3 likes, concerns, and things to monitor from Cardinals' undefeated start to season

The St. Louis Cardinals opened the 2025 season with a bang, winning all three games of the opening series against the Minnesota Twins. With a 3-0 record, the Cardinals sit in first place in the division and are one of only four remaining undefeated teams in the majors.

Opening Day had a delayed start, but over 47,000 fans got to see the Cardinals start the series in strong fashion, using their new-look lineup and timely hitting to lead them to a 5-3 win to begin the year. After a Friday off day, the team went back to work on Saturday and totaled 10 hits to back a strong start from Erick Fedde for a 5-1 victory. With the series won, the Cardinals switched up the lineup, and their bench pieces provided a huge spark in the 9-2 win that clinched the sweep.

For a team that faced numerous questions behind how competitive they would be in a weak division and what type of fan support they would receive this year, the opening weekend of the 2025 season could not have gone much better for the Cardinals. The 24th-ranked team in the opening power rankings from MLB.com had plenty to like, but there are other storylines that were buried behind the high-powered offense.

What to like: Offensive approach, pitching, defense, Victor Scott II

New lineup and hitting coach paying off

Manager Oli Marmol made the decision to put his more patient hitters at the top of the order while moving Masyn Winn down to the ninth spot. The early returns have been outstanding since Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan have hit first and third, respectively. In the season opener, Nootbaar worked a six-pitch at-bat for a single in his first plate appearance of the year and was driven in by Donovan two hitters later. In his next at-bat, Nootbaar gave the team their first homer of the year on a two-strike pitch off of starter Pablo Lopez. In the season's first three games, Noot has already been on base seven times.

In a noticeable change in offensive approach, hitting coach Brant Brown has been teaching his hitters that there is a time and place to sell out for an extra-base hit but there are other opportunities to shorten up and put the ball in play or work a deep count. So far, the Cardinals have walked 12 times and struck out only 19, which is second fewest in the major leagues and fewest in the National League. Last season, the Cardinals struggled mightily with runners in scoring position, hitting .229 with 27 homers in those scenarios. The new approach has paid off early, with the team hitting .323 with three homers and 17 RBI in 31 at-bats with RISP.

Pitching sets the tone

The Cardinals starting rotation was a constant topic over the offseason that was not settled until the last day of Spring Training. After initially expecting some rotation turnover to then announcing a potential six-man rotation, the organization kept fans guessing for who would be starting in the 2025 season. Sonny Gray was the Opening Day starter despite velocity and home run concerns, Erick Fedde worked as the number two after he was mentioned as an attractive trade candidate, and Andre Pallante grabbed the third spot even though his job was not as safe as initially expected coming into camp. Each of the three arms pitched well in their season debuts, with Gray and Pallante throwing five solid innings and Fedde notching the team's first quality start with six innings of two-hit ball.

Backing up the starters was a smattering of relievers, with every pitcher in the bullpen making an appearance within the team's three games. The newest (and only) major league signing appears to be Marmol's front-runner for the setup role, as he was the first one to get a crack at setting up closer Ryan Helsley in game one, and Maton is the only reliever to pitch in more than one game so far. It is of note that Ryan Fernandez was unavailable for the opener due to a tight hip, but he did make his season debut in the next game. Steven Matz had a great debut, relieving Pallante with four shutout innings in Sunday's 9-2 victory, and the lefty only allowed one runner to reach base. Helsley was electric in his first attempt at an encore of his record-setting 2024 season, as he struck out three in his first save of the year.

Defense holds strong without giving up offense

With Michael Siani making the Opening Day roster, it was clear that he was going to be a late-game defensive replacement with the hope that his starts would be limited due to his tepid offense. This has held true so far, with Siani making two appearances so far but both coming at the end of games. Each time, the Gold Glove-caliber outfielder made nice plays to keep the games under control.

Sunday's lineup featured bench players for the first time, and the result was actually more offense than the starters provided in the first two games. The lineup that included Pedro Pages and Nolan Gorman for the first time knocked in nine runs on 10 hits with five walks and only four strikeouts. Pages, Gorman, and Victor Scott II all hit homers in the blowout win. Pages has been seen as the better defensive catcher, but the backup was a triple short of the cycle in his first start.

So far, the defense has been locked in with Nolan Arenado back to his elite-level glove work at third and Siani providing a safety net late in games. Donovan and Gorman have also made great plays at second base with shortstop Masyn Winn looking good at short. New first baseman Willson Contreras seems to be settling in just fine.

Victor Scott II appears fully ready for the big leagues

The most exciting player throughout all of Spring Training truly won the starting spot with his performance in Jupiter. After a tough debut last year, it was fair to be concerned if he could keep the momentum going when the team headed north, but he has been able to do just that. Scott has been on base three times and has already stolen three bases and scored two runs. On Sunday, he had the biggest swing of the game, a three-run home run to give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead and get the offense started. His outs have also been hard, and he also had a hit stolen from him due to a one-hop line drive to right field turning into a fielder's choice at second base. Beyond the offense, Scott has shone in the outfield as well. His elite speed has helped him make two phenomenal plays in the gaps.