To differentiate, the St. Louis Cardinals are one of the legendary legacy franchises of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals trail only the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants with the third most National League pennants (19). St. Louis boasts a large and generational fan base. Previously, before cable and streaming, the Cardinals were the favorite team of a massive portion of the United States. Long ago, millions of fans would tune into Cardinals games on the radio. And that Cardinal passion has been passed on in countless families. St. Louis is a baseball betting odds name brand.
2022 St. Louis Cardinals Preview
| Date: | Season Opens Season Opener on April 7, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Odds to Win World Series: | +220 |
| Odds to Win National League Pennant: | +1300 |
| Odds to Win National League Central: | +220 |
| Over and Under Win Total: | 86 |
2022 St. Louis Cardinals Betting Odds Analysis
At the onset of the 2022 season, the Cardinals will aim for their fourth consecutive playoff appearance. Despite that success, the Redbirds parted ways with manager Shildt. Oliver Marmol was promoted from bench coach to Shildt’s replacement as the new St. Louis manager. Specifically, the Cardinals claimed their separation from Shildt was based on “philosophical differences.” Regardless, there will be a new offshore bookmaker attitude in the Gateway City for 2022.
Run production was the Cardinals’ biggest problem in 2021. To illuminate, St. Louis ranked only 20th for runs produced, 15th for OPS, and 16th for home runs. St. Louis ranked 12th for staff earned run average, 13th for quality starts, and 11th for bullpen ERA. On the whole, it was the metrics of an above-average team, which is what the Cardinals were. And with the 10th highest payroll in baseball, the Cardinals expect more. That is part of why they changed managers.
2022 St. Louis Cardinals Key Personnel
To begin with, manager Oliver Marmol, age 25, is the youngest manager in Major League Baseball. As a player, he was a career minor leaguer. Since 2011, he has been a coach at various levels. Marmol started coaching with the Cardinals in 2017.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado leads the payroll. Arenado arrived in 2021 from the Colorado Rockies. While with the Rockies, Arenado was the marquee man of the franchise. Arenado is a 6-time National League All-Star, 4-time National League Silver Slugger, and 9-time Rawlings NL Gold Glove awardee. Last season was his first as a Cardinal. Arenado hit .255 with a .806 OPS and .494 slugging percentage. He produced 81 runs, 343 doubles, 34 home runs, and 105 runs batted in.
Yet another marquee man is longtime Cardinal first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt is a 6-time All-Star. He is a 4-time Rawling National League Gold Glove awardee and 4-time NL Silver Slugger. Goldschmidt was a strong MLB odds asset in 2021 with 102 runs, 36 doubles, 31 home runs, 67 walks, and 99 runs batted in. He hit .294 with a .514 slugging percentage and .879 OPS.
Of course, catcher Yadier Molina is a Redbird mainstay. Last year Molina was a National League All-Star for the tenth time in his career. Most important of all, Molina handles pitchers better than anyone in the Bigs.
First in the rotation is right-hander Adam Wainwright. At age 40, Wainwright is not slowing down. To illustrate, in 2021, Wainwright was 17-7 with a 3.05 earned run average and 1.06 WHIP.