Excuses, myths, and real reasons for the Cardinals' awful season

Reasons

Pitching, pitching, and more pitching — The front office failed this offseason on so many fronts when it comes to our pitching staff. Everyone knew it would be a problem but they didn’t want to spend any money to improve. Not only did they not bring in a true number one or even a two but there were other major problems. First, for the first time in 19 years, there would be no Yadier Molina controlling the game. Second, their longtime, well-respected pitching coach leaves them. That meant that the pitching staff the Cardinals did have would have to trust in a catcher they didn’t know and a pitching coach that had never coached in the major leagues, or even the minor leagues for that matter.

Coaching staff issues - The Cardinals have the youngest manager in all of MLB who was completely out-coached in the playoffs, coming back for his second year. He just lost his bench coach, hitting coach, and the pitching coach. When they did find a bench coach he quit after two months. This used to be a team that coaches and players wanted to come to and be a part of.

Now instead of being able or willing to hire experienced baseball people, they are relegated to hiring a hitting coach who was fired by the Reds after one year. That year FanGraphs had the Reds ranked 25th in the Major Leagues in wRC+, 21st in WAR, and 26th in wOBA. Then they replaced Mike Maddox and his twenty years of coaching experience, who by the way, has done wonders with the Texas pitching staff, with someone with no experience as a pitching coach.