3 St. Louis Cardinals with disappointing second halves

This season, there have been very few positive moments for the St. Louis Cardinals. Even their most exciting wins of the season, back-to-back walk-off wins against Josh Hader and the San Diego Padres, were marred by their place in the standings. Since they took three of four from the Dodgers in late May, only one moment has served to generate any positivity in the fanbase.

That moment was the All-Star Break. The Cardinals entered the break playing solid ball. They seemed to be rebounding from an awful June, and though many still saw a playoff berth as an impossibility, it seemed that the Cardinals could at least finish with a winning record. The Cardinals absolutely had to play well just after the break. A strong stretch meant the difference between buying and selling at the deadline. Unfortunately, they sunk, prompting a fire sale of sorts, which ultimately doomed the 2023 Cardinals to an unceremonious finish. They've mostly played .500 ball since then, but still remain in 5th place in the NL Central. They also never seriously challenged for a playoff spot.

As previously mentioned, this stretch was critical. Obviously, winning just after the break and through August and September was dependent on a few key things. It required the healthy (and effective) return of Adam Wainwright. The Cardinals needed to be able to rely on their other established starters, including Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, and Jordan Montgomery. Perhaps most importantly, a return to form for some of the team's position players was necessary. Ultimately, these things didn't happen, and now the Cardinals are 66-83. Today, we'll discuss 3 players who experienced particularly disappointing second halves.

2. Miles Mikolas

Coming into 2023, it was clear that Mikolas had to produce in order for the Cardinals to succeed. I, like most, assumed he would. Mikolas was coming off of a fantastic 2022 season, and it certainly seemed like he'd be able to continue his strong run. A strong spring only served to further inflate hopes. The Cardinals apparently liked what they saw, as they inked him to an extension late in the spring. He started 2023 pretty well, though he had definitely taken a step back.

Then, in the second half, the wheels came off. Since the break, Mikolas has been terrible. He's pitched in 11 games. In that span, he's covered just 60.2 innings or just about five inners per start. He's also allowed 42 earned runs in that span. That's good for an ERA of 6.23. This is simply unacceptable from a guy who's supposed to help anchor this rotation. Even if Mikolas isn't the ace, he's expected to pitch near the front of the rotation. The Cardinals are now locked into a two-year deal that pays Mikolas like a high-end starter. Hopefully, he can justify that investment. Unfortunately, right now, it seems that the move was misguided.

Mikolas has just a few starts left this season, but stringing together a couple of decent appearances would go a long way toward breeding optimism among fans. Mikolas' struggles have grabbed even more headlines because of the absence of Steven Matz, who was enjoying an excellent second half before an injury derailed his season. Hopefully, Mikolas can turn it around to salvage his season, though that seems fairly unlikely, especially this late in the campaign.

3. Dylan Carlson

Like the other two, Carlson had both a disappointing year and a more disappointing second half. Carlson was, no matter how you look at it, a bad hitter in 2023. Considering the fact that this was his fourth season, many fans believe it's time to move on. He hasn't shown much growth since a promising rookie season, and his 2023 was actually a huge step in the wrong direction. Carlson's power, once an exciting emerging tool, seems to have dried up completely. He endured a months-long power outage in 2023, which only seemed to build on a frustrating 2022.

Like O'Neill, Carlson has also struggled to stay healthy. He's again on the IL, though, like O'Neill again, this isn't his first trip in 2023. Carlson's season ended in early August. He will now receive zero opportunities to prove to the fans that he's anything other than a 4th outfielder. Also like O'Neill, Carlson's value is probably at an all-time low. Neither of them currently has the ability to fetch a starter with any real upside. This may convince the Cardinals to keep both players, rotating them to distribute playing time in 2024.

It's difficult to see how Carlson fits into the Cardinals' plans at this point in time. It seems that Edman, Nootbaar, and eventually Victor Scott II will each be a factor in center. That doesn't leave much room for Carlson, who struggled much more at the plate in 2023 than the others on this list did. Perhaps Carlson could return to his native position as a corner outfielder, but there he'd have to contend with Walker, Burlseon, Donovan, Yepez, and others. It also doesn't help Carlson's case that many fans see him as the reason Juan Soto isn't currently a Cardinal. Even though those fans are wrong, they're unlikely to change their minds any time soon.

I believe O'Neill has a higher ceiling than Carlson, leaving me slightly less hopeful that he'll remain with the team. However, it's difficult to forget just how good both players were in 2021. They each seemed to be an integral part of the team's core. Now, in 2023, they're fringe players with unknown and non-guaranteed futures. A strong second half may have changed that for both players.