Ranking the ceilings of the St. Louis Cardinals' middle infielders

#3 - Tommy Edman

Tommy Edman is another guy who is close, if not at, his ceiling already as a player, but he boasts two different elite skills that will only become more valuable now that the new rule changes are in place.

In his fourth big league season, Edman played in 153 games and posted a 108 wRC+ and 6.3 WAR, which was tied with Mike Trout for 13th best in all of baseball. Edman's mix of Gold Glove defense at both shortstop and second base, as well as his ability to steal bases (32 in 2022, which was tied for 4th in all of baseball), makes him one of the most useful players in today's game.

MLB's rule changes this year places even more value on players who can play sound defense up the middle and will create even more opportunities for stolen bases throughout the season. If people still doubted Edman's abilities going into 2023, they will surely see his value defensively on even greater display, and could be a 45-50 SB guy under these new rules.

Like Donovan, if this was a listing of the most valuable Cardinals' middle infielders at this moment, Edman is probably in the top two. Right now, he is undoubtedly one of the most important players on this Cardinals roster. He may not ever be a star in today's game, but he's probably as good as a complimentary piece as you can get.

The other two players have elite traits that could make them All-Stars and borderline superstars in the future, which just goes to show you the depth of the Cardinals' middle infield right now.