3 truths and 3 myths for the Cardinals after the first month of the season

As we enter May, most teams are figuring out what is true about their team and what is false. The Cardinals have clear indicators as they now climb out of last place.

St. Louis Cardinals v Detroit Tigers - Game One
St. Louis Cardinals v Detroit Tigers - Game One | Duane Burleson/GettyImages
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The St. Louis Cardinals had high expectations from fans, executives, local media, and even national media to bounce back in 2024 and be contenders for the NL Central. With the first month of play being officially behind us, the Cardinals want to keep that play behind them. The Cardinals are back to last place as they are questioning what went wrong for them to return to the new familiar territory. From what we know after a month of play, there are some expectations that came to fruition and there are some that fell flat on their faces. Here are three truths about the Cardinals this season and three myths that everyone misjudged them on.

Truths

1. Masyn Winn is the Cardinals future at shortstop

With all the noise from fans saying the Cardinals fail with prospect development and then we trade them away for them to succeed elsewhere, fans cannot say the same for Winn. Winn has arguably been the most valuable starting player for the Cardinals and easily the biggest impact player on the roster. He leads the team with a 1.3 WAR producing a slashline of .304/.380/.405/.786 (125 OPS+). He is a serviceable fielder with a .965 fielding percentage after 26 games played, but still has work to do given he has allowed 4 errors. But he can make up the difference with the rocket launcher arm.

2. Kyle Gibson is an innings eater

John Mozeliak stated many times that "pitching, pitching, pitching" was needed to fix the major issues with the roster, and he has done just that so far. Veteran pitcher Kyle Gibson has shown his value by pitching 6 innings or more in every start made in 2024. The result from this has been a 2-2 record with a 3.79 ERA over 38 IP. He is not dominating lineups with elite strikeout numbers, but he is limiting runners being scored which is all that matters. Gibson has only allowed one run per game in his last three starts. Let's hope this lasts all season long.

3. Ryan Helsley is elite

Fans will continue to pick apart the 2022 NL Wild Card Series meltdown from game 1. It was the year of destiny that ended in unceremonious fashion. But was it really because Ryan Helsley is not a good reliever? Some fans make it sound like that, but it is time to come to reality. Ryan Helsley is the best reliever in baseball. He leads all of MLB with 10 saves and carries a 1.69 ERA with a .938 WHIP and 19 SO over 16 IP. If you are not convinced yet by how dominate of a closer he truly is, look at his Baseball Savant page. Lots of red on the page, probably matching his Hells Bells entrance.

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