Cardinals 28-Year-Old Pitcher Has Chance to Make Waves in 2026

The Cardinals could see Kyle Leahy breakout in a big way with more opportunities this season...

Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Leahy (62) pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals opted to rebuild their roster this offseason by trading away multiple key veterans to land a slew of top prospects. They brought in multiple top pitching prospects, including players like Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts.

This season, the Cardinals will lean heavily on their unproven pitchers. They have a lot of talent, but almost none of their starting pitching has proven themselves in the big leagues. This opens the door for some under-the-radar pitchers to burst on the scene.

Thomas Nestico of TJStats recently put together a list of bold predictions with one for each team as the 2026 regular season gets underway. For the Cardinals, Nestico boldly predicted pitcher Kyle Leahy would lead the pitching staff in fWAR, which is a shocking prediction considering how many people believe Matthew Liberatore will take a big step forward this year.

Kyle Leahy has chance to make big leap this year

Sep 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Leahy (62) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"Kyle Leahy ranked 3rd in Cardinals fWAR in 2025, behind Sonny Gray and Matthew Liberatore. The impressive part — Leahy did this as a reliever," Nestico wrote. "Transitioning into a starter after 4 years of relief work is no simple task, but I believe that Leahy has the skillset perfectly geared to being a starter. His 6-pitch mix gives him the versatility to tackle any batter and he has the command to keep his pitch count in check. I would be remiss to not mention that he also wields one of the best breaking balls in the league with his sweeper. I am very excited to see how he does this season."

Leahy has turned from a receiver to a starter this year. With this opportunity, Leahy will be able to post a lot higher WAR with more innings. There's also a chance he emerges as a very reliable starting pitcher due to his versatile pitch mix and ability to stay in the zone with almost all of his pitches.

Leahy has multiple plus offspeed pitches, including his excellent sweeper. If he can get rolling as the Cardinals No. 3 or No. 4 starter, he could quickly emerge as an under-the-radar option. It wouldn't be surprising to see him post a career high in WAR, which could be good enough to lead the Cardinals in 2026.