St. Louis Cardinals: Veterans blame newcomers for not following “Cardinal Way”

St. Louis Cardinals Veterans blame newcomers for not following “Cardinal Way”, call for a change back to the “normal” clubhouse culture

In mid-September, the St. Louis Cardinals seemed to be hitting full stride, on pace to snag that final Wild Card spot away from the Colorado Rockies. Down the stretch, the Cardinals got smacked around by their arch rival the Chicago Cubs and were sent home packing during the Postseason, where the Cardinals have been absent the past two seasons now. With a mix of young players and tough injuries, on the surface, that explained the reasoning for the team falling short of fan’s expectations. New information has surfaced, that is actually quite telling on why the Cardinals have missed the mark of late.

Has the “Cardinal way” departed from the Arch City? Jose de Jesus Ortiz from the St. Louis Post Dispatch gives us some juicy details on why the Cardinals have lost their way. There is a certain expectation for young players within the Cardinals organization when they get the call to the big leagues. An anonymous Redbird player called out some of the younger players:

"Look around… and see how many of the guys making these mistakes came up through other organizations."

It seems like the problem may be from the veterans, however, take Dexter Fowler, for example, who apparently has changed the culture of expectation for Cardinals players according to Ortiz:

"Dexter Fowler is usually the last guy in the clubhouse and one of the first to leave."

Things within the Cardinals clubhouse have gotten too relaxed, with that carrying over the diamond, where the team lacked that killer instinct and concentration.

"On the field, the Cardinals were prone to make poor decisions on the base paths and in the field. In the clubhouse, players were privately griping about the lackadaisical atmosphere that could be described as part chess club, part video arcade, part ping pong tournament."

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Mike Matheny, who played for the Cardinals from 2000-2004, fully understands the “Cardinal way”, agreeing that the team needs to get back to that way of playing the game:

"The culture that I see is representing this organization with the style and the brand of baseball that this fan base has seen for a long time and what is expected from the top all the way down. The consistency of the work ethic and the professionalism, the pride of what it should feel like to put that jersey on every single day."

Cardinals GM Mike Mozeliak noticed the team straying from their expectations, but decided to stay pat allowing it to go on:

"Overall, I do feel that the culture and the dynamic of the clubhouse was much stronger the way we ended the season than maybe at that low point toward the end of May."

The “Cardinal way” is something that irritates opposing teams and their fan-bases, something that the St. Louis Cardinals want to see return:

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The million dollar question is, who is to blame? Responsibility always starts at the top, with Mike Matheny and Mozeliak the ones who need to be accountable. With that being said, it seems like the players are to blame, allowing this to go on right before their eyes. With veterans such as Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina, and the always hard-nosed Tommy Pham, it’s surprising this lack-luster effort was allowed to go on. This off-season will be a true test of their grit, with much self-reflection and looking in the mirror needed. If the St. Louis Cardinals miss the playoffs for the third straight season in 2018, expect things to get shaken up, from the top, then all the way down to the bottom.