This is the second in a series of posts previewing each position and the pitching staff before the start of the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals season.

Albert Pujols. There’s not much else that can be said for the two-time NL MVP who won the coveted award last year. With first base another position that the Cardinals already have set, Pujols looks to have an injury-free season and improve even more on his already gawdy numbers from last year.

Last year, Pujols played in all but 14 games, hitting .357 with 37 homeruns and 116 RBI’s. These numbers are amazing given the fact that Pujols practically played with a sore elbow all year and only missed those 14 games due to a knee injury.

However, being the workhorse that he is, Pujols always works as hard as he can to stay healthy and help his team as much as possible.

Along with being considered by other Major Leaguers as one of the most feared hitters in baseball today, Pujols has shown he is not just a one-dimension baseball player. He showed throughout the 2008 season that he can play a heck of a first base. Look for Albert to make a case for a second Gold Glove of his career.

Basically, the biggest question with Pujols is his health. With his sometime troublesome knees and elbow, having him out of the lineup can be the difference in contending for the NL Central and not even being in the conversation for making the playoffs. With Pujols in the lineup, the Cardinals can count on him to carry them on his back and be playoff contenders all year long.

According to the depth chart, Chris Duncan is the second string first-baseman behind Albert Pujols. Even though he endured a rough year in 2008 playing in only 76 games while hitting .248 with only 6 homeruns and 27 RBI’s, the son of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan looks to rebound and show he can still hit for power and average which is what he showed in 2007.

Duncan will be someone that will get limited playing time at first base if Pujols stays healthy, but with his ability to also play outfield, it will be tough for him to get playing time there as well with the Cardinals plethora of outfielders. Unless Duncan has an amazing spring, don’t look for him to get much playing time granted the majority of the team stays healthy.

It is also possible that Skip Schumaker could get some looks as first base. Even though he will be working this spring for the open second base job, his versatility shows that he could almost play anywhere on the diamond. If the second base job doesn’t work out for Schumaker, he could easily become Albert Pujols’ backup in a heartbeat.

- John Thomas