Cardinals Labeled ‘Pleasant Surprise of 2025’ by MLB Writer

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By True Deck | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 2:00 PM ET

In a season full of unexpected twists, Bleacher Report may have found the perfect way to describe the St. Louis Cardinals: “The pleasant surprise of the 2025 campaign.”

That was the title given to the Cards in BR’s ‘1 Sentence to Describe Every MLB Team Entering June’ article posted on Sunday. And while some teams were labeled “Underachieving” or “The biggest disappointment in baseball,” St. Louis got something much sweeter — and very accurate.

Coming into the season with +12000 World Series odds and as a consensus pick to finish below .500, the Cardinals continue to prove everyone wrong. St. Louis entered June at 33-25, just behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, and firmly in the playoff hunt. Since May 2, the Cardinals have gone 19-7.

"I think that you and your staff have done a commendable job getting this team on track."@KatieJWoo reveals what she told Oli Marmol after the Cardinals swept the D'backs. pic.twitter.com/Ljn1daUiSO
— Cardinal Territory (@CardTerritory) May 29, 2025

A surprising factor that makes the success even more unwarranted, is that the Redbirds have won despite major struggles from key names on their roster. Sonny Gray has been just OK; Willson Contreras is having the worst offensive season of his career and Jordan Walker still hasn’t been able to put all the pieces together.

Despite the struggles, the roster is loaded with unexpected contributors that have been carrying the weight of the Cardinals during the run. While players like Lars Nootbar and Nolan Arenado are getting the job done, Masyn Winn and Brendan Donavan have been electric up the middle. Matthew Liberatore and Miles Mikolas have been playing better than expected on the mound, which was expected to be a key weak spot for St. Louis.

“They might mess around and win this division if any of those three players turn things around,” the BR article said.

There’s no telling how long the Cardinals can keep this going. But in a season that started with low expectations and offseason talk of shedding payroll, the fact that St. Louis is in this position at all is a win in itself.

Bleacher Report’s label doesn’t just reflect where the Cardinals stand. It captures how they’ve made their fans feel again.

Pleasantly surprised.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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