St. Louis Cardinals spring training broadcast schedule released

The St. Louis Cardinals have released their spring training broadcast schedule, and fans will be able to view or listen to every game one way or another.

In total, 12 of the team's 31 exhibition games will be available via FanDuel Sports Network and the FanDuel Sports Network app. 15 games will be broadcast on KMOX, and the Cardinals' Spanish broadcasting duo of Polo Ascencio and Bengie Molina will be on air for the team's first two games this spring.

Fans will be able to watch or listen to several of the St. Louis Cardinals' spring training games over the next few weeks.

The Cardinals' first match of the spring circuit comes on Saturday, February 22nd at 12:10 against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. This game will be broadcast on KMOX and the Cardinals Radio Network; it will not be available via streaming or cable. The team's final game before Opening Day comes on Monday, March 24th. This is an intra-organization game that features the Cardinals going up against their Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds. This game will be aired via radio on KMOX; it isn't going to be on FanDuel Sports Network.

While the Cardinals and the Marlins will play their first games at Roger Dean Stadium on February 22nd, the Marlins are technically the home team for that game. The Cardinals' first "home" match comes the following day against the Houston Astros. This game will be available on FanDuel Sports Network, KMOX, and the club's Spanish Radio Network

This will be the first time fans get to see the new and improved FanDuel Sports Network following their purchase of the club's TV rights this offseason.

In addition to several games being available to watch or listen to this spring, the Cardinals will have many spring games that will have Statcast data available. 25 of their 31 spring games will have Statcast data following the match. This means that information such as launch angle, exit velocity, pitch spin rate, and other advanced metrics can be found for the game.

On the surface, this doesn't feel like a big deal, but it gives fans and reporters raw data to evaluate a player's growth throughout spring as ramp-ups continue. Last year, fans were able to see how closer Ryan Helsley's velocity took a while to rise to his normal totals thanks to Statcast data. We were also able to see how Paul Goldschmidt wasn't able to hit the ball as hard as he normally does.

It's important to remember that players work on various things during spring then outsiders aren't always privy to. For example, a pitcher could be altering his grip that could hurt his velocity, spin rate, or pitch movement. A hitter could be moving deeper in the box, using a different bat, or moving his hands in his stance. Even fielders could be shifting their starting position ever so slightly to gain an advantage.

These minute changes may not breed positive results right off the bat, but the Statcast data could show deviations from the norm. That is OK, and it's important to not overreact to various bits of data.

The Cardinals are just over two weeks away from playing real, competitive baseball games once again. Regardless of your thoughts on the offseason, it's still exciting to see actual baseball be played once again.