The St. Louis Cardinals player who is quietly becoming the team MVP

The St. Louis Cardinals have made it clear that the 2025 season is a platform year for their young players.

For many, it is a prove-it-or-lose-it season in regards to them being an everyday player going forward. The everyday lineup is taking on most of this stress, with Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, and Alec Burleson all being observed through a watch glass. The pitching staff is where the veterans of the team are contributing. With Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, Erick Fedde, and Steven Matz all being in their mid-thirties and locked up on bigger contracts, there is not much room for pre-arbitration guys to make their mark. Andre Pallante has kept much-needed consistency over his Cardinals career and appears to be a rotation lock. But one final spot in the rotation needed to be secured for the team going forward. Matthew Liberatore took advantage of this moment and has quietly had the best season of any player so far in 2025.

Matthew Liberatore is quietly becoming the Cardinals' MVP

With the offense exploding out of the gate thanks to new hitting coach Brant Brown, the team has somehow found themselves hovering around the .500 mark most of April. The defense overall has been good, so it is not blunders in the field leading to this issue. The bullpen gets most of the credit for blowing several late-inning opportunities that hurt the team overall. The starting pitching overall has been serviceable, but could use some improvement. For Libby, he has pitched above expectations and is no longer doubted as a starter. After every start he makes, Liberatore keeps getting better and better, which is providing so much value to this current team.

Liberatore, after 31 innings pitched, has a 0.5 WAR to go along with a 3.19 ERA, 1.83 FIP, and 0.968 WHIP. Many in the organization thought Libby would be a permanent bullpen arm after failing to execute as a starter after several attempts in the rotation over the years. The pressure was mounting after the success of his counterpart in the trade with the Rays, Randy Arozarena, became a global phenomenon and postseason hero. But with what appears to be a final "prove it or lose it" scenario for Libby in 2025, he has fully capitalized on the moment. The script appears to be flipping that Libby is a rotation staple going forward.