St. Louis Cardinals: 10 top moments from 2022 regular season

The St. Louis Cardinals had many magical moments during the 2022 regular season. The team and fans alike are hoping for more magic throughout October. 

Under the leadership of first-year manager Oli Marmol, the Cardinals were built for success.

The team has the perfect blend of legendary veterans, seasoned players in their prime, and a group of youngsters primed to learn from the best to become the best. Even so, the Cardinals weren’t picked to do very well in 2022. Thank goodness the team doesn’t take what the talking heads say to heart.

Let’s look at the ten best moments from the 2022 regular season.

10. Cardinals clinch NL Central

Once the Cardinals took over sole possession of the first place in the NL Central in August, there was no looking back. The Cardinals simply laid on the gas.

The Cardinals ended their regular season with a 93-69 record. They were a full seven games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers, who had a disappointing second half culminating in a collapse following the trade of their star closer Josh Hader.

While Milwaukee had collapsed, the Cardinals played their best baseball. The Cardinals were 22-7 in August. Follow that up with 15 wins in September, and there was no looking back for the Cardinals, who were getting help throughout their roster and pitching staff.

9. Rookies have a massive season for the Cardinals

Brendan Donovan wasn’t discussed much as a top prospect for the Cardinals. Donovan surprised Major League Baseball when the Cardinals called him up from the minors. He impressed fans and management so much that he never left.

Donovan can play multiple positions and can hit. A skill set the Cardinals desperately needed thanks to a slow start due to a lockout-shortened Spring Training.

Donovan hit .281/.394/.379 with an OPS of .773. In 126 games, he scored 21 doubles, a triple, five home runs, 45 RBI, and 64 runs

This season also brought the debuts of Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez, and Matthew Liberatore.

In 89 games, Gorman hit .226/.300/.420 with an OPS of .720. He scored 13 doubles, 14 home runs, 35 RBI, and 44 runs. He had 103 strikeouts on the season, leading him to be optioned back to Memphis in September. Gorman is a top prospect in the Cardinals organization. He will use this off-season to work and improve.

Yepez had an up-and-down first season with the Cardinals with several injuries that threw him off track. Yepez hit .253/.296/.447 with an OPS of .743. In 76 games for the Cardinals, he had 13 doubles, 12 home runs, 27 runs, and 30 RBI.

Liberatore is another top prospect that made his debut in 2022. The lefty arm appeared in nine games for the Cardinals, seven of which were starts. He also had a hold in a relief appearance. He was 2-2 with a 5.97 ERA in 34.2 innings and 28 strikeouts.