The 6 biggest surprises from the St. Louis Cardinals’ first month

These have been the six most surprising developments early in the season for the St. Louis Cardinals.

We’re just over a month into the baseball season, and we’ve already seen a few unexpected developments for the St. Louis Cardinals. Ranging from pleasant surprises to sobering disappointments, these are the six biggest surprises the Cardinals have sprung upon me this year.

1. Tommy Edman’s dynamic table-setting

Tommy Edman struggled in Spring Training, and that’s putting it mildly. He performed so poorly that I even wrote an article suggesting he give up switch-hitting. But Edman turned on the lights when the season started and has become a spark plug for the rest of the offense in the leadoff spot.

Manager Oliver Marmol appeared to be phasing Edman out of the top spot in the lineup after his spring struggles and placing Dylan Carlson there instead, but Edman has reclaimed the mantle and solidified the leadoff spot in a way not seen since prime Matt Carpenter.

With the recent demotion of Paul DeJong, it remains to be seen whether Edman will slide over to shortstop at times and, if so, whether that will affect his offensive performance. But so far, it’s impossible to be disappointed with Edman’s performance.