Sunday Audibles: Five reasons why the Cardinals will win the NL Central in 2014

5 Mike Matheny: I've always had confidence in Matheny both as a player and as a manager. I was among those who were thrilled with his hiring despite his initial lack of experience, and he has not disappointed. As a manager, he walked into a situation that was less than ideal in that there was nowhere to go but down after the World Series victory in 2011, and he was taking over a team minus its superstar -- free-agent defector Albert Pujols.

How overwhelmed was Matheny? Let's see, the Cards came within one win of the World Series in his first season, then reached the World Series on the second attempt. The Cardinals respond to Matheny's leadership. He's proven responsible with the handling of the pitching staff, and he works well with young players and veterans alike. It's never smooth sailing, with injuries and life's drama during the course of a six-to-seven month season, but Matheny has proved to be a navigator for all waters. He's respected and his players want to play for him. The Cardinals are truly fortunate to have this man at the helm.

4 Depth: While this team is capable of upgrading at positions, there does not appear to be a glaring weakness anywhere on the diamond. And I don't know if I've ever seen a more flexible Cardinals team with numerous quality options at all positions. Backup catcher Tony Cruz filled in admirably for Yadier Molina during a critical stretch last year and returns to that role. Utility players like Daniel Descalso and Mark Ellis both boast playoff experience and are gritty, clutch players on the infield. Pete Kozma can be added to that list after being bumped with the addition of free-agent shortstop Jhonny Peralta.

The recent signing of Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz is yet another layer of protection. St. Louis has plenty of outfield depth with the addition of Peter Bourjos in center field and one of MLB's top prospects, Oscar Taveras, waiting at Memphis with the likes of Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk. Allen Craig will be in right field but could move to first should Matt Adams struggle in his first full season at first base. And the pitching. I think other teams may be asking St. Louis to sign an arms treaty in the near future. The only possible shortage of depth could be in the power department, but St. Louis led the National League in runs last year despite ranking 13th in home runs.

3 Weaker competition: Sure, the Cardinals lost Carlos Beltran to free agency in the offseason, but the Reds and Pirates also took hits. Cincinnati lost leadoff batter Shin-Soo Choo and starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo to free agency, while Pittsburgh lost starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, first baseman Garrett Jones and late-season addition Justin Morneau. The Cardinals finished ahead of those two teams last year, and I feel they're the most improved of the three compared to a season ago. The Brewers lost Nori Aoki at the top of their lineup, but added depth to their rotation with Matt Garza. The bottom line is I don't look for Milwaukee to pose a long-term threat. I feel like I'm forgetting someone ... Oh, yeah ... the Cubs.

Nikki BoertmanThe Commercial AppealSt. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny is interviewed Friday in Memphis, Tenn.

2 Middle defense: It's always said that championship teams are strong up the middle, and in that regard the Cardinals should be better than the past few seasons. The anchor, as always, is catcher Yadier Molina -- we're spoiled on that front. It seems second base has been a revolving door in St. Louis since around the time Red Schoendienst was turning double plays. OK, it hasn't been that long, but it's been awhile. The last two Cardinals second basemen were a converted outfielder (Skip Schumaker) and a converted third baseman (Matt Carpenter) -- they were decent but lacked the essence of a true second baseman. That's why I'm excited about the addition of rookie Kolten Wong, who is my preseason choice for NL Rookie of the Year. I think he will give Cardinals fans a deeper appreciation for the position.

Jhonny Peralta is not my shortstop of choice when it comes to defense, but on the other hand, I don't think his glove will be a liability. My main concern is about Peralta's range, rather than errors. I considered Jon Jay the Cardinals' best coverage outfielder the last couple of seasons, so if he's playing backup to Bourjos, then I think the position is really going to be a plus.

1 Pitching: The Cardinals used to have an intimidating one-two punch in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. While Carpenter has retired, the powerful one-two may be back with Michael Wacha now complementing Wainwright. If Wacha is anything close to the pitcher we saw in September and in the 2013 playoffs, the Cardinals have a duo to rival the likes of the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw/Zack Greinke and the Tigers' Justin Verlander/Max Scherzer. I was glad the Cardinals did not trade No. 3 starter Lance Lynn in their offseason quest for a shortstop. Lynn was an All-Star in 2012 and has won 33 games over the last two seasons, which leads all National League starters during that span. Shelby Miller is coming off a 15-win rookie season and No. 5 starter Joe Kelly has proved to be chameleon on the mound. Left-hander Jaime Garcia apparently is healthy and could work his way into the starting picture along with Carlos Martinez, who has the potential to be a staff ace. The bullpen, with Trevor Rosenthal at the back end, proved championship caliber last season and should only improve with the likely addition of former closer Jason Motte, who underwent Tommy John surgery last spring. This is a deep pitching staff. The Cardinals are well-armed for 2014.