Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals 2-Time All-Star Ready To Prove He's 'Not Done Yet' With Resurgent Campaign

The St. Louis veteran hurler is determined to bounce back in 2025
Nate Hagerty|
May 30, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) reacts after getting the final out of the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
May 30, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) reacts after getting the final out of the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

Expectations for the St. Louis Cardinals' 2025 campaign are low after an unproductive offseason but several remaining veterans are ready to prove the doubters wrong.

Trading 10-time Gold Glove defender Nolan Arenado was the Cardinals' top priority this winter but after failing to do so, the 33-year-old is healthy and determined to give St. Louis fans something to cheer for this season.

Similar to Arenado, who floundered in 2024, another Cardinals veteran sounds as if he's geared for a dominant season as he looks to prove that there's plenty of juice left in his tank.

"'This year, it’s we’re under the gun from last year and people expect us now to slide even further,'" Cardinals right-handed pitcher Miles Mikolas recently stated, as transcribed by St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold on Thursday. "'It’s a different chip on our shoulder. Maybe an extra chip. You’ve got guys on this roster who are here to prove something. Whether it’s proving they’re not a one-and-done kind of guy or guys like me proving we’re not done yet. Sonny (Gray) and Nado are saying, ‘We’re All-Star-caliber players.’ So everybody has their own chip. Put it all together and we’ve got a bag of chips.'"

Mikolas logged a 10-11 record with a 5.35 ERA, 122-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .284 batting average against and a 1.28 WHIP in 171 2/3 innings pitched for the Cardinals last season.

The 36-year-old hasn't performed well since his 2022 All-Star campaign. Although Mikolas has been crucial to the Cardinals' rotation as an innings eater, his regression over the two previous seasons has been disappointing.

With Gray and Erick Fedde at the front of St. Louis' rotation to start the 2025 season, the Cardinals must see improvements from veterans such as Mikolas and left-handed pitcher Steven Matz if they hope to avoid three consecutive years of missing the playoffs.

More MLB: Cardinals Star Headed For Potential $100M Deal 'Most Likely' To Be Traded This Summer

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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