This Impressive Stat Should Give Cardinals Fans Hope After Disappointing Start To Season

Cardinals fans should be optimistic about the club despite a tough start

The St. Louis Cardinals may not have gotten off to the start they had wanted, but there still is plenty of hope this season. 

St. Louis is 8-11 through its first 19 games of the season but there's plenty to be optimistic about. The Cardinals' struggles have mainly come from the pitching staff but that should improve in the near future as longtime hurler Adam Wainwright nears a return to the field. 

Although the Cardinals' record may not be the best in the league, the club's offense has been impressive so far this season and once the pitching gets it together will help the team win plenty of ballgames. The Cardinals currently have the third-best batting average for a team at .274 and the second-best on-base percentage by a team in all of baseball at .354. 

Another statistic that should be encouraging to Cardinals fans is the fact that St. Louis currently has the third-most hard-hit batted balls in all of baseball with a whopping 224, according to MLB.com's John Denton. A hard-hit ball is classified as one hit 95 miles per hour or more. 

The Cardinals' offense already has been impressive, but it could be even better. 2022 National League Most Valuable Player Paul Goldschmidt and seven-time All-Star Nolan Arenado unsurprisingly have led the way for the Cardinals, but they have gotten production from up and down the lineup. Shortstop Tommy Edman leads the team in wins above replacement, rookie phenom Jordan Walker has burst onto the scene, and designated hitter Nolan Gorman has taken a massive leap forward so far this season. 

St. Louis won 93 games in 2022 and returned much of the same roster and has made some intriguing additions. Although the season hasn't gotten off to the start they hoped for, things should turn around very shortly. 

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