3 Cardinals with the most pressure to perform down the stretch

Down the stretch, Cardinals’ fans are playing with house money. Wins? Sure, they’re nice. But not as much so when they come few and far between. Chaim Bloom’s Redbirds are building toward perennial success, and although that entails plenty of opportunity for the stars of tomorrow, there are a few players who have something to prove in the coming months. 

The Cardinals’ farm system is filled to the brim with big-leaguers-to-be, or so it seems. With that being the case, here are three players who will have to up the ante down the stretch, or risk being castaways from the S.S. Bloom. 

Player 1: Jimmy Crooks

In any other organization, Jimmy Crooks would be in line for tons of playing time and have next to no risk the rest of this season. 

In the Cardinals’ organization, however, where catchers sprout like weeds (feed yer’ lawn), Crooks’ lackadaisical performance has nudged him toward pretender, rather than contender, for the role of “future backstop.” 

This season, before his promotion, the left-handed-hitting catcher was slashing an absurd .262/.412/.567, good for an OPS of .980. 

He did most of his damage on long balls, swatting 13 in his first 39 contests. Unfortunately, the lights went out in The Show. Now, Crooks looks like a dead man walking in a big league batter’s box. 

In nearly identical playing time, MLB has shifted Crooks from a daunting hitter for opposing arms to a measly .188 slasher, with a poor .354 slugging percentage. 

He chases far too often, hasn’t been an outstanding force behind the dish, and his swing seems to be disconnected at times. Crooks’ swing is herky-jerky, with tons of movement. With a few glimpses at tape, you can quickly surmise how MLB arms have picked him apart. 

Leo Bernal seems to be the new name on Cardinals fans’ minds, and his season at Memphis (.865 OPS, plus defense) has been superb. 

It’s not time to cut Crooks or move on entirely, but with how much catching depth the Cardinals have, they cannot afford to run in circles. If one guy doesn’t have it, they’ll have to maintain a “next man up” mentality. Which is why these next couple of weeks will mean the world to his progression as a St. Louis Cardinal. 

Player 2: Michael McGreevy 

There is no doubt that Michael McGreevy will aid the Cardinals' rotation next year, in one way or another. However, there has been doubt all year that he’ll remain effective. 

Picture McGreevy–waiting in line to get his lunch. Suddenly, here comes the big school bully, “analytics.” 

Analytics doesn’t like McGreevy. In fact, it thinks rather lowly of the savvy right-hander. 

Veteran poise? Pssh. Pitchability? Yeah, whatever. What about deception? Hard to quantify; throw it out. 

All year long, McGreevy has done his darnest to start a mutiny against sabermetrics and Bill James alike. His xERA of 5.62 ranks in the sixth percentile of all big leaguers. Conversely, his raw ERA of 3.59 is rather respectable–and is much inflated after a recent blowup start against the Cubs (1.2 innings, 7 ER). 

Coming off said blowup start, and facing down the last laugh of a full season, can McGreevy conquer his sabermetric demons? Or will the Cardinals have yet another question to answer ahead of the 2027 season? 

Those dang numbers. Why can’t they let Cardinal fans have any fun? 

Player 3: Joshua Baez

What? A minor leaguer? But he hasn’t even debuted yet! 

Precisely. And there are already questions popping up. 

Remember those “dang numbers” we just talked about? Well, they make fun of Baez in a similar fashion to McGreevy–only it seems more warranted. 

This season, Baez has posted a ridiculous 32 home runs, alongside an .896 OPS. 

Power, power, power. That’s the name of the game for Baez. He can steal a few bases, isn’t a traffic cone in the outfield, and has a big arm to boot. But the real prowess comes in the power. 

Unfortunately, esteemed writers and analysts have already started to question the approach. In particular, the right-hander’s egregious strikeout bender. 

Baez has already K’d 129 times this season. He’s played 98 games. That’s about 1.31 strikeouts per game played. He’s basically guaranteed to go down at least once by way of the K–and that’s against minor league pitching. 

The last month has been rough, and when baseballs aren’t going over the fence, they land in the catcher’s mitt. The thing is: the only thing fans and media tune in for are the highlights. As the adage goes: you only see someone’s highest of highs on social media (for the most part). 

Whiff and chase rates are as high as Cheech (and/or Chong), and the Cardinals have been forced to make calculated adjustments to avoid future failures. 

Thankfully, it seems they’ve learned from the Jordan Walker experience and are in no rush to force Baez’s bat into the lineup. 

The home runs are loud and have had fans clamoring for a promotion for months. But what St. Louis needs to realize is that if thrust into the lineup prematurely, the strikeouts will be a lot louder. 

Baez’s traction down the stretch, whether he gets a cup of coffee or not, will play a big part in what the Cardinals do this offseason and how they position themselves for 2026.

All three of these players have different reasons to play with a chip on their shoulder, but it’s in the Cardinals’ best interest that all of them succeed. 

Whether it’s Crooks’ offensive upside behind the dish, McGreevy’s funky pitch mix snowballing hard contact, or Baez’s martian-esque power potential, there’s plenty for fans to look forward to. 

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