9 Cardinals who have been on fire the first month of the 2024 season, 9 who are cold

The St. Louis Cardinals are through the month of April, and to say it's been a mixed bag of results thus far would be quite an understatement.

Sitting at 14-116, their record leaves a lot to be desired, but considering many of the struggles that key players have had, one would expect their record to be a lot worse. The reason they have been able to float around a .500 record so far is that for every player who has been struggling, there has been someone else who is performing at a high-level.

Let's review the ten players who have been on fire to begin the season and the ten players who have been ice-cold thus far.

On fire: Masyn Winn

If you made a list of players who were ice-cold to end the 2023 season, Masyn Winn would have been at the top of that list. Naturally, many fans thought he may struggle to begin the 2024 season. Instead, Winn has emerged as one of the Cardinals' most important and productive players thus far.

The rookie is second on the team in OPS (.785) and has come up clutch both at the plate and in the field. Winn's poise and confidence have allowed his raw tools to shine.

If Winn keeps up this performance all year, he'll be in the National League Rookie of the Year race and would have far exceeded expectations. Everyone knew Winn had a bright future in this league, but he's way more productive than anyone would have thought this early in his career.

Winn's early success isn't just encouraging on an individual level and for his future in this league, but it may be something that the Cardinals desperately need if they are going to compete for a playoff spot this season. Winn's energy and all-around game is the exact kind of thing that could lift the spirits and momentum of this team, should he continue this level of play as the season goes on.

The Cardinals have gotten a lot of flack early this season for the struggles of top prospects once they get to St. Louis, but so far, Winn is bucking any trend that people are trying to point out.

Ice-cold: Paul Goldschmidt

It's been a rough start to the season for the 2022 National League Most Valuable Player, and although there is plenty of time for him to turn things around, Paul Goldschmidt has been one of the biggest reasons the club is not in a better position at this point in the season.

Goldschmidt has hit a bit better in recent games, and even so, his OPS is still just .641, with just two home runs and three doubles through the first month of the year. The Cardinals need more from their second-highest player and a key pillar of their lineup.

For much of the season, Goldschmidt has been hitting second in the Cardinals lineup, like we've grown accustomed to in recent years. Well, his struggles, and even more so the team's struggles, have caused manager Oli Marmol to bump Goldschmidt down to fifth in the order, and if things do not head up for him in the coming weeks, I don't think Marmol will hesitate to drop him further.

Cold starts are not uncommon for Goldschmidt though, so I wouldn't be quick to write him off. In fact, during his MVP season in 2022, Goldschmidt was even worse at the plate than he's been in 2024.

No one is expecting Goldschmidt to go on an MVP campaign the rest of the year, but it would be shocking if he did not get back to being a very productive bat in the very near future.

On fire: Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, and Andrew Kittredge

The St. Louis Cardinals have a "Big 3" on their hands, and it's not a trio in the middle of their order, but instead, it's three dynamic arms at the back-end of their rotation as in Ryan Helsley, Andrew Kittredge, and JoJo Romero.

Last season, one of the reasons the Cardinals struggled over and over again was an inability to close down the few leads they did have. The Cardinals were among the league leaders in blown saves, and usually only had one, maybe two relievers they could trust at any given time.

Things are very different this year.

Any time the Cardinals have had a lead, they have been able to turn the game over to the "Big 3" and lock down the game against any lineup. Each of their ERAs ranges from 0.75-1.69, and their strikeouts per nine are all 9.8 or higher. Opposing teams really don't have much hope of scoring off of them, which is a huge advantage for St. Louis in any game.

The Cardinals built their rotation in such a way that they are hoping to get six innings or more from their starters while having the lead entering the 7th inning and later. That strategy works really well when you have relievers like these who can shut things down.

The Cardinals do need to start winning some games with larger leads so they do not have to turn to the trio every game. So far, they've been pretty perfect, but you cannot overuse them, and having all three unavailable for a game could get them in trouble like it did on Sunday.

