St. Louis Cardinals Superlatives for the 2022 Season

Most Likely to be Bullied: Paul DeJong

Let’s start off poking fun at one of the sorest subjects among Cardinal fans this season: Paul DeJong.

After an offseason where the club decided not to pursue any of the big name shortstops, Paul DeJong began the first 24 games slashing .130/.209/.208. What many Cardinal fans predicted would happen came to be true: Paul DeJong was awful.

Here is just a drop in the bucket of how Cardinal fans have felt about the now Memphis Redbird shortstop.

Tweets, memes, Redbird Rant comment sections, you name it. They all took a beating on Paul DeJong, and I don’t anticipate that ending any time soon.

Best Story: The Return of Albert Pujols

Everyone loves a good homecoming (keeping with the high school vibes) and none has been more exciting than Albert Pujols returning to St. Louis this season.

The Machine was brought in for a purpose though: to mash lefties, and that he has done. In 29 PAs against southpaws, Pujols has raked to the tune of a 1.141 OPS. Many experts thought this was more of a cute reunion than a productive piece, but Pujols has proved those doubters wrong.

But let’s be honest, his sentimental return is what we all really care about. Every time Pujols comes to the plate, or even the mound lately, it feels like another memory that will live forever in Cardinal lore. Fans will hope and can even expect Pujols to remain an elite platoon option against lefties, but the majority of this ride is about the nostalgia and the memories.

Most Exciting Freshman: Nolan Gorman

This was a really tough one to pick. Juan Yepez has been on a tear since being called up, and newcomers Matthew Liberatore and Brendan Donovan have a ton of promise, but no one’s debut was more anticipated than that of Nolan Gorman.

Gorman began the 2022 season in AAA and was the hottest hitter in all of the minor leagues. If Cardinal Nation was persistent in their hatred for DeJong, then their calls for Gorman’s promotion were just as loud on the internet and text chains.

Once Gorman was called up, he proved Cardinal fans right and kept up his hot start to 2022 on the big league level. Saturday, May 28th was Gorman’s coming out party and a power display for the rookie, going 4-4 with 4 RBIs on a double and his first career home run.

Nolan Gorman has been full of excitement in 2022, and expect that to be the norm for years to come.

Biggest Disappointment: Tyler O’Neill

Coming into the 2022 season, Tyler O’Neill was a dark horse MVP candidate after a breakout 2021 season that saw him finish top 10 in NL MVP voting on his way to his second Gold Glove.

Unfortunately, O’Neill has been nowhere near his elite production at the plate. Slashing only .195/.256/.297 with 2 home runs and 42 strikeouts in only 118 ABs, O’Neill was being benched in favor for red hot Juan Yepez before landing on the IL with a shoulder injury.

It is way too early to give up on O’Neill, and he has plenty of time to turn it around. The hope for fans would be that he goes from early season disappointment to turnaround story of the season. Even if he does not return to his red hot form from the 2nd half of 2021, an improved bat would make a world of a difference for the Cardinals lineup for the rest of the season.

Best Comeback Story: Miles Mikolas

After finishing 6th in the Cy Young voting in 2018, the Cardinals handed out an extension to their diamond in the rough, and he had not been the same since.

After underperforming when on the mound and riddled by injuries otherwise, Miles Mikolas entered the 2022 season as a huge question mark in the rotation. So far this season, he has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Sporting an ERA of 1.96 and WHIP of 0.98 over 55 innings pitched, Mikolas has been a huge answer to one of the Cardinals biggest holes entering the season.

Outside of Adam Wainwright, the rest of the rotation has been unpredictable. Dakota Hudson has been up and down, the Jordan Hicks experiment has not been anything special, and guys like Steven Matz and Jack Flaherty are currently on the IL. The Cardinals needed another stabilizer, and Mikolas has risen to the occasion.

There are other candidates for this superlative as the season goes on. Depending on how Flaherty returns, if DeJong can get things together, or if Hicks can stabilize his stuff, they could make this conversation interesting. So far though, Mikolas as far and away been the comeback player of the year for the Cardinals, and maybe the National League.

Biggest Crush: Juan Yepez for Albert Pujols

One of the biggest wins of bringing in a guy like Pujols to your clubhouse is the impact he can have on young hitters. Just listen to how Juan Yepez has been looking to Pujols already:

Yepez has clearly been loving Pujols, and lucky for him, Pujols enjoys mentoring the young slugger.

One can only hope that this crush that Yepez has developed proves to be a spark for a long major-league career for the Cardinal rookie.

Biggest Overachiever: Brendan Donovan

After fighting for a roster spot in Spring Training and beginning the year in AAA, Brendan Donovan has made the most of every opportunity he has had since being called up to St. Louis, and has likely earned a spot on the roster for the rest of the season.

When first called up, the move went under the radar as fans were more focused on the impending demotion of DeJong and need to call-up red hot Gorman, but Donovan’s addition to the roster has been one of the most impactful in 2022.

The 25 year old rookie has an .837 OPS from the left side this season, and has been the utility figure needed to plug into the lineup wherever and whenever he is needed. Donovan’s ability to put together great at bats, get timely hits, hit for some power, and play all over the field has gave him a bit of a following already, and he looks to be that scrapy piece that every contender needs to go far in their playoff hopes.

Fighting with the likes of Gorman, DeJong, Sosa, Nootbaar, and Dickerson for playing time, Donovan has been far and away the biggest overachiever based on the expectations placed on him. Donovan is no longer just a name that cannot be taken off the roster, he also makes manager Oli Marmol have to think twice about not having him in the starting lineup.

(Self-Proclaimed) Best Dressed: Harrison Bader

As seen above, Harrison Bader has never been afraid to embrace his own style. From the long curly hair, to the jewelry, and finally his unique clothing choices, Bader stands out among the Cardinals roster for his style choices. The self-proclamation comes out in his interview while mic’d up on Sunday Night Baseball.

Toward the end of this interview, during a monologue about ‘bling’ in baseball, Bader said the following:

“I think what he may have thought I meant was, I am among the best dressed in baseball, I mean, that goes without saying” – Harrison Bader