It has been another slow start for the St. Louis Cardinals, who enter Monday at 7-8 in a wide-open NL Central. John Mozeliak's alleged plans to reset an aging team have mostly stalled; this roster feels eerily similar to what we all witnessed in 2024. The Cardinals made very little effort to actually get younger and cheaper over the offseason.
There have been scant positives, such as Nolan Arenado looking like a trade-worthy player and Erick Fedde pitching six no-hit innings last week. By and large, however, we are settling into the same rhythms of disappointment with this Cards team. The young talent has not been fully realized, and the high-profile vets just aren't what they used to be.
At the center of this paradox is Willson Contreras, who has already been removed from his catching duties full-time. Now he's splitting his days between first base and DH, attempting to maintain defensive adequacy while failing to deliver on the massive contract St. Louis handed him after his World Series-winning stint with the Chicago Cubs.
It has been a slow start at the plate this season for the 32-year-old, who's slashing .158/.213/.263 with a minus-0.6 WAR, but a recent change has the tides turning ever so slightly. On Saturday, Contreras made the fated switch to a torpedo bat, the latest, much-discussed innovation in hitting technology. So far, the results are extremely positive.
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Cardinals seem to have unlocked Willson Contreras with timely torpedo bat switch
Contreras has two games under his belt with the torpedo bat. It seems to be working.
#STLCards 1B Willson Contreras adapted use of the “torpedo” bat — thinner at the end and wider in the barrel — on Saturday and he’s since recorded a home run, two doubles and four hits to snap out of his slump.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) April 13, 2025
He tried the bat in Spring and didn’t like it. He likes it now.
Since taking up the torpedo, Contreras is 4-for-8 with a double, a home run and three RBI. We cannot put too much stock into a two-game sample, but Contreras — who tried the torpedo bat in spring training and "didn't like it," per MLB.com's John Denton — appears fond of his new slice of lumber.
"During the off day, I was down in my basement, trying to find myself," the three-time All-Star told reporters. "Thinking of my swing, thinking of my feeling, and I think I've found it for a little bit. I'm planning to keep going."
"During the off day, I was down in my basement trying to find myself."
— Grace Ybarra (@gnybarra) April 13, 2025
Willson Contreras talks switching to the torpedo bat and how he found his swing again.@MatrixMidwest | #stlcards pic.twitter.com/JUeBF0vEKC
This is a promising sign for Cardinals fans. Whether it's actually a tangible result of the torpedo bat, or simply Contreras undergoing the necessary mental gymnastics to restore confidence in his swing, these last couple games have been a huge step in the right direction. We know what Contreras is capable of at his peak — 24 home runs and an .888 OPS back in 2019, to be exact. A contact-making, hard-hitting Contreras can go a long way toward establishing the Cards as a Wild Card threat in the National League.
Again, it has only been two games, and St. Louis has plenty of issues beyond Contreras, but there is real forward momentum now. Let's see if he can keep this pace up.