Over the past two years, fans of the St. Louis Cardinals have seemed to have a better understanding of how to manage the team than the front office and coaching staff. This isn’t about minor decisions like when to use a particular reliever or whether to call for a hit and run at the right moment. Instead, it’s about larger roster choices that the team has mishandled since the start of the 2023 season.
These flawed roster and organizational decisions are at the heart of the mediocrity the Cardinals have shown during this time. Whether it’s promoting young players too soon, failing to optimize player roles at the major league level, or making impulsive position changes, the team has made several costly mistakes that have left fans baffled.
One example is the decision to have Jordan Walker debut on Opening Day 2023. Before the season, Walker was a top prospect and a standout hitter, dominating Double-A pitching with a .306/.388/.510 line in 2022. However, his defensive skills in the corner outfield were still a work in progress, and his transition from third base to the outfield was still ongoing. Despite these clear weaknesses and his lack of experience above Double-A, the Cardinals decided to promote him on Opening Day at just 21 years old.
While Walker began with a strong 12-game hitting streak, he quickly faced struggles and was sent down to Triple-A Memphis to refine his swing. Had the Cardinals delayed his promotion, the outfield logjam—already involving Dylan Carlson, Tyler O’Neill, Lars Nootbaar, and Alec Burleson—would have been less of an issue. Additionally, Walker would have had more time to develop offensively and defensively. Instead of letting him grow at a more appropriate pace, the Cardinals rushed him to the majors, and they are still feeling the consequences of that decision.
