The St. Louis Cardinals have a hidden breakout star

The St. Louis Cardinals have had a slew of young talent take the next step to start 2026. Jordan Walker and JJ Wetherholt highlight an overachieving offense that stands at 10-8 through the team’s first 18 games. However, there is a name on the other side of the ball who deserves just as much, if not more, praise for his 2026 thus far.

Death, Taxes, and Saves 

The newfound Cardinal closer, Riley O’Brien, couldn’t have kicked off 2026 much better. Through 10.1 innings, the last line of defense has yet to surrender an earned run and owns a WHIP of 0.39. 

O’Brien’s sinker is reminiscent of former Redbird flamethrower Jordan Hicks. Hicks had the stuff; he just couldn’t quite find the right plan of attack. O’Brien pitches with the conviction that it seems former Cardinal firemen have lacked. His fastball has averaged out at 97.8mph, allowing him to overpower the opposition. Not only does he throw fast, but he throws anything but straight. The O’Brien fastball dances like it’s at the disco and laughs while it embraces weak contact.  

If you’re keen on analytics, you might be jumping the gun to go and check what O’Brien’s metrics are telling us. Well, they’re just about screaming “This is real!” as loud as they possibly could. 

O’Brien’s xERA is in the 99th percentile at 1.15. He also ranks in the 100th percentile of groundball percentage (73.9%), playing right into the trusty hands of the Redbird infield. St. Louis’ defense has been one of the best in baseball through the first handful of games. If this trend persists, don’t expect O’Brien’s dominance to slow anytime soon. 

What’s got hitters all tangled up? 

The O’Brien pitch mix is to be feared by the opposition and enjoyed by the fans. His bowling-ball sinker entices choppy swings, spearheading the highest groundball rate in the league. What does he pair with such a star-studded pitch, you might ask? One of baseball’s best sweepers, a pitch that has yet to allow a hit. He supplements his two best pitches with a no-joke slider and a rinky-dink changeup that he’s rarely utilized. 

Cardinal fans and analysts should’ve seen this coming. Before the season, it was Matt Svanson this, JoJo Romero that. To the latter’s credit, Romero has yet to allow an earned run and has looked as good as ever. But he’s not quite matching the dominance we’ve seen from O’Brien. No barrels, no runs, and chairs to spare: thus reads the O’Brien creed. 

One of the earliest questions of 2026 has solved itself. St. Louis has their closer. Now, they’ve got to find a left fielder. If O’Brien’s health stays in a good place, the Redbirds could have a first-time All-Star on their hands come July, not named Jordan Walker. 

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