What We Got Right—and Wrong—About the Cardinals After 12 Games

There's been a lot to be excited about with the St. Louis Cardinals over the last two weeks.

Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) reacts after hitting a two run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have 12 games under their belt so far in the 2026 Major League Baseball season and a day off on Thursday before they will begin a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at home on Friday night.

St. Louis and Boston certainly are familiar with one another after making two different trades this past offseason centered around Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray. Despite that, the Cardinals have actually been better than Boston has this season. The Cardinals are 7-5 on the season whereas Boston is 4-8.

As the season approached and then shortly after it began, we got some things right about this team, but also were wrong about a few things.

What We Got Right

Apr 4, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) receives congratulations from teammates after he hits a grand slam in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Jordan Walker

Walker is the big one here. We have been beating the Walker drum for a while at this point. We said that Walker would be the biggest bounce-back story for St. Louis back in February. As some questioned whether he should be sent down to the minors due to a slow spring, we doubled down on Walker. He's turned out to be one of the biggest breakout stories of the 2026 season in general so far. Walker is slashing .295/.367/.682 with five homers and 12 RBIs in 12 games played. His five homers are tied for the top mark in baseball.

JJ Wetherholt

This one isn't as shocking. We said that Wetherholt is going to be a star in this league quickly. He has shown signs of that already this season. He blasted his first homer on Opening Day and then got a walk-off hit in the same series. He's slashing .244/.364/.333 with one homer, five RBIs, three stolen bases and eight walks. Plus, he's in the 99th percentile in outs above average.

What We Got Wrong

Mar 31, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) pitches against the New York Mets during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Andre Pallante

Throughout Spring Training, we pointed to Pallante multiple times as the guy who should've missed the starting rotation and said Richard Fitts should've gotten the nod. While Fitts arguably should be in the rotation, not over Pallante anymore. He has a 1.80 ERA in two starts and was very good throughout Spring Training. He earned the job and is proving why.

Dustin May

It's too early to be extremely concerned. But after his first start was bad, we said it was nothing to worry about. He followed with a second tough outing in a row. Now, again, there's a lot of season left. But there is some worry here.