The St. Louis Cardinals are back at the top of the NL Central, and now they have a top-notch roster that can finish the job and claim a World Series.
The St. Louis Cardinals are back in control of the NL Central and 2020 looks to be no different or out of the ordinary as the Birds sport the best roster in the division (and one of the best in baseball) and could even possibly find themselves in a World Series if things flop their way come October…….or November.
This is a Cardinals organization that is rich with history and consistent success for decades. For as long as I’ve been alive, the Cards have set the standard for a winning culture in the National League with just three losing seasons since 1996, two World Series titles, and four World Series appearances.
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Be that as it may, what is really impressive about this team is the fact that even when they’re not very good, they still find themselves at the top of the heap contending for a playoff spot. Even though they’ve had 21 winning seasons in 24 years, they’ve only made the playoffs in 14 of those seasons, which is a testament to them arguably playing in the most hotly-contested division in baseball the past two decades. The fact that they always seem to find themselves in contention just goes to show you how great this organization is.
They’ve gone through a bit of a dry spell of late. Before winning the Central last year, they had missed the playoffs in three-straight seasons from 2016 to 2018. In the middle of 2018, out went Mike Matheny who had gotten the Birds to a World Series in 2013 and in came a man named Mike Shildt who had never played pro ball before but had been coaching in the Cards organization since 2009.
Shildt came on in the middle of 2018 when the team was flailing and led the Cards to a 40-28 second-half run that put them just three games back of securing a Wild Card slot. But even though they came up short that year, they notched the seventh-best record in baseball and the third-best in the National League in the second half which ultimately propelled them to a big 2019.