2026 MLB First-Half Recap: St. Louis Cardinals

The Pitching

The Good

With a youth movement in full effect for the Cardinals, the two players who stole the show, in part, were two players who’ve been around for some time: Jordan Walker and Alex Burleson.

Walker, in his fourth big-league season, finally had that big season that Cardinals fans were waiting for since his arrival in 2023. Always a physically imposing player, Walker didn’t hit the ball with a lot of authority early in his career. But with some adjustments and the always-present bat speed, Walker entered the break with a career-high 22 home runs.

As for Burleson, he won a Silver Slugger Award last year as the utility player in the National League. Burleson spent most of his early years as an outfielder, despite his below-average speed. Most of that was due to a blockade at first base with Paul Goldschmidt and later Willson Contreras. Two, he was a pitcher at ECU, and he does have a good arm.

This season, Burleson is the everyday first baseman, replacing Contreras. With protection around him, Burleson’s 2026 season, to this point, has been arguably better. Thirty-nine extra-base hits, including 15 home runs, before the break.

JJ Wetherholt made the team out of camp and didn’t look out of step whatsoever. That earned him a nice pre-arbitration extension that comes with escalators and bought out several free agent years.

Wetherholt’s been the leadoff man for the Cardinals, batting right in front of Ivan Herrera, who walked a team-high 51 times heading into the break.

As for the pitching staff, Riley O’Brien turned into an All-Star less than one year after taking off as a full-time closer. Twenty-four saves for O’Brien, who has led a bullpen that’s had its good and bad this season.

Michael McGreevy, a former first-round pick, headlined a sneaky rotation that’s also received good production from Andre Pallante and Dustin May.

The Bad

Over the past few years, the Cardinals’ pitching staff has not excelled in the swing-and-miss department. That’s rung true yet again in 2026, as the Cardinals entered the break with the lowest Whiff% in the Majors.

The Cardinals have five pitchers who’ve made at least 18 starts this season. However, none of those pitchers has a K/9 of 9.0 or higher.

Matt Svanson, one of baseball’s best relievers last season, posted an ERA of 6.58 before the break.

As for the offense, former top prospects Nolan Gorman and Victor Scott II are back in the Minors. Both batted below .200 before their respective demotions.

Looking Ahead

This is a strange position, to say the least, as the Cardinals were not expected to compete for a playoff spot this year. But heading into the break, the Cards are very much in it despite a cold spell before the break.

Will the Cardinals likely be big spenders at the deadline? No. But if the Cardinals do look to be cautious buyers, it would reward what’s been a very good year for the St. Louis roster and organization.