Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals, (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Expectations are riding high for the St. Louis Cardinals before Spring Training begins. Which players could make or break the club’s chances for a World Series championship?
Pitching remains a concern heading into the 2023 season for the Cardinals. Still, with the return of key players and high hopes for the organization’s top rookie prospect, St. Louis fans have reason to be excited.
Adam Wainwright leads a starting rotation that consists of Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, and Jordan Montgomery, and a fifth option could include Steven Matz, Matthew Liberatore, or Dakota Hudson. It’s a nice mix, but it ranges in age and experience. With that age and experience come varying levels of trust. Thankfully, the Cardinals have several options, from Andre Pallante to some minor leaguers that could join the team throughout the season.
The bullpen has many possibilities, with Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos leading the closing efforts. Pallante will likely pitch from the bullpen with Chris Stratton, Jordan Hicks, Wilking Rodriguez, and others.
Another issue the Cardinals will address during Spring Training is the everyday line-up. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt lead a team that added All-Star free agent catcher Willson Contreras. Andrew Knizner and Ivan Herrera will be available for backup. Tommy Edman returns to the middle infield with Paul DeJong, Nolan Gorman, and Brendan Donovan.
The outfield has several questions. Tyler O’Neill is looking to return to form in left field. Dylan Carlson looks to bounce back in center field. Lars Nootbaar is projected to be the team’s right fielder. But there remains hope that top-prospect Jordan Walker breaks camp with the Cardinals and plays right fielder or is a designated hitter option.
Let’s discuss who could make or break the Cardinals’ chances for their 12th World Series championship.
Ryan Helsley could make or break the Cardinals chances
In 54 games in 2022, Helsley had 19 saves out of 23 opportunities and seven holds. He pitched 64.2 innings, giving up 28 hits, nine earned runs, and 20 walks while striking out 94 batters. He had a 1.25 ERA. He was an NL All-Star. But he had a bad outing in the 2022 NL Wild Card game, earning a loss and a 36 ERA.
Helsley hurt the team in the postseason after not being entirely honest about a finger sprain and how it affected the grip on his pitches.
While manager Oli Marmol remains complementary of Helsley and admires his hard-throwing pitches, here’s hoping Hels will be more open about his injuries and how he feels, especially in big game moments.
When Helsley is healthy and on, he is a flame-throwing pitcher that brings hitters to their knees. Cardinal fans can hope the team gets that version of Helsley for 2023. If so, he could help bring home a World Series title for St. Louis,