Children of the Cardinals

 

The Cardinals, this year alone, have brought up Brendan Donovan, Juan Yepez, Andre Pallante, Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore. Together, they have given the Cardinals a combined 4.7 WAR, which is more than any Cardinals player not named Goldschmidt. 

While it has been a bit odd to see the Cardinals dive into its youth movement while still building a team around two thirty year olds and three 40 year olds, it's helped the team's depth exponentially. The Cardinals have lost Tyler O'Neill, Harrison Bader and Corey Dickerson to injury, and so having two young outfielders to throw into the mix [in addition to Lars Nootbaar] helps, especially when, like Donovan and Yepez, they've taken to hitting at the MLB level so quickly. Donovan's hitting .285 with 59 hits in 65 games. Yepez is hitting .268 with 11 homers. Yes, Yepez's defense is a drawback, but he can also play DH on days where Albert Pujols needs a day off. 

Honestly, to me, Nolan Gorman's already looking like the future. Plays a nice shortstop and a nice 2nd base, he's got 7 homers and 19 RBIs in 43 games, and he fits right in without being overshadowed and overwhelmed by Goldschmidt, Edman and Arenado, who all have WAR over 4 right now. Liberatore is also coming into his own, and has lowered his ERA to 4.74. With Matz and Flaherty out and Hicks inconsistent, they need a good young guy to make sure someone will still be there if people leave. 

The issue seems to be that when faced with teams that are essentially their equal, like the Braves and Phillies, the big guns don't always show up. Yesterday the Cardinals got shutout by the Phillies in a 1-0 game. The Cardinals, as ferocious as they are, have had a hard time getting past the Phillies bullpen. I'm not saying that's as simple as it usually is, but...if they pitch Jeurys Familia, you have a chance. And even with those variables, the Cardinals have been very human lately. They used to be grappling with Milwaukee for the division, that's not exactly happening anymore, and by the time we break for the ASG, the Cardinals might have to have a serious conversation about how they can regroup and take the division while still having the most assets of anyone in it. 

The youth is proving that this team will compete for a little while longer. Whether or not they'll actually get a ring this year is up to the veterans. 

Coming Tonight [?]: A guy who must be really happy he's not backing up Sean Murphy in Oakland this year.