St. Louis Cardinals: Top five pitching seasons of the decade

The St. Louis Cardinals have been known for their remarkably consistent pitching this decade, always pumping out new hurlers. Who has been the best of the bunch?

The St. Louis Cardinals were one of the most successful franchises this decade, and that success was usually carried on the backs of the pitching staff.

From 2010-2019, Cardinal starting pitchers had a combined 3.64 ERA, a phenomenal mark, leading to six, top-five finishes among the whole MLB in starter ERA.

They don’t always have the biggest names, rarely making big-name free agent signings. But boy, it seems like they grow quality starters on trees. Consistently drafting and developing pitchers has been a key cog in the success of the franchise, but it seems that trend may be coming to an end.

As of the end of 2019, their top pitching prospect was recent 2019 draftee, Zack Thompson, at #5 in their organization, per MLB.com. The last time they didn’t have the top prospect in their organization as a pitcher was 2014. Even then, all of the next five prospects were all pitchers, boasting names like Alex Reyes, Luke Weaver, Jack Flaherty, and Marco Gonzales.

They have some work to do as far as pitching depth, but let’s reminisce about the good times on the mound.

I will not be including relief pitchers. They just don’t provide the same quantity of value that starters do, despite often having more dominant numbers.