The Cardinals have turned the RBI leaderboard into their own little showcase.
Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds sits at the top of Major League Baseball with 96 RBIs, but St. Louis is nipping at his heels in a way that says plenty about where this team is right now. Jordan Walker is second in the majors with 94 RBIs, and Alec Burleson is right behind him in third with 93.
That kind of production from two young hitters is a big reason the Cardinals have stayed relevant. They sold at the deadline, carry the second-youngest roster in baseball, and came into the season with the kind of outside expectations that usually land a team near the bottom of the standings. Instead, they’ve kept finding ways to win.
Walker’s jump has been especially striking. He opened the year with a career high of 51 RBIs, and with about five weeks left in the season, he’s already 43 beyond that mark. Burleson came in with a career best of 78 RBIs and has already moved 15 past it.
Together, they’ve helped change the way this team is viewed. The Cardinals are 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot, and their offense has given them enough punch to stay in the race.
Walker and Burleson are also the only duo in baseball with 85 or more RBIs. Add in JJ Wetherholt, Iván Herrera, Joshua Báez, and Masyn Winn, and there’s enough here to think St.
Louis can push for more this season. Just as important, the bigger picture looks strong.
The Cardinals have made it clear this rebuild is ahead of schedule, and they’re not far from being a real contender if they make a few more moves.
For a team that’s had its share of rough seasons lately, this is a different kind of story. Two sluggers in the middle of the order are carrying real weight, and the Cardinals suddenly look like a club moving in the right direction.
In Other News...
Cardinals Prospect Rainiel Rodriguez Looks Like A Future Lineup Answer
Rainiel Rodriguez has quickly become one of the more intriguing young names in the Cardinals system, not just because of the bat that drew attention in the first place, but because of the way the organization is broadening his path to the majors. St. Louis likes his hitting ability and mental toughness, and it is working to give him more than one way to fit into a future lineup by exposing him to first base and potentially third base as well.
For the Cardinals, that kind of flexibility matters as much as the offensive upside. Rodriguez is still headed for several more seasons in the minors, and his development timetable points to a possible major league arrival around 2028, but the bigger question is how the club ultimately chooses to use him once he gets there. The early signs suggest the bat is real, and the rest of his progression will be about making sure there is a place for it when the time comes. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Have A New Late-Inning Weapon Drawing Serious All-MLB Buzz
Late-season awards chatter has a way of putting certain relievers under a bigger spotlight, and Mason Miller is right in the middle of it after emerging as one of the most electric late-inning arms in the game. In All-MLB team discussions, he is being mentioned alongside the best pitchers in the sport, a reflection of how dominant he has been in a role where every outing gets magnified and every mistake can swing a game.
For Cardinals fans, it is another reminder of how dangerous a game can get once the opposing bullpen starts shortening things down. Millers rise has him in the same conversation as other standout arms like Louis Varland, while the overall All-MLB picture also features a crowded race among starters and position players. The buzz around Miller is not just about raw stuff, but about the kind of trust he is earning when the highest leverage moments arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face One Costly Skubal Decision This Offseason
The Cardinals enter the offseason with the same question hovering over the roster as it has for much of the year: how do they address pitching without locking themselves into another long, expensive mistake? Tarik Skubal has naturally surfaced in that conversation because of the impact he would bring, and because recent baseball has shown that short-term, high-dollar contracts can sometimes create a workable path for teams trying to upgrade quickly without surrendering too much future flexibility.
For St. Louis, the appeal is obvious, but so are the hurdles. Any serious run at Skubal would have to line up with his willingness to consider a shorter deal, and even then the Cardinals would be navigating a market that usually punishes hesitation while rewarding the biggest commitments. It is the kind of offseason call that could reshape both the rotation and the organizations budget, which is why it stands as one of the more fascinating decisions on the table. [Read more 🡒]