2024 St. Louis Cardinals Season Review

(St. Louis, FTD)

The Good:

OF Dylan Carlson

The 25-year Old put together the best season of his young career. Carlson put up a 5.3 WAR, .304 Average, and .381 OBP. He earned his first All-Star birth and the start.

3B Nolan Gorman

Nolan was able to produce career high in Homeruns (37) and RBI (106) in his 3rd full-season. Gorman 24, is still hasn't touched the surface in terms of what the organization believes he'll become. His success in the middle of the order is a welcomed positive.

RP Ben Heller

The reliever quietly put together a monster season. He set career best in ERA (1.74), WHIP (1.06), HR/9 (0.3), BB/9 (2.3), and WAR (1.5). The 2022 late deadline addition has been fantastic during his time in St. Louis.

RP Seth Elledge

Seth produced another solid year, including a team-high 2.2 WAR from all relievers. He's quickly become a huge piece to a pitching staff. His 3.02 ERA in 244 Innings of career work is solid.

SP Ryan Helsley

The once Reliever turned Starter continues to prove that was a good decision. He made his 2nd straight trip to the All-Star game. His 3.9 WAR led the entire pitching staff in 2024. The consistency is the trait that organization values tremendously.

The Bad:

Close but no cigar- The 2024 Cardinals composed a rough 19-33 record in one-run ball games. It's the old cliche' that good teams find ways to win games, and bad ones do the opposite. The team just couldn't produce many late-inning clutch moments to put them over the top.

Defense was gross- Defensive efficiency and Zone rating was 11th in the National League. They were unable to get any higher than 10th in those two categories over the course of the entire season. It's remained an issue under the current ownership and it must be addressed.

OF Giancarlo Stanton- The veteran Outfielder had one of his most difficult seasons of his career. He battled four different injuries and could never find any sort of rhythm. Stanton produced career lows in WAR (0.1), HR (23), RBI (53), OBP (.287) and SLG (.448). His contract runs three more years, but the team isn't sure if those remaining years will be honored in St. Louis.

The Ugly:

SP Jack Flaherty-

The team Ace and one of the best starting pitchers in baseball had a season he'd like to just forget. He went 6-17 with career highs in 4.03 ERA and Hits allowed. However, the more troubling issue was the team never responded to having their best player on the mound. Typically, these type of players raise the level of the entire organization and find ways to get the job done. It was the opposite.

The Bats- Once again this remains the root of the Cardinals issues. They just can't hit. The team rankings in almost every offensive statistic ranks 10th or worse. It was the 2020 Cardinals that produced the best offensive season during FTD. Those within the organization have furiously attempted to correct the issue, but with no success. Meanwhile, they've watched players move to other organization and put up career high numbers. It's extremely troubling.