Veterans lead one final title charge
Five issues facing the Cardinals:
Defensive excellence: The Cardinals led the majors in defensive runs saved (DRS) and outs above average (OAA), two sabermetric measurements for defensive range and skill. As a result, a record five Cardinals won Gold Glove awards as the league’s best defenders at their position: third baseman Nolan Arenado, second baseman Tommy Edman, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, left fielder Tyler O’Neill and center fielder Harrison Bader. And that doesn’t include nine-time Gold Glove-winning catcher Yadier Molina, who was a finalist.
It won’t be easy to maintain such a historically high level of play, but with everyone returning to their familiar spots in 2022, the Cardinals should continue to have a significant advantage on defense at practically every position.
O’Neill’s emergence: Six-time AllStars Goldschmidt and Arenado were once again the cornerstones of the Cardinals in 2021, combining for 65 home runs and 204 RBI – along with elite defense. However, the Cards may have found a third contributor at that high level.
O’Neill, 26, broke out in his fourth MLB season, hitting .286/.352/.560, tying Arenado for the team lead with 34 home runs and finishing eighth in the National League MVP voting. This, after hitting .173 during the shortened 2020 campaign. O’Neill made a significant improvement in all phases of the game and gives the Cardinals plenty of hope.
Matz: Despite an outstanding defense, St. Louis finished near the middle of the pack last season with a 3.98 team ERA. With several of their starting pitchers becoming free agents this offseason, replacing those lost innings is a major priority.
Before the lockout, the Cardinals moved quickly to add left-hander Steven Matz to the rotation, signing him to a four-year, $44 million contract. Matz dealt with injury issues throughout his six seasons with the New York Mets but stayed healthy all of last year and went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA for the Blue Jays.
Welcome,
Swan song for old vets? Franchise icons Adam Wainwright and Molina are back for one final season in St. Louis, with an eye on winning their third World Series together. Don’t expect it to be a
OFFSEASON OUTLOOK
The Cardinals would love to add a lefthanded bat or two to their lineup; outside of switch-hitters Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson, everyone is right-handed. If the universal DH is in play, it allows the Cards to add some balance on offense.
2021 record
90-72; second place, NL Central; lost NL wild-card game to Dodgers
typical farewell tour. Both players will be counted on to play major roles.
Wainwright, 40, continued his latecareer resurgence, playing the role of staff ace with a 17-7 record and 3.05 ERA in 32 starts.
Molina, who will turn 40 over this year’s All-Star break, earned his 10th All
Star nod last season while appearing in 121 games and continuing his run as one
of the best defensive catchers of all time.
New
leadership: Despite a 90-win season and a third consecutive playoff berth, the Cardinals fired manager Mike Shildt because of “philosophical differences” he had with the front office. Bench coach Oliver Marmol was promoted to become, at 35, the youngest manager in the majors.
Marmol has been a member of the St. Louis coaching staff since 2017.
“He’s going to be able to put his own fingerprints on this,” said Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. “Ultimately you hope and expect that he learned to do things in his own way, and one that he has a lot of confidence in.”