The Cardinals' offense has been sputtering in spring training

"Pitching wins championships" is a well-known phrase to baseball fans, but an addendum to that cliche could be "but offense helps too!" The St. Louis Cardinals should take that to heart, as they entered their split-squad games in spring training on March 4 ranking dead last in the major leagues in batting average and OPS.

Following two wins in one day, the Cardinals have inched up in the league rankings, but they still sit at 29th in batting average, at .196, and 28th in OPS, at .650. Spring training stats should always be taken with several spoonfuls of salt, but it is worth noting, especially after the Cardinals disappointed on offense in 2024.

Pitching was the main concern entering 2024, as the Cardinals were determined not to let the mound misery of 2023 occur again. That prompted the front office to acquire veteran hurlers Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn. What they didn't expect was an offensive downturn, as former lineup anchors Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado regressed significantly from previous seasons.

The Cardinals are counting on players such as Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker to bounce back, but they have started spring slowly. Gorman is hitting a paltry .105, with two hits in 19 at-bats while striking out eight times. Walker has a .143 average with two hits in 14 at-bats and seven strikeouts. But more concerning is the knee injury that Walker suffered on Tuesday after pursuing a fly ball. If he misses time, the Cardinals will have to look for early reinforcements.

Manager Oli Marmol has not concealed his preference for defense over offense, but if the Cardinals' poor production at the plate continues into the regular season, Marmol will have to make some decisions, whether that's starting Ivan Herrera over Pedro Pages behind the plate more often or placing Lars Nootbaar in center field over Victor Scott and Michael Siani.

Winning is not the main priority for the Cardinals in 2025, and most fans are holding tempered expectations for the team. But what the Cardinals do need to see is steps forward for young players to see if they can be a part of the team's next championship window. If they fall flat, the organization is in big trouble for the future.