MLB Writer Not Buying Young Cardinals Hurler's Hot Start

The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a slow start in 2025. Through 23 games, they own a 9-12 record and sit in fourth place in the National League Central, four games back of the first place Chicago Cubs.

However, even in a year that is meant to be more transitional than one in which they'll contend, there have been some bright spots, namely the hot start of young right-hander Andre Pallante. In four starts, the 26-year-old is 2-1 with a 3.22 ERA.

Interestingly though, he is receiving some criticism. Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report says he is not buying the right-hander's hot start.

"Andre Pallante was a fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019, and did post a 3.78 ERA across 121.1 innings pitched a year ago. So, it's not as though he's completely come out of nowhere," Kelly wrote.

"With that said, we aren't going to buy Pallante's start. That's not to say he won't be an effective big-league starter this year, but he has a 3.80 expected ERA and 4.30 FIP, both of which suggest his current pace isn't sustainable."

This is certainly a shocking prediction. While Pallante may not be an ace-level pitcher, he has proven that he can be effective at the Major League level. He was St. Louis' second-best starter last year, and has impressed in almost every chance he's had as a starter.

The Cardinals are hoping to see what they have in their young pitching, and it's clear that they have something special in Pallante. Giving him runway over the next few years will be important. The Cardinals haven't developed a ton of quality pitching in recent years, but Pallante seems to be an exception to that.