It’s been a tough start to the season for the St. Louis Cardinals, but they still have several MVP candidates on the roster.
St. Louis baseball fans coin themselves the best in the sport for a reason. When the team isn’t playing well, these people make a fuss about it.
The Cards split a weekend series over the Pittsburgh Pirates, perhaps signaling that they’re finally headed in the right direction. But as capable as the Cardinals are at the plate, they’re significantly lacking in the pitching department. This team had all offseason to address what has been an obvious need for the better part of two seasons, and failed to do so, as FanSided’s Tim Boyle stressed in his latest MLB Power Rankings:
"“Probably the biggest disappointment of the 2023 season thus far, the St. Louis Cardinals are getting a bunch of offense but not much help from their pitchers. Steven Matz continues to look like an epic bust while Miles Mikolas seems to have lost what made him so special. What’s most painful is how the Cardinals had more than enough bats to trade away this offseason to improve the pitching staff. They didn’t do much at all. In the early part of the season, they’re suffering in part because of it.”"
Still, even with their subpar start, the Cards have several NL MVP candidates on the roster. But not every player is destined for greatness.
Cardinals MVP candidate: Paul Goldschmidt
If we’re looking for a possible National League MVP, why not start with the player who won it last season? The notoriously soft-spoken Goldschmidt goes to work and does his job, which is why he fits in so well with this Cardinals team.
Last season, Goldschmidt slashed .317/.404/.578 with 35 home runs and 115 RBIs. He was also an elite-level first baseman defensively. There’s nothing this guy can’t do, and he’s off to another hot start in 2023.
So far this year, Goldschmidt has been a model of consistency on a St. Louis team that has otherwise failed to live up to expectations. It’s early, and that could very well change, as the Cardinals were favored to win the NL Central to begin the season.
For now, though, it’s impossible to write any sort of NL MVP rankings without Goldy included.