The St. Louis Cardinals’ improvements on defense in 2024 might not lead to a postseason run this season, but they do bode well for 2025 and beyond. Following one of their worst seasons in decades, the Cardinals are now entering their final 22 games of the season with a (barely) winning record. Entering Friday, they sit five games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League and have a less than 2% chance to make the postseason according to FanGraphs. Nevertheless, there have been definite bright spots in 2024 for the Cardinals.
A major one has been the emergence of youngsters Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson as bonafide offensive threats. Although both have entered minor slumps as of late, their presence at the top of the lineup has been a major boon to an inconsistent Cardinals offense.
Another has been the manner in which multiple bullpen arms have stepped up into crucial roles. Closer Ryan Helsley‘s new confined role has enabled him to put up historic numbers. Once highly touted prospect Matthew Liberatore has emerged as a high-leverage arm with dominant action on his breaking pitches. Ryan Fernandez, a Rule-5 draft pick, and JoJo Romero, an afterthought in the Edmundo Sosa trade, have taken over critical innings this year.
Yet, one of the most important, and least talked about, improvements this team has made has been on defense.
Cardinals Woes and Strengths on Defense
2023 was a rough season for the Cardinals in many ways. For a team whose identity under the tenure of Yadier Molina at least partially centered around solid defense, they struggled mightily in the field. Although their pure errors and fielding percentage do not reflect this fact, advanced fielding statistics do. In 2023, the Cardinals defense posted a -7 DRS, good for 20th in MLB. They also posted a -7 OAA as a team, placing them 19th in the MLB in that category. While these might seem like obscure metrics, these numbers often become catch-alls for understanding defensive performance.
The team’s improvement in these statistics in 2024 also confirms their overall improvement on defense. This season, they have posted a 34 DRS and a 15 OAA, leaving them at 8th in the league in both these categories. While they have not necessarily returned to their prominence as a top defensive team in MLB, the flashy moments of many of their young stars have returned the team to a respectable status in 2024.
Who’s Stepped Up?
While perennial Gold Glover Nolan Arenado and frequent winner Paul Goldschmidt have underperformed defensively this season, a multitude of young players have seen major improvement. Pedro Pages‘ emergence as a solid defensive option in the midst of the injuries to Willson Contreras has solidified the Cards’ defense behind the plate. His numbers on passed balls and runners caught stealing reflect this solidification in comparison to Contreras and Ivan Herrera‘s.
Established utility player Brendan Donovan has been highly effective at second base since Nolan Gorman was sent down. The winner of the first Gold Glove Award for an NL Utility Player may well be in the running for another one this season. He’s played three positions in 2024 and, across all of those, has posted a 5 OAA, placing him in the 91st percentile across the league.
Youngster Victor Scott II got another opportunity in the majors this season following the injury to Michael Siani. He’s made a bevy of flashy plays, displaying excellent range and route-running, including this one against the Dodgers on August 18:
#STLCards rookie CF Victor Scott II got a poor jump on this 109.6 mph missile off the bat of #Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernandez, but he was able to cover the 64 feet needed to make the stellar catch.
Hernandez had a 93 percent hit probability on the smash, per Statcast. pic.twitter.com/B4bkIC9CDR
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) August 18, 2024
However, the greatest defensive addition to this team has been the waiver claim Siani. In 2024 he has been, arguably, the league’s best defensive center fielder when he’s been healthy. In only 104 games, he has 14 OAA, placing him at the 98th percentile in the league. Out of all Cardinals defenders, he would have the best chance to win a Gold Glove. However, he fell two innings short of the league requirement, which stipulates that players must play 698 innings in the field by the team’s 138th game.
Nevertheless, the Cardinals have seen a major improvement in their defense in 2024, and this is a step in the right direction for a struggling team.
Photo Credit: © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
