3 bold player predictions for the St. Louis Cardinals 2022 postseason run

1. Nolan Arenado will shine

Arenado made it very clear during the season how much winning a division title would mean to him. This season marks the first time in Arenado’s 10-year MLB career that he has been a part of a division winner, always entering the postseason through the Wild Card with the Colorado Rockies and last season with the Cardinals when they were one-and-done after a trip to Los Angeles to meet the Dodgers.

While Arenado has always been a beast during the season, he has struggled any time he has had at-bats in the postseason, posting a .160/.148/.280 slash line in 27 plate appearances over six games. That includes an 0-for-4 outing last season in his first taste of the postseason in Cardinal red.

This year, however, will be different. Winning a division title will shake things up for Arenado at the plate, and he’ll begin making a difference in games in the Wild Card round. Arenado has slaughtered Philadelphia pitching this season, logging a .455/.520/1.000 slash line with three home runs and six RBI in 25 plate appearances, setting the table for a Wild Card feast.

With 7.9 bWAR heading into Wednesday’s action, Arenado has taken over the team lead in that department from NL MVP favorite Paul Goldschmidt. Just as Arenado is the leader in that category, look for him to be the leader for the Cardinals this postseason, pacing the Cards in most offensive categories while still playing Gold Glove-winning defense at third base.