As a young pitcher, Adam Wainwright was blessed with a powerful right arm that could throw 95 mph fastballs. He was gifted with a killer curve that was as fine as any we’ve seen in major-league baseball. At his peak, he finished in the Top 3 of the National League Cy...
The Cardinals will be leaving the summery weather of Jupiter to head back to their Midwest home for the regular-season opener at Busch Stadium on March 30. And this ritual transfer is happening fast, with only 17 days between now and Game 1 of the 2023 season....
In 2022, first-year manager Oli Marmol did a superb job of coordinating the traffic at the designated hitter spot. At the end of the regular season the St. Louis DH crew led the National League in homers (29) and ranked sixth or better in the majors in RBI, slugging...
BIRD BYTES 1) We know that Willson Contreras is bringing power-packed offense to the catcher position in St. Louis. Among active MLB catchers that have at least 2,000 plate appearances since Contreras arrived in the majors in 2016, he ranks third in career slugging...
BERNIE BITS With the ban on defensive shifts in place for 2023, will the Cardinals regress defensively? How will the changes matter? Based on 2022, it’s a mix of factors that don’t make for an easy answer. Last season the Cardinals finished tied for fourth in the...
It’s been a distinguished run for John Mozeliak, the leader of the St. Louis baseball operations for 15 seasons. In terms of sustained success, he’s been one of the most influential executives in franchise history. To the surprise of absolutely no one who understands...
In Part I of my two-column offering, I looked at five potential reasons to worry about the 2023 Cardinals. The outlook was based on their assembled roster at this moment. Changes will likely occur over time, and that could alter our view. At the end of this piece I...
It’s difficult for me to shut off my brain. A lot of this has to do with writing. Specifically, baseball writing. What do I want to write about? What did I forget to write about? What do I need to write? Is there a fresh angle on a Cardinals-related topic? With all of...
For weeks I’ve been chirping an opinion that was often met with dissent and some disbelief. In my view, the Cardinals had a very good offense in 2022, and I’m confident their lineup will be even better in 2023. But I can only write so many “don’t worry so much about...
