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The official ex-Cardinals team of 2024
These former Cardinal players had plenty of success outside of the city this year.
Ah, the age-old practice of finding players who once played for the St. Louis Cardinals and found success playing for another franchise.
One of the gripes of fans of the Cardinals is that far too many players see success after being traded away from the organization or are signed via free agency away from the team. While this can sometimes be overstated, these arguments still hold plenty of water.
I did this exercise last year as well, and this is the roster that I came up with.
Infielders
Catcher: Carson Kelly
First baseman: Matt Carpenter
Second baseman: Kolten Wong
Third baseman: Edmundo Sosa
Shortstop: Paul DeJong
Outfielder/DH
Designated Hitter: Marcell Ozuna
Left field: Randy Arozarena
Center field: Harrison Bader
Right field: Adolis Garcia
Starting Rotation:
#1: Jordan Montgomery
#2: Sandy Alcantara
#3: Michael Wacha
#4: Jose Quintana
#5: Jack Flaherty
I also included Lane Thomas, Brad Miller, Tommy Pham, and Patrick Wisdom off the bench. Relievers Chris Stratton, Jordan Hicks, Genesis Cabrera, Luis Garcia, and Joe Kelly made the cut, too. That's a potent lineup that likely would have won more than 71 games strictly on the backs of a solid starting rotation and some high-octane hitters in the outfield and designated hitter spots.
This year, the bar was raised a little bit higher. Now the ex-Cards team must surpass at least 80 wins to beat this year's actual Cards roster.
Before I break down this year's roster of former Cardinals, let's establish some ground rules.
Rules
1. The player must have played the majority of his games at that particular position. For example, Marcell Ozuna played two games in left field last year. That's not enough to cut it.
2. The player has to have played at least one game for the St. Louis Cardinals. Former minor leaguers who were traded prior to seeing time at the majors don't count (sorry, Zac Gallen).
3. When possible, the players must be "qualified" according to FanGraphs. Some positions were difficult to meet this qualification (catcher), while others were quite easy.
Without further ado, let's begin! Here is the (semi) official former St. Louis Cardinals squad of 2024!
Infielders
Catcher: Carson Kelly
Carson Kelly makes the list again, partially by default. Very few of the organization's former catchers have found success elsewhere. This year, Kelly has accumulated 1.7 fWAR in 301 plate appearances. He has a .238/.316/.364 slash line for an OPS+ of 97. Most of his value has come from his defensive output. Kelly's 1.78 fWAR lags behind both Ivan Herrera (1.9 fWAR) and Willson Contreras (2.7 fWAR). Winner: current Cardinals.
First base: Juan Yepez
We have a newcomer! Juan Yepez started the year off in the minor leagues, but he broke out (mildly) for the Washington Nationals in the second half. He's played only 57 games, but he has a .277/.330/.437 slash line with six home runs. His 113 wRC+ exceeds that of Paul Goldschmidt for the Cardinals, but his fWAR total (0.4 fWAR) is dragged down by his negative defense. Goldy has accumulated 0.9 fWAR on the season. Winner: current Cardinals, barely
Second base: Richie Palacios
While Richie Palacios has played the bulk of his innings at second base this year, he's also seen ample time in left field, right field, and even third base. However, there were no other former Cardinals who played second base and reached even 100 plate appearances. Therefore, Palacios gets the nod. He has a .233/.350/.332 slash line for a 105 wRC+ and a total of 1.4 fWAR. Nolan Gorman played the most innings at second base for the Cardinals this year, and he finished with a slash line of .203/.271/.4002 and only 0.3 fWAR. Winner: ex-Cardinals
Third base: Edmundo Sosa
I'm not sure if it's the fact that the Cardinals have kept all of their good infielders or if these players have just been bad. However, Edmundo Sosa once again starts at third base for the 2024 ex-Cardinals. Sosa has a .263/.317/.433 slash line for a 108 wRC+ and 1.9 fWAR. Nolan Arenado, on the other hand, has a .269/.323/.391 slash line for a 101 wRC+ and a total of 3.0 fWAR. Winner: current Cardinals.
Shortstop: Paul DeJong
Had Masyn Winn not taken off this year, shortstop would have been a position of regret for the Cardinals. DeJong has put together quite a nice season with a slash line of .230/.277/.432 to go along with 24 home runs in 137 games. DeJong is still stout defensively, and he was able to rack up 1.7 fWAR. However, rookie sensation Masyn Winn outpaced DeJong during the year. Winn has a .267/.314/.406 slash line for a 101 wRC+. His defense has been superb, and he has 3.1 fWAR. Winner: current Cardinals.
Outfield/DH
Left field: Tyler O'Neill
This one stings. Tyler O'Neill, when he was healthy, put on a clinic in left field for the Boston Red Sox. In 109 games, O'Neill slashed .244/.338/.521 with 31 home runs for a wRC+ of 133 and a total of 2.4 fWAR. His defense was decent in left field in Boston, and he was a force in the middle of the Red Sox's lineup. For the Cardinals, Brendan Donovan led the team in innings in left field. He slashed .275/.340/.413 and finished with 2.9 fWAR. Winner: current Cardinals, but it's close.
Center field: Harrison Bader
This spot once again goes to Harrison Bader. He has a .241/.290/.381 slash line for a wRC+ of 89. While his defense lags slightly behind Michael Siani's, his offensive production heavily outpaces Siani's. Bader has accumulated 1.5 fWAR. Michael Siani is the Cardinals' top center fielder this year with a slash line of .237/.286/.296 for a wRC+ of only 66. He's racked up 1.2 fWAR. Winner: ex-Cardinal Harrison Bader.
