ST. LOUIS â" Chris Carpenterâs offseason has gone by so quickly, the St. Louis Cardinals ace still hasnât seen any tape from the World Series victory over Texas. Not even his win in Game 7.
âI havenât watched a single thing,â Carpenter said. âI wish I could. I just havenât had the time.â
Carpenter signed autographs for about an hour Saturday at the Cardinalsâ three-day fan gathering. The ace is ready for the winter to wind up and spring training to start next month in Jupiter, Fla.
âIâm looking forward to getting down there and getting going,â Carpenter said. âObviously (thereâs) a lot of excitement around this ballclub after everything that went on there towards at the end of the season. Itâs been short.â
The Cardinals will be dramatically reshaped team in 2012. Slugger Albert Pujols left for the Angels, manager Tony La Russa retired and ex-Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny took over in the dugout.
âThereâs a little bit of sadness there with Tony and then obviously with Albert leaving,â Carpenter said. âThat brought some questions, but Iâm excited about this team. Iâm excited about the opportunity that weâre going to have. We have a bunch of good players. Losing Albert is a big thing, but that is the game. It is what is. The things he brought to this team and the community were enormous. He should not be beat up for it.â
Pitching coach Dave Duncan took an extended leave of absence to deal with his wifeâs illness. Former bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist is the new pitching coach. St. Louis acquired Carlos Beltran in free agency to replace Pujolsâ bat in the lineup.
âGuys are excited about this team and the changes,â Carpenter said. âWeâre excited about Mike and Beltran. Lilly (Lilliquist) knows whatâs going on. Heâs been around Duncan forever. He know how to be successful.
âObviously, getting Waino back,â he said.
Star pitcher Adam Wainwright strained the elbow in 2010 and missed his final start. He had Tommy John surgery on his right arm last March.
Carpenter, who signed a two-year, $21 million contract extension Sept. 11, began throwing two weeks ago. He led the NL in innings last year with a career-high 273 1-3.
âEverything feels good,â the 36-year-old Carpenter said. âI always start throwing at the new year. Iâve always said, you canât control what happens.â
Carpenterâs final game went well. Working on three daysâ rest, he went six-plus innings and earned a 6-2 win over the Rangers in Game 7 that gave St. Louis its second championship in six seasons.
Though just an 11-game winner last year, the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner was 10-2 in the second half. Carpenter stayed on a roll in the postseason, going 4-0 with wins in Games 1 and 7 against Texas.
Carpenter remains one of the clubâs leaders said he embraces that position.
âMy role never changes. We all work together and trying to control things we can control,â Carpenter said. âWeâve got so many quality guys in that clubhouse that it doesnât matter. Youâve got myself. Youâve got Waino stepping up. I think Yadier (Molina) will have a huge presence in that clubhouse this year. Youâve got Matt (Holliday), Lance (Berkman) and Beltran. Weâve got all kinds of guys.â
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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