Obvious shortcomings amid a positive season...

[CCard]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

[sikeston bulldog2]

I’d think in a reset year with so much youth playing that if they got into the dance that would be a great ending to the season. Even a good playoff push would develop character and a winning attitude.

[Cranny]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

Seems like Gray, Pallante, Liberatore, McGreevy, and Roby would make a pretty decent staff in 2026.

[CCard]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

Seems like Gray, Pallante, Liberatore, McGreevy, and Roby would make a pretty decent staff in 2026.

Pallante is always going to be the same. He is what he is, a ground ball pitcher dependent on defense and batted ball luck. He just doesn't miss many bats. Libby looks like he might be ready to step up so that's encouraging. I fear that Gray is declining but he can still throw the occasional gem and he does miss bats until he hangs one. McGreevy and Roby are unproven and to this point that's too much uncertainty along with the very real likely injuries that will happen. Fedde and Mikolas aren't top tier and redundant. One is okay, two is too much. I'm a big fan of strikeout pitchers and sadly the Cards don't have many. Strikeouts are the best possible outcome for a pitcher and the worst for the batter. We need more strikeouts. Way more.

[Charles King]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

Seems like Gray, Pallante, Liberatore, McGreevy, and Roby would make a pretty decent staff in 2026.

Pallante is always going to be the same. He is what he is, a ground ball pitcher dependent on defense and batted ball luck. He just doesn't miss many bats. Libby looks like he might be ready to step up so that's encouraging. I fear that Gray is declining but he can still throw the occasional gem and he does miss bats until he hangs one. McGreevy and Roby are unproven and to this point that's too much uncertainty along with the very real likely injuries that will happen. Fedde and Mikolas aren't top tier and redundant. One is okay, two is too much. I'm a big fan of strikeout pitchers and sadly the Cards don't have many. Strikeouts are the best possible outcome for a pitcher and the worst for the batter. We need more strikeouts. Way more.

I used to disagree about strikeouts
But lately the light hit balls find a whole. Soft contrack don't always mean an out

[Shady]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

"Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win". What about Burleson? Currently, he is, arguably, the best hitter in the lineup.

[Basil Shabazz]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

Seems like Gray, Pallante, Liberatore, McGreevy, and Roby would make a pretty decent staff in 2026.

Pallante is always going to be the same. He is what he is, a ground ball pitcher dependent on defense and batted ball luck. He just doesn't miss many bats. Libby looks like he might be ready to step up so that's encouraging. I fear that Gray is declining but he can still throw the occasional gem and he does miss bats until he hangs one. McGreevy and Roby are unproven and to this point that's too much uncertainty along with the very real likely injuries that will happen. Fedde and Mikolas aren't top tier and redundant. One is okay, two is too much. I'm a big fan of strikeout pitchers and sadly the Cards don't have many. Strikeouts are the best possible outcome for a pitcher and the worst for the batter. We need more strikeouts. Way more.

Roby has the potential to be a K guy.

[dugoutrex]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

lol - ALL mlb teams count attendance the exact same way - you prolly think gas is below $2 don't ya ?

[Lightning Rod]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

"Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win". What about Burleson? Currently, he is, arguably, the best hitter in the lineup.

Agree, obvious omission.

[CCard]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

lol - ALL mlb teams count attendance the exact same way - you prolly think gas is below $2 don't ya ?

I know that dummy. But there aren't 30,000 butts in the seat now are there? Look with your eyes and leave the common sense to others that know how to use it.

[Cranny]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

Seems like Gray, Pallante, Liberatore, McGreevy, and Roby would make a pretty decent staff in 2026.

Pallante is always going to be the same. He is what he is, a ground ball pitcher dependent on defense and batted ball luck. He just doesn't miss many bats. Libby looks like he might be ready to step up so that's encouraging. I fear that Gray is declining but he can still throw the occasional gem and he does miss bats until he hangs one. McGreevy and Roby are unproven and to this point that's too much uncertainty along with the very real likely injuries that will happen. Fedde and Mikolas aren't top tier and redundant. One is okay, two is too much. I'm a big fan of strikeout pitchers and sadly the Cards don't have many. Strikeouts are the best possible outcome for a pitcher and the worst for the batter. We need more strikeouts. Way more.

