Look…if you made it past that headline and clicked through to read this you either have an open mind, or really want to hate-read an article. Hear me out, follow this argument, and if you still don’t agree with me, feel free to light me up like Garrett Stephenson the third time through the lineup.
Sometimes feelings and reality don’t sync up. Last year it felt like our Cards were a losing team. It felt like they lost 145 games at times. But, the fellas were winners. They were 83-79! Four games over .500. But, I know, it never felt like it.
Was It Actually Bad?
No. No it wasn’t. I will show you how in 4 quick questions.
- How many months are in a baseball season? 6
- How many games did the Cardinals win in 2024? 83
- How many games did the Wild Card winning, NLCS appearing New York Mets win? 89
- How many more games per month did the Cardinals need to win to make the playoffs? Roughly 1
ONE GAME A MONTH! That’s it. That’s one more game where Goldschmidt and Arenado played like Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. One more game where the umps lean a little more towards the Arch and not toward Lake Michigan. One more game where Bernie Brewer stays at the top of that ridiculous slide. One more game where someone other than Ryan Helsley can close the door like a bouncer on the Landing at 1:30am. One more game where everyone is healthy. Just one more game a month.
2025 will be better: PLAYOFFS BABY!
Here’s where we start cooking with rose colored gas, or your eyes roll completely back in your head and all the way back around.
Health!
Last year the end of spring training reports rivaled anything coming out of a South City Urgent Care on July 5th. Sonny Gray was out with a strained hammy. Lars Nootbaar had two cracked ribs and never really ever looked right. Future 2024 NLCS MVP Tommy Edman was still healing from off-season wrist surgery. Carlson had a sprained shoulder. Kenyan Middleton and Drew Rom never threw a single pitch.
Then, Willson Contreras went down and only played 84 games all season. His numbers were at a near career best pace, 15 home runs and an .848 OPS. He was the middle of the order bat they were missing. Now, dude is jacked and ready for revenge.
In all, 14 guys were on the IL at some point missing a combined 400ish games. It cannot be worse this year…can it? NO! I choose to believe they will be as healthy as David Wells’ appetite at a Golden Corral on a Sunday afternoon.
Pitching:
I thoroughly like this rotation. (Am I a homer? Yes…but why be anything else if you’re an actual fan???)
From 1-5, it’s solid. Kinda like a plate of BBQ chicken. Is it steak and lobster? No…but, if someone told you all you could have for dinner tonight was a plate of BBQ chicken with some mashed potatoes and green beans, would you be mad?
- Sonny Gray: 2024 he went 13-9 with a 3.84 ERA over 166.1 innings. He struck out 203, but did give up 21 jackertons in 28 starts. But, SOLID
- Erick Fedde: 2024 he went 9-9 with a 3.30 ERA over 177.1 innings. Struck out 154, also allowed 20 home runs. But, a 3.30 ERA is SOLID
- Andre Pallante: 2024 he went 8-8 with a 3.78 ERA. SOLID. Now, if the powers that be would only please for the love of all things Jose DeLeon just keep him in the rotation from April to September and not yank him around like a golden doodle at a dog park he might actually be borderline dominant.
- Wait…why is my keyboard not working?
- Hey…hold on a second…does Chris Carpenter have any bullets left?
So there you have it… quite a solid starting rotation!
The Younguns’!
No one has deserved to wear the number 16 since my boyhood idol Ray Lankford was traded to San Diego in what I refer to as “Jocketty’s folly,” but, Nolan Gorman could be the guy to carry the torch of a man who could absolutely destroy an opponents game plan with any given majestic swing in the left-handed batter’s box. Play Gorman 150 games come hell or a flooding Mississippi River and he will run into at least 30 bombs and 85 RBI. LET HIM EAT!!!
Jordan Walker is listed at 6’6” and 250 lbs. You know who else was about that size? Dave effing Winfield. JW has the tools, he has the build, he has the attitude. What he needs is a runway, support, and a guarantee that he is playing no matter what. He turns 23 in May and will hopefully still be in the middle of the lineup when he turns 33 in 2035.
Masyn Winn is that dude. A 4.9 WAR in his age 22 season! Bobby Witt Jr.’s age 22 season ended with a 0.9 WAR. There is nothing to not like about this guy. He’s going to make 6-10 All-Star Games, win multiple Gold Gloves, and have several top 10 MVP finishes. What SS would you trade him for straight up right now? My answer, none.
2025, the Dawn of the New Age!
There you have it my friends! Are you convinced? Maybe? You should be. Why be down on a team that missed the playoffs by one game a month last season…and actually has a better roster this year! A team that is healthier! If you’re a down in the dumps, want to hate everything about baseball kinda person…this column will not be for you.
Me, I choose to believe in baseball. I choose to believe in any Cardinal team from the first pitch on opening day, till the champagne flows in October. To quote the great Roy Hobbs, “God, love baseball.”
-Will Saulsbery
Born and raised in St. Louis, Will Saulsbery is a multitalented writer and musician. A graduate of the University of Missouri, Saulsbery has established himself as a prominent ghostwriter, with his work appearing in top-tier publications like Forbes, Fast Company, Tech Crunch, Entrepreneur, The Observer, and The Hill. He recently Co-Authored You Wouldn’t Believe Me If I Told You: An Unforgettable Memoir of Golf, Grit, and a Blue-Collar Kid on the PGA Tour with the great Jay Delsing.
