Cardinals Could Be Poised To 'Shock The World' Despite Falling Behind In Standings

Don't count St. Louis out of the picture yet

Aug 6, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Tommy Pham (29) celebrates with manager Oliver Marmol (37) after the Cardinals defeated the Tampa Bay Rays at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals aren't considered a top team to contend for the World Series trophy this year but it might be unwise to count them out just yet.

As it stands, the Cardinals are only 2 1/2 games behind a National League Wild Card spot and still have two more series left to play against the NL Central first-place Milwaukee Brewers, who hold a seven-game lead in the division over St. Louis.

A playoff berth is well within reach for St. Louis, despite what some might say. In fact, it might not be too crazy to say that this Cardinals team has the potential to go for it all.

"On this date in 2023, the (Arizona) Diamondbacks odds of making the playoffs, per FanGraphs projections, were at 17.4%," according to MLB.com and Yahoo Sports's collaboration from Thursday that listed St. Louis as the likeliest team to be a surprise contender. "They wound up in the World Series. On the same date in 2021, the sub-.500 Cardinals were at a measly 1.4% before making a run to a Wild Card spot. In other words, as long as there’s a chance,there’s a chance."

The Fangraphs playoff projections calculator measures not only the standings but also considers a team's true talent and remaining strength of schedule. The Cardinals have a 14.5% chance of making the playoffs at the moment, similar to where the reigning NL champion Diamondbacks were this time last year.

St. Louis has 46 games left to play this season, which should be more than enough to erase the small deficit it faces for an NL Wild Card spot, at the very least.

If Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado get hot at the plate and the pitching staff continues to hold its own, there's no telling how far the Cardinals will go this season.

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