3 things the Cardinals can learn from the Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are the National League Champions. They swept the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. They then defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in 7 grueling games in the NLCS. The 6th-seeded Snakes beat some of the best teams in baseball to make it to the World Series, and they have the chance to win it all should they beat the Texas Rangers.

It is always exciting to hear about an underdog succeed. The unexpected makes sports more exciting. The Diamondbacks are a good team, and they deserve to be in the World Series. They beat the mighty Dodgers and outplayed the juggernaut Phillies. The Cardinals would be wise to take some advice from the National League Champions.

Redbird Rants' own Curt Bishop recently wrote about lessons the Cardinals can learn from the Texas Rangers. The main idea was that the Cardinals should spend money this offseason. The Diamondbacks present a different case, however. The Diamondbacks, according to Spotrac, had the 23rd-largest payroll this past year. They did not spend their way into the playoffs necessarily. How did they make such a great run in the playoffs?

Instead, the Diamondbacks focused on speed, youth, and clubhouse culture to make their way through the playoffs this year. Arizona looked at the new rules for 2023 and ran with them, unlike the Cardinals. They also adopted a youth infusion this year with some wily veterans to help out on the edges. Lastly, the Diamondbacks maintained consistency at the manager level despite some years of bad play under his leadership.

Here are three things the Diamondbacks did well this year to make it to the World Series and how the Cardinals can mirror these for success in 2024.