3 St. Louis Cardinals surprise second-half studs

The St. Louis Cardinals have surged since the All-Star Break with help from a few unexpected sources

Sure, everyone knows how good Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are, though it’s debatable whether anyone expected them to be this good.  And Adam Wainwright continues to excel as he crosses the threshold into his 40s.  But there have been some surprising contributors in the second half that have helped the Cardinals surge well ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers atop the National League Central division.

Cardinals second-half stud No. 1: Albert Pujols

When the Cardinals re-signed Pujols for a retirement tour with his original squad, most people expected a performance commensurate with his modest $2.5M salary.  And through the season’s first three months, even the word “modest” would have overstated Pujols’ output.

From April through June, Pujols batted .198 with four home runs, 17 RBI, and 11 runs scored in 116 at-bats.  His numbers declined month over month, and it looked like the end of the future first-ballot Hall of Famer’s career was arriving earlier than planned.

But then the calendar flipped to July, and Pujols seemed to flip a switch.  During the July-August time frame, he batted .342 with 11 homers, 24 RBI, and 17 runs scored in five fewer at-bats than he had in the first three months.  August was particularly kind to Pujols, as he posted an astounding 1.224 OPS.

His pursuit of 700 career home runs seemed highly questionable with Pujols beginning the season 21 long balls short of that total and him earmarked for hitting duties primarily against left-handed pitchers, who are in the significant minority among major league moundsmen.

And while Pujols has done most of his damage against southpaws, he also has cranked four home runs against righties, helping him get to 694 long balls … and counting.  Alex Rodriguez is just ahead with 696 round-trippers, and 7-0-0 is within reach.

Exactly where Pujols finishes on the home run leaderboard will play out over the next month.  Where he stands in the hearts of Cardinals fans has been secured once again by his excellent run through the late summer.  The Machine has been firing on all cylinders, and St. Louis – the team and the city – has benefitted greatly from his efforts.