Cardinals look to future
From one corner of a sullen clubhouse came the glass half full view of the St. Louis Cardinals’ season.
“People did not think we were going to be here,” veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright said Tuesday night. “I think if you had asked Cardinals (fans) in spring training if we got to the NLCS, would they be happy? Most of them would probably say yes.”
On the opposite wall several locker stalls away came a harsher review.
“Everybody always counted us out,” second baseman Kolten Wong said. “I guess now the haters, they can agree with us that we weren’t the best team right now.”
They’re both right. The Cardinals exceeded preseason expectations and came from 5½ games back in June to win the NL Central and advance to the NL Championship Series. But 48 strikeouts and six runs in a four-game sweep at the hands of the World Series-bound Washington Nationals put a damper on a season of growth in St. Louis that players believe will set the foundation for more winning to come.
“Proud of this group,” said Yadier Molina, the veteran catcher and clubhouse leader. “We got a good group of guys that care about winning. Obviously we didn’t play good, we didn’t hit the ball, but that’s a part of baseball. We’ve got to learn from this and move on.”
As Wong said, it’s a tough ending, but the Cardinals will get over it. And the 29-year-old was plenty bullish on his team’s progress.
“I can’t tell you how much I love every single guy in this clubhouse,” Wong said.
The positives bridging 2019 into 2020 are evident. St. Louis found an ace in 23-year-old Jack Flaherty and a strong No. 2 starter in 25-year-old Dakota Hudson. The core group of hitters who went cold against Washington is still largely in its prime.
After his first full season as manager, Mike Shildt cultivated strong relationships with his young players.
“This is a complete team that just got through performing and competing,” Shildt said. “But experience is a good teacher. You always look to grow from it. We will.”
Leftfielder Marcell Ozuna is a free agent and didn’t end on a great note: 3 for 16 with eight strikeouts in the NLCS. But the biggest question facing St. Louis is the future of Wainwright, who’s 38 and weighing a return for a 15th major league season.
“I hadn’t even thought about,” Wainwright said.