The Cardinals ranked in the National League top five in runs allowed per game 14 times between 20. If the other consistent on-field hallmark of "The Cardinal Way" was outstanding run prevention, that, too, has gone kaput. On the pitching side, one-time Cy Young Award vote-getter Jack Flaherty and fireballing reliever Jordan Hicks have ERAs in the 6.00s. ![]() Middle infielders Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan are having down years, as is every homegrown outfielder not named Lars Nootbaar. Whereas the Cardinals typically got around 50 percent of their total wins above replacement between 20 from players 28 and under-i.e., players whose ages fall under the MLB average-that figure is down to 22.0 percent in 2023. And in case you can't tell from the team's record, the breakdown is also happening on the field.įor starters, the player development machine has blown a gasket. There's a pattern of escalation apparent here, so perhaps it was inevitable that the weird stuff would start happening at a fever pitch like it has this year. The Cardinals replacing Molina, a nine-time Gold Glover, with Contreras, a zero-time Gold Glover? Weirdest still. Yadier Molina seeming to check out in 2022? Weirder still. Shildt's unexpected and apparently heartbreaking firing in 2021? Also weird. Mozeliak throwing Dexter Fowler under the bus in 2018? That was weird. It's not just the club's diminishing returns in the playoffs. The Los Angeles Dodgers produced more regular-season wins between then and 2022, but the Cardinals more than made up the difference in the playoffs with two World Series championships, two league pennants and an NL-high 69 playoff games.īut even before it finally shattered, you could hear the facade cracking before this year. Though the Cardinals initially had ups and downs after DeWitt bought the team in 1995, the 2000 season marked the beginning of a long reign as the envy of the National League. There's always a plan and everything is always going according to it. If we were to venture a definition of the non-meme form of "The Cardinal Way," we'd say it's about harmony. "Physically prepared, mentally prepared and honestly spiritually" was how former center fielder Harrison Bader put it in 2020. General manager John Mozeliak has spoken about seeking "character" in players, who in turn are expected to go about their business in a holistic way. ![]() "The Cardinal Way" can also be understood as an attitude. and an army of modern executives evolved a player development machine whose main progenitors include Branch Rickey and George Kissell. There's surely some overlap between what's in there and what got into Howard Megdal's 2016 book, The Cardinals Way: How One Team Embraced Tradition and Moneyball, which covered how owner Bill DeWitt Jr. ![]() And one that's in writing, no less, as the organization itself has a 117-page book on what it's all about. To borrow from former manager Mike Matheny, it's shorthand for the particular " holier than thou" brand that the team has cultivated for the better part of the century.Īnd yet "The Cardinal Way" is indeed an organizational philosophy. This is soap-operatic stuff, and it couldn't be more out of tune with how the Cardinals usually operate.Īt this point, "The Cardinal Way" is easier to understand as a meme than as an organizational philosophy. Then there was the sudden demotion of erstwhile rookie sensation Jordan Walker and, most recently, the scapegoating of $87.5 million catcher designated hitter Willson Contreras. Bucknor in spring training, manager Oli Marmol picked another fight with one of his own players, outfielder Tyler O'Neill, in April. Say this about the Cardinals' sudden propensity for losing after posting winning records in all but one season between 20: they haven't made it boring.Īfter picking a fight with umpire C.B.
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