3 Reasons Cardinals Will Be Better in 2020

The St. Louis Cardinals, without the benefit of a multitude of superstars, managed to sneak into the 2019 NLCS after stunning the Atlanta Braves in the Division Series. The NL Central is to be had at the moment, as pretty much every team in that division has at least a puncher's chance at taking the crown. And based on these three trends heading into the 2020 season, St. Louis should be considered completely capable of being an even better version of themselves.

3. Paul Goldschmidt Will Have a Dominant Season

St Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt / Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The former Diamondback was solid in his first season in the Midwest, but he didn't dominate like many expected. That should change now that Paul Goldschmidt has another year of familiarity in the clubhouse and has gotten off to such a hot start in the spring. The loss of Marcell Ozuna could hurt the team overall, but Goldy didn't suffer a major downturn in performance when Ozuna was sidelined last year. If we get the Goldschmidt we saw in Arizona, St. Louis will once again have one of the deepest lineups in all of baseball.

2. The Young Stars Will Keep Developing

St Louis Cardinals third baseman Tommy Edman / Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The Cardinals always seem to have a parade of prospects that get called up in the middle of the season and quickly emerge as indispensable pieces of the puzzle over the course of the season. Tommy Edman was that prospect last year, as he joined Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson, and Paul DeJong as a key member of St. Louis' young nucleus. If that group builds upon a 2019 that saw Flaherty emerge as one of the best starters of any age in all of baseball and DeJong smack 30 home runs, they could win the Central convincingly.

1. The Starting Rotation Is Lethal

St Louis Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty / Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

Flaherty, who was the most dominant pitcher in baseball over the second half of the season, is a popular pick to win the NL Cy Young award this season. Hudson remains rock-solid, while Miles Mikolas and Carlos Martinez have proven they can get it done in pressure situations. Adam Wainwright remains veteran presence every fifth day, and new South Korean signing Kwang-Hyun Kim could be a game-changer given his prolific career in Korea. That starting rotation is the best in the division, and it has the potential to challenge the Dodgers for the best in the whole NL.