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9 former Cardinals that could win their first World Series in 2023
There are a handful of former Cardinal players and coaches who appeared for either the Diamondbacks or the Rangers this season.
The 2023 World Series is set. This Fall Classic features the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers, two teams that didn't even win their divisions, but two teams that got hot at the right time.
As for the other 28 teams, the majority of them have at least one player on Texas or Arizona who played for them at some point in their careers. One of the most notable is ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia, who played a handful of games with the Cardinals back in 2018. Despite Garcia never panning out in St. Louis, DFA'ing him and then trading him to Texas for cash considerations then turning him into one of the league's most potent hitters, has sparked controversy from the fan base towards the Cardinals front office, along with other questionable moves.
There is other players and also coaches, some are remembered by the fanbase, and some they may not remember. that could win a World Series ring, their first one in 2023. Not all of them are on the postseason roster or have played for them in quite some time, but all it takes is being on the team or playing at least one game to qualify for a potential World Series ring. There are some players that fit that build, including this first ex-Cardinal.
This list only features guys who played or coached in St. Louis, which is why you will not see names like Zac Gallen.
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Nabil Crismatt
This is a player I wouldn't expect many Cardinals fans to remember because his time in St. Louis was very brief. Crismatt appeared in 6 games in relief for the Cardinals in 2020 as he was one of several pitchers to debut for them in the COVID year. He allowed 3 earned runs in 8.1 innings pitched, then he signed in free agency with the Padres the following off-season.
He was one of San Diego's more reliable bullpen arms in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, posting a 3.39 ERA in 95 games, but he struggled in 7 games this season which led to his release. The D'Backs signed him on July 28, released him 3 days later, then 6 days later brought him back and finished the season in Triple-A Reno.
Crismatt only appeared in one game with Arizona this season, but it is possible that he could get a World Series ring if the Diamondbacks win it all. Now let's look at some more familiar names.
Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia
The reigning ALCS MVP used to be a prospect in the Cardinals system, everybody seems to know that by now.
Garcia was signed by the Cardinals in 2017 and started the season in Double-A. After a strong season in Memphis in 2018, he was called up for the stretch run as the Cardinals were trying to get into the playoffs. He was used mostly as a pinch runner, as he only had 17 at-bats in 21 games, recording 2 hits and 1 RBI. He is known mostly for losing his footing rounding 3rd base representing the tying run in a late-season bout against the Brewers. It was a huge blow at the time to the Cardinals' playoff chances.
He never got called up to the Cardinals in 2019 despite hitting 32 home runs and driving in 96 with Memphis that year. After the season he was then DFA'd before being shipped to Texas. Garcia was also DFA'd at one point by the Rangers but nobody took him, so he went back to Texas and he has become a superstar.
In the last 3 seasons, he has been an All-Star twice, he's driven in at least 90 runs in every season and is now shattering records in his first postseason. After driving in 15 runs in the ALCS against the Astros, he became the first player in MLB history to drive in that many runs in a single series, and he's now 4 wins away from helping Texas win their first-ever World Series.
Carson Kelly
Kelly lasted the longest with the Diamondbacks out of the three players who were traded away to Arizona in the Paul Goldschmidt trade back in 2018.
The main reason Kelly was one of the players sent to Arizona was the fact that Yadier Molina was taking away consistent playing time from him, as he only played in 63 games across 3 seasons (2016-2018), and only hit .154 with zero home runs in those games. He was the starting catcher for Arizona in 2019 and he hit 18 home runs with 47 RBI in 111 games. He was never able to put up huge offensive numbers in Arizona partially due to injuries, including a forearm injury that took most of his season this year, it was the 5th time in the last 3 years that Kelly landed on the IL.
And with the strong play of rookie Gabriel Moreno behind the plate, when Kelly came back from the IL he was not contributing at the plate and was losing playing time. So the Diamondbacks DFA'd Kelly in the middle of August. Just a few days later Kelly signed with the Tigers and finished the season with them, hitting just .173 in 18 games. Even though Kelly was released by Arizona a couple of months back, since he was on the 40-man roster and played 32 games with the D'Backs this season, he can still receive a World Series ring this season.
Texas Rangers Brad Miller
The 11-year vet is on a team that is playing in the World Series for the first time in his career. After the utility man/ bench player spent some time with the Mariners, Rays, Brewers, Indians, and Phillies, Miller signed with the Cardinals for the shortened 2020 season.
Miller has been known as someone with under-the-radar power, as he had a 30-home run campaign with Tampa in 2016. It was in a small sample size in his time with the Cardinals, but Miller was a productive power bat for the Cardinals, his seven home runs actually were the most on the team that year, and he appeared in the postseason for the first time in his career. After the shortened year, Miller returned to Philly in the off-season.
He is now in his second season with the Rangers, serving mostly in a bench role, but 2023 has basically been a wash for him due to injury. After dealing with an oblique injury for most of the season he was limited to just 27 games, then a hamstring strain ultimately led to him being placed on the 60-day IL effectively ending his season. With that transfer to the 60-day IL, it allowed the Rangers to call up Evan Carter for the stretch run and he has become a pivotal piece for the Rangers' recent run of success.
Texas Rangers Jordan Montgomery
The deadline acquisition from St. Louis has been a big piece to the Rangers' revitalized rotation here in the postseason. He is pitching his best at the perfect time, as he is heading to free agency for the first time in his career with a huge payday in his sights.
Montgomery pitched well enough with the Cardinals this year to attract contending teams that needed a starting pitcher during the stretch run. It's funny how times have changed, the Yankees traded Montgomery to the Cardinals at the trade deadline last season because the Yankees didn't see a spot for him on their postseason rotation, but he would've been in the Cardinal rotation if they got past the Phillies in the Wild Card round, and he started the first game in the Wild Card round against Tampa this year and he pitched a gem.