Right field: Lane Thomas
This spot was once held by Adolis Garcia, but his offensive production has plummeted while his defense has been abysmal. Now, Lane Thomas, thanks to his .241/.313/.408 slash line and 102 wRC+, is the best former Cardinal in right field. He's accumulated 1.5 fWAR in 127 games. The current Cardinals' representative is Lars Nootbaar. Noot has a .245/.343/.399 slash line for a 110 wRC+ and 1.5 fWAR. Where he lags behind Thomas is on the defensive side of the ball. Winner: ex-Cardinal Lane Thomas, but only slightly.
Designated hitter: Marcell Ozuna
If Shohei Ohtani didn't exist, Marcell Ozuna would be the best DH in the National League. He has a .310/.384/.561 slash line with 39 home runs and a wRC+ of 159. He sits at 4.9 fWAR currently. The St. Louis Cardinals don't use the designated hitter position the way it was initially designed. Instead, they use it as a rotating "off-day" spot. Therefore, they don't have a player who can even come close to Ozuna's production. If I had to pick a designated hitter, it would be Alec Burleson with a .266/.309/.421 slash line for a 104 wRC+ and a total of 0.5 fWAR. Winner: ex-Cardinals
Starting Pitchers
Up to this point, the current St. Louis Cardinals have heavily outpaced the ex-Cardinal group. This is where things begin to change, at least on the upper end of the rotation.
#1 starter: Michael Wacha
Michael Wacha has a 3.28 ERA, 3.59 FIP, and a 1.194 WHIP in 161.2 innings. He's been excellent for the Kansas City Royals this year, and his 3.3 fWAR total leads all former Cardinals. However, Sonny Gray outpaces Wacha according to fWAR. Gray has a 3.84 ERA, 3.12 FIP, and a 1.088 WHIP for a total of 3.8 fWAR. Winner: by fWAR, it's the current Cardinals, but Wacha's numbers outpace Gray's
#2 starter: Jack Flaherty
This is where the separation begins to show. The ex-Cardinals squad boasts two top-of-the-rotation starters in Wacha and Flaherty who are interchangeable. Flaherty has a 3.10 ERA, 3.41 FIP, and a 1.057 WHIP. Honestly, I would take Flaherty over Wacha, but his 3.2 fWAR in 157 innings places him a smidge below Wacha. The Cardinals' #2 starter by fWAR this year has been Miles Mikolas with a 5.35 ERA and 2.0 fWAR thanks to his 166.2 innings total and 4.20 FIP. Winner: ex-Cardinals
#3 starter: Jose Quintana
Jose Quintana makes this list once again, partially by default. Quintana has a 3.74 ERA and a 4.67 FIP in 166 innings. He's been a workhorse for the New York Mets, and his efforts have awarded him 0.8 fWAR. The Cardinals' #3 starter this year ended up being Andre Pallante. Pallante has a 3.47 ERA with a 3.71 FIP. He saved the rotation for most of the summer, and he finished the year with 1.7 fWAR. Winner: Andre Pallante of the current Cardinals.
#4 starter: Austin Gomber
By fWAR, Austin Gomber has had a better season than Jose Quintana. However, I couldn't justify putting a pitcher with a 4.75 ERA and a 4.83 FIP ahead of Quintana. Gomber has racked up 1.2 fWAR in 165 innings. The Cardinals' fourth-best starter this year by fWAR was Kyle Gibson. Gibby finished the year with a 4.24 ERA in 165.2 innings. That was good enough for 1.5 fWAR. Winner: current Cardinals by a hair once again.
#5 starter: Jordan Montgomery
Jordan Montgomery had one of the worst seasons of his career this year. He finished the season with a 6.40 ERA and a 4.49 FIP in only 104 innings due to injuries. He wasn't himself for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024. He finished the year with 0.7 fWAR. Conversely, the Cardinals' fifth-best starter this year was Lance Lynn with a 3.84 ERA and a 4.31 FIP in 117.1 innings. Injuries also limited Lynn, but he was able to finish 2024 with 1.3 fWAR. Winner: current Cardinals.
Final Tally
As of September 26th, the team of former Cardinals and the current rendition of Cardinals has literally the exact same fWAR total. Both squads have 26.7 fWAR right now; that's uncanny. To have a crop of former players be as good as the current team must happen quite rarely.
I'm not quite sure which roster and pitching staff I would take. The current Cardinals boast more depth in the rotation, but the former Cardinals have a better one-two punch with Michael Wacha and Jack Flaherty.
Meanwhile, the current Cardinals' lineup has significantly more balance throughout it. While players like Marcell Ozuna and Tyler O'Neill would be more formidable than any middle-of-the-lineup bats the Cardinals have, the lows of Carson Kelly and Harrison Bader make for an easy bottom-of-the-lineup to blow through.
From a bench perspective, the current Cardinals could employ Ivan Herrera, Jordan Walker, Luken Baker, and Pedro Pages The former Cardinals' bench would have to be carried by Tommy Edman -- who has been having a great second half with Los Angeles but didn't qualify for any one position -- Tommy Pham, Patrick Wisdom, and Andrew Knizner to have a viable bench.
The Cardinals' current relievers outpace any collection of former relievers who could be compiled. Thanks to a more balanced rotation, a deeper bench, and a stronger bullpen, the current team of Cardinals would surely beat the former Cardinals in a series.
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