JUPITER, Fla. -- In just the past two seasons, the St. Louis Cardinals went from being one of baseball's best defensive teams to one of its worst. Not coincidentally, a five-year run of postseason baseball ended in 2016.
And that's the story of their Spring Training. Back to basics. Back to the Cardinal Way.
"We'll be a better defending team," manager Mike Matheny said. "I don't think there's any question about that."
Along with better defense comes its popular sidekick: better pitching. Will this automatically make up the 17 1/2 games the Cardinals finished behind the Cubs last season? Let's call it a step in the right direction.
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"When you're out there pitching and you know the defense has got your back, and they're going to go out there and get dirty and make plays, it makes you that much more confident in executing pitches," right-hander Adam Wainwright said.
The Cards hope to do all of this with just one major offseason acquisition -- free-agent center fielder William Fowler (five years, $82.5 million). Otherwise, general manager John Mozeliak's blueprint for improvement is based on infield stability, young players improving and outfield athleticism.
Last season, the Cardinals moved players here, there and everywhere. Matt Carpenter started 52 games at third, 37 at second and 35 at first. Three players got at least 37 starts at second, and five got starts at short.
Those changes were part of a weird season in which the Cards fell nine games behind the Cubs in early May and finished with a losing record at home (38-43) for the first time since 1999.
In a scramble to find something that clicked, the Cardinals made 107 errors and allowed 56 unearned runs. Even with all those unearned runs, the pitching staff had a 4.08 ERA that was more more than a run per game worse than the previous season.
"Anytime you're converting balls in play into outs, that's the name of the game," Fowler said. "It makes it easier for the pitchers and everybody."
When you're not? You get the picture. One year earlier, the Cards made 11 fewer errors and allowed nine fewer unearned runs on their way to a 2.94 ERA -- the best in baseball.
The Cardinals slid from 18th to 25th between 2015 and '16 in Defensive Efficiency Ratio. In '14, they'd ranked eighth in the Majors. Fangraph's defensive formula was even more telling, with the Cards ranking 24th in '16 -- down from 11th in '15 and fifth in '14.
This is how the Cardinals will line up in 2016: Fowler will bring his speed and athleticism to center, allowing Randal Grichuk, who is also a solid defender, to slide from center to left (Stephen Piscotty remains in right).
Carpenter is moving to first permanently, with veteran Jhonny Peralta moving from short to third, and two youngsters -- Aledmys Diaz and Kolten Wong -- playing short and second.
And there's that guy behind the plate: Yadier Molina, who is one of the great defensive catchers -- and leaders -- of all-time.
Diaz made 16 errors during his rookie season, and Wong, who is a highly regarded defender, has been in and out of the lineup because of his offensive struggles.
"[Wong] can be a Gold Glove-caliber defender," Carpenter said. "We've seen it for years, what he's capable of doing. Hopefully, with that opportunity to be out there everyday, he runs with it. We have confidence in him. The skill set is there. It's going to be fun to watch."
Stability is another key. The Cards believe a more set lineup will allow every player to become more comfortable with his position, and for the group to play better with one another.
"I think [it's] the collective urgency that you sense since day one of this camp," Matheny said. "Guys have been excited about being the kind of defenders they know they can be, and learning from things that happened last year -- learn, but improve.
"You watch guys move in the outfield. It's exciting. Very athletic, which has been kind of the go-to word for us all spring and all winter. There's some challenges there -- whether it's guys at new positions or younger players that are still trying to take that next step. But all the makings of a very good defensive team are right there for us."
Patience is important. So is good health for the starting rotation of Carlos Martinez, Mike Leake, Lance Lynn, Michael Wacha and Wainwright.
"Run prevention has become such an area of focus all around baseball," Carpenter said. "You look at our defense, signing Dexter Fowler, taking a guy like Randal and moving him to left, it's going to make our defensive outfield a lot better."
And if things work out the way the Cardinals think they might, that upgrade will impact a rotation that has set the bar high for itself.
"I think that's going to be the strength of our team this year," Wainwright said. "We had 86 wins [last season], and we didn't pitch worth a dang. I expect us to go out there and win at least 10 more games on better pitching."