Roby has the potential to be a K guy.

Roby, Mathews, and Hence all have the potential to be strike out guys.

[CCard]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

Seems like Gray, Pallante, Liberatore, McGreevy, and Roby would make a pretty decent staff in 2026.

Pallante is always going to be the same. He is what he is, a ground ball pitcher dependent on defense and batted ball luck. He just doesn't miss many bats. Libby looks like he might be ready to step up so that's encouraging. I fear that Gray is declining but he can still throw the occasional gem and he does miss bats until he hangs one. McGreevy and Roby are unproven and to this point that's too much uncertainty along with the very real likely injuries that will happen. Fedde and Mikolas aren't top tier and redundant. One is okay, two is too much. I'm a big fan of strikeout pitchers and sadly the Cards don't have many. Strikeouts are the best possible outcome for a pitcher and the worst for the batter. We need more strikeouts. Way more.

Roby has the potential to be a K guy.

That's cool and I hope he's lights out. But it's unrealized as of now.

[CCard]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

"Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win". What about Burleson? Currently, he is, arguably, the best hitter in the lineup.

Yes, he's had a recent up surge with good results. I'm okay with him playing every day for a while but who sits? Walker? Noot? Herrera?

[CCard]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

Seems like Gray, Pallante, Liberatore, McGreevy, and Roby would make a pretty decent staff in 2026.

Pallante is always going to be the same. He is what he is, a ground ball pitcher dependent on defense and batted ball luck. He just doesn't miss many bats. Libby looks like he might be ready to step up so that's encouraging. I fear that Gray is declining but he can still throw the occasional gem and he does miss bats until he hangs one. McGreevy and Roby are unproven and to this point that's too much uncertainty along with the very real likely injuries that will happen. Fedde and Mikolas aren't top tier and redundant. One is okay, two is too much. I'm a big fan of strikeout pitchers and sadly the Cards don't have many. Strikeouts are the best possible outcome for a pitcher and the worst for the batter. We need more strikeouts. Way more.

I used to disagree about strikeouts
But lately the light hit balls find a whole. Soft contrack don't always mean an out

Exactly. A batted ball is subject to the luck of the bounce and the fielding of the player. A strikeout means they just sit down and shut up. Typically, strikeout pitchers cost more and thus why the Cards seem to never have many. They are a premium though and much in demand. Nothing can affect a game like a good strikeout pitcher. It isn't everything, but it's most of everything.

[BrockFloodMaris]

Pallante is an above average pitcher because of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately this is also extremely reliant on batted ball luck. Fedde is a slightly better version of Mikolas, but neither are top tier pitchers, so that's a minus overall. Gray is a star but for whatever reason, he's streaky and I recall he was the same way with other teams. He's as close to a number 1 or 2 as the Cards have. Overall, the Cards pitching just isn't good enough to win. They certainly can't make up for the teams droughts at the plate. Donovan, Contreras, Winn, Arenado are good enough to win. Pozo and Pages are an okay combo behind the plate. Herrera, can't seem to stay healthy enough to be a force, though when he did play he showed signs of being above average. But the Cards have had players aplenty that couldn't stay on the field. All in all, they could squeak into a wild card game if they have a decent streak. Certainly they will be decided underdogs if they make the playoffs. There young players need to improve and they absolutely have to do something about upgrading their starting pitching. Will the brass do it? Highly doubtful. They still claim attendance is 30,000 when we all have eyes and see the empty seats.

Seems like Gray, Pallante, Liberatore, McGreevy, and Roby would make a pretty decent staff in 2026.

I applaud your optimism, Cranny. However, Michael McGreevy has 44 MLB innings under his belt. Tekoah Roby has 80 AA innings, 16 AAA innings and 0 MLB innings of experience. They might be good, but its way too early to start counting on them for too many quality starts in 2026. On top of that, Gray has too many off days for an ace, Pallante can't miss bats, and Lib (who I really like) has no deception in his delivery. He shows the batter the ball the whole way. That will continue to hurt him. He could learn a trick from Imanaga.

That rotation might be pretty good in 2026, but they could just as easily be middle-bottom third in MLB rotations.