The Cardinals’ defense likely hasn’t been weakened by the move of Lance Berkman from right field to first base.
Based on Berkman’s fielding record and on recent Cardinals history, having a 36-year-old as the everyday first baseman isn’t a problem.
Berkman, who turns 36 on Feb. 10, replaces Albert Pujols, the starter at first base for the Cardinals from 2004-2011.
Before Pujols moved from left field to become the Cardinals’ everyday first baseman, St. Louis had a pair of first basemen, Mark McGwire and Tino Martinez, who successfully played the position while at the same age Berkman is now.
Mike Matheny, the Cardinals’ first-year manager, got a firsthand look as St. Louis’ catcher at the fielding performances turned in by McGwire and Martinez. So it reasons Matheny would be comfortable with Berkman as his first baseman in 2012.
This isn’t suggesting McGwire was an outstanding fielder at first base. His range was limited considerably as he aged and he did begin to break down physically after his 36th birthday. But McGwire at least was adequate. If McGwire could function at an acceptable level at 36, Berkman should do as well and likely better.
McGwire, who turned 36 in October 1999, played 151 games at first base for St. Louis that year and had a .990 fielding percentage, not far below his career mark of .993. (Note: the fielding percentage average for National League first basemen in 1999 also was .993). McGwire did commit 13 errors, tied with Eric Karros of the Dodgers for second-most in the NL.
Though his playing time was limited because of injuries, McGwire did field well at first base in his last two seasons. In 2000, when he turned 37, McGwire had a .998 fielding percentage in 70 games at first base. McGwire also surpassed his career average when he posted a .994 fielding percentage in 90 games in 2001, the year he turned 38.
After McGwire retired, he was replaced at first base by Tino Martinez for the 2002 and ’03 seasons. Martinez, who turned 36 in December 2003, played in 126 games at first base for the Cardinals that year and his .997 fielding percentage ranked No. 1 in the NL. (Note: Martinez, who had a career .995 fielding percentage as a first baseman, also fielded well for St. Louis in 2002, with a .996 percentage, second-best among NL first basemen).
Berkman may be on a par with Martinez as a top-fielding first baseman. Like Martinez, Berkman’s career fielding percentage at first base is .995, 10th-best among all active big-league first basemen. (Casey Kotchman, who played for the Rays in 2011, is tops at .998. Pujols ranks just below Berkman at .994).
Berkman, who played primarily in right field for the Cardinals in 2011, was the Astros’ everyday first baseman from 2005-2010 after moving there from the outfield. As recently as 2010, he led NL first basemen in fielding percentage (.999), playing 85 games at that position before the Astros traded him to the Yankees in the American League.
In a January 2011 interview with Jeff Caplan of ESPN.com Berkman said, “I love to play defense and play it every day … The game is so much easier from a rhythm standpoint, from a timing standpoint … when you get to go out there and play the field.”
Previously: Berkman had most hits in a World Series for Cardinals since Brock
