10 St. Louis Cardinals studs and duds from May

Stud: Paul Goldschmidt

May Stats (27 G): .404/.471./.817, 10 HR, 33 RBI, 20 R, 24 SO

Arguably the best player in all of baseball during the month of May and the likely NL Player of the Month, Paul Goldschmidt has been on an absolute tear this month and has forced his way into the MVP conversation.

After starting off the season a little slow, Goldschmidt began to heat up at the end of April until he became white hot during May. His 1.288 OPS showed just how elite he was at the plate and he did this all without protection from the two other sluggers in the MV3 trio coming into the season (more on that later). He even set a franchise record for extra base hits during the month of May.

Goldschmidt’s bat continues to be paired with his Gold Glove caliber defense at first base. Historically, he heats up in the summer months and comes on strong later in the year for MVP talk. With how Goldschmidt is playing thus far, the Cardinals could legitimately see him finish at least top 3 in MVP voting, if not take home his first career MVP by seasons end.

Dud: Nolan Arenado

May Stats (28 G): .196/.270/.373, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 9 R, 12 SO

After winning NL Player of the Month during April, Nolan Arenado looked to finally be putting together the kind of MVP caliber season fans had seen from him back in his Colorado days. It appeared to be a two-horse race between the Cardinals 3rd baseman and Padres Manny Machado entering May.

Arenado has not been himself during May, his his OPS dropping 482 points as his teammate Goldschmidt has begun to catch fire. Fortunately for the Cardinals, even though Arenado has not been getting on base at the same rate, he did still find a way to drive in runs with 17 RBI but left many runs on the table throughout the month.

Maybe his start in April was a bit more than we can expect from him, but it would be shocking if June was not significantly better for the Cardinal slugger. Hitting behind Goldschmidt, continued surges from rookie contributors, and the return of some injured contributors could bring some life back to the bat of Arenado. If he can begin to hit well again while Goldschmidt maintains MVP form, the middle of the Cardinal order will be nearly impossible to pitch to.

Stud: Adam Wainwright

May Stats (32 IP): 3-1 W-L, 1.69 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 22 SO

Adam Wainwright continued to turn back the clock this past month, pitching great in all five starts this month, including three masterful performances where he looked nearly unhittable.

Wainwright’s 7 inning gem against the red hot Padres was a sign of many things for the St. Louis ballclub. First, Wainwright may be able to be the ace of the staff once again, even with his 41st birthday on the horizon. Second, Wainwrights consistency will provide the rotation and bullpen with much needed relief as injuries and underperformances are found on various parts of the staff.

If St. Louis is to make a postseason run, they will need Wainwright to provide significant starts for them during the regular and postseason. Lucky for the Cardinals, it looks like he is primed to do so once again.

Dud: Tyler O’Neill

May Stats (13 G): .204/.235/.347, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R, 22 SO

Unfortunately for Tyler O’Neill and the Cardinals, May did not prove to be any better for the left fielder who was supposed to anchor the middle of the lineup again this year.

During the month of May, O’Neill’s OPS ranked 2nd to last on the club, just above Paul DeJong. If anything, May looked to be even more regression for the outfielder, as he often looked lost at the plate. It’s hard to tell if the shoulder was bothering him or if it was a mental struggle (likely both), but his stint on the IL may turn out to be a blessing for his season.

He will likely rejoin the team in early to mid June after a rehab assignment, and even if he can just recapture 60%-70% of the player he was last season, it would be a huge boost to the lineup. O’Neill spent some time on the IL early in 2021 as well, and came back to mash the rest of the year. The hope is this trip has a similar impact on O’Neill.

Stud: Nolan Gorman

May Stats (10 G): .387/.472/.677, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 9 R, 10 SO

After raking in AAA at an unbelievable level, Nolan Gorman got the call to the major leagues, and he has exceeded expectations.

Despite his incredible play in AAA, many worried about Gorman’s high strikeout rate and how that would translate to the major league level. Gorman’s strikeouts aren’t low by any means, by the 27.8% it currently sits at is significantly lower than his AAA rate. Gorman has been able to attack pitches in the zone and do damage, while laying off tough pitches and drawing walks, just 10 games into his MLB career.

Will there be regression? Sure. But Gorman has been better than advertised, and looks ready to be a major contributor for a contending ballclub already in his young career. Talk about an exciting start for the highly anticipated Gorman.

