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

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.