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Ranking the 10 most important St. Louis Cardinals players for the 2024 season
By Andrew Wang
#7 - Brendan Donovan
As someone who values two-way players for their roster flexibility and versatility, Brendan Donovan's ability to play 7 positions while hitting above league average is extremely valuable to me. He can't pitch, but he can give just about any Cardinals defender a break by covering their position for a game or two. None of his tools stand out as particularly flashy, but he found a new gear as a more aggressive hitter last season before being shut down due to his elbow injury.
He was one of the most impressive Cardinals' at Winter Warm-Up as many players expressed confidence in him as one of the clubhouse leaders, and he discussed the adjustments he made to become a more effective hitter last season. He's someone I think should hit at the top of the Cardinals' lineup in 2024 and also has the potential to win a batting title.
Donovan is a spark plug type player who can fill in for anyone going through a slump or needing a breather in the field. After seemingly robbing his teammate Tommy Edman of the inaugural utility player Gold Glove Award in 2022, Donovan has shown no signs of slowing down as the most versatile and one of the most productive players on the roster. It was a great decision by the front office not to part with him in exchange for a starting pitcher this offseason, and I believe Donovan will show us in 2024 just how important he is to the success of the team.