St. Louis has soared in the standings with its sensational youth movement, but the team’s inability to get crucial outs will need to be addressed if these Cardinals kids truly want to take flight
By Ryan K Boman | June 21, 2026 | @RyanKBoman on X
There’s no denying that the 2026 version of the St. Louis Cardinals is not only better than last year’s incarnation, but they’re a heck of a lot more fun to watch play. This spry young team has stunned the world and its rivals in the National League Central this season. After playing stale baseball last season and finishing 78-84, good enough for just fourth place. A place that folks in Cardinal Nation aren’t used to being.
The good news for Cards fans is that this year’s squad should easily surpass those figures, as the kiddos haven’t shown signs of being exhausted or overwhelmed yet. As the schedule inches closer to the halfway mark, the Baby Birds are perched right behind Milwaukee in the pecking order of the Central.
After a 12- 10 shootout win over the Royals on Father’s Day, St. Louis is now 41-34 through its first 75 contests. They have changed the perception surrounding the franchise, who are no longer considered ‘rebuilding’ now. Their farm system and the trades they made turned their farm system into a factory of baseball prodigies.
Now. The media uses the phrase ’emerging’. Because it’s clear this is not a team that’s in a transition. But rather one that looks poised for a takeover.
Cardinals’ Pitching Woes Have Cost Victories
The Cardinals currently rank 17th overall in Major League Baseball with a 4.22 team ERA (Earned Run Average). Those numbers are mediocre, at best, for a team expected to be a contender in 2026. And it gets worse later in the game. Heading into play on Monday, the Birds’ bullpen has a 4.34 ERA, which ranks 23rd overall.
That might not be such an issue if this team were playing the way the experts predicted and were destined for the cellar this season. They were supposed to be a bad revival concert of the Redbirds’ heritage. Instead, 39-year-old manager Oliver Marmol and his pajaritos are looking like the new kids on the block. And despite whether the old folks like it or not, they are shooting to the top of the charts.
The Cardinals are legitimate contenders this season, not in two years as was originally hoped, then expected, then seemingly achieved in an unbelievable time. And while this team is by no means perfect in any aspect of its arsenal, the offense is really good and only getting better.
The Redbirds’ regular lineup is currently the youngest in the game right now. So, as good as guys like Alec Burlson, Jordan Walker, and Masyn Winn look right now? They’re going to be even better as they grow together and mesh. They have already been known to score runs in outbursts. Unfortunately, it’s because they had to if they wanted to have a chance to pull out a win.
The club has been waiting on starters like Andre Pallante and Matthew Liberatore for a while now, yet they really don’t have a guy you could call an elite, ‘bulldog-type’ at the front of the rotation. While there’s some help on its way in the minors, those guys can’t fix any problems right now.
Yes, the team wasn’t expected to make the postseason in 2026. And of course, there will be plenty of years for this burgeoning team to burst out and be dominant. But it would also be a shame for this impressionable group to have their playoff dreams crushed in this first foray this far.
The Cardinals need to make some moves to shore up their pitching. For St. Louis, a Redbird revival has come early, and the future is now. It’s worth it to roll the dice and bring a whole new era of winning to the Gateway City.
