Mar 31, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) pitches against the New York Mets during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals’ Biggest 2026 Surprise Isn’t Who You'd Expect

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 10, 2026 3:37 PM ET

There has been a lot to like about the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals so far.

St. Louis has simply been playing good overall baseball. The starting rotation has been solid overall, despite slow starts by Kyle Leahy and Dustin May. The bullpen hasn't been great, but neither JoJo Romero nor Riley O'Brien has allowed an earned run in 13 total appearances between the two. On offense, the Cardinals have been firing. The Cardinals are surprisingly tied for sixth in baseball with 13 homers as a team. Jordan Walker is tied for the league lead with five himself. The Cardinals also have the eighth-most runs scored in the league at 59.

It's been a good start to the season, to say the least. St. Louis currently has a 7-5 record heading into a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

While Walker has been the biggest story of the season, arguably he isn't the guy who has outperformed expectations the most. Well, maybe that is the case nationally because there weren't too many people high on Walker before the season. We have been high on Walker the entire time. One guy we weren't high on who has been awesome to begin the 2026 season is Andre Pallante.

Andre Pallante Has Been Surprising So Far This Season

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Pallante had a brutal 2025 season. He made 31 starts and had a 5.31 ERA. With new hurlers coming to town, including Richard Fitts, there was an argument that Pallante should've been moved to the bullpen. He changed the narrative, though.

Pallante had a 2.57 ERA in four appearances throughout Spring Training. He has been even better since the regular season kicked off. Pallante has made two starts so far this season and has a 1.80 ERA to show for it across 10 innings of work. Walks have been an issue. He has seven walks in comparison to just five strikeouts. But he has navigated the not-so-great command and minimized damage. He has allowed just two earned runs. That's impressive.

In 2024, Pallante had a 3.78 ERA in 29 total appearances for St. Louis, including 20 starts. If the Cardinals have that version of him back, that does change things for this rotation. Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore have looked like legit No. 1 and No. 2 hurlers for the Cardinals. If Pallante can be a sub-4.00 ERA guy, that locks up three spots in the rotation long term with plenty of options to fill the other spots.

Fitts is down in Triple-A right now. Hunter Dobbins will be ready soon. Let's not forget about Liam Doyle, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Quinn Mathews down in the minors as well. The future is bright. Hopefully, Pallante can keep this up.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: