Potential was on full display for Cardinals Opening Day

The 2025 MLB season has started! Thursday afternoon had the sports world on notice with the return of America's pastime. Fans got to swarm the ballparks, enjoy pregame ceremonies, and celebrate such a prestigious day for baseball fans every year. With many fans watching from the comfort of their homes, they were able to watch headlines all across the sport. Most of the focus was on the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers, young stars within the game, and former Cardinal outfielder Tyler O'Neill continuing his impressive Opening Day home run streak. But one team caught the league's eye on Opening Day: the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals are overcoming a "reset" that's now considered a transition, when in reality, nothing has changed and the Cardinals are rolling out most of their prior season's roster. The organization analyzed its current roster and the future outlook and agreed on the sentiment that they have the talent to win. The talent just needs to reach its potential. Many players who have had issues developing to their scouted potential are expected in 2025 season to prove themselves. The organization is fully backing this plan and expects fans to. Many fans have scrutinized the long-term vision in place where they see the high risk at stake. But what comes with high risk is high reward. We saw this on Opening Day.

The Cardinals showed their ceiling can be higher than many fans think on Opening Day

The Cardinals played a fantastic game on Opening Day. From a high level, they won the game early on and did not beat themselves to a loss in the record books. That alone is much improvement over what has been seen over the past 2 seasons. But what really shone was that the team was firing on all cylinders. There was no weakness in the team during the entire game. Every player on the field contributed and showcased their signature skillset, which fans have been clamoring for.

After a tough spring with injury rumors swirling, Sonny Gray took the mound and looked really good. His pitches had lots of life to them, he had control with the pace of the game, and he led the team like an ace. Lars Nootbaar, who looked more motivated this spring, made noise early on. He took off early to second after getting on base and created a balk situation. This heads-up baserunning was very prevalent for the team as a whole. Noot in his second AB hit a two-run home run that left the park in a hurry, showcasing his sabermetric data. Sabermetric data also favors Jordan Walker with his raw power potential, which he displayed with his 116.7 MPH single.

Brendan Donovan was a force at the plate and looks natural hitting in the third spot in the lineup. His defense at second base just shows how complete of a player Donnie is. Speaking of defense, Victor Scott II is already making web gems in CF. The elite speed is about to be an absolute threat to the sport. What else can be a threat to the sport? Nolan Arenado pulling the ball. Nado did exactly this with his first home run of 2025. To top off the incredible day of baseball, Ryan Helsley dominated the 9th inning, with three strikeouts to close out the game.

The Cardinals looked flawless on Opening Day. This looks like the team fans have been expecting to see for years: the young prospects developing into the next core to lead the Cardinals back to the World Series, and veteran players making an impact that pushes the team over the top. It has been very rocky with the development of these players, so the expectation for this core started to look like a dream. The front office does not believe time has run out for this core and is fully investing into them for the 2025 season. With this being John Mozeliak's last season, the last chapter of this novel is much desired by much of the fanbase. But after witnessing the first game, maybe this will be a storybook ending for Mozeliak.