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St. Louis Cardinals: The stat that shows 2022’s offensive firepower

By Kevin Henry

Sep 17, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman (19) hits a one run single against the Cincinnati Reds during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman (19) hits a one run single against the Cincinnati Reds during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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The St. Louis Cardinals are on their way to winning the National League Central and earning the third seed in the upcoming National League postseason bracket. One of the reasons for the success in St. Louis this season? The offense is making its own history under the Gateway Arch.

How the St. Louis Cardinals are setting offensive records in 2022

Three members of the St. Louis Cardinals enter Tuesday’s home game against the Milwaukee Brewers with 6.0 bWAR or higher, marking the first time, per Baseball-Reference, since the 2011 Boston Red Sox that three position players had reached that mark.

Leading the Cardinals in bWAR this season are Nolan Arenado (7.7), Paul Goldschmidt (7.6), and Tommy Edman (6.1). Goldschmidt is expected to be one of the leading vote-getters in the race for the National League MVP, while Arenado is expected to earn his fare share of MVP votes as well, setting up the possibility of the duo becoming the first set of teammates to finish 1-2 in the voting since Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants in 2000.

Edman, meanwhile, has been in the shadows of the success in St. Louis as Goldschmidt and Arenado have grabbed many of the highlights and Albert Pujols has made MLB history with his 700th home run.

The three Boston Red Sox players who turned the feat in 2011? Jacoby Ellsbury, who finished with 8.3, Dustin Pedroia (8.0), and Adrian Gonzalez (6.9) paced a Red Sox team that finished 90-72 and missed the postseason in the final season for both manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein.

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Boston’s 2011 firepower didn’t result in postseason success, and Ellsbury finished second to Justin Verlander (then with the Detroit Tigers) in American League MVP voting. Will the 2022 Cardinals surpass the Red Sox in both categories this season? The postseason play is already a given, and Goldschmidt is the odds-on favorite to win MVP honors as the regular season winds down.

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