The 2018 St. Louis Cardinals improved to 88 wins but still finished in third place, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season, one which was quite tumultuous.
The number two story in The Cardinal Nation’s countdown of the St. Louis Cardinals top 10 stories of 2018 is the July 14 firing of manager Mike Matheny.
On December 5, the St. Louis Cardinals caused a shift of power in the National League Central with the acquisition of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. But will his addition make the difference in 2019 and will it be one year and done?
In July, the St. Louis Cardinals made a managerial change, promoting internally-developed coach Mike Shildt. After just 38 games, the club removed his interim tag.
Even though the 2018 St. Louis Cardinals again fell short of the playoffs, a trio of newcomers, from whom little was expected coming in, became top contributors.
In St. Louis’ third consecutive year of missing the playoffs, a quartet of well-paid Cardinals stood out in their failure to meet expectations through a combination of injury and unexplainable ineffectiveness.
Despite unprecedented roster churn, mostly driven from above, St. Louis’ Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds, under manager Stubby Clapp, won its second consecutive Pacific Coast League title in 2018.
The St. Louis Cardinals signed one of the top left-handed relief pitchers in Major League Baseball to a two-year contract with a third-year vesting option.
Our annual analysis of the placement of St. Louis Cardinals prospects on six national top 100 lists, plus a look back over the prior six winters. 2018 results are quite consistent across the various sources.
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The top player on the 2017 St. Louis Cardinals, outfielder Tommy Pham, did not make the club out of spring training, but by season’s end was among the National League’s best hitters.
Of the seven coaches working under St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny at the end of the 2016 season, just two remain employed by the club, and only one in the same assignment.
Coming into 2017, the future of Yadier Molina with the St. Louis Cardinals was in question, but soon a new three-year extension was in place that may be the catcher’s last contract as a player. Still, some unrest followed.
The St. Louis Cardinals lost their top pitching prospect as spring camp opened, but two other young starters stepped up during the season to become major contributors.
In what in hindsight was a year of major roster transition, the St. Louis Cardinals have already said goodbye to almost half of their 2017 Opening Day roster.
The St. Louis Cardinals are assured the services of ace Carlos Martinez for as long as through the 2023 season at a rate that was record-setting, yet still seems a good deal for the club.
The St. Louis Cardinals promoted baseball operations executives John Mozeliak and Michael Girsch, giving the pair new titles and three-year contract extensions.
Cardinals Prospects on 2018 National Top 100s