5 things that 5 key Cardinals need to improve on in 2026 to take the next step

The 2026 season for the St. Louis Cardinals will be one that focuses on the young players in the organization. Gone are the days of veterans receiving the bulk of playing time. With Miles Mikolas, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras all gone, there is plenty of — if you'll forgive me — runway for the club's young studs to show their worth.

The 2025 season was dubbed as a year of runway for several players, most notably Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, and Jordan Walker. These players didn't answer the call the way the organization or fans had hoped, but they did provide answers nonetheless.

Lars Nootbaar needed to prove health. All in all, he did just that, playing in 135 games and logging 583 plate appearances, both career highs. However, Nootbaar's offense regressed to a .325 on-base percentage and a 95 OPS+ with a sub-.700 OPS.

For Jordan Walker, things couldn't have gone worse. He finished the year with a .584 OPS and a 66 OPS+. He struck out 31.8% of the time and was worth -1.7 bWAR on the year. He gave the team answers in his third professional season, but they certainly weren't the answers the front office was hoping for.

Nolan Gorman's approach at the plate changed, as he opted for greater rates of contact and getting on base instead of his usual pop. Gorman walked a career-best 11.7% of the time, but his ISO (.165) and slugging percentage (.370) were both career lows. He, too, couldn't take his game to the next level in a season where he was the focus.

In 2026, the runway will continue, but this time we'll see different players being focused. This new crop of runway darlings are players who have shown flashes of success in the majors, but there's more to their games. In order for this rebuild to work, these internal youngsters will have to show that they can elevate their play to a new level. For some, this new level could be stardom. For others, it could be another step up the ladder.

The Cardinals are still searching for their core to lead them in their next competitive window. With recent draftees such as JJ Wetherholt and Liam Doyle having not yet made their debuts, the club's competitive window is looking like it will be in 2027 or 2028. Despite this extended window of opportunity, the Cardinals need to start finding players who are currently on the team who will be able to contribute meaningfully down the road. These players could be eligible for extensions should they play well in 2026.

While several players have room to grow in 2026, I have identified five key players who need to take the next step in year one of Chaim Bloom's leadership. These five players could all become cornerstone players for the franchise over the next three to five years, and they all have one thing they can do next year to take their games to the next level.

These 5 St. Louis Cardinals players need to work on 5 things to take the next step in their careers.