The St. Louis Cardinals 2023 baseball season had very high expectations, with the additions of very hyped prospects getting the nod to come up to the big leagues. And a very talented lineup of some of the most elite hitters in all of the Major League. But as the season played on, it seemed more apparent that something was off with the Cardinals. It just seemed as if they couldn’t figure out what to do to win.
One of the most disappointing aspects of the season was the pitching staff, despite some pitchers showing flashes of potential, having the presence of a veteran in Adam Wainwright definitely helped some of the rookies in the staff get used to being called up. Miles Mikolas, who just came off of a career year, with a 3.29 earned run average, had what I consider the most disappointing season of all of the pitching staff. Jordan Montgomery, who was second in the rotation for the Redbirds, had a solid season until he was traded to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline. The other half of the pitching staff, the bullpen, saw the steady rise of Ryan Helsley, who is the Redbird’s elite closing pitcher. Having a 1.25 earned run average last season, it was hard not to have high expectations for Helsley. He ended the 23-24 season with a 2.45 earned run average, slightly declining from last season but still a very solid season.
Offensively, the Redbirds were subpar, not as disappointing as the pitching staff in my opinion. The call-up of rookie Jordan Walker who was a very hyped prospect, was what I would consider significant for the Redbirds. On paper, the Cardinals looked to have one of the best overall lineups offensive and defensively as long as everyone played up to their standards. Walker ended the season with a .276 batting average, .787 on-base plus slugging, and 51 runs batted in. The Cardinal’s best hitter was by far Paul Goldschmidt, who had a .268 batting average, .810 on-base plus slugging, and 80 runs batted in. The rest of the lineup was average at best, with some standout games from certain players, but an overall very disappointing season for the Redbirds.