Ice-cold: Miles Mikolas

Miles Mikolas, the Cardinals' Opening Day starter the last two seasons, his pitched like a number five starter since last April, and that continues to cost them games in a big way.

Mikolas doesn't need to be a front-end starter for the Cardinals to succeed this year, but he does need to be better than the 5.91 ERA he's posted in his first six starts. Mikolas has had his fair share of solid starts in the early going, but he's also had outings where the Cardinals effectively have lost the game before the fifth inning.

Mikolas will be able to provide value for the team if he's able to eat innings and have a serviceable ERA as the season goes on. Giving up just shy of six runs per nine innings just isn't good enough, but if he gets that close to the 4.50-5.00 range, he will manage as the Cardinals' fifth starter.

The Cardinals may be forced to make a tough decision regarding Mikolas as the season goes on if he can't turn things around. Mikolas is due $16 million for this season and 2025, so it's not likely that they'll be able to move off of him any time soon. And at this point in his career, his value comes from bulk innings, so converting him to a reliever won't help their cause either.

The club has made their bed in regards to Mikolas and will have to wait things out for a while to see how they play out. As I said earlier, he has had a few solid outings so far, so if he can string a few more together, things will look better from a counting stats standpoint.

On fire: Sonny Gray

Someone the Cardinals do need to be a front-line starter this year is Sonny Gray, who in all honesty, has done everything he can to prove he's a true ace in today's game.

When the Cardinals signed Gray, there was a lot of speculation from fans and media as to whether or not he could truly lead the top of their rotation for a team that has playoff aspirations. The skepticism had more to do with the lack of talent behind him in the rotation, but many have believed that Gray is not talented enough to be a number one regardless.

Well, they were wrong. Gray has been a top starter for years now, and in 2024, he's been even better than anyone could have ever hoped for.

After beginning the season on the injured list, Gray has gone 3-1 with a 1.16 ERA in four starts for St. Louis. Gray isn't doing this through some smoke and mirrors performance, he's dominating his opponents every time he's on the mound, including a 36% strikeout rate so far and a 1.51 FIP.

Gray's dominance has reminded Cardinals fans what it's like to have a guy they can rely on every fifth day to secure a win. For years now, the Cardinals have been working with a make-shift rotation, getting short stints of top-end performances from guys like Jordan Montgomery, Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Jose Quintana, and Jack Flaherty, but none of those guys were the real deal like Gray is.

Gray won't be able to put up these kinds of numbers over the course of an entire season, but it would not be a surprise at all to see Gray make another All-Star bid this year or even compete for the National League Cy Young Award.

Ice-cold: Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II

Two of the most exciting young talents the Cardinals have in their organization, both Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II started in the Cardinals outfield on Opening Day this year - and now both players are trying to get their games back on track in Memphis.

Walker, who struggled to begin his rookie campaign last year before tearing it up in St. Louis upon his return in June, has looked lost at the plate this year. His ground ball issue has reared its ugly head once again, and while there's no reason to give up on him as the talented prospect he is, the Cardinals are going to need Walker to turn things around in Memphis as soon as possible.

Walker was supposed to take a step forward this year, not backward. As the Cardinals' offense continues to struggle on a daily basis, they need all of the help they can get to get out of the hole they've dug themselves offensively. Walker has the talent to do that in a big way, but he has got to figure out how to drive the ball more consistently and turn those hard-hit ground balls to shortstop into doubles in the gap or missiles over the fence.

Oddly enough, Walker has improved a lot defensively this year, even as his struggles at the plate ensue. Walker has the work ethic, character, and talent to turn things around at the plate soon, and hopefully, that will happen sooner rather than later.

Scott was a really solid defender for the Cardinals in center field and made his presence felt on the basepaths when he was given the chance, but for as bad as Walker's woes were at the plate, Scott's were even worse. He slashed .085/.138/.136 in his 59 Major League at-bats, and will now work in Memphis to get back on track after his meteoric rise in 2023.

