The 2022 season is just now reaching the All-Star Break, but the St. Louis Cardinals look primed to be the favorites in the National League in 2023.
The St. Louis Cardinals have maintained winning baseball like no other organization over the last century. The club has not had a losing season since 2007, and the club has made the playoffs 9 of the last 13 seasons. It is easy to take for granted this level of success for a club, but it really is something special that this organization has been able to consistently pump out contending teams.
It is fair to wonder when the Cardinals will decide to go from playoff team to World Series contender. Making the playoffs gives you a shot to win it all, but lately the Cardinals have not been able to be one of the favorites to go all the way. Things will change in 2023.
It is easy to write this off as wishful thinking, the mentality of “maybe next year”, but the way the club has structured their roster and farm talent makes one thing clear: they anticipate their World Series window opening in 2023.
The club could very well make a run this season, and should be in prime position in 2024 and beyond as well, but 2023 is the pivotal year where St. Louis will enter into the top tier of teams in all of baseball, and will look to remain there for years to come.
This is not a situation where everything needs to break just right for the club to achieve this. There are a multitude of reasons why the club will enter into this conversation, and here are the three major reasons why.