He was also the winning pitcher in relief in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Astros, he has only allowed 6 earned runs in 25 innings this postseason which is surely increasing his value on the free agent market. For " Monty " it may have been getting out of pitching at Yankee Stadium that has contributed to his success, as his ERA has gone down in every season since 2019, and his number of innings has gone up. He is showing that he is capable of going deep in ball games, and pitching in big situations, it will be interesting this winter to see how many suitors he will have in free agency, including the Cardinals.
Arizona Diamondbacks Tommy Pham
Pham was in the Cardinals organization for a very long time, and in what is now his 10th season in the big leagues, he will be appearing in his first World Series. The Cardinals drafted Pham in the 16th round in the 2006 draft and he was a September call-up in the 2014 season.
His five-tool qualities and his energy earned him more and more playing time until he became an everyday player in 2017, where he recorded a 20-20 season (23 home runs and 25 steals). In the middle of the 2018 season, Pham was traded to the Rays in exchange for Genesis Cabrera, Roel Ramirez, and Justin Williams.
Since he left St.Louis he has bounced around quite a bit, spending a year and a half with the Rays he then played with the Padres, Reds, Red Sox, and the Mets to start this season before being traded to the D'Backs at this year's deadline. Going into this postseason Pham only won two postseason series including one in 2020 against the Cardinals with San Diego, but he has won 3 series this year with Arizona. Pham has had some big postseason moments in his career, starting in his rookie year with the Cardinals hitting a pinch-hit home run off Jon Lester, he hit .360 and .375 in the '19 and '20 postseasons with the Rays and Padres respectively, and in Game 1 of the NLDS this year against the Dodgers he had a four hit game en route to an 11-2 blowout win.
Texas Rangers Chris Stratton
Stratton was the other pitcher acquired by the Rangers from St.Louis at this past deadline. His ability to pitch just about every day and eat innings was what attracted Texas to acquire him along with Montgomery.
He began his career with the Giants as a starter after he was drafted in the first round in 2012, his best season came in 2018 winning 10 games. After spending a brief time with the Angels, he went to the Pirates in 2019 when he became a full-time reliever. He has become one of the more durable middle relievers in baseball as he has pitched in over 40% of his team's games since 2020, including three straight seasons of having at least 60 appearances out of the pen.
At the deadline last season, the Cardinals acquired Stratton from the Pirates along with Jose Quintana in exchange for Johan Oviedo and minor league infielder Malcom Nunez, and both guys were superb in the stretch run for St.Louis. Stratton pitched to a 2.78 ERA in 20 games with the Cards. His numbers were not as good this season, but he was still a workhorse, able to take the ball at any time, and like Montgomery, he is a free agent after this season so the Cardinals decided to get something for him and trade him to Texas. He had a 3.41 ERA in 22 appearances with Texas in the regular season but did not pitch until the ALCS against Houston. He will be on a World Series roster for the first time in his career.
Texas Rangers Mike Maddux
The pitching coach for the Rangers, who served in the same role with the Cardinals from 2018-2022 is back in his second stint as the Rangers pitching coach and is back in the World Series.
Maddux, the older brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Greg, had a 15-year career of his own as a pitcher mostly in relief with the Phillies, Padres, Mets, Pirates, Red Sox, Mariners, Expos, Astros, and 2 stints with the Dodgers. He had a career 4.05 ERA in 472 appearances but he never won a World Series as a player, he only pitched in the postseason once with Boston in 1995.
After his career he went straight into coaching, starting in the Astros minor league system then he was the Brewers pitching coach from 2003-2008. He then went to Texas in the same position and he helped the Rangers make the World Series in back-to-back seasons in 2010-2011, he stayed with Texas until 2015. After being the Nationals pitching coach for two seasons, Maddux was hired by the Cardinals to be the pitching coach and he stayed in that role until he left the organization after the 2022 season.
For the 2023 season, Maddux found his way back to Texas to help the Rangers revamp their pitching staff. They used free agency to try to improve their rotation by bringing in Jacob DeGrom, Nate Eovaldi, and Jon Gray. Injuries and severe struggles with the bullpen really affected Texas for most of the season which led to Texas having a slightly higher ERA this year (4.21 ERA in 2022 and 4.24 ERA in 2023), but they have a 3.67 ERA in these playoffs on their way to the World Series. In the 5 seasons Maddux was the Cardinal pitching coach the worst they ever ranked in the league in ERA was 12th, but this year the Cards were 24th in the league with a 4.81 ERA.
Arizona Diamondbacks Joe Mather
Former player for the Cardinals, Joe Mather is in his second season as the Diamondbacks hitting coach. The Cardinals drafted Mather in the 3rd round back in 2001 and he made his MLB debut with the Cards in 2008.
He never was an everyday player with St. Louis but he was very versatile, as he played 6 different positions in his time with the Cardinals including at pitcher, he was in fact the losing pitcher in that 20-inning marathon game against the Mets back in 2010. In 90 total games with the Cardinals in 2008 and 2010 Mather hit .233 with 8 home runs and 41 RBI. After playing one season each with the Braves and Cubs, Mather retired from baseball in 2014 and went into coaching.
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From 2015-2019, Mather coached for multiple minor league teams in the D'Backs organization, serving roles as bench coach, fielding, and hitting coordinators, including manager of the Visalia Rawhide in 2018, the D'Backs single A team. After serving as the Reds' assistant hitting coach in 2020 and 2021, he came back to the D'Backs system to be the big-league hitting coach. In the season before Mather took the reigns as hitting coach (2021), the D'Backs averaged 4.19 runs a game, which was 25th in the league that year, in his first year they averaged 4.33 runs and this year they averaged 4.58 runs, their highest since 2019.