While Scott does not have the same kind of potential as Walker does, I strongly believe he has what it takes to become a productive big leaguer, and he has the tools and potential to be even more than that as well. A trip to Memphis is not failure for Scott, but rather an opportunity to develop into the kind of player both he and St. Louis hopes he becomes. It was really tough to watch his first stink in St. Louis, but I'm sure things will be different the next time he gets a shot.

On fire: Willson Contreras

The Cardinals' best position player this year by far is catcher Willson Contreras, who has carried a scorching hot finish to the 2023 season into 2024 while making major improvements defensively as well.

In 2023, Contreras was removed from his catching duties in what was a controversial move by the Cardinals' front office and coaching staff. While St. Louis handled his situation poorly, Contreras was not blameless, as his game prep and pitch calling were both put into question alongside some of the worst blocking and framing metrics in the league.

What has Contreras done so far in 2024? He has completely reversed the narrative in a way no one saw coming. We all hoped for and expected improvement this offseason, but Contreras has been excellent behind the plate thus far. Contreras ranks in the 77th percentile in blocks above average, 73rd percentile in framing, and 66 percentile in caught stealing above average. Not only that, the Cardinals' pitching staff has been noticeably better thus far, and while a lot of that has to do with personnel changes, I think it's fair to say Contreras is contributing in a positive way as well.

For all of the good that Contreras has provided behind the plate this year, it's his performance at the dish that makes him so valuable. Contreras is carrying an .860 OPS thus far in 2024 while hitting four home runs and eight doubles so far in a Cardinal lineup that cannot seem to get things done offensively. Contreras has been far and away their best hitter this year, and without him stepping up to the challenge, things could be really, really bad for St. Louis right now.

The Cardinals need to support Contreras with more offensive production starting immediately, but it's also time to acknowledge that Contreras has taken on the position as the club's most important bat. That's no shot at Paul Goldschmidt or Nolan Arenado, but Contreras, for the last four months of baseball the Cardinals have played dating back to July, has been one of the best hitters in all of baseball, and he's the bat that will carry the Cardinals this year.

Ice-cold: Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar

Speaking of bats that were supposed to help carry the Cardinals offense this year, both Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar have struggled to live up to the task this year, and while I have faith both will figure things out, they are hurting the Cardinals in a big way right now.

Gorman has always been a streaky hitter, so he's more likely than not in another one of his frustrating slumps. With that being said, his slumps are far more noticeable when they come alongside the rest of the Cardinals' lineup, and it may take someone like Gorman to hit the club's way out of the funk they are in.

Gorman has four home runs on the year and is slugging just .363, something that has to change as soon as possible. Gorman's high strikeout rate is much more difficult to bear when the extra-base hits aren't coming in other at-bats. Gorman continues to moved further and further down in the lineup, benched for some games, and was even pinch hit for in game one of the doubleheader against the Tigers in favor of Jose Fermin.

The Cardinals need Gorman out of his funk pronto, and they'll just have to keep playing him until he's able to do that.

Lars Nootbaar has been lagging behind offensively as well since his return from the injured list a few weeks ago. Nootbaar started his season on a hot streak but has fallen off offensively in recent weeks. Nootbaar is now slashing .180/.296/.311 in his 61 at-bats, and while a few quality games would turn that slash line around quickly, it does not change the fact that it's hurt them so far.

Nootbaar has mostly played in the corner outfield so far for St. Louis, but yesterday manager Oli Marmol decided to give Nootbaar time in center field for both games of their doubleheader. This is the right call right now, as the Cardinals need to make room for bats like Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera over Michael Siani. Still, Nootbaar needs to get his bat going, or it'll become questionable until then about who provides the Cardinals more value - Siani or Nootbaar.

On fire: Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson

Before the season, many readers laughed at me for believing in the Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson experiment. Was that the way I would have built the Cardinals rotation? No, it was not. But the job they've done so far in St. Louis has been exactly what the Cardinals have needed from them and more.

