5 bold Cardinals predictions that aged well in 2024, 5 that did not

This prediction was oddly still true - Sonny Gray has the best individual Cardinals' pitching season since Jack Flaherty in 2019

On the surface, Sonny Gray's counting stats, such as his 3.84 ERA or 166.1 innings pitched aren't flashy by any means, but when you compare those numbers and the underlying metrics to the other two best seasons since Jack Flaherty's 2019 campaign in Cardinals history, Gray has a strong argument for the best season since then.

Below you'll find a chart I used in my piece back in January, but I have now replaced Gray's 2023 numbers with what he produced in 2024. Check out how he compares to 2019 Flaherty as well as 2021 Wainwright and 2022 Mikolas.

While Gray had the worst ERA of the bunch and pitched the fewest amount of innings, he has the best FIP, FIP-, and K% of any of those starters, including Flaherty himself. Gray was much better than the basic numbers suggested this year.

Did Gray leave some things to be desired this year? For sure. The way he got bit by the home run ball and how bad he was on the road were not excusable for him. He has to own those things, and if he could have managed those better, he clearly would have had the best season a Cardinals starter has had since 2019. Instead, now there is more of a debate, but overall I feel good about how I projected Gray this year.

Prediction that I got wrong - Thomas Saggese carves out a regular role in St. Louis

Meh, unless you count Thomas Saggese being the likely backup infielder for the Cardinals next year, Saggese did not carve out a significant role with the Cardinals this year.

I expected Saggese to hit his way to St. Louis quickly in 2024, as there was a clear need for another infielder on the roster and Saggese's bat led him to winning Texas League Most Valuable Player in 2023. Saggese struggled quite a bit to begin the year at Triple-A though, and really did not find a groove at the plate until the middle of the summer.

Even when Saggese finally cracked the big league roster, he actually really struggled offensively. While his glove played well, he hit just .204/.250/.306 with one home run and four RBI in his 52 plate appearances. It's a small sample size, to say the least, and nothing I am worried about, but it's clear that I was too aggressive with this pick.