7 biggest storylines facing the St. Louis Cardinals in the second half

After a surprisingly strong first half, the St. Louis Cardinals find themselves at 50-45 and just one game out of the last Wild Card spot in the National League. While many predicted the Cardinals to lose 90 or more games this year, the upstart Redbirds are proving many wrong. This strong showing halfway through the year has opened up several storylines for the Cardinals as they enter the post-All-Star Break portion of their schedule.

The Cardinals will open the second half with 20 games in 20 days. A four-game set against the Cubs at home and a road trip to close it out against the New York Yankees are the highlights, but it isn't hyperbole to say that what the club does in these next two or three weeks will set up the team's direction at the MLB Trade Deadline. In fact, let's start there.

Storyline #1: Will the Cardinals be buyers or sellers?

This question will be answered in short order; if the Cardinals have a legitimate shot at the postseason and they play well in these next 20 games, Chaim Bloom will have to do some sort of buying at the deadline. Trading away valuable players while holding a postseason spot isn't a common practice in baseball.

If the Cardinals drop the ball in July this year like they did last year, selling will become a no-brainer.

Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Riley O'Brien, Lars Nootbaar, and others could be traded at the deadline if Chaim Bloom opts to sell. The priority is still the long-term health of the organization, so don't expect big splashes at the deadline.

Storyline #2: Can Jordan Walker maintain his production?

There was a non-negligible portion of Cardinals fans who were worried that Jordan Walker decided to participate in the Home Run Derby. He proved them wrong by winning the Derby altogether. Is there still a concern that he threw off his swing? Sure! But that belief isn't necessarily founded in reality.

After two straight years of negative production, Jordan Walker has established himself as a top-20 player in MLB this year. He's accumulated 3.8 bWAR this year thanks to a .294/.354/.532 slash line with 22 home runs and a league-leading 74 RBIs. This is a breakout that Cardinals fans have been waiting nearly half a decade for.

Walker has already adjusted several times to slumps this year, and the hope is that he can maintain this production through the end of the year.

Storyline #3: Which prospects will make their debuts?

The answer to this question will partially depend on the answer to the first question. If the Cardinals sell, several prospects will need to backfill the vacancies. Trades of relievers and starters will open up spots for pitching prospects. Trading an outfielder will make space for a position player.

Quinn Mathews, Joshua Baez, and Leonardo Bernal have all proven that they're more than likely ready for the majors. Baez and Bernal are already on the 40-man roster, so a move for either or both of them would be seamless. Mathews would require a 40-man move, but trading players currently on the roster for prospects would open up at least one spot.

Storyline #4: How many awards will the Cardinals bring home this year?

There was a bit of a dry spell of the Cardinals when it came to awards after 2022. Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson broke that dry spell when they won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, respectively, last year. This year, several people affiliated with the Cardinals have a chance to bring home some hardware.

Oli Marmol is an early favorite for National League Manager of the Year, JJ Wetherholt could win both Rookie of the Year and a Gold Glove, and Jordan Walker is certainly leading the pack for Comeback Player of the Year.

Storyline #5: Which demoted Cardinals will have an impact in the majors, if any?

Victor Scott II, Nolan Gorman, and Thomas Saggese, all players who were on the Opening Day roster, have all found themselves in Triple-A Memphis halfway through the season. Gorman (67 wRC+), VS2 (55 wRC+), and Saggese (46 wRC+) were all negative hitters, so they were sent down to the minors to adjust.

Not much has improved for any of them in Memphis.

Victor Scott II has a 58 wRC+ with a sub-.600 OPS and just seven extra-base hits in 24 games. Nolan Gorman has a 67 wRC+ with a 42% strikeout rate. Thomas Saggese has a 71 wRC+ with a .668 OPS.

Will any of these guys show improvement in the minors? Saggese and Gorman could help out at a key position in the majors, but they'll have to earn it.

Storyline #6: Who finishes the year at third base?

Third base has been the Cardinals' Achilles Heel all year. Cardinals third basemen rank last in fWAR (-0.7) among all MLB teams. As a group, their 70 wRC+ ranks 29th in the league, ahead of only the Milwaukee Brewers.

Nolan Gorman, Blaze Jordan, Jose Fermin, and Ramon Urias have all been given solid runs at the hot corner, but not one of them has stepped up to own the position. Without a ready-to-go prospect in the minors, the Cardinals may have to seek outside help, potentially at the deadline, to man third base for the foreseeable future.

Storyline #7: Will the Cardinals make the playoffs?

At the start of the second half, the Cardinals are 8.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central and one game behind the Miami Marlins for the final Wild Card spot.

If the Cardinals do make the postseason, it will be the first time since 2022, a year when they got booted in the Wild Card series by the Philadelphia Phillies. Making the postseason in the first year of a rebuild would be huge for the organization.

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