Cardinals' Patience With Andre Pallante Looks Genius Now

The St. Louis Cardinals are certainly fortunate that they stuck with righty Andre Pallante.

Jun 10, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante (53) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals have some pitching issues that they have to sort out, but they have also been fortunate to have a major bounce-back campaign from 27-year-old righty Andre Pallante.

In 2024, Pallante was a bright spot for the organization. He took a step forward from being a full-time reliever in 2023, to getting a shot in the rotation. He pitched in 29 games total, including 20 starts, and gave the Cardinals a much-needed consistent hurler. That season, he logged a 3.78 ERA. He was good enough that the Cardinals gave him a full-time rotation spot in 2025, but he didn't have the same level of success, to say the least. He took a significant step backwards and finished the campaign with a 6-15 record and a 5.31 ERA in 31 starts. He finished the campaign with -1.2 wins above replacement.

The Cardinals Are Fortunate To Have Andre Pallante

Jun 27, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) throws against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Naturally, that led to a lot of chatter throughout the offseason and in Spring Training about how the Cardinals should move him back to the bullpen, including from us. Fortunately, the organization didn't listen. Pallante has the second-lowest ERA in the Cardinals' starting rotation right now at 3.60 ERA in 17 starts. Only Michael McGreevy is ahead of him at 3.12 in 17 starts.

Pallante looks brand new this season. On top of his 3.60 ERA, he has a 10-5 record and is already at 1.8 wins above replacement, which is a clear upgrade over last season. His 10 wins are pretty ridiculous — and surprising — as well. Before the 2026 season, his career high for wins in a season was eight. He has already surpassed that total with roughly half the season left to go. Plus, he's actually tied for the second-most wins by a hurler in baseball with Sandy Alcántara, Cristopher Sánchez, Jacob Misiorowski, Justin Wrobleski, Chase Burns, and Sonny Gray.

The only pitcher in baseball who has more wins than Pallante right now isn't even a starter. It's Milwaukee Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby, who somehow has 12 wins on the season and is pacing Major League Baseball. That's ridiculous in itself, but it doesn't impact the Cardinals.

For the Cardinals, the most important thing is Pallante turning things around. He is just 27 years old and has two more seasons of team control. He has pitched well enough so far this season to stick in the rotation not just this season, but beyond. Maybe last season was just a blip on the radar. Now, he looks like he should be in the Cardinals' rotation for a while.