There is no greater connection to Cardinals history than the man behind the microphone, Mike Shannon, who is about to being his 45th season calling games for the Cardinals' radio network. His organizational ties go even further back than that, too, as Shannon spent nine seasons in a St. Louis uniform before becoming the voice of the Cardinals.
Though Shannon won't be calling the team's road games this coming season, he did spend much of Spring Training in Florida, watching the 2016 club come together. As camp came to a close, Shannon sat down with MLB.com to discuss what keeps him coming back each season and offer his thoughts on the year ahead.
During the conversation, Shannon also identified the player he thinks is poised for a breakout season and cited what he believes is key for the Cards if they want to compete in what's expected to be a tough National League Central.