Starting with Lance Lynn, the Cardinals were hoping for a rebound season from him in his return back to St. Louis, but he's been more than just a bounce-back veteran so far, he's pitched like the number two starter the Cardinals are sorely lacking.

Notice, I said he's pitched like, not that he is that starter. Regardless, his performance in April is worthy of an A+, and the Cardinals are hoping that the magic continues for the remainder of the season. In his six starts thus far, Lynn has a 2.64 ERA in 30.2 innings of work and probably covers a few more innings if it were not for him having to pitch in some rainy starts early in the year.

Lynn has risen to the challenge almost every time he's stepped on the mound, and right now, I trust him to go toe to toe with about anyone in baseball. Even if he doesn't maintain a 2.64 ERA this season, it's becoming more and more believable that Lynn may be able to post an ERA closer to 3.50 than the 5.00 ERA many fans believed they'd get from Lynn this year. That is a huge development.

Gibson just went 7 innings strong against the Detroit Tigers while allowing just one run, and now has brought his season ERA down to 3.79. Outside of a blowup start against the Miami Marlins where he gave up six runs in the first inning, Gibson has been awesome thus far and has even managed to give the Cardinals at least six innings of work in all six of his starts this year.

Gibson has done exactly what the Cardinals paid him to do so far, eat innings and give the Cardinals a chance to win. In give of his six outings, he did both of those things, and even in the game he blew up, he managed to finish six innings to help save an overworked Cardinal bullpen.

Lynn and Gibson were brought in to provide stability to the back end of the Cardinals' rotation, and they've more than done that job thus far.

On fire: Matthew Liberatore

One of the other options the Cardinals have turned to in their bullpen so far in 2024 is left-hander Matthew Liberatore,

Liberatore has been working his way through the Cardinals system as a starting pitcher ever since they traded Randy Arozarena for him, and in recent years, he has been unable to make his mark in the Cardinals' rotation when given a shot. This spring, he battled with Zack Thompson to win a starting role in Sonny Gray's absence, but once again lost out on that opportunity.

The Cardinals did put Liberatore in their bullpen though, and so far are seeing excellent results from that decision. Liberatore has a 2.93 ERA so far this year, providing the Cardinals a stable arm in their bullpen outside of their "Big 3". Liberatore also gives the Cardinals another solid left-handed option to go to, allowing them to save Romero for high-leverage spots if there are some left-matchups they want to play earlier in the game.

I don't think the Cardinals have ruled out Liberatore as a starter in the future, but he's sure making a name for himself in their bullpen at the moment. With the amount of close games the Cardinals seem to find themselves in so far this year, they could use as many quality arms as they can out of their bullpen. Liberatore clearly fills that role right now, and the Cardinals are hoping that continues all season long.

Ice cold: Steven Matz

One guy who is truly in danger of losing his rotation spot sooner rather than later is left-handed pitcher Steven Matz.

If you remember, Matz struggled big time out of the gates for St. Louis in 2023 and was demoted to a role in the bullpen for a few months. After his stint out of the rotation, Matz returned to his starting duties later in the season and was excellent during that stretch before landing on the injured list for the rest of the season.

Well, to begin 2024, Matz is struggling once again, this time to the tune of a 6.18 ERA in his 6 starts thus far. Matz has been unable to go deep into ball games and is consistently putting the club in a tough position with the amount of damage he's allowing in his short stints.

Manager Oli Marmol revealed after Matz's start on Tuesday against the Tigers was impacted by a lower back issue, which caused him to pitch poorly when the Cardinals really needed innings again. I would not be surprised to see Matz land on the injured list

I've defended Matz a lot in recent months, not because I think he's been an excellent pitcher for the Cardinals thus far, but because you can make an argument that if he had remained healthy the last two years, his good performances would have far outweighed the bad. But this is now the third season of Matz's tenure with the Cardinals, and the story sounds awfully familiar again.

Matz's leash with the club may not be much longer, and if they believe one of their options in Memphis may be ready for a chance in the rotation, then Matz may be moving to the bullpen very soon.