8 lessons the St. Louis Cardinals need to learn from the terrible 2023 season

Take a long and hard look at how they draft and develop pitching

The Cardinals simply have not drafted and developed pitching like they did in the 2000s and early 2010s. Pitching used to be the calling card of this organization, and now it's a huge blemish on what they do.

I would actually argue that they have already begun to make shifts in this area that will be felt in 2024, but especially in 2025 and beyond, but there is still a ways to go in order to improve this organizational issue.

Tink Hence, Tekoah Roby, Gordon Graceffo, Cooper Hjerpe. Sem Robberse, Michael McGreevy, Ian Bedell, Max Rajcic, Zack Showalter, Quinn Matthews, Brycen Mautz, Pete Hansen, and others all represent a growing list of arms in the Cardinals' system that could give them production in the future.

With that being said, Derrick Goold had Tampa Bay Rays beat writer Marc Topkin on his podcast in August, and they talked about ways that the Rays have been at the forefront of pitching development since 2010, and how the Cardinals have been lagging behind in so many ways, not just behind the Rays, but also behind much of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have to adapt to the times to help develop their young pitching to be the best possible versions of themselves.