5 bold predictions about the Cardinals' 2023 campaign

Happy New Year, St. Louis Cardinals fans! After reflecting on five of the best things to happen to the Cardinals and five of the most disappointing things, it's time to look ahead at 2023 and what is in store for this club.

At this point in the off-season, we have spent so much time thinking about and considering different moves that the Cardinals could make to improve the club. While I don't think that speculation will end, I do think it's time to look further at what this current roster can do in 2023. It's easy to look past the fact that there are a lot of exciting possibilities for the club.

Today, I want to make five bold predictions about the Cardinals during the 2023 calendar year. These predictions are things I genuinely believe will happen. There are a lot of different opinions surrounding this club, and it will be interesting to see how things play out.

Bold Prediction #1 - The Cardinals outfield finishes as one of the best in baseball

Before the 2022 season, the Cardinals outfield trio of Tyler O'Neill, Harrison Bader, and Dylan Carlson was one of the biggest strengths of the club. But after a mostly disasterous season, I believe the pendulum will swing back toward excellence for this position group.

Although they lost Bader in the Jordan Montgomery trade, I believe this outfield's future is even brighter than we anticipated it was back in Spring Training. Lars Nootbaar has a legitmate argument to be the club's most valuable outfielder right now and could be a sneaky pick to be a first-time All-Star in 2023. O'Neill struggled with injuries last season, and I just believe that with his new training program, those will be cut down on and he will make a major impact this season. Carlson is a guy who can provide elite defense, and mash against left-handed pitching, and I think he bounces back in a big way.

I have not even mentioned yet the arrival of Jordan Walker, who long-term, has the highest ceiling of this bunch. Between these four guys, I think the Cardinals outfield not only answers the questions that many have about who can be trusted, but I believe they will end the season as one of the best outfields in all of baseball. There are just very few outfields that can boast four different players who can play really good defense while hitting at a high level. Look for the Cardinals outfield to be a huge success in 2023.

Speaking of Jordan Walker, I have a bold prediction his rookie campaign.

Bold Prediction #2 - Jordan Walker wins Rookie of the Year, has a 135 wRC+

Let me start off by saying, this is my hope and bold prediction for Jordan Walker, not my expectation of him. Expecting Walker to have a 135 wRC+ season, which would put him in a similar category as Michael Harris II's rookie season, is unfair to put on the shoulders of a 21-year-old. I do think we can expect Walker to be an above-league-average hitter, but anything more than that should be icing on the cake for this season.

I just happen to think he will provide a whole lot of icing for this Cardinal lineup.

Walker has been recognized both inside the Cardinal organization and nationally as the kind of prospect that St. Louis has not had since Oscar Taveras or Albert Pujols. Walker blends together his raw power, speed, and bat-to-ball skills to mash in an exciting way. In a lineup where he will not be relied upon heavily, I think it will allow him to flourish. Allowing Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and the rest of the supporting cast to be the foundation of the offense takes so much pressure off of Walker this year.

By season's end though, I predict Walker will bat second or fifth for the Cardinals. When Walker puts all of his tools together, he is the kind of guy who can do the damage you want in the middle of your order, but also continue to get on base at an elite clip.

So with all of that, Walker will run away with the Rookie of the Year award in 2023, and if he's not in All-Star consideration in 2023, he will be in 2024.

As far as award-winning, I predict another Cardinal will take home some hardware in 2023.

Bold Prediction #4 - The Cardinals will aquire an ace before the end of 2023

While I was tempted to say the Cardinals will acquire an ace before the trade deadline, that will depend heavily on where the club is at in July, and what is available on the market. I do believe during this calendar year, the Cardinals will aquire an ace for their staff.

It could it be someone like Pablo Lopez or someone not currently available during the season. If they wait until free agency, I could see them going after Max Scherezer, Aaron Nola, or Julio Urias as their guy. Names like Shane Bieber and Tyler Glasnow will surely be in trade talks by that point as they run out of team control.

It's frustrating that there is not a clear ace available to them at this moment, but there will be great at different points in 2023, and I do think the Cardinals will pounce on finding a sure thing for the top of their pen. They'll have even more of an excuse to pursue that with four starting pitchers hitting free agency after this season.

I do think by the end of 2023, one or two young arms will make themselves clear options for the 2024 rotation which will make it easier for St. Louis to spend big or give up significant assets for a stater. Right now, every starter in their rotation is in the last year of arbitration or on a post-arbitration contract. Not having a cheap option in your rotation makes it harder to go out and spend big on that ace, so developing those options will help a ton.

With all that being said, I do want to make my prediction about how the club will fair by the end of the 2023 season, and I do think this may surprise many of you.

Bold Prediction #5 - The Cardinals will finish with the second best record in the National League and lose in the NLCS.

Double whammy with my boldness on this pick. First, finishing with the second best record in the National League will be tough, especially now that teams play fewer games against their division rivals. Yet, I do think a combination of the amount of talent the Cardinals have and their weaker division will help them win a lot of games in 2023.

And even in a loaded National League, I think the Cardinals have what it takes to go deep in October. If they are able to get that number 2 seed, they will just have to win one playoff series and will have a bit of an advantage over their NLDS opponent as they will get to set their rotation while their opponent would have already thrown their best guys. By this time, the Cardinals may have even acquired a front-line starter to lead this rotation.

But the biggest reason for the Cardinals' deep run in the 2023 postseason will be their deep lineup. By October, I believe Goldschmidt, Arenado, Contreras, Walker, Nootbaar, and at least one of O'Neill, Carlson, or Juan Yepez will be big bats that teams will dread facing. Supplementing those guys with the likes of Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, Tommy, Edman, and Alec Burleson will make the Cardinals one of, if not the most, dangerous lineup in baseball.

I do not think it will be enough for them to make the World Series though. One of the Padres, Mets, or Braves will represent the National League in the World Series, but when the off-season rolls around, the whole league will know that St. Louis is ready to win a World Series in 2024.

Those were my bold predictions for the 2023 season. What did you agree or disagree with? What are your bold predictions for the Cardinals in 2023? Let me know in the comments!