The Cardinals' 'reset' might actually be working

This past offseason, the Cardinals announced that they would be entering a "reset" period. It can be interpreted in many different ways. Most fans thought it meant that certain veterans would be traded, but the organization was clear about giving young players more opportunities in 2025. When the Cardinals were unable to trade Nolan Arenado, it looked as though the reset had fallen flat.

With Arenado still on the roster, players such as Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggese are somewhat blocked. However, that doesn't mean the reset has been a failure. In fact, I would argue that it's going quite well so far and might work, even with no veterans being traded.

Is the Cardinals' reset working?

So far, the reset appears to be working. While Gorman and Saggese don't have a clear path with Arenado still around, other young players have shone when given the opportunity.

Firstly, the Cardinals and Willson Contreras agreed that a move to first base would be best for the future. Not only did that effectively replace Paul Goldschmidt, but it opened up the catcher position for Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages.

Pages homered in his season debut on Sunday, and Herrera hit three homers on Wednesday against the Angels, making some impressive Cardinals history in the process. So far, it looks like it's going to be Herrera's job, but letting Goldschmidt walk and moving Contreras to first seems to be paying off, even with Contreras struggling a little bit.

If they hadn't done this, Herrera would have been blocked, and we wouldn't have had a chance to see what he could do. He's put on a show thus far, and it appears that the best is yet to come.

Secondly, we have talk about Victor Scott II. He forced the Cardinals' hand with an excellent spring training, and his defense has been stellar. It was important that the Cardinals gave him a full run this year, and so far, it's looking like that was the right decision.

The Cardinals could have put Lars Nootbaar in center field and had Scott begin the year in Triple-A Memphis. But he earned the job, and he also went deep in Sunday's 9-2 blowout win over the Twins.

Alec Burleson has picked up right where he left off and is going to be a force in the Cardinals lineup. He showed a ton of promise last year and is going to continue getting better.

So, while other players may be blocked, the Cardinals are still able to give opportunities to younger players. Even Gorman and Luken Baker, who aren't everyday players, have made the most of their opportunities. Gorman homered Sunday as well, and Baker had two hits on Monday against the Angels.

It certainly isn't quite what Cardinals fans envisioned when they heard the term "reset," as it appeared at first as though players were going to be traded, but even so, the reset might actually be working. The young players are showing what they can do, and if they can continue to do that, it's going to be an exciting summer.

Finally, I think it's clear that the MVP of this team has been none other than new-hitting coach Brant Brown. It really seems like the players are buying into his approach, and that approach is clearly working.

The Cardinals weren't hitting like this at all last year or in 2023. What I like most is that in between innings, Brown gathers the hitters around and discusses how they're going to attack the pitcher. Jeff Albert and Turner Ward never did that.

That isn't to say they weren't invested in the success of the players, but I can really tell that Brown knows what he's talking about and that what he's saying makes sense to the players.

And so, for the first time in a long time, I feel very confident about the Cardinals offense. We'll see if they can keep it up.