The Saga Continues

The Cardinals play real baseball today. That's a good thing.

Will this Cardinals season be Return of the Jedi or The Rise of Skywalker?

If you are like our friend Dayn Perry, you are perhaps starting to consider bailing on this post. Don’t worry, I’m not going to get too far down into Star Wars references and comparisons. (I save that for this site.) However, I got to thinking a little bit about this and I think it’s valid.

This year is Oli Marmol’s third year at the helm of the Cardinals. His first year was outstanding. 93 wins and, if Ryan Helsley’s finger isn’t jammed, who knows how far the club goes in October. That’s A New Hope or The Force Awakens level goodness. (Your mileage may vary about how close of a comparison you can make between those two movies, but that’s a different post.)

Last year, of course, everything went wrong, which is pretty standard for trilogies, right? The Rebellion was on the run at the end of The Empire Strikes Back and the Resistance was almost non-existent at the end of The Last Jedi. The Cardinals lost 91 games, had their first sell-off at the trade deadline in decades, saw a pitching staff completely melt down, and anyone that was still around by the end of the year was probably on the injured list. It was bleak.

So here we come to Marmol’s third year. It could be a bounce back, a feel-good romp that sees our heroes back on top and defeating the enemy with good cheer. Or it could be a season that feels like a mess, gets terrible reviews, and most people don’t want to speak much about. Which is it going to be?

Last time, we talked a lot about the issues facing the Cardinals. The rotation isn’t necessarily being held together by spit and baling wire, but it doesn’t feel like it’s the most stable thing around. The key bats on the corners are getting older and Paul Goldschmidt’s a free agent at the end of the season. The front office seemed to prioritize pitchers that wanted to be in St. Louis over pitchers that were successful. Six players, including the starting pitcher that has the highest upside, are starting on the injured list. You get the picture. All the icons celebrated over the last two years are gone and though Matt Carpenter and Lance Lynn have returned, it’s not anywhere close to the same.

However, today is Opening Day. It’s the first of 162 times we get to come together and watch what these players will do on the field. There’s someone out there that will see their first Cardinal game this season and likely will always have a soft spot for this team, no matter what the results are. It’s seeing Nolan Arenado make another amazing play at third. It’s watching Jordan Walker unload on a fastball. It’s seeing the red lights come on as Ryan Helsley trots out for the ninth.

There are plenty of reasons why the Cardinals might not be great this year. So let’s start talking about some of the reasons they might be.

1. It’s the NL Central. The five teams in the NL Central might be separated by 10 games at the end of the year. If Pittsburgh gets a step up from some of their young players, they could be a spoiler. However, I just don’t know that there’s a lot of difference in any of these teams. The Cubs might be the favorites, but it’s not by a whole lot. None of these really feel like 90 win teams, do they? The Cardinals, at least on paper, look like a team that can be right there all year long, at least if things don’t melt down like they did last year.

2. The pitching staff is better than last year. There are plenty of questions about the rotation, at least behind Sonny Gray (which, of course, will start the year watching from the sidelines). I don’t think anyone believes that this is a top 10 rotation by any means, but could it be a middle of the pack one? I think it’s at least possible. They finished 24th last season. If we see them finish 17th-18th, it’s no great shakes but it might be enough to make this a better season. There’s no Adam Wainwright, bless him, posting an 8 ERA and continuing to be run out there. If someone like Lance Lynn starts looking like ‘23 Waino, he’ll be shipped to the bullpen or let go. There won’t be a complete season of it like there as last year as Wainwright chased 200.

3. The bullpen looks like a strength. We already know about Ryan Helsley and, save for those stretches where he has problems, Giovanny Gallegos in the back of the bullpen. JoJo Romero took a step last year and is worthy of some late innings. And for all the qualms we have about how the front office stitched together the rotation, they did a bang up job bringing in new pieces for the bullpen. Andrew Kittredge, Ryan Fernandez, Riley O’Brien, Keynan Middleton (when he is healthy) all should mean that when the game gets turned over to the bullpen, there’s a very solid chance that the lead will be preserved.

4. The young bats continue to evolve. A lineup with Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Brendan Donovan, and (again, we keep saying it, when healthy) Lars Nootbaar should be a potent offensive force. We’ll see what Masyn Winn and Victor Scott II (while he is with the big club) can do about setting the table for the big bats. The power and the speed that these guys bring should well be worth watching.

5. The club still has Goldy and Nado. Yes, they both took a step back last year. Yes, they are getting older. However, they are still Hall of Fame level players that are still capable of contributing. Goldschmidt had a quiet spring but we’ve seen him start slow before. Arenado didn’t win a Gold Glove last year but that likely will spur him to be better defensively. You’d rather have those guys than not.

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Obviously, there’s no guarantees about how any season will play out. The Dodgers might win 117 games. They might miss the playoffs. Some team is going to come out of nowhere to be a contender. Some team, like St. Louis last year, is going to fall on its face.

There are 162 distinct games that stretch from today until September 29th. Even if the overall product turns out to be disappointing, every day holds infinite possibilities. There could be a no-hitter. There could be a three-home-run day. Winn could make a play that reminds you of Ozzie Smith. Gorman could hit a bomb that recalls Mark McGwire. There’s going to be questionable decisions and bad beats and walk off winners, slugfests and pitching duels. Like that infamous box of chocolates, you’ll never know each day what you are going to get.

It’s the 143rd (depending on how you count things, the club would probably say about 10 less) season in St. Louis Cardinals history. One way or another, it’s going to be memorable.

Let’s play ball.

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This weekend brings the beginning of baseball season but it is also Holy Week. If you are a person of faith, I hope that you will make it out to local services on Good Friday and Easter. Even if you are not, perhaps this is a time to visit a congregation. Easter is joyous, of course, full of celebration and excitement, but find a Good Friday service that helps you understand what Jesus went through for you. Yes, you.

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The Bad Batch is still going strong but we’ve finally gotten our first look at the next live-action Star Wars story and it looks like it’s going to be a good one.

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Finally, we’ve had a lot of videos in this so let’s leave it with the best baseball movie clip of all. (And if you haven’t seen this bit from the Oscars, go watch it as well!) Enjoy Opening Day!