5 reasons to be excited about the St. Louis Cardinals in 2023

2023 is full of unknowns for the St. Louis Cardinals. Here are five reasons to look forward to the season.

The winds of change are blowing in St. Louis, as 2022 was the end of an era for the St. Louis Cardinals. Future Hall of Famers Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina rode off into the sunset after a sudden and unceremonious exit from the postseason, and Bally Sports Midwest cut ties with longtime play-by-play broadcaster Dan McLaughlin during the offseason.

Perhaps more than any time in recent memory, the Cardinals are entering a season with few certainties, and that's what makes 2023 so enticing. These are five reasons I'll be tuning in to this season.

1. Jordan Walker's potential debut

Many Cardinals fans have paid close attention to Jordan Walker's domination of the minor leagues over the past few years, and he appears to be knocking on the door to the majors. With the Cardinals' outfield full of question marks regarding the health of Tyler O'Neill and the production of Dylan Carlson, it's quite feasible that Walker will pry his way into a large role early in the season.

The hype surrounding Walker hasn't been this high for a Cardinals position player prospect since Oscar Taveras was set to make his debut in 2014. Walker breezed through Double-A last year, hitting .306 with 19 home runs, and at only 20 years old, he was over four years younger than the average player at that level.

The Cardinals could receive a draft pick if Walker were to win Rookie of the Year honors, and while the Cardinals are generally on the conservative side when it comes to promoting their players, the temptation to let Walker loose on the highest level of pitching to see if he can continue to mash might be too large to ignore. He will be a fascinating player to watch in Spring Training.

3. Adam Wainwright's last ride

The Cardinals' last link to the 2011 World Series-winning team (and the 2006 one, for that matter), Adam Wainwright announced last year that he will return for one more season. After a mechanical flaw at the tail end of 2022 hurt his production and knocked him out of the running as a postseason starter, Wainwright wants to go out on the right note.

Wainwright has turned himself into a pitcher who relies on wits and guile, which is somewhat novel in today's game given the prevalence of pitchers who can throw baseballs upward of 100 mph. His pitching knowledge should once again help younger hurlers hone their craft, and he should be able to be among the leaders in innings pitched at the end of the season once again, even at age 42.

Wainwright needs five wins to reach 200 for his career. His Hall of Fame chances might not be especially high given the seasons he missed to injury and the lack of a Cy Young Award, but another productive season could put him over the edge. At the least, fans will be watching a no-doubt Cardinals Hall of Famer and an outstanding ambassador for the sport one last time.

4. The progression of second-year players

It's always interesting to see how players can build on their rookie seasons. For 2023, the focus will be on Nolan Gorman and Brendan Donovan. Gorman's 2022 season was somewhat of a disappointment, earning him a demotion at one point. Donovan's season, on the other hand, was a resounding success; he hit .281 and displayed his utility, playing all over the field.

The question for Gorman is whether he can tap into the stats that show he has a lot of promise. His hard-hit percentage and exit velocity are much higher than the average player's, and his launch angle is solid; he minimizes pop-ups and doesn't hit the ball on the ground too often. Another question regarding Gorman, and perhaps a more pressing one, is whether he can improve his bottom-tier fielding at second base.

It could be a tough task for Donovan to repeat his rookie season. With his lack of power, pitchers shouldn't be afraid to go after him, and his low exit velocity portends a dip in his .330 BABIP from last year. Nevertheless, he will provide value for being able to play nearly anywhere, and even if he takes a step back at the plate, he should continue to contribute in some manner.

5. The philosophies of the new coaches

Jeff Albert and Mike Maddux departed for other teams after last season, and the Cardinals replaced them with new hitting coach Turner Ward and new pitching coach Dusty Blake. These new coaches and their approaches could be a breath of fresh air for the Cardinals.

Paul Goldschmidt has a history with Ward, who worked in the Arizona Diamondbacks' system when Goldschmidt was ascending the ladder to the major leagues, and he served as the Cardinals' assistant hitting coach in 2022. Goldschmidt was often seeing consulting with Ward late last season as well. Manager Oliver Marmol waxed poetic about Ward, saying Ward knows swings well and knows how to mentally prepare a hitter. His ability to explain analytics to hitters could be a big improvement from that of Jeff Albert.

Blake was the Cardinals' pitching strategist for two seasons before his promotion to pitching coach. His analytical mindset comes from his days as the pitching coach at Duke University, where he began using technology such as Trackman to help his pitchers succeed. Whether Blake continues Maddux's pitch-to-contact philosophy or blazes a new trail is worth watching.

If you're an avid Cardinals viewer, there is ample reason to be excited about 2023. It will be fascinating to see how these stories play out during the season, so prepare to settle in and watch another 162-game odyssey unfold