Dud: T.J. McFarland

May Stats (13 IP): 0-0 W-L, 8.31 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 8 SO

After resigning with the club this offseason, T.J. McFarland was expected to be a dependable arm in the bullpen to pair with hard throwing lefty Genesis Cabrera. The Cardinals were not expecting an elite arm from the lefty, but he has been anything but dependable in May.

His ERA of 8.31 is extremely concerning. During April, it sat at 4.76 as McFarland appeared to be more hittable than he was last year. This month, it just got way worse. It remains to be seen how long of a leash McFarland will get from Manager Oli Marmol, but his current performance does not bode well for a future on the roster.

McFarland will need to start off the month of June well or may risk being DFAed and replaced by a young arm in the system or trade for a reliever outside the organization.

Stud: Ryan Helsley

May Stats (12.1 IP): 2-0 W-L, 0.73 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 3 SV, 16 SO

Another arm who was not expected to be elite in 2022, Ryan Helsley has been one of the most unhittable pitchers in baseball in May, and has appeared to have taken on the closer role from Giovani Gallegos.

Helsley’s dominance would likely result in more than just 12.1 innings of work during a month for most clubs, but Marmol decided to be strategic in placing the right hander in high leverage, critical moments, rather than getting him into any game he can.

The elite thing about Helsley though is that almost every time his number has been called, he has shut down opponents. Gallegos’ numbers for the month have been just as good as Helsley’s, but something about his stuff right now has caught the eye of the Cardinals brass in a fresh way.

If Marmol continues to lean on Helsley, he has shown he is ready to be the shutdown closer than this team needed.

Dud: Corey Dickerson

May Stats (21 G): .176/.236/.235, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 7 R, 13 SO

Outfielder Corey Dickerson was supposed to be the primary left handed DH option for the club and spell the Cardinal outfield when injuries or rest forced days off. So far, Dickerson has shown major signs of regression and may be the Cardinal most at risk of being moved off the roster if he does not turn things around quickly.

Not only are Dickerson’s splits bad, but he just has not shown much at the plate to make anyone think there is success just around the corner. Dickerson is a gamer and a great veteran to have on your club, but patience is running out as other options on the club continue to outproduce him.

Once Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson are back, Dickerson will have to fight with Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez, and Albert Pujols for at bats at DH. The fourth outfielder role seems to be in doubt as well, as Yepez, Brendan Donovan, and even Lars Nootbaar seem to provide more value currently.

Unfortunately for Dickerson, it seems like his time in St. Louis is coming to an end soon.

Stud: Brendan Donovan

May Stats (24 G): .302/.443/.444, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 12 R, 12 SO

Although he was not one of the highly touted or anticipated rookies coming into 2022, Brendan Donovan has played like a top prospect thus far and looks to have taken a firm grip on the super utility role for the St. Louis ballclub.

His high level play has been a huge bright spot for the club as it navigates injuries and slow starts from key position players. Having a guy like Donovan on your roster who can slot in at any position and give you great at-bats is a luxury all teams want to have, and St. Louis gets to take advantage of. Although his natural position is second base, he has played there just 3 times this month, logging 2 games at 1st base, 7 games at third base, 7 games at shortstop, and 6 games in right field. He is no slouch in the field either.

Welcome to the team Brendan Donovan. It looks like we’ll see you in St. Louis for a very long time.

Dud: Steven Matz

May Stats (19.2 IP): 1-2 W-L, 5.95 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 21 SO

After signing a lucrative contract with the Cardinals this offseason, Steven Matz has had a shaky beginning to his career in St. Louis, and his month ended with a trip to the IL after a shoulder injury against the Pirates.

Matz was supposed to be a stabilizing, middle of the rotation, innings eater for the club this season. Matz did fit some of the bill this month, with 3 of his 5 starts resulting in 5+ inning outings allowing 3 or less runs. But his other two starts, where he went out with injury pitching to the first batter, and giving up 8 runs in 2 innings on May 7th, were disastrous showings.

The club will have to hope that his stint on the IL will be short and he can come back to turn in consistent outings for the rotation. The strain injuries like his puts on the club are what the club wanted to avoid with this signing, but unfortunately for Matz and St. Louis, this is the position they find themselves in.