The 2024 season was an improvement on paper for the Cardinals. St. Louis won 83 games, 12 more than 2023. The Cardinals’ pitching staff did fine overall. But, performances from several key St. Louis bats were less-than-ideal, hence why the Cardinals missed the playoffs for a second straight season. Here’s our recap of the 2024 Cardinals’ season.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 672 | 22nd |
| Home Runs | 165 | 22nd |
| OPS | .703 | 16th |
| Whiff% | 24.2% | 9th |
| Hard Hit% | 38.2% | 21st |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 4.33 | 20th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.64 | 7th |
| Strikeouts | 1,308 | 27th |
| Whiff% | 24.1% | 25th |
| Chase% | 28.3% | 18th |
The Good
The Cardinals’ pitching staff is one predicated on movement and finesse, rather than power, swing-and-miss stuff. It’s a good reason why St. Louis finished 27th in the league in strikeouts, one year after the Cards were 29th. However, two hurlers who shined were Sonny Gray and Ryan Helsley.
Gray excelled in his first year with St. Louis. He struck out 203 batters in 2024, two shy of tying a career-high (205) set in 2019. The 35-year-old continued to leverage an eclectic arsenal that can fool hitters, whether it be changing things up a two-seamer or breaking out his plus curveball.
Helsley, meanwhile, was healthy for the season and thrived. The Cardinals’ closer led the league in saves (49) and was a key reason why St. Louis finished 29-22 in one-run games.
There were also several breakthrough performances. Ryan Fernandez (3.35 FIP, 9.6 K/9) and John King (3.73 FIP) were effective relievers. King, in particular, was a great find in the Cardinals in the Jordan Montgomery deal. The 29-year-old sidearmer posted yet another strong GB% (61.5%) rate.
Andre Pallante, a former fourth-round pick, logged 121.1 IP and controlled the zone well.
Offensively, the two breakout performers were Alec Burleson and Masyn Winn.
Burleson’s bat is what got him drafted in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft, even though he was also a good pitcher at ECU. The 25-year-old did get looks in the outfield with that arm this year but his poor range (-8 OAA) wasn’t a fit.
He did, however, break out at the plate. Burleson hit 21 home runs and 42 extra-base hits over 595 plate appearances. He struck out just 12.8% of the time in 2024. It was a plus for the Cardinals, who will have team control of him for another four seasons.
Winn, on the other hand, was a player primed to be an elite defender, thanks to plus speed and arguably the best throwing arm in the game. Defensively, Winn (+3 OAA) was good. And at the plate, Winn hit 15 home runs and added in 11 stolen bases en route to a .730 OPS (102 OPS+).
The Bad
The offense wasn’t fantastic, as one could see from the numbers. However, the Cardinals did win 83 games in 2024. That largely could be attributed to their success on the mound, noted in the previous section.
It’s a good idea to start with the two big names, who yet again put up numbers we’re not accustomed to.
Nolan Arenado‘s .394 SLG was easily the worst of his career in 2024. Arenado hit 42 home runs between 2023-24, compared to 64 over his first two seasons with St. Louis. The same can be said for Paul Goldschmidt, who posted a .414 SLG in 2024. It was 33 points lower than 2023, his previous career high.
The numbers from Goldschmidt’s season were less concerning than Arenado, who posted a Barrel% of just 3.2%, well below the league average of 7.0%. Goldschmidt barreled up balls to the tune of 10.7%. Still, neither came close to replicating their 2022 campaigns, when the two finished in the top three of NL MVP voting.
Aside from those two, it was a tough slog for Nolan Gorman. Gorman struck out 151 times over 107 games in 2024. He batted .203/.271/.400 with 19 home runs. Gorman’s struggled led to the Cardinals to demote him in August, as he was one of several youngsters to get sent back down to Memphis (AAA). Victor Scott II and Jordan Walker also spent significant time with the Redbirds.
Gorman is a player who will be under heightened scrutiny in 2025. The former first-round pick will be 25 next season and while he has a lot of power, there are holes in his game. Gorman should be a first baseman; he has below-average range at second. Additionally, his vulnerability against breaking balls and offspeed pitches is glaring.
The same could be said for Walker, a third baseman-turned-outfielder. Walker did hit well in September, as he recorded a .253/.286/.494 line with five home runs and 11 extra-base hits.
Early Projected Lineup
- C: Ivan Herrera/Pedro Pages
- 1B: Willson Contreras
- 2B: Brendan Donovan
- 3B: Nolan Arenado
- SS: Masyn Winn
- OF: Lars Nootbaar (LF), Victor Scott II (CF), Jordan Walker (RF)
- DH: Alec Burleson
- SP: Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, Steven Matz
- RP: Ryan Helsley, Ryan Fernandez, JoJo Romero, John King, Kyle Leahy, Riley O’Brien
This lineup could change significantly between now and Opening Day 2025.
One of the most notable changes listed above is that Willson Contreras will move to first base. The move has been touted as one to keep him healthy. But at the same time, Contreras isn’t a great defender behind the dish and St. Louis tried to move him off before. Now, he’ll yield in favor of Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages.
Additionally, the Cardinals declined options on Kyle Gibson, Keynan Middleton, and Lance Lynn to send them back to free agency.
The Cardinals do have pitching depth for their rotation. Erick Fedde pitched well in his first season back from Korea, both for the Cardinals and White Sox. There’s also Micheal McGreevy, a 2021 first-round pick. McGreevy is a sinkerballer who doesn’t miss a ton of bats but pitched well in his brief cameo last year. The 24-year-old struck out 18 over 23 and ownd a 0.78 WHIP.
However, what will happen with Nolan Arenado? The 2024 campaign was the second straight in which Arenado performed below his career norms and there’ve been rumors the Cardinals are gauing. He has three years and $52MM left on his deal ($25.55 luxury hit), plus deferred money through 2041 per Spotrac, which is significant.