(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
It has been nearly a week since the St. Louis Cardinals made the shocking and sudden decision to pull Willson Contreras out of the starting catcher position.
To most people around the game, from fans to media members, it’s obvious that the Cardinals have been using Contreras as a scapegoat to mask the fact that their starting rotation has performed horrendously through the first month of the season.
The Cardinals justified the decision by saying that moving Contreras out of the catcher spot would help their starters improve.
However, that has not been the case.
Cardinals analyst Brandon Kiley took note of some stats that show that the Cardinals have only themselves to blame for what has taken place.
The #STLCards started transitioning away from Willson Contreras as their everyday catcher on April 29th.
SP ERA prior to April 29th: 5.05
SP ERA since April 29th: 6.33
RP ERA prior to April 29th: 3.93
RP ERA since April 29th: 3.86
It’s obviously a small sample size, but…
— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) May 11, 2023
The Cardinals starters were not performing well with Contreras behind the plate.
Though it’s a small sample size, the have actually performed worse than when they first experimented with Contreras as the designated hitter.
While Contreras was behind the plate, starters had an ERA of 5.05.
Since the change, they have posted an ERA of 6.33.
The relievers have slightly improved, but the main issue for the team has been their starting pitching, or lack thereof.
But it’s clear that Contreras is not the problem.
What is also clear is the fact that despite the obvious need for some pitching reinforcements, St. Louis chose to ignore their rotation during the offseason, with John Mozeliak stating that they already had six starters.
However, the pitching strategy and the decision to pull Contreras out of the catcher spot have backfired on the team.
The post Stats Prove The Cardinals Only Have Themselves To Blame appeared first on The Cold Wire.