(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Spring training games don’t actually mean much.
That said, they are not totally meaningless.
Being crowned spring training champions can boost team morale entering the season.
At least it can’t hurt it!
The St. Louis Cardinals finished the spring with the best record in MLB.
The St. Louis Cardinals are YOUR 2023 MLB Spring Training Champions with a 17-7 record pic.twitter.com/5YvDhNEzAj
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 27, 2023
The fact they went 17-7 doesn’t actually mean much.
However, there are some really nice stories to tell about how they got to that number.
They did it, for example, without some of their best players for much of the month of March.
Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Giovanny Gallegos, Lars Nootbaar, and Tommy Edman, among others, spent most of the spring with their respective national teams in the World Baseball Classic.
Their squad depth was good enough to win 17 games, a lot of them without these aforementioned stars.
In the spring, we could also witness an imposing lineup and some personal breakouts.
For example, utility infielder Brendan Donovan overhauled his swing and looks eager to increase his power ceiling.
He appears to have leadoff duties locked up, too.
If he can hit at least 15 home runs, the Gold Glover could be one of the most valuable players on the Cardinals.
The team is entering a very important season.
Goldschmidt and Arenado remain top players, but who knows for how long?
Both are in their thirties, and St. Louis must take advantage of their primes.
The time to make a deep playoff run is now, although the National League is looking as competitive as ever.
Will the Cardinals make it all the way in 2023?
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