The May-Clicks

 

The St. Louis Cardinals are 17-7 in May so far. Granted, this does not make them a first place team, due to the existence of the Chicago Cubs, nor does it make them a true successor for the division, due to the Reds only being a couple games behind, but in the span of a month, the Cardinals have gone from disappointing to impressive, and it may set the tone for the rest of the season.

The most notable part of this is the fact that they've ascended this much even with the continuing insistence on older arms in the rotation. But...this year they're kinda working. Miles Mikolas was DOA last year, and now he's a ton better, with a 4-2 record and a 3.50 ERA. The other Cardinals starter who fixed his issues overseas, Erick Fedde, has been even more dominant, with a complete game shutout under his belt in addition to his 3.90 ERA. These two and Sonny Gray at the very least going deep into games and getting the job done is a plus, as a lot of teams have gotten less mileage from starters over 30. And while this is a lesser version of Gray the Cards have signed up for, he's still got 5 wins and 66 Ks, so that definitely beats his Yankee numbers. Matthew Liberatore, however, has finally proven the scouts right and is a fully trustworthy MLB starter at last, with a 2.73 ERA in 10 starts. As good as the veterans have been, they need a guy like Liberatore to build the next stage around, and I can see Michael McGreevy and Tink Hence lining up behind him as soon as next year. 

The difference maker has been the amount of hitters that finally ripened for the Cardinals. Masyn Winn is now hitting .262 after a delayed start. Victor Scott has 16 stolen bases and is a great outfielder. Lars Nootbaar's having an excellent power season. Ivan Herrera, despite the injury, is succeeding as a hard-hitting catcher. Brendan Donovan is a true everyman contact guy. And Nolan Arenado, while not quite peak Arenado, is still hitting for power and has a 1.0 WAR. This team still gets listed as a potential seller a lot, with Fedde, Arenado and Helsley among the list of potential trade targets, but they're all aiding this team now, and helping them stay in the division race. 

And yes, eventually this team needs to have an identity conversation, and has to figure out if the answer is building the team around Donovan and Winn or assuming there's a true marquee guy in waiting [then again they thought Nolan Gorman was this]. But even 'crisis mode' for the Cardinals is working right now, as bizarre as it seems. We'll see if it lasts another couple months though.

Coming Tomorrow- He joined the major league club as they were about to defend their World Series title. Now, only a year later, he's one of the few people keeping them from falling into last.