Cardinals: 5 numbers that matter after the first week of the season

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 14: Nolan Arenado #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals at bat against the Milwaukee Brewers during Opening Day at American Family Field on April 14, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Brewers defeated the Cardinals 5-1. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 14: Nolan Arenado #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals at bat against the Milwaukee Brewers during Opening Day at American Family Field on April 14, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Brewers defeated the Cardinals 5-1. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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ST LOUIS, MO – APRIL 09: Paul DeJong #11 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds third base after hitting a two-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third inning at Busch Stadium on April 9, 2022 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO – APRIL 09: Paul DeJong #11 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds third base after hitting a two-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third inning at Busch Stadium on April 9, 2022 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

The Cardinals have 55 hits above 95 MPH

Coming into the season, it appeared the Cardinals were attempting to set themselves up to be built like they were last season – a defense and pitching-focused team. However, manager Ollie Marmol thought differently, calling the Cardinals’ offense “elite” after the first couple of games.

While it may not stick for the whole season, Marmol is on to something so far. In one or two fewer games than the rest of the MLB, the Cardinals have already recorded 55 hard-hit balls, or balls hit above 95 MPH. This puts them third in the MLB right now behind only Cincinnatti and Arizona. Those two teams also aren’t expected to have top offenses, but with some of the stretches the Cardinals’ offense has gone through in the past few seasons, nobody should be complaining.

2022 is a big year for hitting coach Jeff Albert (at least according to some fans) and the offense starting hot is a great sign early on. The usual suspects are leading the way for the Cardinals, as Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt each share the lead with eight hard-hit balls apiece. Somewhat surprisingly, the next player on the list is Albert Pujols with seven followed by Harrison Bader and Tommy Edman (the slugger). We’ll get back to Albert in a few slides.