there was no explaining hot April starts in Major League Baseball.

But these are the new days. We have numbers that explain everything that needs explaining, making it pretty easy to understand what's under the hood of hot April starts.

So that's what we're going to do, while we still have a few days left to go until the end of April. And when I say "we," I mean I'm going to ramble on about a couple guys while you sit there and nod.

Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, already a pariah in Major League Baseball circles and with every fan in the state of Florida, is back to his old tricks and undermining everyone and everything within his franchise. 

The 162-game grind of a Major League Baseball season is an arduous, slow and methodical process to eventually lead baseball to their 10 best teams playing and competing for a World Series in October.

Much like a marathon, we can view the mile-by-mile splits to better understand which teams are leading and why, how fast their trajectory is racing and if the pace is sustainable.

Here's a look back at the week that was in MLB action with the four biggest takeaways:

How would Jeff Samardzija have panned out in the National Football League, you ask?

The Philadelphia Phillies lineup saw minimal changes through the first 15 games of the regular season, with both Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the batting order together in April for the first time since 2010.

Of course, all the Phillies had to show for these returns was a 6-9 record after April 17 and a 6.5 game deficit behind the Atlanta Braves in first place.

There are several ways for a pitcher to be deemed "successful" in his career.

Closers, for instance, are judged mainly on their save conversion percentage and total saves, among other statistical measurements. Middle relievers can look at holds and inherited runners as a standard. Starting pitchers have myriad stats to determine their level of success.

To garner this success, hurlers typically use a combination of speed, control and a good mix of pitches through a given outing on the mound. Of course, not all of the three are required.

If you ever get a job covering the Washington Nationals as a sideline reporter, bring a poncho.

The Nats Enquirer happened upon the initial throes of Julie Alexandria covering the team from the field.